unkosher
Against dietary law
Unkosher describes food that doesn't meet Jewish dietary laws, or more broadly, anything improper, illegitimate, or not quite right: The whole deal seemed unkosher to me.
The figurative sense—suggesting something shady or off—is now at least as common as the religious one.
Ritually unfit to eat
- porkPig as food
- shellfishAquatic creatures with exoskeletons
- shrimpSmall edible crustacean
- lobsterLarge marine shellfish
crab · clams · oysters · catfish · bacon · ham · cheeseburger · rabbit
Of uncertain validity
- shadyDisreputable or sun-blocked
- unethicalViolating moral standards
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
- illicitProhibited by law
dodgy · unsavory · disreputable · unseemly · inappropriate · unacceptable · dubious · irregular
Contaminated, made impure
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
- defiledMade foul or impure
- adulteratedDiluted with inferior substances
- uncleanSoiled or contaminated
polluted · corrupted · soiled · spoiled · unkempt · unwashed · cross-contaminated · unsanctified
trefah
Ritually unfit to eat
lobster · crab · clams · oysters · catfish · bacon · ham · cheeseburger · rabbit · camel
questionable
Of uncertain validity
- shadyDisreputable or sun-blocked
- unethicalViolating moral standards
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
illicit · dodgy · unsavory · disreputable · unseemly · inappropriate · unacceptable · dubious · irregular · crooked
tainted
Contaminated, made impure
- contaminatedMade impure by contact
- defiledMade foul or impure
- adulteratedDiluted with inferior substances
unclean · polluted · corrupted · soiled · spoiled · unkempt · unwashed · cross-contaminated · unsanctified
unkosherkosher
Permissible by Jewish law
legitimate · aboveboard · on the level · above-board · proper