Hook, Line, And Sinker Meaning, Origin and Examples

Last updated on October 4, 2024 by Liam Daniel

“Hook, line, and sinker” is a common idiomatic phrase that you’ll often hear in conversations and see in writing. It describes someone who is completely fooled or deceived by something. This reference covers the meaning, origin, examples, and alternative phrases for “hook, line, and sinker.” Through this reference, you can explore different contexts in which this phrase is used, making it easier to understand and apply in your own conversations.

Hook, Line, and Sinker Meaning, Origin and Usage

Key Takeaways

  • “Hook, line, and sinker” means to completely believe or fall for something, often a trick or deception, without questioning it. The phrase originates from fishing, where the fish is caught by the entire bait setup—hook, line, and sinker—suggesting someone is fully taken in.
Hook, Line, And Sinker Meaning
Hook, Line, And Sinker Meaning – Created by 7ESL

Hook, Line, And Sinker Meaning

“Hook, line, and sinker” is an idiomatic phrase that means someone has been completely deceived, tricked, or convinced, often falling for something without hesitation or questioning. The expression comes from fishing, where a fish is caught by not only the hook but also the line and sinker, meaning it has been fully caught or taken in.

For example:

  • “He believed the fake story hook, line, and sinker.”
  • “She fell for the prank hook, line, and sinker, never suspecting a thing.”

It implies total gullibility or being completely taken in by a ruse or trick.

Origin of this Idiom

The phrase “hook, line, and sinker” originates from the sport/pastime of fishing. A hook, line and sinker are all tools tied to the end of a fishing line used to lure and catch a fish. A fish, being greedy, will see the bait on a hook and gobble up the hook without thinking twice of the danger of being caught. The phrase was first used in 1865 in the sense of fishing and later used metaphorically to apply to other situations where people had been duped.

Related Terms to Hook, Line, And Sinker

  • Fell for it – To be easily tricked or deceived.
    • “He fell for it without questioning the story.”
  • Swallowed it whole – Believed something completely without doubt.
    • “She swallowed the lie whole and never suspected a thing.”
  • Taken in – To be deceived or fooled by someone or something.
    • “They were completely taken in by the con artist’s charm.”
  • Bought it – To believe something, often implying gullibility.
    • “He bought the fake excuse without hesitation.”
  • Duped – To be tricked or deceived, often in a clever or manipulative way.
    • “She was duped into believing the email scam.”
  • Led down the garden path – To be deceived or misled.
    • “He was led down the garden path and believed all the false promises.”
  • Fooled – To be tricked into believing something that isn’t true.
    • “They fooled him into thinking the document was real.”

Other Ways to Say “Hook, Line, and Sinker”

As the case with all idiomatic phrases, there are many other ways to say “hook, line, and sinker” and still convey the same meaning. Some of the other ways you can say this phrase include:

  • Completely
  • Totally
  • Absolutely

Hook, Line, And Sinker Examples

Example Statements

A statement made by a celebrity during an interview about the most recent film being made.

  • “My co-stars are excellent! They are so much fun! We play jokes on one another all day long. Generally, I can get them to fall for my jokes hook, line, and sinker every time.”

A statement made by a police officer assigned to an undercover operation.

  • “We managed to arrest the suspect after infiltrating their gang. They fell for our decoy hook, line, and sinker and never suspected a thing. We are thankful to be able to get these criminals off our streets and out of our neighborhood.”

Example Conversations

A conversation between a brother and a sister.

  • Brother: Oh my God! Tara! Help me!
  • Sister: (running into the room to see her brother on the floor with blood all over his finger) Oh my God Clyde! What did you do? I am calling 911!
  • Brother: NO! Don’t do that! I was just joking!
  • Sister: I am going to kill you, Clyde. I swear!
  • Brother: (laughing) I can’t believe you fell for that hook, line, and sinker!

A conversation between a mother and daughter.

  • Daughter: Mom, I am failing two classes.
  • Mother: Kara, you better be joking!
  • Daughter: I’m not mom! I am failing and I might fail the year because of it.
  • Mother: Kara! What have you been doing all year? You are grounded!! You have never, ever failed a class before! You’ve never even been close to failing!
  • Daughter: (laughing) April Fools Mom! I can’t believe you fell for that hook, line, and sinker.
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