Tomayto, Tomahto - Wiktionary

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• 1 English Toggle English subsection
  • 1.1 Alternative forms
  • 1.2 Etymology
  • 1.3 Pronunciation
  • 1.4 Phrase
    • 1.4.1 Translations

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• Discussion

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In other projects Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wiktionary, the free dictionary See also: tomayto tomahto

English

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Alternative forms

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• tomato, tomato; tomayto tomahto

Etymology

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Uses the American English and British English pronunciations of the word tomato. Allusion to George Gershwin's song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off": "You like tomato (/təˈmeɪtə/) and I like tomato (/təˈmɑːtə/)".

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /təˈmeɪtoʊ təˈmɑːtoʊ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Phrase

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tomayto, tomahto

1. (idiomatic) Used to dismiss a correction to one's adherence to an alternative standard. Synonym: potayto, potahto (from another line in the song) A: Then you hook the hose up to the bibcock, and you're done. B: You mean the sillcock. A: Tomayto, tomahto.
2. (idiomatic) Used to dismissively suggest that a particular distinction is a distinction without a difference; used to express the assertion that two similar things are effectively the same, despite any trivial difference. A: Then you revise the database record for that transaction, and you're done. B: You mean you replace the old record with a new one. A: Tomayto, tomahto.
   • 2009, N. B. Grace, Disney High School Musical: #1: Stories from East High Bind Up #1, Disney Press, →ISBN, page 78:"Tomayto, tomahto," she said, and Taylor laughed. So they ended on a good note.
   • 2014, C.E. Murphy, Shaman Rises, Harlequin, →ISBN, page 282:“I withheld truth, but I did not lie.” “Tomayto, tomahto.”
   • 2017, Cheryl Etchison, From the Start: An American Valor Novel, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 15:“Okay, then, how about Michael?” “Tomayto, tomahto.” Kacie sighed in disappointment.

Translations

[edit] to dismiss an alternative standard

Finnish: mitä väliä Polish: ziemniaki, kartofle, pyry Russian: тво́рог, творо́г (tvórog, tvoróg) Swedish: hipp som happ (sv)

to suggest a distinction without a difference

Arabic: Egyptian Arabic: أحمد زي الحج أحمد (ʔaḥmad zayy il-ḥagg ʔaḥmad) Tunisian Arabic: الحاج موسى، موسى الحاج (el-ḥājj mūsā, mūsā el-ḥājj) Azerbaijani: ya keçəl Həsən, ya Həsən keçəl Bulgarian: не по врат, а по шия (ne po vrat, a po šija), не е врат, ами шия (ne e vrat, ami šija) Czech: prašť jako uhoď (literally “beat(ing is) like hit(ting)”) French: bonnet blanc, blanc bonnet (fr), blanc bonnet, bonnet blanc German: gehüpft wie gesprungen Greek: όχι Γιάννης, Γιαννάκης (óchi Giánnis, Giannákis) Hungarian: egyik kutya, másik eb (hu), egyik tizenkilenc, másik egy híján húsz (hu), egyre megy Persian: چه کچل حسن، چه حسن کچل (če kačal hasan, če hasan kačal) Polish: jak zwał, tak zwał Portuguese: tanto faz como tanto fez Russian: что́ в ло́б, что́ по́ лбу (ru) (štó v lób, štó pó lbu) Scottish Gaelic: bò mhaol odhar agus bò odhar mhaol Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: није шија него врат Latin: nije šija nego vrat Swedish: hipp som happ (sv) Ukrainian: чи в камінь головою, чи каменем у голову (čy v kamiń holovoju, čy kamenem u holovu) Vietnamese: củ mì củ sắn

to express two similar things being exactly the same, when they are slightly different

Swedish: hipp som happ (sv)

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