bait

Someone who is attractive but younger than the legal age of consent. I'd stay away from jailbait like her unless you want to spend your future days in a cell!

Online articles (especially on social media sites) that use provocative or intriguing headlines (often in combination with images) to drive traffic to the source. I wouldn't put too much faith in that article about "the one food no one should ever eat"—it's probably just clickbait.

Fig. a deceptive merchandising practice where one product is advertised at a low price to get people's attention [the bait], but pressure is applied to get the customer to purchase a more expensive item. Walter described how the store used bait and switch, since they never seemed to have in stock the bargains that they advertised. Wilbur accused the merchant of bait and switch practices and stalked out of the store.

Rur. someone or an animal that is likely to die; a useless animal or person. That old dog used to hunt good, but now he's just crow bait.

Fig. Do something or get out of the way. Fish or cut bait, Chuck. There's work to be done here. Decide whether you're going to watch or help. Fish or cut bait.

to jump in the direction of someone or something. The frog jumped at me, but I dodged it. The cat jumped at the leaf as it fell from the tree.

Fig. to seize the opportunity to do something. (See also leap at the opportunity (to do something).) When I heard about John's chance to go to England, I knew he'd jump at it. If something you really want to do comes your way, jump at it.

Fig. to respond to an allurement; to fall for an enticement or fall into a trap. (Alludes to a fish coming up from deep water to seize bait.) You can get him here easily. Tell him that there will be lots of food and he will rise to the bait. He rose to the bait and did just as he was expected to do.

to act or decide you are not going to do anything The time has come when you have to fish or cut bait - either you help us plan what to do or we will decide and go ahead without you.

to react to something that was said just to make you react Tony keeps saying that women are bad drivers, but I refuse to rise to the bait and don't answer him.

to accept something that was offered to get you to do something I flirted with Kate, teased her some, but she never took the bait. Others tried to focus on our disagreements, but we didn't take the bait and instead talked about what we can do together.

to quickly and eagerly accept an opportunity leap at something She jumped at every invitation she got to speak about her discovery.

to accept something that is only being offered to you so that you will do something The offer of a free radio with every television proved very popular, and hundreds of shoppers swallowed the bait.

something that you say to someone when you want them to make a decision and take action without any more delay Your relationship's going nowhere. It's time to fish or cut bait.

to react to something that someone has said in exactly the way that they wanted you to react, usually by becoming angry (often negative) Anthony keeps saying that women make bad drivers but I refuse to rise to the bait.

A deceptive commercial practice in which customers are induced to visit a store by an advertised sale item and then are told that it is out of stock or that it is far inferior to some more expensive item. For example, I won't buy a car from this outfit; they're notorious for their bait and switch tactics. The verb to bait has meant to supply a hook or trap with a morsel of food so as to attract a fish or animal since about 1300; the verb to switch has meant to change, alter, or transfer from one thing to another since the 1890s. The pairing of the two, however, dates only from the 1920s, although the practice is surely much older. It is called switch-selling in Britain.

Either proceed with an activity or abandon it completely. For example, You've been putting off calling him for hours; either fish or cut bait. This expression, often uttered as an imperative, alludes to a fisherman who should either be actively trying to catch fish or cutting up bait for others to use. It was first recorded in the Congressional Record (1876), when Congressman Joseph P. Cannon called for a vote on a bill legalizing the silver dollar: "I want you gentlemen on the other side of the House to 'fish or cut bait.'" A vulgar synonym from the 1940s is shit or get off the pot.

Also, jump at the chance; jump at the bait. Take prompt advantage of, respond quickly to an opportunity. For example, When Dad said he'd help pay for my vacation, I jumped at the offer, or When the lead singer became ill, Sheila jumped at the chance to replace her, or They offered a large reward, hoping that someone would jump at the bait. [Mid-1700s]

Be tempted by or react to an enticement, as in We told him there'd be lots of single young women at the party, and he rose to the bait . Likening a fish rising to bait to human behavior dates from the late 1500s.

To abandon an activity or enterprise.

To proceed with an activity or abandon it altogether.

Just about recoup your expenditure. An old New England fisherman's expression for barely making expenses. Some who caught just enough fish to sell to compensate for the day's expenses was said to have gotten his bait back.

Do it or leave. The entire expression was “fish or cut bait or go ashore,” a commercial fishing industry warning that if you weren't hauling in a catch, you'd better find something more useful to do, such as cutting baitfish into pieces. And if you couldn't do that, you were just taking up space and you'd be fired. A similar expression that's still in use is the non-gender specific “pee or get off the pot” (or in slightly less genteel surroundings, “shit or get off the pot”).