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galaxyLogic
Since this is about language and similes, what about "You can't compare apples and oranges"? People say that frequently, but why in particular is that so?

I think you can compare any one thing to any other one thing. You can discuss what are their common features and what features they have that are not shared.

So it seems to me "Can't compare apples and oranges" is often used just as a polemic device, trying to attack your opponents by claiming what they are saying cannot be said.

ethan_smith
The phrase originated from the Latin "non comparabilis" (not comparable) and gained popularity in English around the 1670s precisely because these fruits, while both round and sweet, have fundamentally different textures, flavors and growing conditions - making it a useful shorthand for comparing things with different essential qualities.
cafard
One thinks of the late Tom Lehrer:

  Your lips were like wine,
  If you'll pardon the simile;
  The music was fine
  If a bit Rudolph Friml-y.
(The Wienerschnitzel Waltz)