neither
a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men
proverb It is not proper for a woman to engage in overtly masculine behavior. My grandmother is legitimately worried because I asked a boy to the dance, instead of him asking me. She says that a whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men—whatever that means.
See also: and, crow, fit, god, hen, men, neither, nor, whistle, woman
be neither fish nor fowl
To be difficult to describe or definitively categorize. What genre of music is this? It's neither fish nor fowl to me.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
be neither one thing nor the other
To be an unappealing combination of two very different things. A: "I thought you liked country and jazz." B: "I do, and that's why this band is so disappointing—it's neither one thing nor the other."
See also: neither, nor, one, other, thing
have neither chick nor child
To be without children. The fact the I have neither chick nor child means I am able to travel wherever I want, whenever I want. It took me a while to come to terms with having neither chick nor child at my age, but I'm at peace with it now.
See also: chick, child, have, neither, nor
if you run after two hares, you will catch neither
proverb If you try to do two things at once, you will fail. You can't look for that file and dictate a message at the same time. Didn't your mother ever tell you that if you run after two hares, you will catch neither?
See also: after, catch, if, neither, run, two, will
me neither
I also would not or do not. A: "I really don't care for strawberry ice cream." B: "Ugh, me neither!" A: "I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a dress like that." B: "Me neither."
See also: neither
neither a borrower nor a lender be
Try to live your life without incurring debt from or accruing the debt of others, or else you risk spoiling your relationships with other people. Taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, offered as advice by the character Polonius to his son, Laertes. My dad always taught me to earn my own way, to never ask for financial help or hang around those who seek that help from me. Neither a borrower nor a lender be, that was his motto.
See also: neither, nor
neither can (one)
One is also incapable of doing something. A: "The crowd is screaming so much I can't even hear the band!" B: "Neither can I—let's get out of here." A: "I can't believe Janet's bosses would do something like that to her." B: "Yeah, neither could she."
See also: can, neither
neither does (one)
One also does not. A: "I really don't like pineapple on pizza." B: "Blech, neither do I." A: "How will you get work? You don't have your high school diploma!" B: "Neither do a lot of billionaires!"
See also: does, neither
neither fish nor flesh
Neither one thing nor another; not belonging to any suitable class or description; not recognizable or characteristic of any one particular thing. We require a solution that directly deals with the issue at hand, but what the chancellor has put forward is, to my mind, neither fish nor flesh.
See also: fish, flesh, neither, nor
neither fish nor fowl
Neither one thing nor another; not belonging to any suitable class or description; not recognizable or characteristic of any one particular thing. We require a solution that directly deals with the issue at hand, but the proposal that has been put forward is, to my mind, neither fish nor fowl.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
Neither one thing nor another; not belonging to any suitable class or description; not recognizable or characteristic of any one particular thing. We require a solution that directly deals with the issue at hand, but what the chancellor has put forward is, to my mind, neither fish, flesh nor fowl.
See also: fowl, neither, nor
neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring
obsolete Not belonging to any suitable class of thing; unfit for any purpose or to be used by anyone. This older phrase appeared in a 16th-century proverb collection, where fish refers to food for monks (who abstained from meat), flesh refers to food for the general populace, and "good red herring" refers to inexpensive fish that would have been food for the poor. With crime as it is in this township, the law must be aggressive and dependable; unfortunately, the new constable is neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring.
See also: good, herring, neither, nor, red
neither here nor there
Irrelevant or unimportant; having no bearing upon the current situation. Charlie's personal activities are neither here nor there. All that matters is his performance in the job.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
neither hide nor hair
No trace or evidence of someone or something. I don't know where Mike went. I've seen neither hide nor hair of him all day.
See also: hair, hide, neither, nor
neither rhyme nor reason
No particular logic, sense, method, or meaning of a given situation, action, person, thing, group, etc. I've looked over it several times, but there's neither rhyme nor reason to the agreement we were sent this morning.
See also: neither, nor, reason, rhyme
neither use nor ornament
Totally worthless; serving no purpose whatsoever. Just what is that hideous thing Lady Ethel gave us? From what I can tell, it's neither use nor ornament. The new player has been neither use nor ornament to the team all season, spending the entire time on the sidelines with an injury. My dad is neither use nor ornament when looking after my kids, so I never ask him to babysit.
See also: neither, nor, ornament, use
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.
Prov. You cannot do two things successfully at the same time. Vanessa: If I want to pursue my acting career, I'll have to take more days off to go to auditions. But I want to get ahead in the office, too. Jane: If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.
See also: after, catch, if, neither, run, two, will
Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
Prov. It is difficult to be friends with someone who owes you money or with someone to whom you owe something, so it is better not to borrow or lend in the first place. After losing several of my favorite books because I didn't have the nerve to insist that my friends return them, I learned that it is best to neither a borrower nor a lender be.
See also: neither, nor
Neither can I
1. I cannot do that either. (Any subject pronoun can be used in place of I.) Bill: No matter what they do to them, I just can't stand sweet potatoes! Bob: Neither can I. John: Let's go. I cannot tolerate the smoke in here. Jane: Neither can I.
See also: can, neither
neither does someone
[does] not either. Susan does not own a cat, and neither does Mary. Bill doesn't want to see a movie tonight, and neither do I.
See also: does, neither
neither fish nor fowl
Cliché not any recognizable thing. The car that they drove up in was neither fish nor fowl. It must have been made out of spare parts. This proposal is neither fish nor fowl. I can't tell what you're proposing.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither here nor there
Cliché of no consequence or meaning; irrelevant and immaterial. Whether you go to the movie or stay at home is neither here nor there. Your comment—though interesting—is neither here nor there.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
*neither rhyme nor reason
Cliché without logic, order, or planning. (Describes something disorganized. *Typically: be ~; have ~.) There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason to Gerald's filing system. The novel's plot had neither rhyme nor reason.
