Word Pairs ‘Wine and dine’; means to entertain someone with food and drink - often with a motive in mind. The only way to win the new contract is to wine and dine the clients. ‘Sink or swim’; means to fail or find a way to succeed. Note that we always say ‘sink or swim’ in that order. The phrase ‘sink or swim’ is used to talk about someone who is thrown into a difficult situation where they must succeed without help from others. It’s a difficult job and there’s no training. He will sink or swim.