it's six of one, half dozen of the other
it's all the same
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"Is a rural move really the good life? It really is SIX OF ONE, AND HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER. You haven't got shops open 24/7; there probably aren't any street lights; yes there will be all those o' so horrid smelly farms; the social life will hardly be thriving. But you won't have the pollution, the crime, the congestion..."
(Guardian Money)
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The people who may be relieved of hospital charges will now pay increased tobacco and transportation charges instead - SIX OF ONE, HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER!
(The Jamaica Gleaner)
(Guardian Money)
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The people who may be relieved of hospital charges will now pay increased tobacco and transportation charges instead - SIX OF ONE, HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER!
(The Jamaica Gleaner)
Did you
know?
six of one, half a dozen of the other
idiom
- two things are almost the same or equal
(Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms)
---
WORD ORIGIN
This phrase, which is used when there is little or no difference between two options, stems from the idea that half a dozen (a dozen is 12 of something) and six are the same. So if you have six of one thing and a half dozen of something else, you get the same amount regardless of your choice.
Here are some other phrases using the word dozen:
- a baker's dozen (old-fashioned) = thirteen. "The judges selected a baker's dozen of promising entries from the hundreds they received."
- be a dime a dozen (American & Australian, informal) = to be common and not have much value. "Romantic novels like these are a dime a dozen."
- by the dozen = if something is being produced by the dozen, large numbers of that thing are being produced. "The government is producing new policies by the dozen."
- to talk nineteen/ten to the dozen (British & Australian, informal) = if someone is talking nineteen to the dozen, they are talking very fast, without stopping. "Gaby was chatting away nineteen to the dozen behind me and I couldn't concentrate."
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SYNONYMS
equivalent, the same, identical, comparable, equivalent, similar
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"We can change trains in either Frankfurt or Stuttgart to get to Paris. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other."
idiom
- two things are almost the same or equal
(Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms)
---
WORD ORIGIN
This phrase, which is used when there is little or no difference between two options, stems from the idea that half a dozen (a dozen is 12 of something) and six are the same. So if you have six of one thing and a half dozen of something else, you get the same amount regardless of your choice.
Here are some other phrases using the word dozen:
- a baker's dozen (old-fashioned) = thirteen. "The judges selected a baker's dozen of promising entries from the hundreds they received."
- be a dime a dozen (American & Australian, informal) = to be common and not have much value. "Romantic novels like these are a dime a dozen."
- by the dozen = if something is being produced by the dozen, large numbers of that thing are being produced. "The government is producing new policies by the dozen."
- to talk nineteen/ten to the dozen (British & Australian, informal) = if someone is talking nineteen to the dozen, they are talking very fast, without stopping. "Gaby was chatting away nineteen to the dozen behind me and I couldn't concentrate."
---
SYNONYMS
equivalent, the same, identical, comparable, equivalent, similar
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"We can change trains in either Frankfurt or Stuttgart to get to Paris. It's six of one, half a dozen of the other."
