neither fish nor fowl
Meaning: Something that fits into no clear category.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The show is neither fish nor fowl: too silly for drama, too sad for comedy.”
Category: Animals
Origin: Longer forms like "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring" are recorded from the 16th century, dividing food, or people, into categories.
Equivalents in other languages
- Portuguese: nem carne nem peixe — literally: neither meat nor fish
- French: Ni chair ni poisson — literally: Neither flesh nor fish
More idioms — Animals
- give free rein — To give someone complete freedom to act.
- like a bat out of hell — Extremely fast.
- a snake-oil salesman — A swindler who sells fake remedies or worthless solutions.
- pipped at the post — To be beaten at the very last moment.
- a nest of vipers — A group of people who scheme against or betray each other.
- once bitten, twice shy — After a bad experience, one is much more cautious.
More English idioms
- only have eyes for — To be interested in or attracted to one person only.
- lose sleep over — To worry a lot about something.
- like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic — Doing something pointless while a disaster happens.
- shoot oneself in the foot — To damage one's own interests through a foolish action.
- make a pass at — To make a sexual or romantic advance toward someone.
- overstep the mark — To go beyond what is acceptable.
From our proverbs
- Pity, promises, and blame, are always cheap and plentiful. — Sympathy, commitments, and accusations cost nothing, so people offer them freely without…
- Sit in your place, and none can make you rise. — Stability and dignity come from accepting your own position rather than desperately seeki…
- A place for everything, and everything in its place. — Organized systems prevent chaos; knowing where things belong eliminates wasted time searc…