mix apples and oranges
To mix or confuse two completely different objects or ideas.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“You cannot compare them; you are mixing apples and oranges.”
“Comparing the salary of a teacher to that of a CEO is like mixing apples and oranges.”
“The analyst argued that evaluating the company's long-term growth against short-term market fluctuations was essentially mixing apples and oranges.”
- 01
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 02
apple polisher
A sycophant; a toady.
- 03
apples and oranges
A comparison of items that, however categorically similar, is inapt; an incompatible analogy, or the items so compared; a disanalogy.
- 04
apples to apples
A comparison of items that are similar.
- 05
apples to apples, oranges to oranges
A comparison of items that are similar, while also acknowledging or distinguishing a separation of their sets or categories.
- 06
bad apple
A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy, especially one who has an adverse influence on others.
- 07
mix it up
To compete vigorously, to quarrel, or to fight physically.
- 08
mix up
To mix or blend thoroughly and completely.
Last updated August 10, 2026