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rough fish

American  

noun

  1. any fish that is not valued as a sport fish or considered a significant source of food by sport fishers.

rough fish British  

noun

  1. a fish that is neither a sport fish nor useful as food or bait for sport fish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rough fish

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Saturday was rough fish day, which meant spearing primarily nonnative carp.

From Washington Times • Jun. 11, 2015

Americans throw back "rough" fish like sheepshead and mullet, but the Vietnamese live on them.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some Michigan devotees, in non-trout waters, were taking so-called "rough fish," e.g., carp and suckers, by an ancient method: lantern fishing with a bow & arrow.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.