Apples and Oranges

A golden scale rests balanced with oranges on one side of the scale and apples on the other. This is a visual representation of the idiom "Comparing Apples to Oranges"

The idiom “comparing apples to oranges” refers to the differences between items that are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable, much like comparing actual apples and oranges. It conveys the idea that two things are fundamentally different and should not be directly compared because they serve distinct purposes or have dissimilar characteristics.

For instance, if someone tries to evaluate the performance of two completely different software programs, it’s akin to comparing apples to oranges. These programs serve entirely different purposes and cannot be judged by the same criteria.

In summary, this idiom humorously emphasizes that certain comparisons are unfair or nonsensical due to the vast dissimilarity between the items being compared.