The phrase “something is suspicious” is an idiom meaning that something is strange or not what it seems. It’s commonly used in casual speech but not in formal writing. Examples include a parent suspecting their child of lying and an employer noticing accounting errors.
The phrase “something is suspicious” is an idiom, which is a non-literal way of saying something. Usually, when a person says something is suspicious, it means that thing or situation is strange or not what it seems. For example, if an individual feels that someone is trying to trick him in some way, he might state that something is suspicious. If so, this sentence shouldn’t be taken literally, as there are no fish involved. Instead, people who hear it usually know that the phrase is a colorful way of saying that something is wrong.
When a person feels that something is wrong or just not right, there are many different ways they can choose to express that feeling. In many cases, however, a person will choose to use ordinary language to express their thoughts. A person may say something is suspicious when she means something is weird, wrong, suspicious, dubious, or wrong.
It can sometimes help to consider a few examples when you’re trying to figure out the meaning of desired idioms like “something is suspicious.” For example, consider a parent who believes her daughter has been studying in the library every afternoon after school. If one day he notices her bag of books is in her room when he’s supposed to be with her at the library, he could tell that something fishy is up. This basically just means that he thinks the presence of her bag of books is suspicious and wonders if she’s really in the library.
An employer may also claim that something is fishy if they notice a pattern of accounting-related errors. For example, if an employer notices that an employee is frequently paid for overtime that you have not authorized or that someone appears to have a pattern of receiving duplicate wages, you may consider this suspicious. She could follow up her sense that something is wrong with an investigation into the errors that have given him cause for concern.
While idioms are commonly used in casual speech, it is important to note that they are not generally acceptable in formal speech or writing. People use them most often when talking to friends and acquaintances, and sometimes in emails. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that using idioms can cause confusion when talking to people from other countries where phrases aren’t common.
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