tweedledum

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person or thing that is virtually indistinguishable from another: "tweedledum" refers to one of a pair of people or things that are so similar as to be interchangeable, often used in the phrase "tweedledum and tweedledee."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The two candidates are tweedledum and tweedledee; there is no real difference between their policies. (The two candidates are identical in their positions.)
  • In the debate, it was hard to tell tweedledum from tweedledee, as both argued the same points. (The two speakers were essentially the same.)

Advanced Usage

• "Tweedledum and tweedledee": This fixed phrase is used to describe two people or things that are so alike that they are essentially the same.
  • The two political parties are often dismissed as tweedledum and tweedledee by disillusioned voters. (The parties are seen as offering no real choice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tweedledee (n): the counterpart in the pair, used interchangeably with "tweedledum."
  • The two brothers are tweedledum and tweedledee; you cannot tell them apart. (The brothers are identical in appearance or behaviour.)

Synonyms

• Look-alike: a person or thing that closely resembles another.
• Clone: an exact copy or duplicate.
• Doppelgänger: a double or look-alike of a living person.

Related Idioms

• Like two peas in a pod: extremely similar in appearance or character.

  • The twins are like two peas in a pod, just like tweedledum and tweedledee. (The twins are virtually identical.)

• Six of one, half a dozen of the other: a situation where two options are essentially equivalent.

  • Choosing between the two jobs is six of one, half a dozen of the other — it's tweedledum and tweedledee. (Both options are equally good or bad.)