NEITHER FISH, FLESH, FOWL, NOR GOOD RED HERRING, phr. (old).—Neither one thing nor the other.
1682. DRYDEN, Epilogue to the Duke of Guise, 39.
| Damn’d Neuters, in their middle way of steering, | |
| Are NEITHER FISH NOR FLESH NOR GOOD RED HERRING. |
TO THROW A SPRAT TO CATCH A HERRING (or WHALE), verb. phr. (old).—To forego an advantage in the hope of greater profit.
1826. BUCKSTONE, Luke the Labourer, i., 2. I give dat like THROWING AWAY A SPRAT TO CATCH A HERRING, though I hope on this occasion to catch a bigger fish.
1890. GRANT ALLEN, The Tents of Shem, ch. xix. He’s CASTING A SPRAT TO CATCH A WHALE.
DEAD AS A HERRING (or SHOTTEN HERRING), adv. phr. (old).—Quite dead. [Herrings die sooner on leaving the water than most fish.] See DEAD.
1596. SHAKESPEARE, Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 3. By gar de HERRING IS NO DEAD as I vill kill him.
1787. BURNS, Death and Doctor Hornbook.
| I’ll nail the self-conceited Scot, | |
| As DEAD’S A HERRIN. |
1790. W. B. RHODES, Bombastes Furioso, Sc. 4. Ay, DEAD AS HERRINGS—herrings that are red.
LIKE HERRINGS IN A BARREL, adv. phr. (common).—Very crowded.
1891. N. GOULD, The Double Event, p. 117. People jammed inside like HERRINGS IN A BARREL.
THE DEVIL A BARREL THE BETTER HERRING, phr. (old).—All bad alike—Lexicon Balatronicum. In modern American, all alike; indistinguishable. Cf., SARDINE.
