# "Tuna fish" - why aren't any other kinds of fish redundant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 3, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124 "2009-11-03T02:05:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/61 "2009-11-04T17:24:05Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Imagine if we named all food that way. “Chicken bird salad.” “Beef quadruped burger.” “Lobster crustacean bisque.” “Peanut legume butter sandwich.” etc. “Grape fruit” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/62 "2009-11-04T18:24:07Z")
What has two knees and swims? tunny fish. I keep my tuna fish in my cherrywood cabinet. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/63 "2009-11-04T19:31:02Z")
silverfish (an insect), crayfish ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/64 "2009-11-04T22:06:45Z")
I think from now on when I order a turkey sandwich I will say I want a “turkey-bird” sandwich so they won’t get it confused with the country. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/65 "2009-11-04T22:09:47Z")
How on earth will you order chili? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/66 "2009-11-05T02:46:00Z")
Although fish wiggle, in a loose manner of speaking, the second fish is left off of tuna wiggle, so in a sense they _should_ use “fish” to make the point of the dish clear. ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/67 "2009-11-05T03:47:27Z")
Jessica Simpson once famously asked if she was eating chicken or fish when chowing into a tin of tuna. It seems the brand name was _chicken of the sea_ and it was more than enough to confuse her. Her husband wasn’t able to help her. And that’s what reality tv does for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/68 "2009-11-05T07:14:45Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > 1. “Tuna fish” was just how people decided to use the term. It’s likely that, when it was first being served, people didn’t know what “tuna” was (it looks like canned tuna is just over 100 years old). So when restaurants first served it (and groceries first stocked it), they called it “tuna fish” to give their patrons an idea of what it was they were serving. I think I agree with RealityChuck here. I hear the term ‘tuna fish’ most often from the older generations. I remember my Grandmother telling me that she remembered when tuna was first introduced, and how there were lots of recipes telling how to use this ‘new’ food, and how it was an exciting, cutting-edge thing to serve. Including a lot of comments that it could be used in as a replacement for chicken almost any recipe (even to a brand name _Chicken of the Sea_). This was all astonishing to me, having grown up with various tuna casseroles as a staple of church dinners or pot-luck suppers. As she said, they called it “tuna fish” so people knew what it was – no one around there had ever heard of “tuna” before. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/69 "2009-11-06T07:57:36Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > “Grape fruit” 😉 Also kiwifruit. A variety of berries: raspberry, strawberry, huckleberry, whortleberry, marionberry, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, etc. Walnut. And Beer Nuts 🙂 > [@Gymnopithys](#): > > silverfish (an insect), crayfish Crayfish are a crustacean. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/70 "2009-11-06T13:31:01Z")
> [@tallcoldone](#): > > What has two knees and swims? tunny fish. I didn’t get this for the longest time. You mean “tunny” doesn’t rhyme with “sunny” or “runny”? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/71 "2009-11-06T15:39:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I didn’t get this for the longest time. You mean “tunny” doesn’t rhyme with “sunny” or “runny”? Yeah, that’s just lunny. ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/72 "2009-11-06T17:00:04Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Yeah, that’s just lunny. OK, how about toonie fish? Or, on another phonetic tangent, maybe toonie ghoti? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/73 "2009-11-07T10:54:00Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > How on earth will you order chili? “Chili pepper berry con quadruped carne” [QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] As she said, they called it “tuna fish” so people knew what it was – no one around there had ever heard of “tuna” before. [/QUOTE] Your theory actually makes a lot of sense. That reminds me of a novel by Beverly Cleary that was written in the early 1950s (it might have been _Beezus and Ramona_, I don’t remember exactly because I read all the Beverly Cleary books one after another when I was in 3rd grade). They referred to “pizza pie” and to me in the late 1960s, when pizza had become an American staple, “pizza pie” already sounded odd. It was like back then, pizza was still considered an exotic foreign dish that had to have “pie” appended so that \*americani \*could understand what it was. Cleary was from Oregon, where it probably took pizza “pie” longer to catch on in the '50s; if she’d been from New York City, there would have been no need to append a food category to its name. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/74 "2009-11-07T14:33:39Z")
