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neither fish nor fowl

 - 6 dictionary results

fish

  [fish] noun, plural (especially collectively) fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) fish⋅es, verb
Use neither fish nor fowl in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales.
2. (loosely) any of various other aquatic animals.
3. the flesh of fishes used as food.
4. Fishes, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Pisces.
5. Informal. a person: an odd fish; a poor fish.
6. a long strip of wood, iron, etc., used to strengthen a mast, joint, etc.
7. Cards Slang. an incompetent player whose incompetence can be exploited.
8. Slang. a dollar: He sold the car for 500 fish.
9. Slang. a new prison inmate.
–verb (used with object)
10. to catch or attempt to catch (any species of fish or the like).
11. to try to catch fish in (a stream, lake, etc.): Let's fish the creek.
12. to draw, as by fishing (often fol. by up or out): He fished a coin out of his pocket for the boy.
13. to search through, as by fishing.
14. Nautical.
a. to secure (an anchor) by raising the flukes.
b. to reinforce (a mast or other spar) by fastening a spar, batten, metal bar, or the like, lengthwise over a weak place.
–verb (used without object)
15. to catch or attempt to catch fish, as by angling or drawing a net.
16. to search carefully: He fished through all his pockets but his wallet was gone.
17. to seek to obtain something indirectly or by artifice: to fish for compliments; to fish for information.
18. to search for or attempt to catch onto something under water, in mud, etc., by the use of a dredge, rake, hook, or the like.
19. to attempt to recover detached tools or other loose objects from an oil or gas well.
—Verb phrase
20. fish out, to deplete (a lake, stream, etc.) of fish by fishing.
—Idioms
21. drink like a fish, to drink alcoholic beverages to excess: Nobody invites him out because he drinks like a fish.
22. fish in troubled waters, to take advantage of troubled or uncertain conditions for personal profit.
23. fish or cut bait, to choose a definite course of action, esp. to decide whether to participate in or retreat from an activity.
24. fish out of water, a person out of his or her proper or accustomed environment: He felt like a fish out of water in an academic atmosphere.
25. neither fish nor fowl, having no specific character or conviction; neither one nor the other.
26. other fish to fry, other matters requiring attention: When it was time to act, they had other fish to fry.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME fis(c)h, fyssh, OE fisc; c. D vis, G Fisch, ON fiskr, Goth fisks; akin to L piscis, Ir iasc; (v.) ME fishen, OE fiscian, c. D visschen, G fischen, ON fiska, Goth fiskôn

Related forms:
fishless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To neither fish nor fowl
fish   (fĭsh)   
n.   pl. fish or fish·es

  1. Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates of the superclass Pisces, characteristically having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including specifically:

    1. Any of the class Osteichthyes, having a bony skeleton.

    2. Any of the class Chondrichthyes, having a cartilaginous skeleton and including the sharks, rays, and skates.

  2. The flesh of such animals used as food.

  3. Any of various primitive aquatic vertebrates of the class Cyclostomata, lacking jaws and including the lampreys and hagfishes.

  4. Any of various unrelated aquatic animals, such as a jellyfish, cuttlefish, or crayfish.

  5. Informal A person, especially one considered deficient in something: a poor fish.

v.   fished, fish·ing, fish·es

v.   intr.

  1. To catch or try to catch fish.

  2. To look for something by feeling one's way; grope: fished in both pockets for a coin.

  3. To seek something in a sly or indirect way: fish for compliments.

v.   tr.

    1. To catch or try to catch (fish).

    2. To catch or try to catch fish in: fish mountain streams.

  2. To catch or pull as if fishing: deftly fished the corn out of the boiling water.

Phrasal Verb(s):
fish outTo deplete (a lake, for example) of fish by fishing.

Idiom(s):
fish in troubled watersTo try to take advantage of a confused situation.

Idiom(s):
fish or cut bait Informal To proceed with an activity or abandon it altogether.

Idiom(s):
like a fish out of waterCompletely unfamiliar with one's surroundings or activity.

Idiom(s):
neither fish nor fowlHaving no specific characteristics; indefinite.

Idiom(s):
other fish to fry Informal Other matters to attend to: He declined to come along to the movie, saying he had other fish to fry.

[Middle English, from Old English fisc.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
fish

  1. n.
    a stupid and inept person. (Derogatory.) : The guy's a fish. He can't do anything right.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

fish  (n.)
O.E. fisc, from P.Gmc. *fiskaz (cf. O.H.G. fisc, O.N. fiskr, Du. vis, Ger. Fisch, Goth. fisks), from PIE *piskos (cf. L. piscis). The verb is O.E. fiscian. Fishy "shady, questionable" is first recorded 1840, perhaps from the notion of "slipperiness," or of giving off an intrusive odor. Fish story attested from 1819, from the tendency to exaggerate the size of the catch (or the one that got away). Fishtail (v.), of vehicles, first recorded 1927. Fig. sense of fish out of water first recorded 1613.
"Of all diversions ... fishing is the worst qualified to amuse a man who is at once indolent and impatient." [Scott, 1814]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
fish   (fĭsh)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

Plural fish or fishes
Any of numerous cold-blooded vertebrate animals that live in water. Fish have gills for obtaining oxygen, a lateral line for sensing pressure changes in the water, and a vertical tail. Most fish are covered with scales and have limbs in the form of fins. Fish were once classified together as a single group, but are now known to compose numerous evolutionarily distinct classes, including the bony fish, cartilaginous fish, jawless fish, lobe-finned fish, and placoderms.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

neither fish nor fowl

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 fowlnot 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).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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