 |
| |||||||||
neither3
1 used when mentioning two things that are not true or possible : 
Neither Oleg's mother nor his father spoke English.The equipment is neither accurate nor safe. ! Do not say 'neither ...or ...'. Say not ...or ... or neither ...nor ...: We don't know or care where he is. | Neither he nor his wife eats meat.
neither ... nor ...
Neither Oleg's mother nor his father spoke English.The equipment is neither accurate nor safe.2 used to say that something is not important because it does not affect a fact or situation [= irrelevant]: The fact that she needed the money for her children is neither here nor there - it's still stealing.
be neither here nor there
spokenThe fact that she needed the money for her children is neither here nor there - it's still stealing.3 used to say that something or someone cannot be described as either one of two types of thing or person, but is somewhere in the middle of the two : The New York Times is neither one thing nor the other. It's not really a city newspaper and it's not really a national newspaper either.
be neither one thing nor the other
spokenThe New York Times is neither one thing nor the other. It's not really a city newspaper and it's not really a national newspaper either.4 formal used to add another negative statement about someone or something [= nor]: The authorities were not sympathetic to the students' demands, neither would they tolerate any disruption.
The authorities were not sympathetic to the students' demands, neither would they tolerate any disruption.
