Word.ws English Dictionary

a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

Syllables: a wo·man with·out a man is like a fish with·out a bi·cyc·leUK/ə ˈwʊmən wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈmæn ɪz laɪk ə ˈfɪʃ wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈbaɪsɪkl̩//ə ˈwʊmən wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈmæn ɪz laɪk ə ˈfɪʃ wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈbaɪˌsɪkəl/

a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle phrase: a woman is capable of living a complete and independent life without a man.

Phrase

a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

  1. (figuratively, humorous, simile) A woman is capable of living a complete and independent life without a man.
    • We found this anonymous contribution to International Women's Year on a wall at Forest Lodge: "A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle."1975 January 25, “Column 8”, in The Sydney Morning Herald, number 42,779, Sydney, N.S.W.: John Fairfax & Sons, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1, column 8
    • No matter how hip or how liberated I got to be, I could never really convince my deepest self that a woman without a man, at least when the music started, was like a fish without a bicycle.1990, Jane Adams, Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty: How to Live Happily Ever After—Starting Right Now, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, page 107

Forms of a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

alternative forma woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle

Origin of a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

A well-known feminist slogan coined in 1970 by the Australian filmmaker, social activist, and writer Irina Dunn (born 1948); according to her recollection, adapted from the phrase “A man needs God like a fish needs a bicycle” which she read in a philosophical text. The original phrase appears to be “A man without faith is like a fish without a bicycle”, coined by Charles S. Harris in 1955 and published in a 1958 article in the Swarthmore Phoenix. The phrase is often erroneously attributed to the American feminist journalist and social political activist Gloria Steinem (born 1934), but she disclaimed this in a letter to Time magazine published on 16 September 2000.

Questions about a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle

What does a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle mean?
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle means a woman is capable of living a complete and independent life without a man.
What part of speech is a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle?
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle is a phrase.
How do you pronounce a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle?
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle is pronounced /ə ˈwʊmən wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈmæn ɪz laɪk ə ˈfɪʃ wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈbaɪsɪkl̩/ (UK).

Words near a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle in the dictionary

  1. a whisper down the lane
  2. a whole 'nother
  3. a whole nother
  4. a wild goose never laid a tame egg
  5. a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle
  6. a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle
  7. a woman's work is never done
  8. a world of
  9. a worry shared is a worry halved
  10. a yard of pump water
  11. a year and a day

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.wav.

Cite this entry: “a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/a_woman_without_a_man_is_like_a_fish_without_a_bicycle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.