king of the herrings

2 definitions found

king of the herrings - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Opah \O"pah\, n. (Zool.)
     A large oceanic fish (Lampris guttatus), inhabiting the
     Atlantic Ocean. It is remarkable for its brilliant colors,
     which are red, green, and blue, with tints of purple and
     gold, covered with round silvery spots. Called also king of the herrings
     .
     [1913 Webster]

  Herring \Her"ring\ (h[e^]r"r[i^]ng), n. [OE. hering, AS.
     h[ae]ring; akin to D. haring, G. h[aum]ring, hering, OHG.
     haring, hering, and prob. to AS. here army, and so called
     because they commonly move in large numbers. Cf. Harry.]
     (Zool.)
     One of various species of fishes of the genus Clupea, and
     allied genera, esp. the common round or English herring
     (Clupea harengus) of the North Atlantic. Herrings move in
     vast schools, coming in spring to the shores of Europe and
     America, where they are salted and smoked in great
     quantities.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Herring gull (Zool.), a large gull which feeds in part upon
        herrings; esp., Larus argentatus in America, and Larus  cachinnans
         in England. See Gull.
  
     Herring hog (Zool.), the common porpoise.
  
     King of the herrings. (Zool.)
     (a) The chim[ae]ra (Chimaera monstrosa) which follows the
         schools of herring. Called also rabbit fish in the U.
         K. See Chim[ae]ra.
     (b) The opah.
         [1913 Webster]