| fishing expedition n. An open-ended inquiry or investigation, often undertaken on the pretext of a minor or unrelated matter, whose real purpose is to uncover embarrassing or damaging information, as about a political opponent: "[enabled] prosecutors to expand what started out as an investigation of ... [a] land deal into a fishing expedition for intimate details of his daily  and nightlylife" (Margaret Carlson). |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | fishing expedition - an investigation undertaken in the hope (but not the stated purpose) of discovering information investigation, probe - an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities; "there was a congressional probe into the scandal" |
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