Idiom
chum in the water
Meaning
Synonym of blood in the water.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The weak argument was chum in the water for the aggressive lawyer.”
“When the company announced its financial losses, it was chum in the water for its competitors.”
“The politician's minor slip of the tongue served as chum in the water for the hungry press, who immediately swarmed to attack his credibility.”
Examples
simple
“The weak argument was chum in the water for the aggressive lawyer.”
contextual
“When the company announced its financial losses, it was chum in the water for its competitors.”
complex
“The politician's minor slip of the tongue served as chum in the water for the hungry press, who immediately swarmed to attack his credibility.”
Origin
An allusion to the practice of fishermen ladling chum into the ocean to attract sharks, which initiates a feeding frenzy among the predators. The phrase draws its imagery from the immediate and violent activity that follows the introduction of bait into the water.
Key words
Related idioms
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