chalk and cheese
Appearance
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]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.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
[edit]chalk and cheese (uncountable)
- (British, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.
Synonyms
[edit]Translations
[edit]things that are very different
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References
[edit]- "chalk and cheese", World Wide Words, Michael Quinion