tomayto, tomahto

See also: tomayto tomahto

English

Alternative forms

• tomato, tomato; tomayto tomahto

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /təˈmeɪtoʊ təˈmɑːtoʊ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Phrase

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

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

  Roman: 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)