Bombay duck

American  

noun

1. a small lizardfish, Harpadon nehereus, inhabiting river mouths and estuaries of Asia.

2. (in India) the flesh of this fish, impregnated with asafetida, dried, salted, and used as a condiment or relish, especially with curry.

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Bombay duck British  

noun

1. Also called: bummalo.  a teleost fish, Harpodon nehereus , that resembles and is related to the lizard fishes: family Harpodontidae . It is eaten dried with curry dishes as a savoury

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Etymology

Origin of Bombay duck

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

It is a clean feeder, a great fighter and a great delicacy, tasting rather like a mixture of the pilchard, the anchovy and the Bombay duck.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 159, 1920-09-08 by Various

All kinds of crackers and colorful dips can be used, from celery stalks and potato chips to thin paddles cut from Bombay duck.

From The Complete Book of Cheese by Brown, Robert Carlton

I remember, when I was cruising in the China Seas in the year 1854, witnessing a combat between a dolphin and a Bombay duck, in which the latter came off second-best.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 156, March 26, 1919 by Various

It is the bummaloti, sometimes called the Bombay duck, something like both the salmon and the trout.

From Across India Or, Live Boys in the Far East by Optic, Oliver