see kettle
1. : a bad state of affairs : mess , predicament
here's a pretty how-de-do, here's a pretty kettle of fish — W.S.Gilbert
2. : a thing to be considered or reckoned with : matter , affair
books and discs … were two very different kettles of fish — Roland Gelatt
a far different kettle of fish from the fictionalized life stories of Hollywood — Lee Rogow