Apples And Oranges
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A
comparison Comparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining the relevant, comparable characteristics of each thing, and then determining which characteristics of each are similar to the other, which are different, and t ...
of apples and oranges occurs when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared, typically because of inherent or fundamental differences between the objects. The
idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...
, ''comparing apples and oranges'', refers to the differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable, such as
apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
s and oranges. The idiom may also indicate that a false analogy has been made between two items, such as where an ''apple'' is faulted for not being a good ''orange''.


Variants

The idiom is not only used in English. In European French the idiom is (to compare apples and pears) or (to compare cabbages and carrots). The former is the same as the German In
Latin American Spanish The different dialects of the Spanish language spoken in the Americas are distinct from each other, as well as from those varieties spoken in the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Mediterranean islands—collectively known as Peninsular Spanishâ ...
, it is (to compare potatoes and sweet potatoes) or, for all varieties of Spanish, (to compare pears and apples) or (to add pears and apples). In
Peninsular Spanish Peninsular Spanish (), also known as the Spanish of Spain (), European Spanish (), or Iberian Spanish (), is the set of varieties of the Spanish language spoken in Peninsular Spain. This construct is often framed in opposition to varieties from ...
, ''juntar churras con merinas'' (mix Churras with Merinos, two breeds of sheep) and ''confundir el tocino con la velocidad'' (confuse bacon and speed). Italian () and Romanian () also compare pears and apples. In Portuguese, the expression is (to compare oranges and bananas). In Serbian, it is ' () (to compare grandmothers and toads). In Romanian, it is (the grandmother and the machine gun) and (the cow and the longjohns). Some languages compare dissimilar properties of dissimilar items. In Danish, (Which is highest, the Round Tower or a thunderclap?), referring to the size of the former and the sound of the latter. In Russian, ' () (to compare warm and soft) is used. In
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, a common question is (What does love and the eye of an axe have in common?). In
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, (to confuse shit with ointment) is used. In Polish, a similar idiomatic question is (What does the gingerbread have to do with the windmill?). In Chinese, a similar phrase is used: () (horses and cattle won't mate with each other). A humorous variant is to replace "oranges" with something utterly dissimilar to apples; most famously, Jack Horner said that comparing science and religion is like comparing "apples and sewing machines." The idea is that although dissimilar, apples and oranges are at least fruits and at least share rudimentary similarities, whereas comparing them to something entirely different, such as pine cones or light bulbs, highlights how patently absurd making a comparison between the two is. This may be extended even further, comparing the fruit to non-physical concepts, such as "apples and
jury nullification Jury nullification, also known as jury equity or as a perverse verdict, is a decision by the jury in a trial, criminal trial resulting in a verdict of Acquittal, not guilty even though they think a defendant has broken the law. The jury's reas ...
". A particular related idiom found in accounting and economics is that of the "apples to apples comparison"; such comparisons are meant to filter out such complicating factors as accounting standards, size and scale and time periods. For example, same-store sales is widely used as measurement because it allows a direct comparison of how the business is doing ignoring growth, which can be a significant complicating factor.


Published comparisons

At least two tongue-in-cheek scientific studies have been conducted on the subject, each of which concluded that apples can be compared with oranges reasonably easily and on a low budget, and the two fruits are quite similar. The first study, conducted by Scott Sandford of the NASA Ames Research Center, used
infrared spectroscopy Infrared spectroscopy (IR spectroscopy or vibrational spectroscopy) is the measurement of the interaction of infrared radiation with matter by absorption, emission, or reflection. It is used to study and identify chemical substances or functio ...
to analyze both apples and oranges. The study, which was published in the satirical science magazine '' Annals of Improbable Research'', concluded: "... the comparing apples and oranges defense should no longer be considered valid. This is a somewhat startling revelation. It can be anticipated to have a dramatic effect on the strategies used in arguments and discussions in the future." A second study, written by Stamford Hospital's
surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...
-in-chief James Barone and published in the ''
British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...
,'' noted that the phrase ''apples and oranges'' was appearing with increasing frequency in the medical literature, with some notable articles comparing " Desflurane and propofol" and " Salmeterol and ipratropium" with "apples and oranges". The study also found that both apples and oranges were sweet, similar in size, weight, and shape, that both are grown in
orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...
s, and both may be eaten, juiced, and so on. The only significant differences found were in terms of
seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...
s (the study used seedless oranges), the involvement of
Johnny Appleseed Johnny Appleseed (born John Chapman; September 26, 1774March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced trees grown with apple seeds (as opposed to trees grown with grafting) to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, I ...
, and color. The ''Annals of Improbable Research'' subsequently noted that the "earlier investigation was done with more depth, more rigour, and, most importantly, more expensive equipment" than the ''British Medical Journal'' study. On
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...
2014, ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
'' compared worldwide production of apples and oranges from 1983 to 2013, and noted them to be "unrelated variables".


Units

While references to comparing apples and oranges are often a
rhetorical device In rhetoric, a rhetorical device, persuasive device, or stylistic device is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading them towards considering a topic from a perspective, ...
, references to adding apples and oranges are made in the case of teaching students the proper uses of units. Here, the warning not to "add apples and oranges" refers to the requirement that two quantities with different units may not be combined by addition, although they may always be combined in ratio form by multiplication, so that multiplying ratios of apples and oranges is allowed. Similarly, the concept of this distinction is often used
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...
ically in
elementary algebra Elementary algebra, also known as high school algebra or college algebra, encompasses the basic concepts of algebra. It is often contrasted with arithmetic: arithmetic deals with specified numbers, whilst algebra introduces variable (mathematics ...
.


See also

* Exception that proves the rule *
False equivalence A false equivalence or false equivalency is an informal fallacy in which an equivalence is drawn between two subjects based on flawed, faulty, or false reasoning. This fallacy is categorized as a fallacy of inconsistency. Colloquially, a false ...
* Genetic fallacy *
Law of identity In logic, the law of identity states that each thing is identical with itself. It is the first of the traditional three laws of thought, along with the law of noncontradiction, and the law of excluded middle. However, few systems of logic are b ...
*
Rhetorical device In rhetoric, a rhetorical device, persuasive device, or stylistic device is a technique that an author or speaker uses to convey to the listener or reader a meaning with the goal of persuading them towards considering a topic from a perspective, ...
*
Umbrella term Hypernymy and hyponymy are the wikt:Wiktionary:Semantic relations, semantic relations between a generic term (''hypernym'') and a more specific term (''hyponym''). The hypernym is also called a ''supertype'', ''umbrella term'', or ''blanket term ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apples And Oranges Apples English-language idioms Humour Oranges (fruit) Comparisons Metaphors referring to food and drink