on all fours

adjective

: relevant and very similar in facts and issues of law

the parties' dispute about the CBA's ratification date presents a formation question in the sense above, and is therefore not on all fours with, for example, the formation disputes we referenced in Buckeye Check Cashing, Inc. v. Cardegna

—Granite Rock Co. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 130 S. Ct. 2847 (2010)

Word History

Etymology

from the Latin maxim Nullum simile quattuor pedibus currit, “No comparison runs on all fours,” i.e., comparisons are generally lame in some respect