Idiom
Bigger fish to fry
If you have bigger fish to fry, you have more important things to deal with, so a smaller matter is not worth your time.
How people use it
People usually say have bigger fish to fry to explain why they are ignoring something minor: I'm not going to argue about the parking spot; I have bigger fish to fry. It is informal and can sound a little dismissive, as if the other matter is beneath your attention. The older form, other fish to fry, means you have other things to do without saying they are more important; it is still common in British English. It has nothing to do with cooking, though fish puns are tempting.
Also said: other fish to fry.
Examples
- Ana didn't worry about the typo on the menu; she had bigger fish to fry before the restaurant opened.
- Our coach has bigger fish to fry than our uniforms, since the playoffs start Friday.
- I'd love to help plan the party, but I've got bigger fish to fry with exams next week.
Where it comes from
The older form, other fish to fry, appears in English in the 1600s and simply meant having other business to attend to. French has a similar saying about having other cats to whip. The version with bigger, which adds the idea of importance, became popular in American English in the 1900s.
Check yourself
1. A busy manager says she has bigger fish to fry. What does she mean?
Answer: She has more important things to handle. Bigger fish to fry means more important matters need attention.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Leo ignored the scratch on his car because he had bigger fish to fry at work.. The idiom explains ignoring a small problem because something more important needs attention.
Similar idioms
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