"neither fish nor fowl" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl"
      },
      "expansion": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
      },
      "expansion": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹",
      "name": "sup"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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 the common people, and red herring by the poor. Thus if something was neither fish, flesh, nor red herring, it was good for no one.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "neither fish nor fowl (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "neith‧er"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Undetermined quotations with omitted translation",
          "parents": [
            "Quotations with omitted translation",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1885, Charlotte M[ary] Yonge, “Mysie and Dolores”, in The Two Sides of the Shield, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 347",
          "text": "Besides, I know I should hate being there without you; I'm a great old thing, as Jasper says, neither fish nor fowl, you know, not come out, and not a little girl in the schoolroom, and it would be very horrid going to a grand place like that on one's own account.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1915, Harry Leon Wilson, chapter 11, in Ruggles of Red Gap, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 188",
          "text": "My hump was due, I made no doubt, first, to my precarious position in the wilderness, but more than that to my anomalous social position, for it seemed to me now that I was neither fish nor fowl. I was no longer a gentleman's man—the familiar boundaries of that office had been swept away; on the other hand, I was most emphatically not the gentleman I had set myself up to be, and I was weary of the pretence.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1919, E[dward] Phillips Oppenheim, chapter VII, in The Box with Broken Seals, Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart, →OCLC, page 68",
          "text": "\"To tell you the truth,\" he confided, \"I am a little tired of my job. Neither fish nor fowl, don't you know. I took an observation course at Scotland Yard, but I suppose I am too slow-witted for what they call secret-service work over here.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1934, Lew Levenson, chapter V, in Butterfly Man, New York, N.Y.: Castle Books, →OCLC, page 53",
          "text": "The trouble, Kenneth, is in you. You are neither fish nor fowl. You are a country lout—fit only to associate with pigs.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1993 January 14, Jon Pareles, “Arts: Playing in reunion, Cream is the finale of rock ceremonies”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-27, section C, page 15",
          "text": "Ms. [Etta] James, who has been a blues, rhythm-and-blues, funk and soul singer, said she no longer had to worry about being \"neither fish nor fowl.\" \"I know what I am now,\" she declared. \"I'm rock-and-roll.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 December 30, Bob Sommer, “The Education of David Frost”, in CounterPunch, archived from the original on 2022-12-07",
          "text": "\"Docudrama\" is by its nature a confusing genre—neither fish nor fowl, and thus lacking either taste or substance. (Maybe tofu is a better analogy.)",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options."
      ],
      "id": "en-neither_fish_nor_fowl-en-adj-E~sWIfWq",
      "links": [
        [
          "easily",
          "easily"
        ],
        [
          "categorize",
          "categorize"
        ],
        [
          "rightly",
          "rightly"
        ],
        [
          "belong",
          "belong"
        ],
        [
          "fitting",
          "fit#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "well",
          "good#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "given",
          "given#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "group",
          "group#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "having",
          "have#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "advantages",
          "advantage#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "options",
          "option#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(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."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "neither here nor there"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl"
        },
        {
          "word": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
        },
        {
          "word": "neither fish nor flesh"
        },
        {
          "word": "neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "لا السمك ولا الطيور"
        },
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "ni rak, ni riba",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "ни рак, ни риба"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "ni carn ni peix"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "no ésser ni carn ni peix"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "唔湯唔水"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "note": "唔汤唔水 (m⁴ tong¹ m⁴ seoi², literally “neither soup nor water”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "不倫不類"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "bùlúnbùlèi",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "不伦不类"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "非驢非馬"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "fēilǘfēimǎ",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "非驴非马"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "note": "不三不四 (bùsānbùsì, literally “neither three nor four”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "note": "四不像 (sìbùxiàng, literally “unlike any of the four”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "童牛角馬"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "tóng niú jué mǎ",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "童牛角马"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "ani ryba ani rak"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "hverken fugl eller fisk"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "Netherlands"
          ],
          "word": "vlees noch vis"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "Belgium"
          ],
          "word": "mossel noch vis"
        },
        {
          "code": "fo",
