"stink like a mackerel" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "stinks like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stinking like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stank like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stunk like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "stink<,,stank,stunk> like a mackerel"
      },
      "expansion": "stink like a mackerel (third-person singular simple present stinks like a mackerel, present participle stinking like a mackerel, simple past stank like a mackerel, past participle stunk like a mackerel)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English similes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To reek; to smell terrible."
      ],
      "id": "en-stink_like_a_mackerel-en-verb-OD2flhwb",
      "links": [
        [
          "reek",
          "reek"
        ],
        [
          "smell",
          "smell"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(simile) To reek; to smell terrible."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English similes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 94",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1965, Fleet Owner - Volume 60, page 8",
          "text": "In summary, I think that the waterfront situation \"stinks like a mackerel in the hot sunlight.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, Bartholomew Gill, McGarr and the politician's wife: a mystery novel, page 57",
          "text": "In spite of the pipe he drew on so often that he seemed forever wrapped in a cloud of acrid blue smoke, Murphy stank like a mackerel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs, Investigation of illegal or improper activities in connection with the 1996 federal election campaign",
          "text": "Well, then it talks about Senator Durbin and Senator Susan Collins exposing the tax credit, as they termed, that \"shines and stinks like a mackerel in the moonlight,\" to quote Time magazine, which would have offset industry costs and a now-ill-fated tobacco deal had brought it to the light of day.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, John Sandford, Dead watch, page 149",
          "text": "lf some goof thought he was doing it on my behalf, the murder'll stink like a mackerel in the sunshine and screw up our lives forever.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, David Crump, The Holding Company",
          "text": "That argument stinks like a mackerel in the moonlight!",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Sharon Penman, Here Be Dragons",
          "text": "Because de Braose's name stinks like a mackerel in the sun; I'd have thought the foul smell sure to've reached even as far as Normandy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To smell fishy, to stink to high heaven (to look extremely suspicious or unconvincing)"
      ],
      "id": "en-stink_like_a_mackerel-en-verb-Jx96rAkW",
      "links": [
        [
          "smell fishy",
          "smell fishy"
        ],
        [
          "stink to high heaven",
          "stink to high heaven"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(simile, figuratively) To smell fishy, to stink to high heaven (to look extremely suspicious or unconvincing)"
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "44 56",
          "word": "stink like a polecat"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "44 56",
          "word": "stink like a mackerel in the sun"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "44 56",
          "word": "stink like a mackerel in the moonlight"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "stink like a mackerel"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "stinks like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stinking like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stank like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "stunk like a mackerel",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "stink<,,stank,stunk> like a mackerel"
      },
      "expansion": "stink like a mackerel (third-person singular simple present stinks like a mackerel, present participle stinking like a mackerel, simple past stank like a mackerel, past participle stunk like a mackerel)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "stink like a polecat"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English similes"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To reek; to smell terrible."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "reek",
          "reek"
        ],
        [
          "smell",
          "smell"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(simile) To reek; to smell terrible."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English similes",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1965, Fleet Owner - Volume 60, page 8",
          "text": "In summary, I think that the waterfront situation \"stinks like a mackerel in the hot sunlight.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, Bartholomew Gill, McGarr and the politician's wife: a mystery novel, page 57",
          "text": "In spite of the pipe he drew on so often that he seemed forever wrapped in a cloud of acrid blue smoke, Murphy stank like a mackerel.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs, Investigation of illegal or improper activities in connection with the 1996 federal election campaign",
          "text": "Well, then it talks about Senator Durbin and Senator Susan Collins exposing the tax credit, as they termed, that \"shines and stinks like a mackerel in the moonlight,\" to quote Time magazine, which would have offset industry costs and a now-ill-fated tobacco deal had brought it to the light of day.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, John Sandford, Dead watch, page 149",
          "text": "lf some goof thought he was doing it on my behalf, the murder'll stink like a mackerel in the sunshine and screw up our lives forever.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, David Crump, The Holding Company",
          "text": "That argument stinks like a mackerel in the moonlight!",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Sharon Penman, Here Be Dragons",
          "text": "Because de Braose's name stinks like a mackerel in the sun; I'd have thought the foul smell sure to've reached even as far as Normandy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To smell fishy, to stink to high heaven (to look extremely suspicious or unconvincing)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "smell fishy",
          "smell fishy"
        ],
        [
          "stink to high heaven",
          "stink to high heaven"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "simile",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(simile, figuratively) To smell fishy, to stink to high heaven (to look extremely suspicious or unconvincing)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "stink like a mackerel in the sun"
    },
    {
      "word": "stink like a mackerel in the moonlight"
    }
  ],
  "word": "stink like a mackerel"
}