oil and water

oil and water

Two objects, elements, factors, forces, people, etc., that do not or cannot mix together readily. (Usually used comparatively, as in "X and Y are like/as oil and water.") Refers to the natural tendency of oil and water to separate. My dad is like oil and water with my mom's boyfriend, so I don't know how they're going to get through the family reunion in each other's company. The more I pay attention to the news, the more it seems that politics and common sense are as compatible as oil and water.
See also: and, oil, water
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

oil and water

or

like oil and water

If two things or people are oil and water or are like oil and water, they are very different and they cannot exist together or be mixed with each other successfully. He'd known from the start that Nick and Adam would never mix. They were like oil and water. I tried to make both my parents part of my life but they were oil and water and refused to be mixed. Like oil and water, the worlds of work and pleasure do not blend easily.
See also: and, oil, water
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

oil and water

two elements, factors, or people that do not agree or blend together.
Water and oil are two liquid substances that repel each other and cannot be mixed together.
See also: and, oil, water
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • oil and water do not mix
  • be as/like oil and water
  • be like oil and water
  • bushel
  • a bad apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) bunch
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) bushel
  • Adam's off ox
  • take the Browns to the Super Bowl
References in periodicals archive
Oil and water both stick to their own, staying on opposite sides of the room at a molecular cocktail party.
Tuteja and his colleagues put the new filter into a simple device to separate oil and water. When a mixture is poured into the container, water flows through the POSS-PEGDA filter into the bottom of the container.
Filter unmixes oil and water: combination of chemistry and gravity could help clean spills
Port-3 is at the upper segment that is for oil and water production.
A visual study of enhanced bottom-water drive with chemical gel treatment
Chinese supplier of central and portable chillers and oil and water mold-temperature controllers.
Heating & cooling
During a rainstorm, the StormGate Separator divides oil and water, as well as some dirt and grit.
Trickle down theory: a recycler talks about his experience complying with New Jersey's stringent stormwater management regulation
Emulsification Wave action mixes oil and water into a mousse-like substance, which people can scoop up.
Oil spill! A marine calamity raises the burning question: how to prevent a repeat disaster? (Oil/Oceans)
Place in the refrigerator until the oil and water have separated and the oil is firm, about two hours.
BISQUE
After all, it's nothing but vegetable oil and water, with a sprinkling of safe additives.
Margarine meltdown
Temperature-control units in a complete range of pumping, heating, and cooling configurations for oil and water from 0.75 to 7.5 hp, 3 to 60 kw.
Liquid temperature-control equipment
Despite their generally incompatible natures, oil and water have found common ground.
Odd companions create unusual environment
The researchers hope to conduct field tests, in which they will either inject a mixture of oil and water near the base of a well or force oil down a well, says Hunter.
Feeding microbes to get rid of nitrates
Authorization came through to burn another batch of Valdez oil the next day, But by morning, Allen says, stormy seas, the inevitable emulsification of the floating oil and water, and the crude's weathering (rapid loss of its most combustible components) had rendered that decision moot.
Burning issues: is torching the most benign way to clear oil spilled at sea?
New oil and water filtration systems are also being introduced by MillerLeaman and Mokon.
Heating & cooling. (What to See at NPE 2003)
Temperatur control units in a complete range of pumping, heating, and cooling configurations for oil and water from 0.75 to 7.5 hp, 3 to 60 kw.
Liquid temperature-control equipment. (Product Lines Reviewed)
Temperature-control units available in a complete range of pumping, heating, and cooling configurations for oil and water from 1/2 to 7 1/2 hp, 3 to 24 kw.
Liquid temperature control equipment