Meanings
alternative neither fish, flesh, nor fowl · alternative neither fish nor flesh · alternative neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring
- idiomaticnot comparableSynonym 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”).
3 more examples
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.
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 110He 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.
1875, Henry James, Roderick Hudson, Boston, Mass.: J. R. OsgoodIt 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.
[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 05 Jan 2016Synonyms: neither fish nor fowl
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSynonym 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”).
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan ni carn ni peix
- ni carn ni peixnot 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
Chinese Cantonese 唔湯唔水 /唔汤唔水
- 唔湯唔水 /唔汤唔水 (m⁴ tong¹ m⁴ seoi²)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
Chinese Mandarin 男不男女不女
- 男不男女不女 (nán bù nán nǚ bù nǚ)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
Finnish ei lintu eikä kala
- ei lintu eikä kalanot 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
French ni chair ni poisson
- ni chair ni poissonnot 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
German weder Fisch noch Fleisch
- weder Fisch noch Fleischnot 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
Italian né carne né pesce
- né carne né pescenot 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
Polish ni pies, ni wydra
- ni pies, ni wydranot 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
Russian ни ры́ба ни мя́со, ни то́ ни сё
- ни ры́ба ни мя́со (ni rýba ni mjáso)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
- ни то́ ни сё (ni tó ni sjo)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
- ни два́ ни полтора́ (ni dvá ni poltorá)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
- ни в пизду́, ни в Кра́сную А́рмию (ni v pizdú, ni v Krásnuju Ármiju)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
Spanish ni carne ni pescado, ni chicha ni limonada
- ni carne ni pescadonot 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
- ni chicha ni limonadanot 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
- sin pies ni cabezanot 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
Ukrainian ні ри́ба ні м'я́со, ні се ні те
- ні ри́ба ні м'я́со (ni rýba ni mʺjáso)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
- ні се ні те (ni se ni te)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
- ні те ні се (ni te ni se)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
Cite this entry
neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neither%20fish%2C%20flesh%2C%20nor%20good%20red%20herring
“neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neither%20fish%2C%20flesh%2C%20nor%20good%20red%20herring. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neither%20fish%2C%20flesh%2C%20nor%20good%20red%20herring.
Source: neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.