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've never heard before (being an ESL guy). He said literally "Not biting, eh?". What does this mean?
asked Jun 22, 2011 at 16:06
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2why didn't you ask him?– Louis RhysJun 23, 2011 at 2:45
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I did, he took it as me denying I was not biting, the reaction I only completely understood after I asked this question– Andriy VolkovJun 23, 2011 at 19:17
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It turns out he was just using the passage as "bait" to get you "hooked" on the book. Much like adverstising, but in this case, actually for a good cause (being well-read is always a good cause). And since you didn't "take the bait", you were "not biting". In a more alarming context, someone may try to get you into an argument intentionally by "baiting" you.– Joel M WardJul 23, 2018 at 17:57
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4 Answers
"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.
answered Jun 22, 2011 at 16:08
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".
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.
answered Jun 22, 2011 at 23:16
Interviewer: Why....it's OK to go into the movies and enjoy the violence?
Quentin Tarantino (Annoyed): Yeah...well...it is a movie. It's a fantasy, it's a fantasy, it is not real life. It's a fantasy. You go and you watch...you know...you watch...you watch a Kung-fu movie, and one guy takes on a hundred people in a restaurant. That's fun.
Interviewer: But why are you so sure there is no link between enjoying movie violence and enjoying real violence?
Quentin Tarantino (furious): I don't...I....well...I am gonna tell you why I am so sure. Don't....don't ask me questions like that. I am...I am not biting. I refuse your question.
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This is a fascinating exchange. Where did you find it? (Also: Please note that your answer doesn't actually explain what "not biting" means; it just gives a context in which one (famous) person used the phrase.) Jul 21, 2016 at 5:48
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1Interview video Yes, I am aware that it doesn't answer the question directly, but giving the context can help memorize the meaning of the word more than just knowing its definition Jul 22, 2016 at 6:23