"apples and oranges" meaning in English

See apples and oranges in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: en-au-apples and oranges.ogg [Australia]
Head templates: {{en-noun|p}} apples and oranges pl (plural only)
  1. (idiomatic) A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible equation, or the items thus compared. Tags: idiomatic, plural, plural-only Translations (non-comparable items): pomes amb peres [feminine, plural] (Catalan), 風馬牛不相及 (Chinese Mandarin), 风马牛不相及 (fēng mǎ niú bù xiāngjí) (Chinese Mandarin), hrušky s jablky (Czech), appels met peren [plural] (Dutch), verrata omenoita päärynöihin [verb] (Finnish), mélanger des choux et des carottes (French), mélanger les torchons et les serviettes (French), comparer des pommes et des poires (French), Äpfel und Birnen (German), almát a körtével (Hungarian), mele e pere [feminine, plural] (Italian), баби и жаби (babi i žabi) (Macedonian), tirr li kû û das li kû (Northern Kurdish), dwie różne rzeczy (Polish), misturar alhos com bugalhos (Portuguese), compara mere cu pere (Romanian), compara merele cu perele (Romanian), ба̏бе и жа̏бе [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), кру̏шке и ја̏буке [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), bȁbe i žȁbe [Roman] (Serbo-Croatian), krȕške i jȁbuke [Roman] (Serbo-Croatian), peras y manzanas [feminine, plural] (Spanish), peras con manzanas (Spanish), äpplen och päron (Swedish), elmayla armut (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-apples_and_oranges-en-noun-dDzkEDx1 Categories (other): English coordinated pairs, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English coordinated pairs: 54 46 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 53 47 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 53 47 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 50 50 Disambiguation of 'non-comparable items': 88 12
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see apples, and, oranges. Tags: plural, plural-only Synonyms: chalk and cheese, night and day, day and night, apples to oranges Related terms: mix apples and oranges, coinstantiation (english: apples and oranges are both fruit), like-for-like, noncomparable, uncomparable
    Sense id: en-apples_and_oranges-en-noun-YIDga7je Categories (other): English coordinated pairs, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English pluralia tantum, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English coordinated pairs: 54 46 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 53 47 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 53 47 Disambiguation of English pluralia tantum: 40 60 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 50 50

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for apples and oranges meaning in English (8.2kB)

