fishiness
Something smells off
Fishiness is the quality of smelling or tasting like fish—that slightly off, briny odor of seafood past its prime.
More commonly, fishiness describes something suspicious or dubious: There's a certain fishiness about his alibi.
The figurative sense draws on the literal—something fishy doesn't smell right.
Lack of firm belief
- mistrustLack of faith
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- warinessCautious distrust
- shadinessQuestionable trustworthiness
questionable · dubiousness · incredulity · misgivings · unease · hunch · distrust · apprehension
Olfactory perception
rankness · foulness · malodor · whiff · rottenness · spoiled · off-putting · rancid
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- mistrustLack of faith
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- warinessCautious distrust
shadiness · questionable · dubiousness · incredulity · misgivings · unease · hunch · distrust · apprehension · uncertainty
smell
Olfactory perception
pungency · rankness · foulness · malodor · whiff · rottenness · spoiled · off-putting · rancid · funk
trickery
Deliberate deception or fraud
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
- dishonestyDisposition toward falsehood
sham · scam · con · hoax · subterfuge · phony · swindle · charlatan · impostor · guile
salmon
Pink-fleshed migratory fish
mackerel · sardine · anchovy · haddock · bass · halibut · flounder · tilapia · snapper · carp
- doubtdoubt, doubts, doubting, doubtful, skepticism
- fish marketseafood counter, fresh catch, catch of the day, wholesale, retail
- off-flavorsrancid, spoiled, sour, skunking, rotten
fishinesstrustworthiness
Quality of being reliable
legitimacy · credibility · authenticity · genuineness · reliability
fishinessfreshness
State of being unspoiled
fragrance · sweetness · pleasantness · floral scent · cleanliness
fish, fishy, fishing, jellyfish, goldfish, shellfish, fished, starfish, catfish