fish in troubled waters

Idioms  

1. Try to take advantage of a confused situation. For example, He often buys up stock in companies declaring bankruptcy; fishing in troubled waters generally pays off. This term, first recorded in 1568, expresses the even older notion that fish bite more readily when seas are rough.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fish in troubled waters

Meanwhile, I was becoming convinced that the Soviets were seeking to fish in troubled waters.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Soviets, Weinberger said on Face the Nation, "have a huge presence in Syria, and they love to fish in troubled waters."

From Time Magazine Archive

The conduct of Great Britain showed a propensity to fish in troubled waters.

From Jefferson and His Colleagues; a chronicle of the Virginia dynasty by Johnson, Allen

Might it not be from this fable that we have taken the expression, "to fish in troubled waters," of which without a doubt the good Yoritomo furnished the origin many, many centuries ago?

From Common Sense, How to Exercise It by Yoritomo-Tashi, Mme. Blanchard

Matters were not improved by the antagonism between the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian missions and the traders; each worked against the others, offering the natives the best of opportunities to fish in troubled waters.

From Two Years with the Natives in the Western Pacific by Speiser, Felix