chalk and cheese en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Attested in variant form since 1393. The surface of some cheeses, particularly unaged ones, resembles the surface of chalk: white, crumbling, but in substance cheese is much softer than chalk. It is 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.
Meanings
- (New-Zealand, UK, idiomatic, uncountable) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.
Synonyms
apples and oranges · day and night · night and day
Translations (13)
cmn 天壤之別 /天壤之别 (things that are very different) · fi yö ja päivä (things that are very different) · de Äpfel und Birnen (things that are very different) · es parecerse como un huevo a una castaña (things that are very different) · de wie Tag und Nacht (things that are very different) · nl het verschil van dag en nacht (things that are very different) · fr le jour et la nuit (things that are very different) · es como agua y aceite (things that are very different) · pl niebo i ziemia (things that are very different) · ja 月とスッピン (things that are very different) · ru не́бо от земли́ (things that are very different) · es día y noche (things that are very different) · ru не́бо и земля́ (things that are very different)