APAD: Neither fish nor fowl

本帖于 2025-09-12 12:52:47 时间, 由普通用户 最西边的岛上 编辑

"Neither fish nor fowl" means not one or the other, not something fitting any category under discussion, as indefinite character and is difficult to identify or classify (similar to the phrase "betwixt and between")

The idiom originated in the ecclesiastical division of food into categories for purposes of abstinence and fasting, the word fish denoting the flesh of fish, as opposed to fowl, denoting that of birds.

The earliest known instance is from "Rede me and be nott wrothe for I saye no thynge but trothe" – Strasbourg, 1528, by William Roy and Jerome Barlow. According to them, Henry Standish, English Franciscan, Bishop of St. Asaph, played the part of Judas to betray the gospel in England:

– Who played the parte of Iudas?
– The wholy [= holy] bisshop of Saynct Asse
A poste of Satans iurisdiccion.
Whom they call Doctour standisshe
Wone [= One] that is nether flesshe nor fisshe
At all tymes a co?men lyer.

This expression also 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).

- online source with editing
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Just curious, what was the feeling when you first joined WXC?  Do you feel at home or "neither fish nor fowl"?

I had been reading WXC blog posts occasionally for a few years, prior to joining in Feb 2023.

I felt so overwhelmed and even a bit shocked to be honest by the responses under my first blog post (a self introduction), that I only did one reply to all.

When I posted my 2nd post two days later, there was only one MM left comments giving me advice about picture size and not to use English in title (see below).  That really surprised me: Where have other people gone?  What is "首页"?  什么  But I was too shy to ask.

Four months later in June, I posted one true funny story in blog and 笑坛 (my first WXC forum), but didn't go back to reply, as I had no concept of 互动 then and was too shy to say anything. 解释

In fact I felt like I was "neither fish nor fowl" for a long time, until gradually building up friendships with some net-friends and started communicating on and off WXC. 

Luckily, the two MMs (including 禾儿) I "run" into and bounded during my first WXC commenting (before my first WXC post) under a blog post are still good friends now.  

Take a guess what was that first comment about?  Maowi the cat, of course!!! 呵呵

Happy another Friday!

 

 

所有跟帖: 

不伦不类, defying classification. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 09:20:28

+1 & guilty as charged! ;-)) ever have the feeling? :-) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 09:39:13

Often and, most of the time, proud of it. -7grizzly- 给 7grizzly 发送悄悄话 7grizzly 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 09:42:21

Yeah! catch as catch can :-)) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 09:57:47

My dinner was neither fish nor fowl:)) -godog- 给 godog 发送悄悄话 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 09:54:46

Got ya! Might I ask, politely, what was it? ;-) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 09:59:35

It was either pork or sausage:) -godog- 给 godog 发送悄悄话 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 10:07:02

haha, "pigs in a blanket" :-) -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 10:12:28

A square peg in a round hole:) -暖冬cool夏- 给 暖冬cool夏 发送悄悄话 暖冬cool夏 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 10:28:14

Very much so, & an irregular square not fitting known holes~ -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 11:02:38

I go for beef tonight. -移花接木- 给 移花接木 发送悄悄话 移花接木 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 14:36:43

good 4 U! :-) Had leftover dumplings (veg+pork) 2day myself. -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/12/2025 postreply 14:46:44

The way I cook is either fish nor fowl, influenced -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/13/2025 postreply 16:04:14

A lot by dish from other cultures -天边一片白云- 给 天边一片白云 发送悄悄话 天边一片白云 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/13/2025 postreply 16:05:02

Sounds very good & can't wait to see more of them. Thx 白云 -最西边的岛上- 给 最西边的岛上 发送悄悄话 最西边的岛上 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/13/2025 postreply 16:25:14

It's an interesting post of yours. Thanks! -xanadu05- 给 xanadu05 发送悄悄话 xanadu05 的博客首页 (0 bytes) () 09/13/2025 postreply 20:06:46

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