herring

a kind of fish – bony, finned sea fish – {also a general name given to any of the several small fin fish that are found in large schools} – small, streamlined and silvery body with only one fin on the back, no side fins; sliver colour scales; the size varies widely: from 5 inches to 1½ feet long, and weighs 500-700 grams; feeds on zooplankton (= tiny water animals), small fish and fish larvae; lives for 10-12 years (but varies greatly depending on the species); 200 species (kinds) (?)  (including some small fish that look like the ‘true’ herrings), found in the warm waters of Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, N. Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea Some common herrings are:  Atlantic herring, Pacific herring, Baltic herring, blue back(?), alewife(?), wolf herring

Special Features:

herring as food

Herrings are one of the main sources of food not only for people but also for almost every animal that feeds in sea water! Herrings are ‘schooling’ and ‘migratory’ fish, i.e. they get together in large numbers,

a school of herrings

some times millions in one group (school), and go from one place to another distant place in search of food and to lay eggs! Herrings are eaten in number of ways: smoked, fried, boiled;

pickled herrings

and are canned and sold in the supermarkets.  It is a known fact that most canned fish sold under the name of “sardines” are herrings!?  {‘Sardine’ is a kind of small fish related to herrings, and it is also canned in oil and sold in small boxes.}

smoked herrings

A herring fish that is split from head to tail, salted and smoked is called a ‘kipper ’.

Figures of Speech:

1. a red herring  =

(a)  an unimportant or irrelevant point brought into a discussion to distract attention from the important matter or main issue

(b)  (in mystery stories) an innocent character (a person) on whom the suspicion is directed to confuse the readers or the other characters in the story until the real culprit is brought into the light in the climax

2.

(a)  herring-dub = the sea

(b)  herring-pond

3.herring-ribs  =  a thin and tall person

4.herring-bone  =  a zigzag pattern (design) in something

5.as salty as a herring

6. as red as a herring

7. as dead as a herring

8. as lean/thin as a herring

9. like a herring on a griddle  =  (of someone) restless, uneasy

10.

(a)  as thick as herrings in a barrel  =  too many

(b)  as close as herrings in a barrel  =  overcrowded

11. straight as the backbone of a herring [used ironically to mean (of something) ‘not at all straight’]

12. gone to the herring-drewe (‘drewe’ = drove = a group) [said of a person who has gone missing (hide from) to escape his creditors (‘creditors’ = people who gave (lent) money to somebody)

13. what we lose in hake we shall have in herring  (‘hake’ = a kind of food fish) [said to imply that one will compensate for the other; we lose something and we but we gain some other thing]

14. to set a herring [said to mean that one must risk a little to gain much]

15. every herring must hand by its own gills (or head) [said to mean that each one has his/her own responsibilities]

<<< Back to List H —-    Next … hind >>>