What does like chalk and cheese mean?

When you say that two people are like 'chalk and cheese', you are suggesting that the two are very different from each other; they have nothing in common. The expression, which has the same meaning as 'apples and oranges', can be used with things as well. No one is really sure about the origin of this idiom.

Where does the saying like chalk and cheese come from?

Origin. This phrase originated in the 13^th century in the United Kingdom. There was a shopkeeper who often adulterated his goods just to make some profit. So sometimes, he swapped cheese for chalk, thus saving some cheese for himself and no one would be the wiser.

How do you use chalk and cheese in a sentence?

The two opponents have been chalk and cheese. They are chalk and cheese. They were chalk and cheese and any simmering dislike they may have had of each other blew up in that moment. To an anorak they really are chalk and cheese.

Is chalk and cheese a metaphor?

A simile is a metaphor that uses “like” or “as” to make its comparison. So the expression “like chalk and cheese” and the expression “as different as chalk and cheese” are both similes.

Whats the opposite of chalk and cheese?

Opposite of exhibiting a difference or not being the same. same. alike. identical. similar.

? Chalk And Cheese Meaning - Like Chalk and Cheese Defined - Chalk and Cheese Exampes - Similes ESL

What is the difference between chalk and cheese?

If you say that two people or things are like chalk and cheese, you are emphasizing that they are completely different from each other.

Where does the saying not by a long chalk come from?

The idiom not by a long chalk first appeared in the early 1800s, derived from the practice of using chalk to keep score in games of skill, particularly in English pubs. The practice is still widespread today, in games such as darts.

What does it mean to be as different as night and day?

Definition. If things or people are different as night and day, they are completely unlike each other.

What does given up the ghost mean?

If a machine gives up the ghost, it stops working: Our old TV had finally given up the ghost. UK. to stop trying to do something because you know that you will not succeed: All I'd cherished from early childhood had been denied me, so I simply gave up the ghost.

What does chalked up mean?

Definition of chalk up

transitive verb. 1 : ascribe, credit chalked up his failures to inexperience. 2 : attain, achieve chalk up another victory.

What is the meaning of breaking the ice?

To remove the tension at a first meeting, at the opening of a party, etc.: “That joke really broke the ice at the conference; we all relaxed afterward.”

What is the meaning of once in the blue moon?

Once in a blue moon: This poetic phrase refers to something extremely rare in occurrence. A blue moon is the term commonly used for a second full moon that occasionally appears in a single month of our solar-based calendars.

What is the meaning of the idiom sit on the fence?

To remain neutral, to refuse to take sides in a dispute; often used in a derogatory way about someone who lacks the courage to decide: “The councilman is afraid he'll lose votes if he takes sides on the zoning issue, but he can't sit on the fence forever.”

What does being at sixes and sevens mean?

phrase [usually verb-link PHRASE] If you say that someone or something is at sixes and sevens, you mean that they are confused or disorganized.

What is meaning of salt and pepper?

Definition of salt-and-pepper

: having black-and-white or dark and light color intermingled in small flecks a salt-and-pepper suit a salt-and-pepper beard.

What does it mean to not see eye to eye?

to have or come to the same opinion or point of view. The two did not see eye to eye on on certain political issues.

What does give up the goat mean?

Definition of get someone's goat

: to upset or irritate someone The way she's always correcting other people really gets my goat!

What does gone off the rails mean?

Definition of go off the rails

: to lose control and start to behave in a way that is not normal or acceptable He was a promising student but he went off the rails after he started taking drugs.

What does it mean to ride roughshod over someone?

Definition of ride roughshod

: to completely ignore the rights, opinions, or feelings of others They accused the government of riding roughshod over international law.

What does the phrase light as a feather mean?

Extremely lightweight. This simile can be used to refer either to physical weight, as in This load is light as a feather, or to texture, as in This cake is light as a feather. [ Mid-1500s]

What does plain as the nose on one's face mean?

Definition of (as) plain as the nose on your face

: very obvious The answer is (as) plain as the nose on your face.

Why do they say fit as a fiddle?

Origin of Fit as a Fiddle

Fiddle means violin, but in the past, it also had the connotation of being something very positive. Therefore, in the past, comparing something to a fiddle was a way to compliment it. The expression fit as a fiddle was a way to say that something was correct or proper.

What is meant not by long shot?

informal (UK also not by a long chalk) not in any way: It wasn't as good as his first book - not by a long shot. Linguistics: intensifying expressions.

What does the saying by a long shot mean?

1 : a venture involving great risk but promising a great reward if successful also : a venture unlikely to succeed.

What is the meaning of playing to the gallery?

Definition of play to the gallery

: to do things that one thinks will be popular among many people instead of doing what one thinks is right a governor who refuses to play to the gallery.