# What does ‘a fine kettle of fish’ mean?

To “a fine kettle of fish” means to a messy or awkward situation. Brewer's records the phrase as long-standing in English, though the connection to a Scottish riverside picnic ('kettle of fish') is disputed by later scholarship.

## What it means

- Brewer's records the phrase as long-standing in English, though the connection to a Scottish riverside picnic ('kettle of fish') is disputed by later scholarship.

## Action steps

1. Slightly old-fashioned exclamation of dismay.
2. Example: Well, this is a fine kettle of fish!

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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