fine kettle of fish

fine kettle of fish
a fine kettle of fish
Fig. a troublesome situation; a vexing problem. (Usually appears in the expression,

This is a fine kettle of fish!

) •

This is a fine kettle of fish. My husband is not here to meet me at the train station, and there's no phone here for me to call him.

Alan: Oh, no! I've burned the roast. We don't have anything to serve our guests as a main dish. Jane: But they'll be here any minute! This is a fine kettle of fish.

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See: KETTLE OF FISH.

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • fine kettle of fish — See: KETTLE OF FISH …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • fine\ kettle\ of\ fish — See: kettle of fish …   Словарь американских идиом

  • fine kettle of fish — a bad state of affairs; a very difficult and annoying situation; something to be considered or reckoned with. Derived from kiddle or keddle, q.v., a basket set in the sluice of a dam or weir to catch fish. Kiddles were used by royal officials but …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • fine kettle of fish — Synonyms and related words: bind, clutch, complication, crunch, embarrassing position, embarrassment, fine how do you do, hell to pay, hobble, hot water, how do you do, imbroglio, jam, mess, mix, morass, parlous straits, pass, pickle, pinch,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • a pretty (or fine) kettle of fish — informal an awkward state of affairs. → kettle …   English new terms dictionary

  • a fine kettle of fish — ► a pretty (or fine) kettle of fish informal an awkward state of affairs. Main Entry: ↑kettle …   English terms dictionary

  • (a) fine kettle of fish — mainly American a difficult situation. That s a fine kettle of fish the car won t start and I have to leave in five minutes …   New idioms dictionary

  • kettle of fish — A pretty or fine kettle of fish is a difficult problem or situation …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • a fine kettle of fish — a fine (or pretty) kettle of fish informal an awkward state of affairs …   Useful english dictionary

  • kettle of fish — noun informal terms for a difficult situation he got into a terrible fix he made a muddle of his marriage • Syn: ↑fix, ↑hole, ↑jam, ↑mess, ↑muddle, ↑pickle • …   Useful english dictionary

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