linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Ling ...

and

stylistics Stylistics, a branch of applied linguistics, is the study and interpretation of texts of all types and/or spoken language in regard to their linguistic and tonal style, where style is the particular variety of language used by different individu ...

, an irreversible binomial, frozen binomial, binomial freeze, binomial expression, binomial pair, or nonreversible word pair is a pair or group of words used together in fixed order as an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language ...

atic expression or

collocation In corpus linguistics, a collocation is a series of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. In phraseology, a collocation is a type of compositional phraseme, meaning that it can be understood from the words ...

. The words have some semantic relationship and are usually connected by the words ''and'' or ''or''. They also belong to the same

part of speech In grammar, a part of speech or part-of-speech (abbreviated as POS or PoS, also known as word class or grammatical category) is a category of words (or, more generally, of lexical items) that have similar grammatical properties. Words that are as ...

: nouns (''milk and honey''), adjectives (''short and sweet''), or verbs (''do or die''). The order of word elements cannot be reversed. The term "irreversible binomial" was introduced by

Yakov Malkiel Yakov Malkiel (July 22, 1914 – April 24, 1998) was a U.S. (Russian-born) Romance etymologist and philologist. His specialty was the development of Latin words, roots, prefixes, and suffixes in modern Romance languages, particularly Spanish ...

in 1954, though various aspects of the phenomenon had been discussed since at least 1903 under different names: a "terminological imbroglio".

Ernest Gowers Sir Ernest Arthur Gowers (2 June 1880 – 16 April 1966) is best remembered for his book ''Plain Words,'' first published in 1948, and his revision of Fowler's classic '' Modern English Usage''. Before making his name as an author, he had a long ...

used the name Siamese twins (i.e., conjoined twins) in the 1965 edition of Fowler's ''Modern English Usage''. The 2015 edition reverts to the scholarly name, "irreversible binomials", as "Siamese twins" had become offensive. Many irreversible binomials are

catchy Catchiness is how easy it is for a song, tune, or phrase to be recalled. It is often taken into account when writing songs, catchphrases, advertising slogans, jingles etc. Alternatively, it can be defined as how difficult it is for one to forget i ...

due to

alliteration Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

, rhyming, or ablaut reduplication, so becoming

cliché A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...

s or

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

s. Phrases like ''rock and roll'', ''the birds and the bees'', ''mix and match'', and ''wear and tear'' have particular meanings apart from or beyond those of their constituent words. Their specific phrasing thus bears the references in the English lexicon: the former two are idioms, whilst the latter two are collocations. Ubiquitous collocations like ''loud and clear'' and ''life or death'' are fixed expressions, making them a standard part of the

vocabulary A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the ...

of native English speakers. Some English words have become

obsolete Obsolescence is the state of being which occurs when an object, service, or practice is no longer maintained or required even though it may still be in good working order. It usually happens when something that is more efficient or less risky r ...

in general but are still found in an irreversible binomial. For example, ''spick'' is a fossil word that never appears outside the phrase ''spick and span''. Some other words, like ''vim'' in ''vim and vigor'' or ''abet'' in ''aid and abet'', have become rare and archaic outside the collocation. Numerous irreversible binomials are used in

legalese Legal writing involves the analysis of fact patterns and presentation of arguments in documents such as legal memoranda and briefs. One form of legal writing involves drafting a balanced analysis of a legal problem or issue. Another form of leg ...

. Due to the use of

precedent A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great v ...

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omniprese ...

, many lawyers use the same collocations found in legal documents centuries old. Many of these

legal doublet A legal doublet is a standardized phrase used frequently in English legal language consisting of two or more words that are irreversible binomials and frequently synonyms, usually connected by "and", such as "null and void". The order of the word ...

s contain two synonyms, often one of

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

origin and the other of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

origin: ''deposes and says'', ''ways and means''. While many irreversible binomials are literal expressions (like ''washer and dryer, rest and relaxation, rich and famous, savings and loan''), some are entirely figurative (like ''come hell or high water, nip and tuck, surf and turf'') or mostly so (like ''between a rock and a hard place,

five and dime A variety store (also five and dime (historic), pound shop, or dollar store) is a retail store that sells general merchandise, such as apparel, automotive parts, dry goods, toys, hardware, home furnishings, and a selection of groceries. It ...

