apples-to-oranges

English - English

Definition of apples-to-oranges in English English dictionary

"Apples and oranges" refers to the idiom "comparing apples and oranges" or "apples to oranges", which is used to indicate that two items or groups of items have not been validly compared. The idiom evokes the apparent differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable, such as apples and oranges. The idiom may also be used to indicate that a false analogy has been made between two items, such as where an "apple" is faulted for not being a good "orange." Conversely, where the comparison or analogy is valid, the idiom will usually take the form "comparing apples with apples"