John dory
Preserved but no longer current.
A golden yellow fish, the Zeus faber, common in the Mediterranean and round the south-western coasts of England. Its name was dory (Fr. doree, golden) long before the John was added; this was probably a humorous amplification — from the name of some real or imaginary person — with, perhaps, a side allusion to Fr., jaune, yellow.
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 “John dory” mean?
A golden yellow fish, the Zeus faber, common in the Mediterranean and round the south-western coasts of England. Its name was dory (Fr. doree, golden) long before the John was added; this was probably a humorous amplification — from the name of some real or imaginary person — with, perhaps, a side allusion to Fr., jaune, yellow.
Is “John dory” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.