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