# fish to fry

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/fish-to-fry
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A matter to attend to.

## Examples

- I cannot help you now because I have other fish to fry.
- She declined the invitation to the meeting, explaining that she had bigger fish to fry at the office.
- While the committee debated minor procedural changes, the director insisted they focus on the larger issues, noting that the company had much bigger fish to fry.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.