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English question: What does the expression "put a line in the water" mean, figuratively?
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Thank you very much both for answering. I came across it in Michael Connelly's "The Concrete Blonde. "
"Well, that was all I was checking," Mola said into the phone. "Just trying to put a line in the water. Ask around and let me know what you come up with."
(As they are trying to find out who the murderer is.)
2 Answers
- Anonymous9 years agoFavorite Answer
To go fishing.
Perhaps more to the point; to put the bait out there and see if it catches anything.
A salesman looking for a new customer could be said to be "putting a line in the water."
- 9 years ago
Probably to take a chance
Source(s): Native English speaker, but I've never heard that expression lol
