weder Fisch noch Fleisch

German

Etymology

Literally, “neither fish nor meat”. Compare with Dutch vlees noch vis, French ni chair ni poisson, Polish ni pies, ni wydra, Russian ни рыба ни мясо (ni ryba ni mjaso), and so on. Perhaps from the context of fasting (on Fridays and during Lent), where fish was allowed, but other meats were not. Or from the notion that dishes containing neither of these ingredients are not “proper” food.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

weder Fisch noch Fleisch

1. neither fish nor fowl, neither fish nor flesh (something difficult to categorise)
2. something half-baked, lacking resolution or determination