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apples and oranges
Idioms and Phrases
Unlike objects or persons, as in Assessing the problems of the neighborhood grocery by examining a giant supermarket is comparing apples and oranges . This metaphor for dissimilarity began as apples and oysters , which appeared in John Ray's proverb collection of 1670. It is nearly always accompanied by a warning that one cannot compare such different categories.Example Sentences
Actually, the concept of the Packers’ streak being anything more than the three-peat they have always been credited for is semantics, fan talk ... a little bit of apples and oranges.
"One has to be careful not to compare apples and oranges" he told the BBC.
“So the new systems that are going into place are like apples and oranges compared to the old systems.â€
He also grew pears, figs, quinces, lemons and apples — and oranges.
Using a twist on the "apples and oranges" expression, Herculano-Houzel explained why she believes their reasoning is flawed.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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