MEANING:
noun: Two persons, groups, or things that resemble each other so closely that they are virtually indistinguishable.
ETYMOLOGY:
The term is first cited in a poem by the poet John Byrom (1692-1763) about the musical rivalry of the composers Giovanni Bononcini and George Frideric Handel where he called them Tweedledum and Tweedledee:
Some say, that Signor Bononcini,
Compared to Handel's a mere ninny;
Others aver, that to him Handel
Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.
Strange! that such high dispute should be
'Twixt Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
The characters Tweedledum and Tweedledee make their appearance in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass as well. Ultimately the names are of imitative origins, from tweedle (to produce a high-pitched sound) + dum (sound of a low musical note) and dee (sound of a high musical note).
USAGE:
"Voters often lament having to choose between tweedledum and tweedledee."
Bruce Lambert and Elissa Gootman; Tweedledum, Tweedledee and Nassau? The New York Times; Oct 29, 2001.
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