adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌnaɪðə ˈfɪʃ nɔː ˈfaʊl/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌniː-/
General-American:/ˌnaɪðɚ ˈfɪʃ nɔɹ ˈfaʊl/
General-American:/ˌni-/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -aʊl
1
adj
Meaning 1
Not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring, neither fish nor flesh, neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
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.
Across languages
Translations
35 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
لا السمك ولا الطيور
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Bulgarian:
ни рак, ни риба
(ni rak, ni riba)
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Catalan:
ni carn ni peix
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Catalan:
no ésser ni carn ni peix
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Chinese Mandarin:
不倫不類 /不伦不类
(bùlúnbùlèi)
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Chinese Mandarin:
非驢非馬 /非驴非马
(fēilǘfēimǎ)
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Chinese Mandarin:
童牛角馬 /童牛角马
(tóng niú jué mǎ)
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Czech:
ani ryba ani rak
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Danish:
hverken fugl eller fisk
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Dutch:
vlees noch vis
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Dutch:
mossel noch vis
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Faroese:
hvørki fuglur ella fiskur
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Finnish:
ei lintu eikä kala
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Finnish:
outolintu
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
French:
mi-figue mi-raisin
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
French:
ni chair ni poisson
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Galician:
nin arre nin xo
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
German:
weder Fisch noch Fleisch
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Hebrew:
לא בשר ולא חלב
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Icelandic:
hvorki fugl né fiskur
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Icelandic:
viðrinislegur
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Irish:
níl sé ina ghruth ná ina mheadhg
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Italian:
né carne né pesce
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Japanese:
海の物とも山の物ともつかない
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Latin:
homō nūllīus colōris
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Norwegian Bokmål:
hverken fugl eller fisk
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Polish:
ni pies, ni wydra
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Portuguese:
nem carne nem peixe
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Romanian:
nici cal nici măgar
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Serbo-Croatian:
ni pirka ni kanjac
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Serbo-Croatian:
ni riba ni meso
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Slovak:
ani ryba, ani rak
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Spanish:
ni chicha ni limonada
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Spanish:
ni de aquí ni de allá
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
Swedish:
varken fågel eller fisk
— not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; not having the advantages of the various options
