General
fishlining
What does fishlining mean?
The art of moving stuff between cells by tying it to a line — usually a strip of bedsheet or unraveled sock — and flicking, swinging or sliding it under doors or along the tier. The string is the 'fishing line', the package is the 'kite' or 'fish'. Bread-and-butter inside comms: notes, tobacco, food, drugs, whatever needs to travel without a guard noticing.
"He was fishlining smokes to the new guy two cells down all night."
Origin
US prison slang, fishing imagery — the line goes out, the catch comes back. Documented in American corrections writing from at least the 1970s.
Frequently asked questions
What does fishlining mean?
It's passing contraband cell-to-cell on a length of string.
How do you use fishlining in a sentence?
"They were fishlining commissary between cells after lockdown."
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