sugar and spice

idiom

Meaning

Two things that are fundamentally different from each other.

Origin

disputed origin

Perhaps from sugar and spice and everything nice in the nursery rhyme What Are Little Boys Made Of?.

Examples

SIMPLE

My two cats are sugar and spice.

CONTEXTUAL

The two business partners are sugar and spice, yet they work together perfectly.

COMPLEX

Although the two siblings share a home, their personalities are sugar and spice, leading to constant but affectionate disagreement.

Anchors to

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