Phrase Requests – How to Say Two Things Don’t Mix Well

phrase-requests

For example, I like both ketchup and pancakes but not together.

How can I say something like that idiomatically?

I want to say that two things are good but they just don't mix well together.

Best Answer

Idiomatically, something along the lines of "mesh" would work in the place of "go together," as the word's usage as a verb according to Oxford is:

mesh

1. [no object] (of the teeth of a gearwheel) be engaged with another gearwheel.

‘one gear meshes with the input gear’

1.1 Make or become entangled or entwined.

[no object] ‘their fingers meshed’

[with object] ‘I don't want to get meshed in the weeds’

1.2 Be in or bring into harmony.

[no object] ‘her memory of events doesn't mesh with the world around her’

In your (particularly unappealing) case, I think the second bolded verb definition would be applicable, and something along the lines of "while pancakes and ketchup are delicious on their own, they don't mesh well" would probably work. Hope this is of help!