a queer fish
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An eccentric person, All is fish that comes to my net. I turn everything to some use; I am willing to deal in anything out of which I can make a profit.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a queer fish” mean?
An eccentric person, All is fish that comes to my net. I turn everything to some use; I am willing to deal in anything out of which I can make a profit.
Is “a queer fish” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.