''). Somewhat in between are more subtle figures of speech,

synecdoche Synecdoche ( ) is a type of metonymy: it is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something is used to refer to the whole ('' pars pro toto''), or vice versa ('' totum pro parte''). The term comes from Greek . Examples in common E ...

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

s, or

hyperbole Hyperbole (; adj. hyperbolic ) is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. In rhetoric, it is also sometimes known as auxesis (literally 'growth'). In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and ...

s (like ''cat and mouse, sick and tired, barefoot and pregnant''). The terms are often the targets of

eggcorn An eggcorn is the alteration of a phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements,, sense 2 creating a new phrase having a different meaning from the original but which still makes sense and is plausible when used ...

malapropism A malapropism (also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism) is the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement attributed t ...

mondegreen A mondegreen () is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes w ...

s, and

folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...

. Some irreversible binomials can have minor variations without loss of understanding: ''time and time again'' is frequently shortened to ''time and again''; a person who is ''

tarred and feathered Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture and punishment used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in feudal Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a ty ...

'' (verb) can be said to be covered in ''tar and feathers'' (noun). However, in some cases small changes to wording change the meaning. The accommodating attitude of an activity's participants would be called ''give and take'', while ''give or take'' means "approximately". Undertaking some act whether it is ''right or wrong'' excludes the insight from knowing the difference between ''right and wrong''; each pair has a subtly differing meaning. And while ''five and dime'' is a noun phrase for a low-priced variety store, ''nickel and dime'' is a verb phrase for penny-pinching.

Structure

The words in an irreversible binomial belong to the same

, have some semantic relationship, and are usually connected by ''and'' or ''or''. They are often near-

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are ...

antonyms In lexical semantics, opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is ''long'' entails that it is not ''short''. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members ...

alliterate Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...

, or

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic ...

. Examples below are split into various tables; some may belong in more than one table but are listed only once.

With opposites and antonyms

* ''addition and subtraction'' * '' assets and liabilities'' * ''back and forth'' * ''

balls and strikes In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's k ...

'' * ''beginning to end'' * ''

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

'' * ''big and small'' * ''boom or bust'' * ''bride and groom'' * '' brother and sister'' * ''butt and pass'' * ''buy and sell'' * ''

catch and release Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posing, posed photography as trophy, proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooke ...

'' * ''

cause and effect Causality (also referred to as causation, or cause and effect) is influence by which one event, process, state, or object (''a'' ''cause'') contributes to the production of another event, process, state, or object (an ''effect'') where the ca ...

'' * ''

church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular stat ...

'' * ''cops and robbers'' * ''come and go'' * ''coming and going'' * ''cowboys and Indians'' * ''days and nights'' * ''deep and wide'' * ''dos and don'ts'' * ''

ebb and flow Ebb or EBB may refer to: People * Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), English poet * Fred Ebb (1928–2004), American lyricist * Karl Ebb (1896–1988), Finnish athlete and racing driver * Kimberley Ebb (born 1987), Australian rules footba ...

'' * ''fire and ice'' * ''first and last'' * ''floor to ceiling'' * ''food and drink'' * '' fore and aft'' * ''foreign and domestic'' * ''forward and backward'' * ''friend or foe'' * ''front to back'' * ''fruits and vegetables'' * ''give and take'' * ''

good and evil In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy. In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good shou ...

'' * ''hail and farewell'' * '' hand and foot'' * ''head over heels'' * ''Heaven and Hell'' * ''here and there'' * ''

hide and seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

'' * ''hill and dale'' * ''him and her'' * ''high and low'' * ''hills and valleys'' * ''his and hers'' * ''hither and thither'' * ''hither and yon'' * ''hot and cold'' * ''hurry up and wait'' * ''husband and wife'' * ''in and out'' * ''in the (right/wrong) place at the (right/wrong) time'' * ''ladies and gentlemen'' * ''land and sea'' * ''life or death'' * ''long and short'' * '' lost and found'' * ''love and hate'' * ''love and war'' * ''man and wife'' * '' mom and pop'' * ''naughty or nice'' * ''near and far'' * ''night and day (difference)'' * '' nip and tuck'' * ''north to south'' * ''now and then'' * '' now and later'' * ''on and off'' * ''open and shut'' * ''over and under'' * ''

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

'' * ''

port and starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

'' * ''pros and cons'' * ''push and pull'' * '' rank and file'' * ''rise and fall'' * ''

savings and loan Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

'' * ''in sickness and in health'' * ''

soap and water Soap is a salt (chemistry), salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, ...

