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fishing expedition
noun
Definition of fishing expedition
1 : a legal interrogation or examination to discover information for a later proceeding
2 : an investigation that does not stick to a stated objective but hopes to uncover incriminating or newsworthy evidence
From the M-W Editors
First Known Use of fishing expedition
1874
Law Dictionary
fishing expedition
noun
fish·ing ex·pe·di·tion
\-ˌek-spə-ˈdi-shən\
Legal Definition of fishing expedition
1 : an inquiry (as by the use of discovery) that is unnecessarily extensive or unrelated to the lawsuit
2 : an investigation that does not stick to a stated objective but hopes to uncover incriminating or newsworthy evidence
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