EnglishMerriam-Webster Dictionary
NOTE: The title of the film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, is based on a story told by the husband of the woman responsible for the fabrications. He explains that at one time cod were shipped live in tanks from Alaska to China. The inactive cod would become mushy and tasteless, until someone came upon the idea of placing catfish in the tanks to stimulate them. To the man, his wife has played a role similar to that of the catfish in the tank: "… there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh." As subsequent investigation has uncovered, the catfish tale is much older than the film. It was used for different comparative purposes by the British journalist Henry Nevinson in an essay "The Catfish" published as part of a collection in 1913 (Essays in Rebellion, London, James Nisbet & Co.). The tale itself appears to be a fabrication, as cod were not shipped across oceans in tanks, and catfish, being bottom-feeders, are not predators of cod. For further details see Ben Zimmer, "Catfish: How Manti Te'o's imaginary romance got its name," Boston Globe (online), January 27, 2013; Aisha Harris, "Who coined the term 'catfish'?", Slate (online), January 18, 2013.
NOTE: The title of the film, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, is based on a story told by the husband of the woman responsible for the fabrications. He explains that at one time cod were shipped live in tanks from Alaska to China. The inactive cod would become mushy and tasteless, until someone came upon the idea of placing catfish in the tanks to stimulate them. To the man, his wife has played a role similar to that of the catfish in the tank: "… there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh." As subsequent investigation has uncovered, the catfish tale is much older than the film. It was used for different comparative purposes by the British journalist Henry Nevinson in an essay "The Catfish" published as part of a collection in 1913 (Essays in Rebellion, London, James Nisbet & Co.). The tale itself appears to be a fabrication, as cod were not shipped across oceans in tanks, and catfish, being bottom-feeders, are not predators of cod. For further details see Ben Zimmer, "Catfish: How Manti Te'o's imaginary romance got its name," Boston Globe (online), January 27, 2013; Aisha Harris, "Who coined the term 'catfish'?", Slate (online), January 18, 2013.
