What was said? “Talking to each of them is like the tale of two tapes.”
Did someone really say that? Yes, on a work call when asking for the status of a project from a manager where two of his direct reports were co-managing it.
What does it mean? In the context above – the individual was alluding to two people who had different stories / takes on what was going on. It is usually intended when comparing things.
Origin: Based on my research, the origin is likely sports and more specifically boxing. Before a fight, the athletes / fighters would be measured with a tape measurer and the term “tale of the tape” became known as a the actual measurements taken. By extension, the “tale of the tape” became a term for any stats given to compare two people or entities.
HOT Idioms 