neither hawk nor buzzard
Preserved but no longer current.
Of doubtful social position — too good for the kitchen, and not good enough for the family; not hawks to be fondled and petted — the "tasselled gentlemen" of the days of falconry — nor yet buzzards — a dull kind of falcon synonymous with dunce or plebeian. "Neither flesh, fowl, nor good red herring.
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 “neither hawk nor buzzard” mean?
Of doubtful social position — too good for the kitchen, and not good enough for the family; not hawks to be fondled and petted — the "tasselled gentlemen" of the days of falconry — nor yet buzzards — a dull kind of falcon synonymous with dunce or plebeian. "Neither flesh, fowl, nor good red herring.
Is “neither hawk nor buzzard” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.