"Mackerel" is also used as an adjective in the vernacular names of other animals or breeds thereof, often used to indicate types with a mackerel-like pattern of vertical stripes:
A Mackerel Sky is a formation of Altocumulus clouds. This cloud formation usually means that there is a large amount of moisture and precipitation headed in the direction of the clouds.
The word "mackerel" has achieved minor notoriety in recent years as the subject of a number of word puzzles. The original puzzle is to identify the single . Similarly, Swindon Town is the only UK professional Football club, Ohio is the only U.S. State and Fiji , Djibouti and Togo are the only 3 countries in the world with the same property.
The word was also proposed as the Collin's Word of the Year 2006, a competition for students in English schools.
