Muttonfish

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of several Atlantic and Caribbean fishes which are said to taste of mutton, especially a mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis), an ocean pout (Macrozoarces americanus), or an Irish pompano (Diapterus auratus). US
  2. 2
    similar to and often marketed as ‘red snapper’ wordnet
  3. 3
    Any of several edible molluscs of the genus Haliotis; an abalone. Australia

    "Some mornings when the tide was right out we went onto the reef with screwdrivers to prise off abalone, which we called muttonfish."

Example

More examples

"Some mornings when the tide was right out we went onto the reef with screwdrivers to prise off abalone, which we called muttonfish."

Etymology

From mutton + fish.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.