neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring
Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options”).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“This new device is neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring.”
“The committee rejected the proposal because it was neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring, failing to address any of the core issues.”
“The candidate's speech was neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring, as he tried to please both sides but ended up saying nothing of substance to anyone.”
“The hybrid policy proved to be neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring, as it lacked the structure of the old system while failing to provide the flexibility promised by the new one.”
The expression draws upon a metonymic classification of mediaeval society, in which three distinct foods were assigned to the three recognised social classes. Fish represented the clergy, flesh represented the commoners, and red herring represented the paupers. As these three categories were regarded as an exhaustive account of the population, a thing falling outside them lacked a social identity entirely.
- 01
a good deal
Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.
- 02
all good
It's all good.
- 03
become one flesh
To join together in marriage; to develop a unifying bond as a result of marrying.
- 04
big fish
An important person.
- 05
big fish in a small pond
One who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.
- 06
bigger fish to fry
A much more pressing issue to attend to.
- 07
bill of goods
A set of misleading or deceptive claims.
- 08
bleed red ink
To suffer from severe net losses.
Last updated August 10, 2026