'' * ''start to finish'' * ''

strike and dip Strike and dip is a measurement convention used to describe the orientation, or attitude, of a planar geologic feature. A feature's strike is the azimuth of an imagined horizontal line across the plane, and its dip is the angle of inclination ...

'' * '' sweet and sour'' * ''stop and go'' * '' the quick and the dead'' * ''thick and thin'' * ''(there's) a time and a place'' * '' tip and ring'' * ''to and fro'' * ''top to bottom'' * ''town and country'' * ''up and down'' * ''ups and downs'' * ''uptown and downtown'' * ''

war and peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'' * ''washer and dryer'' * ''wax and wane'' * ''

yes and no ''Yes'' and ''no'', or word pairs with similar words, are expressions of the affirmative and the negative, respectively, in several languages, including English. Some languages make a distinction between answers to affirmative versus negative ...

'' * ''

yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...

With related words and synonyms

* ''ages and generations'' * ''aid and comfort'' * ''alas and alack'' * ''bits and pieces'' * ''body and soul'' * ''born and raised/bred'' * ''bright and early'' * '' brick and mortar'' * ''

by hook or by crook "By hook or by crook" is an English phrase meaning "by any means necessary", suggesting that any means possible should be taken to accomplish a goal. The phrase was first recorded in the Middle English ''Controversial Tracts'' of John Wyclif in 13 ...

'' * ''cheek by jowl'' * ''clean and tidy'' * ''chapter and verse'' * ''(this) day and age'' * ''dollars and cents'' * ''dot the i's and cross the t's'' * ''

fear and loathing ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream'' is a 1971 novel in the gonzo journalism style by Hunter S. Thompson. The book is a ''roman à clef'', rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follows ...

'' * ''

fish and chips Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created ...

'' * ''first and foremost'' * ''hail and farewell'' * ''hand over fist'' * ''haughty and high minded'' * ''head and shoulders'' * ''heart and soul'' * ''herbs and spices'' * ''house and home'' * '' hunger and thirst'' * ''leaps and bounds'' * ''like father, like son'' * '' like mother, like daughter'' * ''lo and behold'' * ''neat and tidy'' * ''six of one,
half a dozen of the other'' * ''nickel and dime'' * ''nook and cranny'' * '' null and void'' * ''over and done with'' * '' pain and suffering'' * ''peace and quiet'' * '' pen and ink'' * ''pick and choose'' * ''(on)

pins and needles ''Pins and Needles'' (1937) is a musical revue with a book by Arthur Arent, Marc Blitzstein, Emmanuel Eisenberg, Charles Friedman, David Gregory, Joseph Schrank, Arnold B. Horwitt, John Latouche, and Harold Rome, and music and lyrics by Rome. ...

'' * ''plain and simple'' * ''prim and proper'' * ''rant and rave'' * '' rocks and shoals'' * ''

shock and awe Shock and awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military strategy based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight. Though ...

'' * '' signs and wonders'' * '' skull and bones'' * '' skull and crossbones'' * ''strait and narrow'' * ''straight and narrow'' * ''stress and strain'' * ''swings and roundabouts'' * ''ticks and chiggers'' * ''whine and complain'' * ''wind and rain'' * ''(up) close and personal'' * ''yea and amen''

With alliteration

Also see the English section of the Reduplication article for cases like ''walkie-talkie'', ''ragtag'', ''chit-chat'', ''hip-hop'', ''bing-bang-boom'', ''etc.'' * ''bag and baggage'' * ''baubles and beads'' * ''beams and balance'' * ''

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

'' * ''belt and braces'' * ''big and bad'' * '' the birds and the bees'' * ''bish bash bosh'' * ''black and blue'' * ''bold and beautiful'' * '' bootleggers and Baptists'' * ''boxers or briefs'' * '' bread and butter'' * ''bull and boar'' * ''cash and carry'' * ''chalk and cheese'' * ''cliques and clans'' * ''

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...

'' * '' cookies and cream'' * ''

deaf and dumb Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...

'' * ''(between the) devil and the deep blue sea'' * '' dine and dash'' * ''down and dirty'' * ''dribs and drabs'' * '' drink and drive'' * ''

drunk and disorderly Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly" and "drunk in public", is a summary offense in some countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness. Public intoxication laws vary widely by jurisdiction, but usually require an ...

'' * ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...

'' * '' fast and furious'' * ''feast or famine'' * '' fire and forget'' * ''

fire and fury ''Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House'' is a 2018 book by journalist Michael Wolff which according to Wolff, details the behavior of U.S. President Donald Trump, the staff of his 2016 presidential campaign, and the White House staff. ...

'' * ''fit in or fuck off'' * '' flip-flop'' * ''

flora and fauna In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fungi ...

'' * ''footloose and fancy-free'' * ''forgive and forget'' * ''form and function'' * ''friend or foe'' * ''fun and frolics'' * ''fur and feathers'' * ''ghosts and goblins'' * ''grins and giggles'' * ''guys and gals'' * ''to have and to hold'' * ''hearth and home'' * ''hem and haw'' * ''

hoot and holler A hoot-n-holler (also known as a squawk box system, holler down, shout down or junkyard circuit, and abbreviated as 'hoot' or 'shout') is a type of telecommunications system where there is a permanent open circuit between two or more parties. Any ...

'' * ''Jew and Gentile'' * ''juking and jiving'' * ''king and country'' * ''kit and caboodle'' * ''kith and kin'' * ''last but not least'' * '' latitude and longitude'' * ''

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

'' * ''life and limb'' * ''live and learn'' * ''lock and load'' * ''love it or leave it'' * ''mix and match'' * ''meek and mild'' * '' name and number'' * ''part and parcel'' * ''peas in a pod'' * ''pen and pencil'' * ''pen(cil) and paper'' * '' pig in a poke'' * ''pillar to post'' * '' pots and pans'' * '' publish or perish'' * '' rags to riches'' * ''ranting and raving'' * ''read and write'' * ''ready to rumble'' * ''rest and relaxation'' ( R&R/R'n'R) * ''(without) rhyme or reason'' * ''right and wrong'' * ''

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

'' * ''rough and ready'' * ''rules and regulations'' * ''safe and secure'' * ''safe and sound'' * ''shot and shell'' * ''shower and shave'' * ''signs and symptoms'' * '' slip and slide'' * ''spick and span'' * ''spit and shine'' * '' Stars and Stripes'' * ''

sticks and stones "Sticks and Stones" is an English-language children's rhyme. The rhyme is used as a defense against name-calling and verbal bullying, intended to increase resiliency, avoid physical retaliation, and/or to remain calm and indifferent. The full rh ...

'' * ''sugar and spice'' * ''this or that'' * ''ticky-tacky'' * ''tit for tat'' * ''top and tail'' * ''toss and turn'' * ''

trick or treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...

'' * ''trials and tribulations'' * ''tried and tested'' * ''tried and true'' * ''truck and trailer'' * ''wash and wear'' * ''watching and waiting'' * ''weep and wail'' * ''wet and wild'' * ''whooping and hollering'' * ''wild and woolly'' * ''wise and wonderful'' * ''witches and warlocks'' * ''wrack and ruin''

With rhymes and similar-sounding words

* ''break and take'' *''

boom and zoom Basic fighter maneuvers (BFM) are Military tactics, tactical movements performed by fighter aircraft during air combat maneuvering (ACM, also called dogfighting), to gain a positional advantage over the opponent. BFM combines the fundamentals o ...

'' * ''box and cox'' * ''chalk and talk'' * ''charts and darts'' * ''chips and dip'' * ''double trouble'' * ''even Steven'' * ''fair and square'' * ''fender bender'' * ''five and dime'' * '' flotsam and jetsam'' * ''no fuss, no muss'' * ''handy-dandy'' * ''harum-scarum'' * ''helter skelter'' * ''higgledy piggledy'' * ''high and dry'' * ''hire and fire'' *'' hit and split'' * ''hit it and quit'' * ''hither and thither'' * '' hocus pocus'' * ''hoity toity'' * ''hot to trot'' * ''huff and puff'' * ''hustle and bustle'' * ''lap and gap'' * ''latest and greatest'' * ''lean, mean, fightin' machine'' * ''lick 'em and stick 'em'' * ''loud and proud'' * ''mean, green, fightin' machine'' * ''meet and greet'' * ''motor voter'' * ''my way or the highway'' * ''namby-pamby'' * ''

name and shame To name and shame is to "publicly say that a person, group or business has done something wrong". It is a form of public shaming used to rally popular opinion against and in turn discourage certain kinds of behavior or enterprises. The practice oc ...