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "apples to apples"
    },
    {
      "word": "apples with apples"
    },
    {
      "word": "apples to apples, oranges to oranges"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "word": "oranges with oranges"
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p"
      },
      "expansion": "apples and oranges pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "It's apples and oranges. You can't convert square meters to linear inches.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 January 17, Kath Murray, “Stop and search in Scotland: record figures need open debate”, in The Guardian",
          "text": "So on the one hand, comparing policing issues in Scotland with what is happening in England may be like comparing apples and oranges.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 June 11, Rory Stewart, “Sustainable Development Goals”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons), column 592",
          "text": "In comparing Britain with other countries, it is important to remember that we are not comparing like with like; there is an apples and oranges issue.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible equation, or the items thus compared."
      ],
      "id": "en-apples_and_oranges-en-noun-dDzkEDx1",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible equation, or the items thus compared."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "pomes amb peres"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "風馬牛不相及"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "fēng mǎ niú bù xiāngjí",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "风马牛不相及"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "hrušky s jablky"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "appels met peren"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "verb"
          ],
          "word": "verrata omenoita päärynöihin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "mélanger des choux et des carottes"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "mélanger les torchons et les serviettes"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "comparer des pommes et des poires"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "Äpfel und Birnen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "άλλα τα μάτια του λαγού κι άλλα της κουκουβάγιας (álla ta mátia tou lagoú ki álla tis koukouvágias, literally “the hare's eyes are one thing and the owl's eyes are another”)",
          "sense": "non-comparable items"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "almát a körtével"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "mele e pere"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "kmr",
          "lang": "Northern Kurdish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "tirr li kû û das li kû"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "babi i žabi",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "баби и жаби"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "dwie różne rzeczy"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "misturar alhos com bugalhos"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "compara mere cu pere"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "compara merele cu perele"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "му́хи отде́льно, котле́ты отде́льно (múxi otdélʹno, kotléty otdélʹno, literally “houseflies separately from cutlets/rissoles”)",
          "sense": "non-comparable items"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "ба̏бе и жа̏бе"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "кру̏шке и ја̏буке"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "Roman"
          ],
          "word": "bȁbe i žȁbe"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "Roman"
          ],
          "word": "krȕške i jȁbuke"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "peras y manzanas"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "peras con manzanas"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "äpplen och päron"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "88 12",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "non-comparable items",
          "word": "elmayla armut"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 46",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
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            "Terms by etymology"
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        {
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          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "53 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
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            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "40 60",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English pluralia tantum",
          "parents": [
            "Pluralia tantum",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see apples, and, oranges."
      ],
      "id": "en-apples_and_oranges-en-noun-YIDga7je",
      "links": [
        [
          "apples",
          "apples#English"
        ],
        [
          "and",
          "and#English"
        ],
        [
          "oranges",
          "oranges#English"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "mix apples and oranges"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "english": "apples and oranges are both fruit",
          "word": "coinstantiation"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "like-for-like"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "noncomparable"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "uncomparable"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "chalk and cheese"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "night and day"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "day and night"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 88",
          "word": "apples to oranges"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-apples and oranges.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9e/En-au-apples_and_oranges.ogg/En-au-apples_and_oranges.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/En-au-apples_and_oranges.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "en:apples and oranges"
  ],
  "word": "apples and oranges"
}
{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "apples to apples"
    },
    {
      "word": "apples with apples"
    },
    {
      "word": "apples to apples, oranges to oranges"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "word": "oranges with oranges"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English coordinated pairs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English pluralia tantum",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys"
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p"
      },
      "expansion": "apples and oranges pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "mix apples and oranges"
    },
    {
      "english": "apples and oranges are both fruit",
      "word": "coinstantiation"
    },
    {
      "word": "like-for-like"
    },
    {
      "word": "noncomparable"
    },
    {
      "word": "uncomparable"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "It's apples and oranges. You can't convert square meters to linear inches.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 January 17, Kath Murray, “Stop and search in Scotland: record figures need open debate”, in The Guardian",
          "text": "So on the one hand, comparing policing issues in Scotland with what is happening in England may be like comparing apples and oranges.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2019 June 11, Rory Stewart, “Sustainable Development Goals”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons), column 592",
          "text": "In comparing Britain with other countries, it is important to remember that we are not comparing like with like; there is an apples and oranges issue.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible equation, or the items thus compared."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible equation, or the items thus compared."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see apples, and, oranges."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "apples",
          "apples#English"
        ],
        [
          "and",
          "and#English"
        ],
        [
          "oranges",
          "oranges#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-apples and oranges.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9e/En-au-apples_and_oranges.ogg/En-au-apples_and_oranges.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/En-au-apples_and_oranges.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "chalk and cheese"
    },
    {
      "word": "night and day"
    },
    {
      "word": "day and night"
    },
    {
      "word": "apples to oranges"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "pomes amb peres"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "風馬牛不相及"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "fēng mǎ niú bù xiāngjí",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "风马牛不相及"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "hrušky s jablky"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "appels met peren"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "verb"
      ],
      "word": "verrata omenoita päärynöihin"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "mélanger des choux et des carottes"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "mélanger les torchons et les serviettes"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "comparer des pommes et des poires"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "Äpfel und Birnen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "άλλα τα μάτια του λαγού κι άλλα της κουκουβάγιας (álla ta mátia tou lagoú ki álla tis koukouvágias, literally “the hare's eyes are one thing and the owl's eyes are another”)",
      "sense": "non-comparable items"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "almát a körtével"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "mele e pere"
    },
    {
      "code": "kmr",
      "lang": "Northern Kurdish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "tirr li kû û das li kû"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "babi i žabi",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "баби и жаби"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "dwie różne rzeczy"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "misturar alhos com bugalhos"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "compara mere cu pere"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "compara merele cu perele"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "му́хи отде́льно, котле́ты отде́льно (múxi otdélʹno, kotléty otdélʹno, literally “houseflies separately from cutlets/rissoles”)",
      "sense": "non-comparable items"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "ба̏бе и жа̏бе"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "кру̏шке и ја̏буке"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "Roman"
      ],
      "word": "bȁbe i žȁbe"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "Roman"
      ],
      "word": "krȕške i jȁbuke"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "peras y manzanas"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "peras con manzanas"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "äpplen och päron"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "non-comparable items",
      "word": "elmayla armut"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "en:apples and oranges"
  ],
  "word": "apples and oranges"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.