chalk and cheese

English

Alternative forms

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.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

chalk and cheese (uncountable)

  1. (British, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike.

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References

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