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Difficult to identify or understand
- If something or someone is neither fish nor fowl, they are difficult to identify or understand, because they seem partly like one thing and partly like another.
idioms.thefreedictionary.com › neither+fish+nor+fowl
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What does neither fish or fowl mean?
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If something or someone is neither fish nor fowl, they are difficult to identify or understand, because they seem partly like one thing and partly like another. Brunel's vessel was neither fish nor fowl: a passenger liner too ugly and dirty to offer much beyond novelty value.
neither fish nor fowl. : one that does not belong to a particular class or category. The movie is neither fish nor fowl —it's not really a comedy, but it's too light-hearted to be called a drama. fish or cut bait. : to make a choice between alternatives.
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Possibly a variant of neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, itself a variant of neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring which is attested from the 16th century. According to Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable(1895), the latter term referred to three types of food generally consumed by the different classes in society: fish by the clergy, flesh by t...
(Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌnaɪðə ˈfɪʃ nɔː ˈfaʊl/, /ˌniː-/(General American) IPA(key): /ˌnaɪðɚ ˈfɪʃ nɔɹ ˈfaʊl/, /ˌni-/Rhymes: -aʊlHyphenation: neith‧er fish nor fowlneither fish nor fowl (not comparable) 1. (idiomatic) Not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options. 1.1. Synonyms: neither fish, flesh, nor fowl; neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring; neither fish nor flesh; neither fish nor flesh, nor good r...
“neither fish nor fowl, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.“neither fish nor fowl”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.Meaning of be neither fish nor fowl in English. be neither fish nor fowl. idiom. Add to word list. like one thing in some ways and like another thing in other ways. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Uncertainty. amorphous. blurringly. blurry. circumstantially. indeterminately. insecurely. insecurity. interrogatively. murky. shakiness.
Meaning of Idiom ‘Neither Fish Nor Fowl’. When something is neither fish nor fowl it is odd and not easily fit into any specific category or group.
Also, neither fish nor flesh ; neither fish, flesh, nor fowl . Not one or the other, not something fitting any category under discussion. For example, They felt he was neither fish nor fowl—not qualified to lead the department, yet not appropriate to work as a staff member either .
What does the saying 'Neither fish nor fowl' mean? Idiom: Neither fish nor fowl. Meaning: Something or someone that is neither fish nor fowl doesn't really fit into any one group. Country: International English | Subject Area: Animals | Usage Type: Both or All Words Used. Contributor: Richard Flynn.
