Everyday Office Jargon · Associate level

"Apples to apples"

"Apples to apples" means comparing two things that share enough in common for the comparison to be fair and meaningful.

Say this instead: a fair comparison

How "Apples to apples" shows up at work

Used when someone suspects the other side is hiding an inconvenient difference inside a tidy summary. Finance teams say it about cost models; sales says it when a competitor's pricing looks too good. Often followed by a spreadsheet.

Buzzword

We need an apples to apples comparison before we present this to the exec team.

Plain English

We need a fair comparison before we present this to the exec team.

Corporate Rank: Associate  ·  Category: Everyday Office Jargon

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