Citations:oil and water

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word Citations:oil and water. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word Citations:oil and water, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say Citations:oil and water in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word Citations:oil and water you have here. The definition of the word Citations:oil and water will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofCitations:oil and water, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English citations of oil and water

Noun: "(idiomatic) two things which are incapable of mixing or coexisting harmoniously with each other"

1982 2005 2009 2011
ME « 15th c. 16th c. 17th c. 18th c. 19th c. 20th c. 21st c.
  • 1982, Winston Graham, The Miller's Dance, Pan Books (2008), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
    We are oil and water. There are few things he and I agree on but I believe we would agree on this.
  • 2005, Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda, Penguin (2005), →ISBN, unnumbered page:
    “Their personalities are oil and water—they don't mix,” said a JSOC officer who knew both men.
  • 2009, Brian Schofield, Selling Your Father's Bones: America's 140-Year War against the Nez Perce Tribe, Simon & Schuster (2009), →ISBN, page 31:
    second, that the white and red man were oil and water, incapable of safely sharing a landscape.
  • 2011, Loretta M. Siani, The Alchemy of Prayer: How It Began and Why It Is the Medium of Miracles, iUniverse (2011), →ISBN, page 47:
    Forgiveness and making bargains are oil and water. They don't mix.