neither here nor there
2
6.7
- idiom
:
irrelevante
- This may be neither here nor there but I've got to say it.
OK, so I'm neither here nor there with this.
- OK, so I'm neither here nor there with this.
- Who we blame in many ways is neither here nor there.
- But you know that that's neither here nor there.
- Hi, my name is Randall Park, and I feel it's neither here nor there.
- So he claims not to be Nakamoto, but I'm not sure that's that's neither here nor there.
Examples
-
When she brought up the weather, it was neither here nor there since we were focused on our work deadline.
-
What I think about you is neither here nor there.
-
It's neither here nor there.
-
That is neither here nor there.
-
But that is neither here nor there.
Fiction book (1994) -
That's neither here nor there.
-
Well, that's neither here nor there.
-
That's neither here nor there.
-
His reasons for leaving the meeting were neither here nor there to the main discussion about the project's future.
-
The details of the catering were neither here nor there when we needed to finalize the guest list.
Synonyms
355
3.6
Not related to the subject people are discussing or to the main point
4
7.4
A phrase people say to tell others nothing interesting or worrying is happening
1
9.9
Something that has no real substance or important facts
Completely not related to the subject, said as a joke
An unclear thing that does not help you understand or decide
Antonyms
How Relevant
469
3.6
∞
1.0
592
3.3
600
2.4
2
6.7
355
3.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('neither', 'here', 'nor', 'there') signal exclusion from both 'here' and 'there', which gives a spatial clue that something does not belong or is not applicable to the current matter. However, the conventionalized meaning 'irrelevant' is a metaphorical, idiomatic extension of that spatial sense and may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The idiom neither here nor there may come from a simple picture: something that is not here and not there, so it is nowhere useful. So, it means 'not important'.