Kettle of Fish
Meaning
This term is usually part of ‘a fine kettle of fish’, ‘a pretty kettle of fish’ etc, which mean ‘a muddle or awkward state of affairs’. The expression ‘a different kettle of fish’ has, as seems fitting, a different meaning, which is ‘an alternative; a different thing altogether’.
Origin
Being English, I have a close association with kettles essential equipment for a custom that the English can still claim world dominance, the making of ‘a nice cup of tea’. Tea kettles were first named in the early 18th century; until then ‘kettle’ referred to any vessel for boiling water. The noun ‘kettle of fish’ is listed by several reference works as dating from 1745, although the earliest actual citation of the term in print that I can find is in Thomas Newte’s A tour in England and Scotland in 1785:
“It is customary for the gentlemen who live near the Tweed to entertain their neighbours and friends with a Fete Champetre, which they call giving ‘a kettle of fish’. Tents or marquees are pitched near the flowery banks of the river… a fire is kindled, and live salmon thrown into boiling kettles.”