'' * '' name it and claim it'' * ''near and dear'' * ''never, ever'' * ''nitty gritty'' * ''odds and sods'' * ''onwards and upwards'' * ''orgy porgy'' * ''out and about'' * ''out and proud'' * ''pell-mell'' * '' pump and dump'' * ''rough and tough'' * ''shout and clout'' * ''saggy baggy'' * ''shake and bake'' * ''slowly but surely'' * ''smoke and joke'' * ''son of a gun'' * ''stash and dash'' * ''stop and drop'' * ''

so far, so good So Far So Good may refer to: * ''So Far So Good'' (film), 2014 * ''So Far So Good'' (Bryan Adams album), 1993 * ''So Far So Good'' (John Martyn album), 1977 * ''So Far So Good'' (The Chainsmokers album), 2022 * ''So Far So Good'' (video), a 2 ...

'' * ''

surf and turf Surf and turf or surf 'n' turf is a main course combining seafood and red meat. A typical seafood component would be lobster (either lobster tail or a whole lobster), prawns, shrimp, squid or scallops, any of which could be steamed, grilled or ...

'' * ''time and tide'' * '' town and gown'' * ''use it or lose it'' * ''wake and bake'' * ''wear and tear'' * ''weed and feed'' * ''wham, bam, thank you, ma'am'' * ''willy nilly'' * ''wine and dine'' * ''yea or nay'' * ''(the) yeas and (the) nays''

Legal terminology

In law and official documents, there are many irreversible binomials and triplets consisting of near synonyms, such as the oft-heard '' terms and conditions'' and ''

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not disc ...

''. See the

Legal doublet A legal doublet is a standardized phrase used frequently in English legal language consisting of two or more words that are irreversible binomials and frequently synonyms, usually connected by "and", such as "null and void". The order of the word ...

article for a list.

Conjunction

The most common conjunctions in an irreversible binomial are ''and'' or ''or.''

With "and" as the conjunction

* ''

7 and 7 A Seven and Seven or 7 and 7 is a highball cocktail, a mixed alcoholic drink containing Seagram's Seven Crown, a blended whiskey, and 7 Up, a lemon-lime soft drink. It is typically served with ice. It was one of the most popular drinks in the ...

'' * ''above and beyond'' * ''airs and graces'' * ''alarm and muster'' * ''alive and kicking'' * ''alive and well'' * ''an arm and a leg'' * ''armed and dangerous'' * '' apples and oranges'' * ''back and fill'' * ''back and forth'' * '' bacon and eggs'' * ''

bangers and mash Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional British dish, consisting of sausages served with mashed potatoes. It may consist of one of a variety of flavoured sausages made of pork, lamb, or beef (often specifically Cumber ...

'' * ''

bait and switch Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by merchants' advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the a ...

'' * ''bait and tackle'' * ''(old) ball and chain'' * ''

barefoot and pregnant "Barefoot and pregnant" is a figure of speech most commonly associated with the idea that women should not work outside the home and should have many children during their reproductive years. The phrase "barefoot and pregnant" seems to have been ...

'' * ''bargain and sale'' * ''bed and breakfast'' * ''beck and call'' * ''bells and whistles'' * '' belt and suspenders'' * ''big and bold'' * ''big and tall'' * ''bigger and better'' * ''binge and purge'' * '' bit and bridle'' * ''bits and bobs'' * ''bits and pieces'' * ''black and blue '' * ''block and tackle'' * ''blood and guts'' * ''blood and gore'' * ''

bob and weave In boxing, bobbing and weaving is a defensive technique that moves the head both beneath and laterally of an incoming punch. As the opponent's punch arrives, the fighter bends the legs quickly and simultaneously shifts the body either slightly ...

'' * ''

bow and arrow The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the practice was common ...

'' * ''bound and determined'' * ''bound and gagged'' * ''bow and scrape'' * ''brace and bit'' * ''bread and water'' * ''

bread and circuses "Bread and circuses" (or bread and games; from Latin: ''panem et circenses'') is a metonymic phrase referring to superficial appeasement. It is attributed to Juvenal, a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE, and is used ...

'' * ''

bread and roses "Bread and Roses" is a political slogan as well as the name of an associated poem and song. It originated from a speech given by American women's suffrage activist Helen Todd; a line in that speech about "bread for all, and roses too" inspired ...

