Tweedledum and Tweedledee

[ tweed-l-duhmuhn tweed-l-dee ]

/ ˌtwid lˈdʌm ən ˌtwid lˈdi /

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plural noun

two persons or things nominally different but practically the same; a nearly identical pair.

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Origin of Tweedledum and Tweedledee

1715–25; humorous coinage, apparently first applied as nicknames to Giovanni Bononcini and Handel, with reference to their musical rivalry; see tweedle

Words nearby Tweedledum and Tweedledee

tweaking, twee, tweed, Tweeddale, tweedle, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Tweedsmuir, Tweed, William Marcy, tweedy, 'tween, tweenager

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Tweedledum and Tweedledee in a sentence

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Later that night, that same black-and-red banner would be seen again—in the column of marchers chanting for dead cops.
The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops|Jacob Siegel|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The kids are out of school, Mom is out of get-up-and-go, Dad is out of work.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She also practises etching, pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
No law of that country must exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only in two-and-twenty.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Mr. Spurrell came down to see a horse, and we shall be very glad to have the benefit of his opinion by-and-by.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
They were eaten too quickly, in long gulps of four-and-twenty hours at a time.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
He walked over to the table and mixed two tumblers of whiskey-and-soda, wondering why he had not thought of it before.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

/ (ˌtwiːdəlˈdʌm, ˌtwiːdəlˈdiː) /

noun

any two persons or things that differ only slightly from each other; two of a kind

Word Origin for Tweedledum and Tweedledee

C19: from the proverbial names of Handel and the musician Buononcini, who were supported by rival factions though it was thought by some that there was nothing to choose between them. The names were popularized by Lewis Carroll's use of them in Through the Looking Glass (1872)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Fictional characters from Through the Looking-Glass, by Lewis Carroll. They are pictured as fat twins who are identical in speech, attitude, and appearance.

notes for Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Figuratively, any two people or positions that have no real differences are said to be “like Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with Tweedledum and Tweedledee

tweedledum and tweedledee

Two matters, persons, or groups that are very much alike, as in Bob says he's not voting in this election because the candidates are tweedledum and tweedledee. This term was invented by John Byrom, who in 1725 made fun of two quarreling composers, Handel and Bononcini, and said there was little difference between their music, since one went “tweedledum” and the other “tweedledee.” The term gained further currency when Lewis Carroll used it for two fat little men in Through the Looking-Glass (1872). For a synonym, see six of one, half dozen of the other.