It’s Neither Here nor There

When someone says that it’s neither here nor there, they are saying that the information is irrelevant, unimportant or inconsequential.   The phrase is basically saying that it doesn’t matter if it is here, there or nowhere.  It just doesn’t matter.  Idiomatically, this demonstrates that there is no point.

Example:  They are qualified for the job.  The fact that they love bananas is neither here nor there.

That’s neither here nor there is another way to use today’s phrase.  While it has the same meaning, it can be used in a slightly different situation.  I find that people often use this phrase to say, “ignore what I just said.”  It’s a playful way to suggest moving on to the next topic.

Example:  He smells awful, but that’s neither here nor there.  What I really want to talk about is his poor work ethic. 

Neither here nor there dates back to 1583.  Arthur Golding’s translation of Calvin says, “Our so doing is neither here nor there (as they say).”  The inclusion of as they say suggests that neither here nor there was well established by that point.  Shakespeare also used the phrase in Othello and other plays.  In Othello, Emilia asks Desdemona if itchy eyes means that she will cry soon.  Desdemona wants Emilia to quit thinking about her cheating husband because it will make her cry.  She wants Emilia to move on from the subject.  So, she simply states, “tis neither here nor there.”

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Reference:
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/neither+here+nor+there#:~:text=Irrelevant%2C%20unimportant.,Windsor%2C%20Othello%2C%20and%20elsewhere.
https://www.shmoop.com/shakespeare-quotes/neither-here-nor-there/meaning-then.html