Meanings
- AustraliauncountableA type of snapper native to the western Pacific, Symphorus nematophorus, which is a commercial food fish in some areas, but ciguatoxic in others.
Synonyms: galloper
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA type of snapper native to the western Pacific, Symphorus nematophorus, which is a commercial food fish in some areas, but ciguatoxic in others.
Origin
Chinaman + fish: the fish is relatively harmless in Chinese waters, but frequently toxic in Australia. Perhaps Chinese immigrants were noted for eating it when other Australians wouldn't.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Chinamanfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinamanfish
“Chinamanfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinamanfish. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinamanfish,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinamanfish.
Source: Chinamanfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.