Like chalk and cheese means completely different. It's most often said about two people with different characters and tastes: brothers, neighbours, colleagues. The idiom is British and conversational; Americans are more likely to say as different as night and day, and in an IELTS essay completely different is simpler.
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someone + be + like chalk and cheese; be as different as chalk and cheese
- My sister and I are like chalk and cheese: she loves parties, and I prefer a quiet night in.
- The two flats looked similar online, but in real life they were like chalk and cheese.
- Our new manager and the old one are as different as chalk and cheese.
What changed
First versionMy brother and I are like sky and earth.
RevisionMy brother and I are like chalk and cheese.
Like sky and earth is a word-for-word translation of a comparison used in some other languages. The meaning is clear, but native speakers don't say it. The fixed English idiom is like chalk and cheese, and it replaced the literal version.
Apples and oranges sounds similar but means something else: two things are so different that it isn't fair to compare them. Comparing a village school with a city school is comparing apples and oranges. Like chalk and cheese simply stresses that two people or things are opposites.
Your turn
The twins look exactly the same, but their personalities are ___: Leo is loud and chatty, while Max hardly says a word.
Show the answer
like chalk and cheese — Leo is loud and chatty, while Max hardly says a word, so their personalities are opposite: like chalk and cheese. Like two peas in a pod means “as alike as can be”, but here the point is the difference.
Compare two people you know who are not at all alike. Say who they are and give one specific difference.
My parents are like chalk and cheese: Dad plans every holiday months ahead, while Mum books everything the night before.
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