Nonsense Sayings ~ Chalk and Cheese

There is a great deal of nonsense about the English language and the sayings that evolved over the years.

To most english speaking people whose first language is English, some of the more macabre sayings if taken literally would be cause for great concern as to one's safety

Lets just look at how we describe some of these differences. Most of us say that it's the difference between chalk and cheese. I mean, who in the world would voluntarily eat chalk? And why Cheese?

One explanation of the history of this saying goes back to the 17^th century and a man named John Aubrey who wrote "Brief Lives" which is a history of the people of Wiltshire in England. There the county was divided up into two sides at the time of one of their periods of strife and nonsense and on side produced sheep off the chalk downs on the southern side of Wiltshire. They were a people who lived close to their flocks of sheep and were supporters of their local parson and Landlord.

The other side were located in the north of the county and lived in a more scattered environment living more in isolated farms and small hamlets. There the county was more woodland so cattle were the mainstay of the people and they made a lot of cheese and this group were more loyal to the Parliament than to the King. So, in the south of the country we have the chalk people who were loyal to the parson, Landlord and King while in the southern part of the county we have the supporters of the new Parliament trying to bring reform to all of England. Although near neighbours, these two groups of people were as different as chalk and cheese.

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