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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

never the twain shall meet en · X

Etymology

Coined by the English author and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) in his poem The Ballad of East and West (1889).

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) Used to emphasize that two subjects are so different that they cannot coexist or agree with each other.
    • In Silverstein's terms, Frank is an "excitement seeker" and the lover is a "home builder." Never the twain shall meet. Again, for a while I saw the conflict between the two in the movie as a refreshing examination of a problem many gay couples (of both sexes) face. But […] 1981 December 27, Charles Bonnell, “Throwing In The Towel”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 23, page 5:

Relateds

apples and oranges

wikipedia: The Ballad of East and West