See neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "The three foods are metonyms for those things suitable to each of medieval society’s classes of people; fish represents the clergy, flesh represents commoners, whilst red herring represents paupers; the three classes are simplistically regarded as exhaustive.",
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"head": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
},
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"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
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"examples": [
{
"ref": "1844 April, Scott, “Rise and Progress of Culinary Literature and Cookery [running head]”, in The Foreign Quarterly Review, American edition, volume XXXIII, New York, N.Y.: Published by Leonard Scott & Co. 112 Fulton-Street, page 110:",
"text": "The work of Ude is intended for the higher ranks, and for people of fortune. We conceive the book and the cook to have been overrated. It is neither French nor English — neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring. For the rest, Lord Sefton, who was too much of a mere glutton, would have perverted the taste of any cook, however good, who had been long in his service.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1875, Henry James, Roderick Hudson, Boston, Mass.: J. R. Osgood:",
"text": "He had frequent fits of melancholy in which he declared that he was neither fish nor flesh nor good red herring. His was neither an irresponsibly contemplative nature nor a sturdily practical one, and he was for ever looking in vain for the uses of the things that please and the charm of the things that sustain.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "[1898, E[benezer] Cobham Brewer, “Fish”, in Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Giving the Derivation, Source, or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words that Have a Tale to Tell, new, revised, corrected, and enlarged edition, Philadelphia, Pa.: Henry Altemus Company [reproduced on Bartleby.com], →OCLC, archived from the original on 2016-01-05:",
"text": "It is neither fish, flesh, nor fowl; or Neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring. Not fish (food for the monk), not flesh (food for the people generally), nor yet red herring (food for paupers). Suitable to no class of people; fit for neither one thing nor another. ⁂ Fish comes first because in the Middle Ages the clergy took precedence of the laity. “She would be a betwixt-and-between ... . neither fish nor fowl.” — Mrs. Lynn Linton.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“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,_flesh,_nor_good_red_herring-en-adj-fEBEcmyB",
"links": [
[
"neither fish nor fowl",
"neither fish nor fowl#English"
],
[
"easily",
"easily"
],
[
"categorize",
"categorize"
],
[
"rightly",
"rightly"
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[
"belong",
"belong"
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"fitting",
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"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“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": [
{
"extra": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options",
"tags": [
"synonym",
"synonym-of"
],
"word": "neither fish nor fowl"
},
{
"word": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl"
},
{
"word": "neither fish nor flesh"
},
{
"word": "nor good red herring"
}
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
],
"translations": [
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "唔湯唔水"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "m⁴ tong¹ m⁴ seoi²",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "唔汤唔水"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "nán bù nán nǚ bù nǚ",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "男不男女不女"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ei lintu eikä kala"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ni chair ni poisson"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "weder Fisch noch Fleisch"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "né carne né pesce"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni rýba ni mjáso",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ни ры́ба ни мя́со"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni tó ni sjo",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ни то́ ни сё"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni dvá ni poltorá",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ни два́ ни полтора́"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni v pizdú, ni v Krásnuju Ármiju",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "ни в пизду́, ни в Кра́сную А́рмию"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ni carne ni pescado"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "sin pies ni cabeza"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "ni rýba ni mʺjáso",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ні ри́ба ні м'я́со"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "ni se ni te",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ні се ні те"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "ni te ni se",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ні те ні се"
}
]
}
],
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"word": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
}
{
"etymology_text": "The three foods are metonyms for those things suitable to each of medieval society’s classes of people; fish represents the clergy, flesh represents commoners, whilst red herring represents paupers; the three classes are simplistically regarded as exhaustive.",
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{
"ref": "1844 April, Scott, “Rise and Progress of Culinary Literature and Cookery [running head]”, in The Foreign Quarterly Review, American edition, volume XXXIII, New York, N.Y.: Published by Leonard Scott & Co. 112 Fulton-Street, page 110:",
"text": "The work of Ude is intended for the higher ranks, and for people of fortune. We conceive the book and the cook to have been overrated. It is neither French nor English — neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring. For the rest, Lord Sefton, who was too much of a mere glutton, would have perverted the taste of any cook, however good, who had been long in his service.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1875, Henry James, Roderick Hudson, Boston, Mass.: J. R. Osgood:",
"text": "He had frequent fits of melancholy in which he declared that he was neither fish nor flesh nor good red herring. His was neither an irresponsibly contemplative nature nor a sturdily practical one, and he was for ever looking in vain for the uses of the things that please and the charm of the things that sustain.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "[1898, E[benezer] Cobham Brewer, “Fish”, in Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Giving the Derivation, Source, or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words that Have a Tale to Tell, new, revised, corrected, and enlarged edition, Philadelphia, Pa.: Henry Altemus Company [reproduced on Bartleby.com], →OCLC, archived from the original on 2016-01-05:",
"text": "It is neither fish, flesh, nor fowl; or Neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring. Not fish (food for the monk), not flesh (food for the people generally), nor yet red herring (food for paupers). Suitable to no class of people; fit for neither one thing nor another. ⁂ Fish comes first because in the Middle Ages the clergy took precedence of the laity. “She would be a betwixt-and-between ... . neither fish nor fowl.” — Mrs. Lynn Linton.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options”)"
],
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[
"neither fish nor fowl",
"neither fish nor fowl#English"
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"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“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": [
{
"extra": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options",
"tags": [
"synonym",
"synonym-of"
],
"word": "neither fish nor fowl"
}
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"audio": "en-au-neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring.ogg",
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"synonyms": [
{
"word": "neither fish, flesh, nor fowl"
},
{
"word": "neither fish nor flesh"
},
{
"word": "nor good red herring"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "唔湯唔水"
},
{
"code": "yue",
"lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
"roman": "m⁴ tong¹ m⁴ seoi²",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "唔汤唔水"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "nán bù nán nǚ bù nǚ",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "男不男女不女"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ei lintu eikä kala"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ni chair ni poisson"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "weder Fisch noch Fleisch"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "né carne né pesce"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni rýba ni mjáso",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ни ры́ба ни мя́со"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni tó ni sjo",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ни то́ ни сё"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni dvá ni poltorá",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ни два́ ни полтора́"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "ni v pizdú, ni v Krásnuju Ármiju",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"tags": [
"vulgar"
],
"word": "ни в пизду́, ни в Кра́сную А́рмию"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ni carne ni pescado"
},
{
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"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 — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "sin pies ni cabeza"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "ni rýba ni mʺjáso",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ні ри́ба ні м'я́со"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "ni se ni te",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ні се ні те"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "ni te ni se",
"sense": "not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options — see also neither fish nor fowl",
"word": "ні те ні се"
}
],
"word": "neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring"
}
Download raw JSONL data for neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring meaning in English (9.7kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-11-21 using wiktextract (65a6e81 and 0dbea76). 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.
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