View synonyms for kingfish

kingfish

[ king-fish ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural (especially collectively) king·fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) king·fish·es.

any of several marine food fishes of the drum family, especially of the genus Menticirrhus, found off the eastern coast of the United States.
Also called white croaker. a marine food fish, Genyonemus lineatus, found off the Californian coast.
king mackerel.
a large game fish, Seriola grandis, found in Australia and New Zealand, closely related to the yellowtail.
any of various other fishes noted especially for their size.
Informal. a person regarded as a leader or authority:
a kingfish in Democratic Party circles.

kingfish

/ ˈkɪŋˌfɪʃ /

any marine sciaenid food and game fish of the genus Menticirrhus, occurring in warm American Atlantic coastal waters
See opah
another name for opah
any of various other large food fishes, esp the Spanish mackerel
Also calledNZhaku a large food and game fish, Seriola lalandi lalandi , of New Zealand waters

First recorded in 1740–50; king + fish

The "Kingfish" popularized the catch phrase "Holy Mackerel!"

A correspondent wrote that Johnson’s attack had managed to transform the Kingfish ‘from a clown into a real political menace.

We had Father Coughlin and the Kingfish, Huey Long, railing against Franklin Roosevelt.

But as I fish for sailfish with a free-running reel, of course I am exasperated when a kingfish takes hold.

Kingfish are savage strikers and they almost invariably hook themselves when the drag is set.

Their feeding habits are similar to those of the kingfish, and in their season they can be captured in the same way.

It is frequently caught by the Key West fishermen when trolling for kingfish with a bait of bacon-rind.

My brother pulled in this kingfish, which was small, and we rebaited our hooks and went on again.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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