          "lang": "Faroese",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "hvørki fuglur ella fiskur"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "ei lintu eikä kala"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "outolintu"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "mi-figue mi-raisin"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "dated"
          ],
          "word": "ni chair ni poisson"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "nin arre nin xo"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "weder Fisch noch Fleisch"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "לא בשר ולא חלב"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "hvorki fugl né fiskur"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "masculine",
            "noun"
          ],
          "word": "viðrinislegur"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "níl sé ina ghruth ná ina mheadhg"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "né carne né pesce"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "海の物とも山の物ともつかない"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "海の物とも山の物ともつかない (うみのものともやまのものともつかない, umi no mono tomo yama no mono tomo tsukanai, literally “neither things in the ocean nor things in the mountain”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "homō nūllīus colōris"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "hverken fugl eller fisk"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "ni pies, ni wydra"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "nem carne nem peixe"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "nici cal nici măgar"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "ни ры́ба ни мя́со (ni rýba ni mjáso, literally “neither fish nor meat”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "ни бо́гу све́чка, ни чёрту кочерга́ (ni bógu svéčka, ni čórtu kočergá, literally “neither a candle for the God, nor a poker for the Devil”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "ни два́ ни полтора́ (ni dvá ni poltorá, literally “neither two nor one and a half”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "ни то́ ни сё (ni tó ni sjo, literally “neither that nor this”)",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "Roman",
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "ni pirka ni kanjac"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "Roman",
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "ni riba ni meso"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "ni chicha ni limonada"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "tags": [
            "Mexico"
          ],
          "word": "ni de aquí ni de allá"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
          "word": "varken fågel eller fisk"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌnaɪðə ˈfɪʃ nɔː ˈfaʊl/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌniː-/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌnaɪðɚ ˈfɪʃ nɔɹ ˈfaʊl/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌni-/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aʊl"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-neither fish nor fowl.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b9/En-au-neither_fish_nor_fowl.ogg/En-au-neither_fish_nor_fowl.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/En-au-neither_fish_nor_fowl.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "neither fish nor fowl"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl"
      },
      "expansion": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
      },
      "expansion": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹",
      "name": "sup"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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 the common people, and red herring by the poor. Thus if something was neither fish, flesh, nor red herring, it was good for no one.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "neither fish nor fowl (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "neith‧er"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "neither here nor there"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Cantonese terms with redundant transliterations",
        "English adjectives",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncomparable adjectives",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Rhymes:English/aʊl",
        "Rhymes:English/aʊl/5 syllables",
        "Undetermined quotations with omitted translation",
        "Undetermined terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1885, Charlotte M[ary] Yonge, “Mysie and Dolores”, in The Two Sides of the Shield, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 347",
          "text": "Besides, I know I should hate being there without you; I'm a great old thing, as Jasper says, neither fish nor fowl, you know, not come out, and not a little girl in the schoolroom, and it would be very horrid going to a grand place like that on one's own account.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1915, Harry Leon Wilson, chapter 11, in Ruggles of Red Gap, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 188",
          "text": "My hump was due, I made no doubt, first, to my precarious position in the wilderness, but more than that to my anomalous social position, for it seemed to me now that I was neither fish nor fowl. I was no longer a gentleman's man—the familiar boundaries of that office had been swept away; on the other hand, I was most emphatically not the gentleman I had set myself up to be, and I was weary of the pretence.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1919, E[dward] Phillips Oppenheim, chapter VII, in The Box with Broken Seals, Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart, →OCLC, page 68",
          "text": "\"To tell you the truth,\" he confided, \"I am a little tired of my job. Neither fish nor fowl, don't you know. I took an observation course at Scotland Yard, but I suppose I am too slow-witted for what they call secret-service work over here.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1934, Lew Levenson, chapter V, in Butterfly Man, New York, N.Y.: Castle Books, →OCLC, page 53",
          "text": "The trouble, Kenneth, is in you. You are neither fish nor fowl. You are a country lout—fit only to associate with pigs.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1993 January 14, Jon Pareles, “Arts: Playing in reunion, Cream is the finale of rock ceremonies”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-27, section C, page 15",
