Hook, line, and sinker

刊登日期: 2019.04.26
作者: Grace Tse  

An international company announced that it was committed to the Hong Kong financial market “hook, line, and sinker” after it made huge profits in 2018. The idiom “hook, line, and sinker” means “completely”. In other words, this company is very willing to make investment in Hong Kong. 

What do you think the three items “hook, line, and sinker” were originally associated with? They refer to angling, which is the sport or hobby of fishing. This leisure activity needs a hook, a fishing line and a lead weight (or a sinker) which keeps the fishing line under the water. When a fish nibbles at the bait on the hook, it is caught straightaway. 

The idiom first appeared in an autobiography of Thurlow Weed, an American politician, in the 19th century. 

“We are gone, hook, line, and sinker.” 

Based on the idea that a fish is so hungry that it eats the bait without any doubts, this idiom is commonly used with the word “swallow”. The following example means that many Hong Kong people do not accept the changes to the fugitive law. 

The general public in Hong Kong are not swallowing the proposed amendments to the extradition law hook, line, and sinker. 

The idiom also implies a deception. In the following example, the old woman was tricked into believing the fraudster unquestioningly. 

The conman was so clever that the poor old lady fell for his story hook, line, and sinker.（完全相信） . 

Note that the comma after the word “line” is optional: “hook, line and sinker”.  

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Angling	釣魚
Lead	鉛
Sinker	釣絲上的鉛錘
Nibbles	一點點地咬
Bait	餌
Fugitive	逃犯
Extradition	引渡逃犯
Deception	欺詐