chalk and cheese
(Redirected from like chalk and cheese)
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Attested in variant form since 1393. The surface of some cheeses, particularly unaged ones, looks similar to chalk – white, crumbling – but in substance cheese is much softer than chalk.
Interesting to note that lime chalk and cottage cheese forms a glue-like material used in the restoration of ancient half-timbered houses, perhaps suggesting an alternative original meaning.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun edit
chalk and cheese (uncountable)
- (British, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.
Synonyms edit
Translations edit
things that are very different
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References edit
- "chalk and cheese", World Wide Words, Michael Quinion