Fish or cut bait

1. Make a decision now; stop hesitating. To cut bait is to stop fishing.

Idioms and Phrases

Either proceed with an activity or abandon it completely. For example, You've been putting off calling him for hours; either fish or cut bait. This expression, often uttered as an imperative, alludes to a fisherman who should either be actively trying to catch fish or cutting up bait for others to use. It was first recorded in the Congressional Record (1876), when Congressman Joseph P. Cannon called for a vote on a bill legalizing the silver dollar: “I want you gentlemen on the other side of the House to ‘fish or cut bait.’” A vulgar synonym from the 1940s is shit or get off the pot.

Example Sentences

“I just think we need to get to the bottom of this and stop messing around. We either need to fish or cut bait, and right now, all we’re doing is cutting bait,” Mr. Burchett, Tennessee Republican, said on NewsNation.

Read more on Washington Times

While Disney has long denied the contentions of Universal and its then-parent, MCA, Stein didn’t hold back, telling The Times in 1989 that “Disney took what we had, and we had to fish or cut bait,” explaining that Universal shifted from a tram-focused park to one based instead on stand-alone attractions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"It's getting to be time to fish or cut bait," Duy said, and either agree the economy needs time to fully adjust to the aggressive rate hikes enacted over the last year - a core argument for pausing - or "stick with the hawkish position of waiting for inflation data to roll over" and continue raising rates until then.

Read more on Reuters

"You're going to have to tell me — this week," Kaplan shot back, urging Trump's attorney to "fish or cut bait."

Read more on Salon

The pressure is building on President Biden to fish or cut bait on a 2024 reelection push, just as he struggles to manage a new crisis over his mishandling of classified documents.

Read more on Washington Times