fall for = take the bait, hook, line and sinker = completely

[vil]

Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expression in bold in the following English text?

U.S. talk show host Jimmy Kimmel teased Mel Gibson about his 2006 drunken driving arrest, during which he made anti-Semitic remarks to a Jewish officer….
…Talking to Gibson about his reputation as a practical joker, Kimmel quipped: "What about that practical joke you pulled on the Malibu police where you acted drunk and said crazy things? They fell for that hook, line and sinker."

fall for = to be deceived or swindled by, take the bait, rise to the bait

hook, line and sinker = completely (of belief or acceptance – naively or unquestioningly)

Thank you for your efforts.

Regards,

V.

[paulmoss]

your interpretation is right.

[thod00]

You are right.

If you believe a story you are said to have swallowed it. An eating metaphor.

So they are using fishing terms. The hook, line, and sinker are all part of fishing equipment. A fish would usually only swallow the hook. This fish has swallowed the whole lot.

So he was trying to convince them to believe a false story and was more successful than he expected.