lemon sole
Preserved but no longer current.
The name of the flat-fish has nothing to do with the fruit but is from limande, a dab or flat-fish. This may be connected with O.Fr. lima nde, a fiat board, but may also be from Lat. limns, mud, the fish being essentially a bottom fish.
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 “lemon sole” mean?
The name of the flat-fish has nothing to do with the fruit but is from limande, a dab or flat-fish. This may be connected with O.Fr. lima nde, a fiat board, but may also be from Lat. limns, mud, the fish being essentially a bottom fish.
Is “lemon sole” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.