Mutt and Jeff

noun

1. a very short and a very tall person who are paired as companions, teammates, or associates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mutt and Jeff¹

First recorded in 1915–20; after the characters in a cartoon strip of the same name created by U.S. cartoonist Harry C. “Bud” Fisher (1885–1954)

Example Sentences

Physically, they are Mutt and Jeff.

From Washington Post

That piquant combination, along with Danny Webb’s hilariously earthy take on the governor, gives the interaction between the men, needling each other among the maps and models of Bob Crowley’s set, the unlikely spin of a Mutt and Jeff comedy starring Laurence Olivier and Jimmy Durante.

From New York Times

In the most baroque and bizarre example of Laddie Boy’s press blitz, the Washington Evening Star gave about half a page to a story about Laddie Boy hosting a GamemasterAnthony-style reception for the stars of the Washington Evening Star’s comics pages, hanging out with everyone from long-forgotten characters like Radio Ralf to heavyweights like Krazy Kat and Mutt and Jeff.

From Slate

There’s the two Chinese geese Ozzie and Harriet, the four call ducks Larry, Moe, Curly and Shemp, the two white Pekin ducks Mutt and Jeff, and a third one of the same breed known as Aflac.

From Washington Times

Along with reports from two Norwegian double agents – dubbed "Mutt and Jeff" – and British commando raids in Norway, the Germans were on guard in Norway, and even by the spring of 1944, there were still 13 army divisions stationed there.

From Fox News