fishing expedition

noun

, Informal.

1. a legal proceeding mainly for the purpose of interrogating a suspect, or of examining their property and documents, in order to gain useful information.
2. any inquiry carried on without any clearly defined plan or purpose in the hope of discovering useful information.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fishing expedition¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Idioms and Phrases

An attempt to find useful information by asking questions at random. For example, The sales force was told to go on a fishing expedition to find out what they could about the company's competitors . This expression was taken up by lawyers to describe interrogating an adversary in hopes of finding relevant evidence and is now used more broadly still. [c. 1930]

Example Sentences

"A fishing expedition is not unlawful where there is good reason to believe that fish will be found," says Chase.

From The Daily Beast

We have a chairman on a fishing expedition who has nothing on Obama or any White House person.

From The Daily Beast

The group was on a Christmas fishing expedition in the archipelago.

From The Daily Beast

Some Hill Republicans express concern that this was not his first extramarital fishing expedition.

From The Daily Beast

Esau learnt this habit of asking for eggs when we were on a fishing expedition near the south coast of Norway.

From Project Gutenberg

Ratu Lala thought this would be a good opportunity for us to make a fishing expedition to Vuna.

From Project Gutenberg

Two or three days after the fishing expedition the boys had gathered together at the swimming-pool, Ben Gile with them.

From Project Gutenberg

But no one replied, chiefly because no one knew, excepting the kingfisher, and he was away on a fishing expedition.

From Project Gutenberg

At breakfast she discovered that Judge Trent and Dunham had departed early on a fishing expedition.

From Project Gutenberg