definitions

six of one, half a dozen of the other

The alternatives are the same: “I can take the bus or the subway to get home; during rush hour, it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.” The phrase, which is sometimes inverted as “half a dozen of one, six of the other,” is merely two ways of expressing the number six.

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Nearby words

six day war, six feet under, six nations, six nations championship, six o'clock swill, six of one, half a dozen of the other, six sigma, six-day war, six-eight time, six-finger country, six-footer
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with six of one, half a dozen of the other

six of one, half a dozen of the other

The two alternatives are the same, as in Either Route 2 or Long Avenue will get you there—it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. This term simply equates two different ways of saying “six.” [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.