take the bait

present singular third person takes the bait · participle present taking the bait · past took the bait · participle past taken the bait

1. literallyfishingTo nibble at bait on a hook.

   Synonyms: strike

2. figurativelyTo be lured by an offer, flattery, or a provocation into doing something, especially something disadvantageous or dubious.

   "I would like to first of all commend all of the police officers today. . . . They were in fact at various times provoked, and they didn't take the bait in any way, shape or form."

   1997 August 30, John Kifner, “Thousands Call on City Hall To Confront Police Brutality”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 May 2015

   3 more examples

   "He wanted to have a discussion about creationism. . . . But I didn't want that sort of discussion, and when I didn't take the bait, I think I spoiled the script that had been running in his head."

   2011 June 2, Nick Duerden, “Dave Gorman: Games for a laugh”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 08 May 2015

   [T]he singing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. . . was pressed by our colleague, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, into demonstrating his reported ability to sing a rendition of the Irish holiday song, “Christmas in Killarney.” The general, improbably, took the bait, and you can now hear it.

   2011 December 9, Craig Whitlock, “Gen. Martin Dempsey knows how to sing a tune”, in Washington Post, retrieved 08 May 2015

   Unlike Bing, GPT-4 usually flat-out refused to take the bait when I tried to get it to talk about consciousness, or get it to provide instructions for illegal or immoral activities, and it treated sensitive queries with kid gloves and nuance.

   2023 March 15, Kevin Roose, “GPT-4 Is Exciting and Scary”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms: bite, fall for it, rise to the bait