In a recent exchange with a highly eloquent friend (we were discussing a particularly peculiar episode he has pointed to me in a book) he replied to my comments on the episode with an idiom I have not heard before (being an ESL guy). He said literally "Not biting, eh?". What does this mean?
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"Not taking the bait", from fishing, meaning someone offered you a conversational opening (or an invitation to an argument) and you didn't follow up. |
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To bite in this context means "to respond to a provocation or temptation". The phrase is understood to refer to a fish biting a baited hook, or possibly to Eve biting into the forbidden fruit. So in context, something had happened that your friend expected to elicit a response from you. When you didn't respond as expected or intended, he remarked that you were "not biting". |
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The other answers are great. Another way it's used is when I read a provocative article (as JSB suggests) and in response I'd say "Ok, I'll bite." I then offer my thoughts on the subject. |
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