'' * ''brown and serve'' * ''bucket and spade'' * ''bump and grind'' * ''by and large'' * ''by guess and by golly'' * '' cap and gown'' * '' car and driver'' * '' cat and mouse'' * '' checks and balances'' * ''

chicken and dumplings Chicken and dumplings is a soup that consists of a chicken cooked in water, with the resulting chicken broth being used to cook the dumplings by boiling. A dumpling—in this context—is a biscuit dough, which is a mixture of flour, shorteni ...

'' * ''chop and change'' * ''clean and sober'' * ''

cloak and dagger "Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common in the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. Overview In "The ...

'' * '' coat and tie'' * '' coffee and doughnuts'' * ''cock-and-bull'' * ''crash and burn'' * ''cream and sugar'' * ''

crime and punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Преступление и наказание, Prestupléniye i nakazániye, prʲɪstʊˈplʲenʲɪje ɪ nəkɐˈzanʲɪje) is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. ...

'' * ''cup and saucer'' * ''cut and dried (dry)'' * ''cut and paste'' * ''cut and run'' * ''

dandelion and burdock Dandelion and burdock is a beverage consumed in the British Isles since the Middle Ages. It was originally a type of light mead but over the years has evolved into the carbonated soft drink commercially available today. Traditionally, it was ...

'' * ''day and night'' * ''dead and buried'' * ''dead and gone'' * ''death and taxes'' * ''dine and dash'' * '' divide and conquer'' * '' dog and pony show'' * ''down and out'' * '' duck and cover'' * ''duck and dive'' * ''each and every'' * ''eyes and ears'' * ''far and wide'' * ''fast and furious'' * ''fast and loose'' * ''fine and dandy'' * ''fingers and thumbs'' * '' fire and brimstone'' * ''

'' * ''(by) fits and starts'' * ''flesh and blood'' * ''flesh and bone'' * ''forever and a day'' * ''forever and ever'' * ''front and center'' * ''fun and games'' * ''fuss and bother'' * ''goals and aspirations'' * ''good and plenty'' * ''goodness and light'' * ''hale and hearty'' * ''hard and fast'' * '' ham and eggs'' * ''hammer and nail'' * ''

hammer and sickle The hammer and sickle (Unicode: "☭") zh, s=锤子和镰刀, p=Chuízi hé liándāo or zh, s=镰刀锤子, p=Liándāo chuízi, labels=no is a symbol meant to represent proletarian solidarity, a union between agricultural and industr ...

'' * '' hammer and tongs'' * ''hearts and minds'' * ''here and now'' * ''hide and watch'' * ''high and mighty'' * ''high and dry'' * ''

high and tight The high and tight is a military variant of the crew cut. It is a very short hairstyle, characterized by the back and sides of the head being shaved to the skin and the option for the top to be blended or faded into slightly longer hair. It is mo ...

'' * ''

hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be a ...

'' * ''hit it and quit it'' * ''hither and yon'' * ''hither and thither'' * ''home and hosed'' * ''home and dry'' * '' hook and eye'' * ''

hook and loop Hook-and-loop fasteners, hook-and-pile fasteners or touch fasteners (often referred to by the genericized trademark velcro, due to the prominence of the Velcro Brand) consist of two components: typically, two lineal fabric strips (or, alterna ...

'' * ''

horse and buggy ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two ...

'' * ''

horse and carriage ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two h ...

'' * ''hot and heavy'' * '' hot and high'' * ''hot and bothered'' * '' hugs and kisses'' (XOXO) * ''(for all) intents and purposes'' * ''kippers and custard'' * ''kiss and tell'' * ''kiss and make up'' * ''kith and kin'' * ''knife and fork'' * ''lakes and streams'' * ''

last will and testament A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its final distributio ...

'' * '' law and order'' * ''lo and behold'' * '' lock and dam'' * ''

lock and key A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object (such as a key, keycard, fingerprint, RFID card, security token or coin), by supplying secret information (such as a number or letter permutation or pa ...

'' * ''

look and feel In software design, the look and feel of a graphical user interface comprises aspects of its design, including elements such as colors, shapes, layout, and typefaces (the "look"), as well as the behavior of dynamic elements such as buttons, box ...

'' * ''loud and clear'' * ''make do and mend'' * ''man and boy'' * ''meat and potatoes'' * ''men and women'' * ''milk and honey'' * ''

mortise and tenon A mortise and tenon (occasionally mortice and tenon) joint connects two pieces of wood or other material. Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at righ ...

