See kettle of fish on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "From kettle, a variant of kiddle, a weir or fence of stakes in a stream used to catch fish.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "kettles of fish",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "kiddle of fish",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "kittle of fish",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "keddle of fish",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
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},
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"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "57 43",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
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{
"_dis": "64 36",
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"parents": [],
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},
{
"_dis": "60 40",
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"parents": [],
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},
{
"_dis": "59 41",
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}
],
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"ref": "2004, Ellen Raskin, chapter 13, in The Westing Game:",
"text": "\"That's a fine kettle of fish,\" he exclaimed, then turned to his dinner companion. \"Fine kettle of fish. I'm so hungry even that sounds good, and from the looks of this menu that's probably what I'll get.\"",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An awkward situation."
],
"id": "en-kettle_of_fish-en-noun-b~6NHb6A",
"links": [
[
"awkward",
"awkward"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) An awkward situation."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "can of worms"
},
{
"word": "predicament"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "ass in a sling"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "bind"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"word": "bucket of syrup"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "calvary"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"figuratively"
],
"word": "cross"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"word": "cross to bear"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "difficulty"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "dire straits"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "doghouse"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "fix"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "hole"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "jam"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"word": "kettle of fish"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "ordeal"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "pickle"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "pinch"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "plight"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "predicament"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "quandary"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "quagmire"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "situation"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "spot"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "spot of bother"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "sticky situation"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "sticky wicket"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "tight spot"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "trouble"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "56 44",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "toinen asia"
},
{
"_dis1": "56 44",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "eri asia"
},
{
"_dis1": "56 44",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "liemi"
},
{
"_dis1": "56 44",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "autre paire de manches"
},
{
"_dis1": "56 44",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "inna para kaloszy"
},
{
"_dis1": "56 44",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "altă mâncare de pește"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
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16,
30
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],
"text": "That is another kettle of fish entirely.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
172,
186
]
],
"ref": "2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 34:",
"text": "Network Rail would have faced a bigger issue. Maintaining the track for one freight train a day is one thing - doing so for 200 passenger trains a day was a very different kettle of fish.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A situation recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation."
],
"id": "en-kettle_of_fish-en-noun-mTnLUAcB",
"links": [
[
"different",
"different"
],
[
"alternative",
"alternative"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) A situation recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "ball game"
},
{
"word": "horse of a different color"
},
{
"word": "pair of shoes"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-kettle of fish.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bf/En-au-kettle_of_fish.ogg/En-au-kettle_of_fish.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/En-au-kettle_of_fish.ogg"
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],
"word": "kettle of fish"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Romanian translations"
],
"etymology_text": "From kettle, a variant of kiddle, a weir or fence of stakes in a stream used to catch fish.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "kettles of fish",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "kiddle of fish",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "kittle of fish",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
},
{
"form": "keddle of fish",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
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{
"categories": [
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"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
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"ref": "2004, Ellen Raskin, chapter 13, in The Westing Game:",
"text": "\"That's a fine kettle of fish,\" he exclaimed, then turned to his dinner companion. \"Fine kettle of fish. I'm so hungry even that sounds good, and from the looks of this menu that's probably what I'll get.\"",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"An awkward situation."
],
"links": [
[
"awkward",
"awkward"
],
[
"situation",
"situation"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) An awkward situation."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "can of worms"
},
{
"word": "predicament"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "ass in a sling"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "bind"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"word": "bucket of syrup"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "calvary"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
"figuratively"
],
"word": "cross"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
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"word": "cross to bear"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "difficulty"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "dire straits"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "doghouse"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "fix"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "hole"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "jam"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"tags": [
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],
"word": "kettle of fish"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "ordeal"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "pickle"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "pinch"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "plight"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "predicament"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "quandary"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "quagmire"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "situation"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "spot"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "spot of bother"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "sticky situation"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "sticky wicket"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "tight spot"
},
{
"source": "Thesaurus:difficult situation",
"word": "trouble"
}
],
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"text": "That is another kettle of fish entirely.",
"type": "example"
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172,
186
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],
"ref": "2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 34:",
"text": "Network Rail would have faced a bigger issue. Maintaining the track for one freight train a day is one thing - doing so for 200 passenger trains a day was a very different kettle of fish.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A situation recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation."
],
"links": [
[
"different",
"different"
],
[
"alternative",
"alternative"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) A situation recognized as different from or as an alternative to some other situation."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "ball game"
},
{
"word": "horse of a different color"
},
{
"word": "pair of shoes"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-kettle of fish.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bf/En-au-kettle_of_fish.ogg/En-au-kettle_of_fish.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/En-au-kettle_of_fish.ogg"
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],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "toinen asia"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "eri asia"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "liemi"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"word": "autre paire de manches"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "inna para kaloszy"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "different or alternative situation",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "altă mâncare de pește"
}
],
"word": "kettle of fish"
}
Download raw JSONL data for kettle of fish meaning in All languages combined (5.5kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-05-20 using wiktextract (3dadd05 and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.