chalk and cheese
Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alikeSaid of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.
» Tom and his brother are like chalk and cheese.
Том с братом разные как небо и земля. — marafon
patgfisher · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(New Zealand, UK, idiomatic, uncountable)Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.
Äpfel und Birnen, wie Tag und Nacht
не́бо и земля́nébo i zemljá, не́бо от земли́nébo ot zemlí
Examples
4 sentencesTom and his brother are like chalk and cheese.
ruТом с братом разные как небо и земля. — marafon
They're like chalk and cheese.
deSie sind wie Wasser und Feuer. — kolonjano
When it comes to personality, Tom and Mary are as different as chalk and cheese.
deCharakterlich könnten Tom und Maria verschiedener nicht sein. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
You're comparing chalk and cheese!
ruНе путай божий дар с яичницей! — marafon
Translations
5 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Attested in variant form since 1393. The surface of some cheeses, particularly unaged onesAttested 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.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
3 synonymsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable