beta fish

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English

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Noun

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beta fish (plural beta fish or beta fishes)

  1. Betta.
    • 2009, Duane Schwartz, Cobb's Landing:
      His chest puffed out like one of those Japanese beta fishes when it had caught a glimpse of itself in a mirror.
    • 2011, Douglas Hatten, Destiny of the Tribe of Ephraim and the Restoration of the House of Israel, page 225:
      Beta fish cannot be put together in the same bowl—because they will fight each other to the death.
    • 2011, Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, Mary Goodbody, Tru: A Cookbook from the Legendary Chicago Restaurant:
      We keep twenty beta fish at the restaurant.
  2. A person who is in a secondary position in a social hierarchy; a submissive person; a follower.
    • 2017, Lucy Loo, This Isn't a Prompt:
      And beta fish can't be beta fish if they are fighting to be alpha fish.
    • 2020, Bria Quinlan, The Last Single Girl:
      Well, there's Winston. But he's just a beta fish, so he's stuck in the house all day either way.
    • 2023, Eleanor Catton, Birnam Wood, page 319:
      He had taken her for a dogsbody, a beta fish, a bridesmaid, a ride-along; he had looked right past her, as likely many people did.