          "text": "Ms. [Etta] James, who has been a blues, rhythm-and-blues, funk and soul singer, said she no longer had to worry about being \"neither fish nor fowl.\" \"I know what I am now,\" she declared. \"I'm rock-and-roll.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 December 30, Bob Sommer, “The Education of David Frost”, in CounterPunch, archived from the original on 2022-12-07",
          "text": "\"Docudrama\" is by its nature a confusing genre—neither fish nor fowl, and thus lacking either taste or substance. (Maybe tofu is a better analogy.)",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "easily",
          "easily"
        ],
        [
          "categorize",
          "categorize"
        ],
        [
          "rightly",
          "rightly"
        ],
        [
          "belong",
          "belong"
        ],
        [
          "fitting",
          "fit#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "well",
          "good#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "given",
          "given#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "group",
          "group#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "having",
          "have#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "advantages",
          "advantage#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "options",
          "option#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(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."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl"
        },
        {
          "word": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
        },
        {
          "word": "neither fish nor flesh"
        },
        {
          "word": "neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "not-comparable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌnaɪðə ˈfɪʃ nɔː ˈfaʊl/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌniː-/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌnaɪðɚ ˈfɪʃ nɔɹ ˈfaʊl/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌni-/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-aʊl"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-neither fish nor fowl.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b9/En-au-neither_fish_nor_fowl.ogg/En-au-neither_fish_nor_fowl.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/En-au-neither_fish_nor_fowl.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "لا السمك ولا الطيور"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "ni rak, ni riba",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "ни рак, ни риба"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "ni carn ni peix"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "no ésser ni carn ni peix"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "唔湯唔水"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "note": "唔汤唔水 (m⁴ tong¹ m⁴ seoi², literally “neither soup nor water”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "不倫不類"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "bùlúnbùlèi",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "不伦不类"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "非驢非馬"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "fēilǘfēimǎ",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "非驴非马"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "note": "不三不四 (bùsānbùsì, literally “neither three nor four”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "note": "四不像 (sìbùxiàng, literally “unlike any of the four”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "童牛角馬"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "tóng niú jué mǎ",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "童牛角马"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "ani ryba ani rak"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "hverken fugl eller fisk"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "Netherlands"
      ],
      "word": "vlees noch vis"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "Belgium"
      ],
      "word": "mossel noch vis"
    },
    {
      "code": "fo",
      "lang": "Faroese",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "hvørki fuglur ella fiskur"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "ei lintu eikä kala"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "outolintu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "mi-figue mi-raisin"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "dated"
      ],
      "word": "ni chair ni poisson"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "nin arre nin xo"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "weder Fisch noch Fleisch"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "לא בשר ולא חלב"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "hvorki fugl né fiskur"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "noun"
      ],
      "word": "viðrinislegur"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "níl sé ina ghruth ná ina mheadhg"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "né carne né pesce"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "海の物とも山の物ともつかない"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "海の物とも山の物ともつかない (うみのものともやまのものともつかない, umi no mono tomo yama no mono tomo tsukanai, literally “neither things in the ocean nor things in the mountain”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "homō nūllīus colōris"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "hverken fugl eller fisk"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "ni pies, ni wydra"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "nem carne nem peixe"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "nici cal nici măgar"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "ни ры́ба ни мя́со (ni rýba ni mjáso, literally “neither fish nor meat”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "ни бо́гу све́чка, ни чёрту кочерга́ (ni bógu svéčka, ni čórtu kočergá, literally “neither a candle for the God, nor a poker for the Devil”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "ни два́ ни полтора́ (ni dvá ni poltorá, literally “neither two nor one and a half”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "ни то́ ни сё (ni tó ni sjo, literally “neither that nor this”)",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "ni pirka ni kanjac"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "ni riba ni meso"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "ni chicha ni limonada"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "tags": [
        "Mexico"
      ],
      "word": "ni de aquí ni de allá"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options",
      "word": "varken fågel eller fisk"
    }
  ],
  "word": "neither fish nor fowl"
}