neither fish nor fowl

neither fish nor fowl meaning in Arabic

Examples of neither fish nor fowl in a sentence

• My hump was due, I made no doubt, first, to my precarious position in the wilderness, but more than that to my anomalous social position, for it seemed to me now that I was neither fish nor fowl.1915, Harry Leon Wilson, chapter 11, in Ruggles of Red Gap, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 188:
• Ms. [Etta] James, who has been a blues, rhythm-and-blues, funk and soul singer, said she no longer had to worry about being "neither fish nor fowl." "I know what I am now," she declared.1993 January 14, Jon Pareles, “Arts: Playing in reunion, Cream is the finale of rock ceremonies”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y....
• "Docudrama" is by its nature a confusing genre—neither fish nor fowl, and thus lacking either taste or substance. (Maybe tofu is a better analogy.)2008 December 30, Bob Sommer, “The Education of David Frost”, in CounterPunch, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2022:

Synonyms of neither fish nor fowl

• neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
• neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring
• neither fish nor flesh
• neither fish nor flesh, nor good red herring

Origin of neither fish nor fowl

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.

Related words

• neither here nor there

Words that rhyme with neither fish nor fowl

• Powell
• foul
• cowl
• growl
• owl
• befoul
• defoul
• howl
• jowl
• scowl
• towel
• prowl

Questions about neither fish nor fowl

What does neither fish nor fowl mean?

Neither fish nor fowl means not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options.

What is neither fish nor fowl in Arabic?

Neither fish nor fowl in Arabic is لا السمك ولا الطيور. See Neither fish nor fowl meaning in Arabic.

How do you use neither fish nor fowl in a sentence?

My hump was due, I made no doubt, first, to my precarious position in the wilderness, but more than that to my anomalous social position, for it seemed to me now that I was neither fish nor fowl.

What part of speech is neither fish nor fowl?

Neither fish nor fowl is an adjective.

How do you pronounce neither fish nor fowl?

Neither fish nor fowl is pronounced /ˌnaɪðə ˈfɪʃ nɔː ˈfaʊl/ (UK).