See also: neither, nor, reason, rhyme
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
hide nor hair, neither
Also, hide or hair. No trace of something lost or missing. For example, I haven't seen hide nor hair of the children. This expression alludes to the entire outer coat of an animal. [Mid-1800s]
See also: hide, neither, nor
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 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).
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither here nor there
Unimportant, irrelevant, as in You pay for the movie and I'll get the dinner check, or vice versa-it's neither here nor there . This expression was first recorded in 1583. Also see beside the point.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
rhyme or reason, no
An absence of common sense or reasonableness, as in This memo has no rhyme or reason. Closely related variants are without rhyme or reason, as in The conclusion of her paper was without rhyme or reason, and neither rhyme nor reason, as in Neither rhyme nor reason will explain that lawyer's objections. This term originated in French about 1475 and began to be used in English about a century later. Sir Thomas More is credited with saying of a mediocre book that a friend had put into verse, "Now it is somewhat, for now it is rhyme; whereas before it was neither rhyme nor reason."
See also: no, rhyme
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
neither fish nor fowl
If something or someone is neither fish nor fowl, they are difficult to identify or understand, because they seem partly like one thing and partly like another. Brunel's vessel was neither fish nor fowl: a passenger liner too ugly and dirty to offer much beyond novelty value. In the American sports press, this athlete is neither fish nor fowl, neither American nor entirely foreign. Note: People occasionally replace fish with flesh. She didn't look one of anything to Oatsie, neither flesh nor fowl, neither idiot nor intellectual. Note: `Fowl' is an old-fashioned word for a hen or other bird.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither here nor there
SPOKENCOMMON If something is neither here nor there, it is completely unimportant and does not affect the situation in any way. He was a good man as it turned out, but that's neither here nor there. You know, five hundred pounds is neither here nor there to most of them.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
neither chick nor child
no children at all. North American or dialectSee also: chick, child, neither, nor
neither fish nor fowl (nor good red herring)
of indefinite character and difficult to identify or classify.This expression arose with reference to dietary laws formerly laid down by the Church during periods of fasting or abstinence.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither here nor there
of no importance or relevance. 1993 Independent on Sunday The fact that American audiences haven't recognised it as a great film and appreciated its outstanding acting is neither here nor there.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
neither hide nor hair of someone
not the slightest trace of someone.See also: hair, hide, neither, nor, of, someone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
neither ˌfish nor ˈfowl
neither one thing nor another: Graduate teaching assistants are neither fish nor fowl, neither completely students nor teachers.See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither ˌhere nor ˈthere
not important because it is not connected with the subject being discussed; irrelevant: The fact that she’s the director’s daughter is neither here nor there. She’s the most suitable person for the job. What might have happened is neither here nor there.See also: here, neither, nor, there
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
neither fish nor fowl
Having no specific characteristics; indefinite.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither here nor there
Unimportant and irrelevant.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
Not one or the other; not fitting any category. This term dates from the sixteenth century and appeared in John Heywood’s 1546 Proverbs as “She is nother fyshe, nor fleshe, nor good red hearyng [herring].” The analogy refers to food for monks (fish), for the people (meat), and for the poor (red herring). Shakespeare also used the term; when Falstaff insults Mistress Quickly, he says she’s an otter because “She’s neither fish nor flesh; a man knows not where to have her” (Henry IV, Part 1, 3.3).
See also: fowl, neither, nor
neither here nor there
Irrelevant, unimportant. This term dates from the sixteenth century, appearing in Arthur Golding’s translation of Calvin (1583), “Our so dooing is neither here nor there (as they say),” as well as in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, and elsewhere.
See also: here, neither, nor, there
neither hide nor hair
Nothing; no part of something. The term, which dates from Chaucer’s time, alludes to the fact that the outside of an animal is made up of hide and hair, which therefore constitute its entirety. The negative version, nearly always meaning that something or someone cannot be seen or found, became common in the mid-nineteenth century. “I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the piece,” wrote Josiah G. Holland (The Bay-Path, 1857).
See also: hair, hide, neither, nor
neither rhyme nor reason
No sense whatever. This term dates from the fifteenth century, when an unknown French writer wrote, En toy ne Ryme ne Raison (“In you neither rhyme nor reason,” Maistre Pierre Pathelin, ca. 1475). Sir Thomas More is credited with the following remark made to a friend who had put into verse a mediocre book: “Yea, marry, now it is somewhat, for now it is rhyme; whereas before it was neither rhyme nor reason.” The term made it into John Ray’s proverb collection of 1678 and is by no means obsolete.
See also: neither, nor, reason, rhyme
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
neither fish nor fowl
Having no specific characteristics or category, not easily characterized. The phrase, which was originally “neither fish nor flesh nor fowl,” appeared in slightly different form in a 16th-century collection of proverbs as “neither fish, nor flesh, nor good red herring”: fish for monks who ate no meat, flesh for people who could afford meat, and cheap herring for the poor. The phrase is reminiscent of the old riddle: What is neither fish nor flesh, feathers nor bone/but still has fingers and thumbs of its own? Answer: a glove.
See also: fish, fowl, neither, nor
neither rhyme nor reason
Making no sense at all. “Rhyme” alludes to poetry and by extension all of the creative arts, while “reason” stands for intellect. Accordingly, something that can't be understood or justified in terms of either artistic merit or logic is indeed of little value.
See also: neither, nor, reason, rhyme
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
- teach a man to fish
- a good example is the best sermon
- it takes a village
- village
- children should be seen and not heard
- best-laid plans go astray, the
- the best-laid plans
- the best-laid plans go astray
- the best-laid plans of mice and men
- a woman's work is never done