apples to apples

A fair or valid comparison between two like people or things. Usually used in negative constructions; hyphenated if used before a noun. Comparing the marketing strategies of a global tech company to those of a farming co-op is not exactly apples to apples, don't you think? You can't exactly make apples-to-apples comparisons of sales results between authors who write in such drastically different genres. We drive similar cars about the same distance to work, so wouldn't our gas usage for commuting be apples to apples?