I distinctly recall people saying “tuna fish” when growing up in SE Michigan, but for some reason I’ve never picked up that habit myself. It’s just “tuna” whether it be a fish, steak, or some macerated tissue from a can (also, macerated tissue from a can is the only tuna I really knew when growing up). > [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Perhaps it was to be sure people knew it was the fish and not the cactus fruit which is edible also. [Tuna](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuna) As has already been pointed out, that’s not the case. However, really? Where do we use “tuna” in English to refer to the prickly pear? It’s always been “prickly pear” my entire life, and I had no idea that they were called “tunas” until I arrived at tuna HQ in Mexico about 10 years ago. > [@King\_Friday](#): > > Dolphin fish. > [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > er…tuna mammal? I actually came here to mention “dolphin fish” because if you just say that you want to go fishing for “dolphin,” people think you’re a cruel, heartless bastard. I’ve always heard of “dolphin fish” when growing up, but for some reason “mahi mahi” seems to have become popularized instead. I also see/hear the Spanish “dorado” being used more and more often on American menus and in speech. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/75 "2009-11-07T17:44:14Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Your theory actually makes a lot of sense. That reminds me of a novel by Beverly Cleary that was written in the early 1950s (it might have been _Beezus and Ramona_, I don’t remember exactly because I read all the Beverly Cleary books one after another when I was in 3rd grade). They referred to “pizza pie” and to me in the late 1960s, when pizza had become an American staple, “pizza pie” already sounded odd. It was like back then, pizza was still considered an exotic foreign dish that had to have “pie” appended so that \*americani \*could understand what it was. Cleary was from Oregon, where it probably took pizza “pie” longer to catch on in the '50s; if she’d been from New York City, there would have been no need to append a food category to its name. Although I rarely, if ever, hear “pizza pie” anymore, it’s not uncommon to hear a pizza referred to as a “pie”. I believe I heard that in a pizza joint commercial just the other day. Something like: “Here at PizzaLand, we make a really good pie.” Some of my friends use that term as well. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/76 "2009-11-07T17:58:06Z")
At least in the US, the “pie” in “pizza pie” is very regional. In NYC, the pie is almost universal. To the point that if some asks if you want a pie with no other context, pizza is more likely meant than dessert. In the south or southwest, pie is almost always a baked dessert & pizza almost always has just that one word in its name. Elsewhere there’s a blend. And of course the US is getting ever more homogenized. Whether the use of pie in connection with pizza is growing or shrinking I have no clue. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/77 "2009-11-07T23:39:22Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > At least in the US, the “pie” in “pizza pie” is very regional. In NYC, the pie is almost universal. To the point that if some asks if you want a pie with no other context, pizza is more likely meant than dessert. > > In the south or southwest, pie is almost always a baked dessert & pizza almost always has just that one word in its name. > > Elsewhere there’s a blend. And of course the US is getting ever more homogenized. Whether the use of pie in connection with pizza is growing or shrinking I have no clue. In Michigan – definitely not the south or the southwest – I’d expect a pie to be a bona fide pie, not pizza. Pizza’s pizza. “Pizza pie” is something that Dean Martin needs for rhyming. Or stereotypical Italians would say. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/78 "2009-11-08T00:54:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > At least in the US, the “pie” in “pizza pie” is very regional. In NYC, the pie is almost universal. To the point that if some asks if you want a pie with no other context, pizza is more likely meant than dessert. > > In the south or southwest, pie is almost always a baked dessert & pizza almost always has just that one word in its name. > > Elsewhere there’s a blend. And of course the US is getting ever more homogenized. Whether the use of pie in connection with pizza is growing or shrinking I have no clue. > [@Balthisar](#): > > In Michigan – definitely not the south or the southwest – I’d expect a pie to be a bona fide pie, not pizza. Pizza’s pizza. “Pizza pie” is something that Dean Martin needs for rhyming. Or stereotypical Italians would say. Did anyone else grow up with “pot pies”? Little round meat pies you would heat up in the oven pre-microwave days. A smaller, inferior form of the British meat pie found in pubs. I really like those British and Irish meat pies. There’s even an Aussie version here. The best ones, IMHO, are made with Guinness stout. Really. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/79 "2009-11-08T00:57:32Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Did anyone else grow up with “pot pies”? Little round meat pies you would heat up in the oven pre-microwave days. A smaller, inferior form of the British meat pie found in pubs. Yes. We liked them, but I couldn’t imagine giving that to a child today. Probably loaded with salt and fat. The British pub food version is probably not much healthier, but they do taste great. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124/80 "2009-11-09T18:28:18Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Did anyone else grow up with “pot pies”? We would actually make tuna (hah!) pot pie. These were usually at least partly home-made, though, versus buying a frozen thing you’d pop in the oven, if that’s what you meant. Interestingly enough, while I hated pot pies (something about the way the pastry part would get all slimy on the inside), I loved my dad’s pasties. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tuna-fish-why-arent-any-other-kinds-of-fish-redundant/516124.md?page=5)