neither fish nor fowl

Idioms

Also, neither fish nor flesh; neither fish, flesh, nor fowl. Not one or the other, not something fitting any category under discussion. For example, They felt he was neither fish nor fowl—not qualified to lead the department, yet not appropriate to work as a staff member either. This expression appeared in slightly different form in John Heywood's 1546 proverb collection (“Neither fish, nor flesh, nor good red herring”) and is thought to allude to food for monks (fish, because they abstained from meat), for the people (flesh, or meat), and for the poor (red herring, a very cheap fish).

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What I saw above Idaho was neither fish nor fowl, and I could not quite convince myself it was real.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2024

In sum, T-3 was neither fish nor fowl.

From Slate • Jul. 15, 2020

A photo of it indicates it being neither fish nor fowl, bunker-wise.

From Golf Digest • Jun. 4, 2018

It’s none of those — a tame and toothless creature that is neither fish nor fowl.

From New York Times • May 30, 2018

They are graduated "neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red herring," so far as vocation goes.

From Analyzing Character by Blackford, Katherine M. H.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023