verb

fisk

fihsk

verb

To move about briskly or restlessly; to whisk around.

"The cat fisked around the room chasing the laser dot."

To go through someone's argument point by point and rebut each part, especially in an online post.

"He fisked the op-ed paragraph by paragraph, quoting each claim before tearing it apart."

How to Use Fisk

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither "to dart about restlessly" (old, rare) or "to rebut an article point by point online" (internet slang).

Memory tip

If you see this word online, it almost always means the internet "rebuttal" sense, not the old "whisk about" meaning.

Trace the full origin ↓

Word Forms

fisked past tense, fisked past tense, fisks singular, fisks singular

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Fill the Gap

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The cat _____ around the room chasing the laser dot.

Etymology

The "move about quickly" sense is old English dialect, probably related to words for hurrying. The "rebut line by line" sense is much newer internet slang, named after journalist Robert Fisk, whose articles were famously picked apart this way by online critics.

Rhymes for fisk

risk disk brisk frisk whisk obelisk asterisk

See all rhymes for fisk →