Queer fish
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
An odd or eccentric person, quirky beyond the norm.
Origin
From 19th-century Britain, tied to 'queer'; old English for strange; and fish as odd creatures, slang by 1860s for eccentrics. An 1871 Trollope novel uses it for a bizarre gent.
Usage Examples
- He's a queer fish; collects spoons like treasure.
- She's a queer fish, always humming to herself.
- That queer fish showed up in a clown suit!
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