Yhyjyk

Catfish is the name given to anyone who steals other people's identity on the internet, so they can pose as the people they stole the identity from on dating websites in the hopes of tricking other users of the website into going out with them.

The example phrase in the title I wrote isn't something I said, but something I heard from somebody else while talking about this topic which almost led into a more dragged out discussion on whether someone who is catfishing on the internet should be called "A catfish" as in "You look like A catfish" (using the word as a noun) or whether the word catfish should only be used as an (adjective) as in "You look catfish".

What do you guys think? Can the word catfish be used as both a noun and a verb?

You look catfish!

You look like a catfish!

To me saying someone looks like "A catfish" is like saying that someone "looks like A gorgeous."

This is a very new use of a word, and doubtless the usage is in flux.

It seems that the first use was as a verb. "To catfish" (often in form "catfishing") meaning to deceive by the use of fake images on a dating site. It is sometimes used to mean "to be deceived". It should be compared with the existing term "phishing", and the non-internet meaning of "to catfish" = to angle for catfish.

It is also used as a noun, meaning "a person who catfishes". The BBC has examples of all three usages

It's easy to copy someone's pictures and set up a fake online account - a phenomenon known as catfishing.

The Circle's Dan 'furious' after catfishing

...BBC reporter Jennifer Meierhans became a catfish victim...

The BBC don't use "catfish" as an adjective. In the last example it is a noun used attributively. There are a small number of examples on instagram in which it does seem to be used as an adjective. But often it seems to be an error, or referring to the fish, not the social media troll.

So, for me, "You look like a catfish" would be acceptable, but "You look catfish" would not be acceptable.

However the use of new words is often unstable and may change.

I believe the most appropriate phrase would be:

You look like a catfisher.

That is, you look like a person who catfishes.

The sentence "You look like a catfish" just makes me think someone is being compared to an actual catfish, likely as commentary about their mouth or facial hair.

If you want to use the verb, a "-y" or "-ey" suffix is typically added to make the verb into an adjective.

You look jumpy.

You look catfishy.

"You look catfishy" could also be a pun, as "[noun] looks fishy" or "[noun] smells fishy" is a very common saying that means something seems deceitful.