"chalk and cheese" meaning in English

See chalk and cheese in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: en-au-chalk and cheese.ogg
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. Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} chalk and cheese (uncountable)
  1. (British, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike. Tags: British, New-Zealand, idiomatic, uncountable Synonyms: apples and oranges, night and day, day and night, like chalk and cheese Translations (things that are very different): 天壤之別 /天壤之别 (tiānrǎngzhībié) (Chinese Mandarin), het verschil van dag en nacht [neuter] (Dutch), yö ja päivä (Finnish), le jour et la nuit (French), Äpfel und Birnen (english: superficially similar, but not the same) (German), wie Tag und Nacht (english: completely different) (German), 月とスッピン (tsuki to suppin) (Japanese), powierzchownie podobny (Polish), не́бо и земля́ (nébo i zemljá) (Russian), не́бо от земли́ (nébo ot zemlí) (Russian), parecerse como un huevo a una castaña (Spanish), como agua y aceite (Spanish), día y noche (Spanish), زمین اور آسمان (zamīn aur āsmān) (Urdu)
{
  "etymology_text": "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.",
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      "expansion": "chalk and cheese (uncountable)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
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      "glosses": [
        "Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike."
      ],
      "id": "en-chalk_and_cheese-en-noun-hFzBE3Up",
      "links": [
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          "different",
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          "superficially",
          "superficially#English"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(British, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "apples and oranges"
        },
        {
          "word": "night and day"
        },
        {
          "word": "day and night"
        },
        {
          "word": "like chalk and cheese"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British",
        "New-Zealand",
        "idiomatic",
        "uncountable"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "tiānrǎngzhībié",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "天壤之別 /天壤之别"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "het verschil van dag en nacht"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "yö ja päivä"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "le jour et la nuit"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "english": "superficially similar, but not the same",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "Äpfel und Birnen"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "english": "completely different",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "wie Tag und Nacht"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "tsuki to suppin",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "月とスッピン"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "powierzchownie podobny"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "nébo i zemljá",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "не́бо и земля́"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "nébo ot zemlí",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "не́бо от земли́"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "parecerse como un huevo a una castaña"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "como agua y aceite"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "día y noche"
        },
        {
          "code": "ur",
          "lang": "Urdu",
          "roman": "zamīn aur āsmān",
          "sense": "things that are very different",
          "word": "زمین اور آسمان"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "word": "chalk and cheese"
}
{
  "etymology_text": "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.",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Urdu translations"
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        "Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike."
      ],
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          "different#English"
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          "superficially",
          "superficially#English"
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        "(British, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike."
      ],
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        "New-Zealand",
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "apples and oranges"
    },
    {
      "word": "night and day"
    },
    {
      "word": "day and night"
    },
    {
      "word": "like chalk and cheese"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "tiānrǎngzhībié",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "天壤之別 /天壤之别"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "het verschil van dag en nacht"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "yö ja päivä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "le jour et la nuit"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "english": "superficially similar, but not the same",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "Äpfel und Birnen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "english": "completely different",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "wie Tag und Nacht"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "tsuki to suppin",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "月とスッピン"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "powierzchownie podobny"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "nébo i zemljá",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "не́бо и земля́"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "nébo ot zemlí",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "не́бо от земли́"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "parecerse como un huevo a una castaña"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "como agua y aceite"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "día y noche"
    },
    {
      "code": "ur",
      "lang": "Urdu",
      "roman": "zamīn aur āsmān",
      "sense": "things that are very different",
      "word": "زمین اور آسمان"
    }
  ],
  "word": "chalk and cheese"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). 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.

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