neither here nor there

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

neither here nor there

1. (idiomatic) Having no influence or significance on the issue at hand.

   Synonyms: beside the point, betwixt and between, immaterial, impertinent, irrelevant, unimportant, unrelated

   Antonyms: germane, important, pertinent, related, relevant

   The fact that pledges willingly submit themselves to hazing is neither here nor there, and any organization that engages in hazing will lose its charter.

   • 1913 August, Jack London, chapter XXVIII, in John Barleycorn, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC, page 253:

     I had life troubles and heart troubles which are neither here nor there in this narrative. But, combined with them, were intellectual troubles which are indeed germane.

   • 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 33:

     “It would be most irregular Grandpa!” says Miss Cecily frowning and tapping her foot. “Well, we’re a pretty irregular family so that’s neither here nor there,” says the old man, impish like.

Translations

having no influence or significance on the issue at hand

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無關緊要的／无关紧要的, 无关紧要的 (wúguānjǐnyào de), 不相干的 (bùxiānggān de), 不切題的／不切题的 (bùqiètí de)

• Dutch: niet ter zake doen, er niks mee te maken hebben, irrelevant (nl), onbelangrijk (nl)
• Finnish: epäolennainen (fi)
• French: n’avoir rien à voir (fr)
• Icelandic: gera hvorki til né frá
• Russian: не к ме́сту (ru) (ne k méstu), ни к селу ни к городу (ru) (ni k selu ni k gorodu), ни при чём (ru) (ni pri čom)
• Spanish: no venir a cuento, no venir al caso

See also

• neither fish nor fowl