six of one, half a dozen of the other
Meaning: Two options are essentially the same.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Train or bus? It's six of one, half a dozen of the other.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Six and half a dozen are the same number. The saying is found from the early 19th century; Captain Marryat used it in 1836.
Equivalents in other languages
- Chinese: 半斤八两 (bàn jīn bā liǎng) — literally: Half a jin, eight liang
- Hungarian: Egyik kutya, másik eb — literally: One is a dog, the other is a hound
- German: gehüpft wie gesprungen — literally: hopped as jumped
- French: C'est kif-kif — literally: It's kif-kif
More idioms — Daily Life
- to the letter — Exactly and precisely, following every detail.
- get the boot — To be dismissed from a job or thrown out.
- don't wash your dirty linen in public — Keep private problems and quarrels private.
- not the sharpest tool in the shed — Not very intelligent.
- since time immemorial — For longer than anyone can remember.
- much ado about nothing — A lot of fuss about something unimportant.
More English idioms
- a dab hand — Someone very skilled at something.
- can't see the forest for the trees — Too focused on details to understand the whole situation.
- the honeymoon period — The early, happy stage of a new relationship or arrangement, before problems appear.
- for donkey's years — For a very long time.
- cry one's eyes out — To cry very hard and for a long time.
- make sheep's eyes at — To look at someone in a lovesick, foolish way (dated).