'' * ''name and address'' * ''names and faces'' * ''nice and easy'' * ''nook and cranny'' * ''noughts and crosses'' * ''nuts and bolts'' * ''odds and ends'' * ''off and away'' * ''once and for all'' * ''out and about'' * '' over and out'' * '' peaches and cream'' * '' Ps and Qs'' * '' peanut butter and jelly'' * ''peas and carrots'' * ''pickles and ice cream'' * ''pick and axe'' * ''piss and moan'' * ''piss and vinegar'' * ''piss and whine'' * ''prim and proper'' * ''prize and booty'' * ''

pork and beans Pork and beans is a culinary dish that uses pork and beans as its main ingredients. Numerous variations exist, usually with a more specific name, such as Fabada Asturiana, Olla podrida, or American canned pork and beans. American canned pork an ...

'' * ''pure and simple'' * ''quick and dirty'' * ''

rack and pinion A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...

'' * ''rack and ruin'' * ''raining cats and dogs'' * ''rape and pillage'' * ''

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

'' (R&D) * ''

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

'' (R&B) * ''rich and famous'' * ''rise and shine'' * '' (between a) rock and a hard place'' * ''

room and board Room and board is a phrase describing a situation in which, in exchange for money, labor or other considerations, a person is provided with a place to live as well as meals on a comprehensive basis. It commonly occurs as a fee at higher educatio ...

'' * ''rough and tumble'' * ''run and jump'' * ''(all's) said and done'' * ''

salt and pepper Salt and pepper is the common name for edible salt and ground black pepper, which are ubiquitously paired on Western dining tables as to allow for the additional seasoning of food after its preparation. During food preparation or cooking, they ...

'' * ''

scratch and sniff Scratch and sniff technology generally refers to stickers or paperboard items that have been treated with a fragrant coating. When scratched, the coating releases an odor that is normally related to the image displayed under the coating. The te ...

'' * ''

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

'' * ''

seek and destroy Search and destroy, seek and destroy, or simply S&D is a military strategy best known for its employment in the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. The strategy consists of inserting ground forces into hostile territory, ''search''ing out ...

'' * ''(different) shapes and sizes'' * ''shirt and tie'' * ''short and fat'' * ''short and sweet'' * ''short and stout'' * ''

show and tell Show and tell (sometimes called show and share or sharing time) is the practice of showing something to an audience and describing it to them, usually a toy or other children's-oriented item. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand a ...

'' * '' shuck and jive'' * ''sick and tired'' * ''

slash and burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area. The downed veget ...

'' * ''

slings and arrows ''Slings & Arrows'' is a Canadian television series set at the fictional New Burbage Festival, a Shakespearean festival similar to the real-world Stratford Festival. It stars Paul Gross, Stephen Ouimette and Martha Burns. Rachel McAdams appeared ...

'' * '' slip and fall'' * ''slow and steady'' * ''skin and bone(s)'' * '' smash and grab'' * '' smoke and mirrors'' * '' snakes and ladders'' * ''socks and shoes'' * ''

song and dance ''Song and Dance'' is a musical comprising two acts, one told entirely in " Song" and one entirely in "Dance", tied together by a unifying love story. The "Song" act is '' Tell Me on a Sunday'', with lyrics by Don Black and music by Andrew ...

'' * ''

sound and fury "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" is the beginning of the second sentence of one of the most famous soliloquy, soliloquies in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth''. It takes place in the beginning of the fifth scene of Act 5, during the ti ...

'' * ''(in) spirit and (in) truth'' * '' spit and polish'' * ''stand and deliver'' * ''stress and strain'' * ''suave and debonair'' * ''

suit and tie A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead ...

'' * ''sunshine and rainbows'' * ''

supply and demand In microeconomics, supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a Market (economics), market. It postulates that, Ceteris paribus, holding all else equal, in a perfect competition, competitive market, the unit price for a ...

'' * '' sweetness and light'' * ''a swing and a miss'' * '' sword and sandal'' * ''tables and chairs'' * ''tall and thin'' * '' tar(red) and feather(ed)'' * ''

tar and feathers Tarring and feathering is a form of Public humiliation, public torture and punishment used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in Medieval Europe, feudal Europe and European colonialism, its colonies in the early modern period, ...

'' * ''tea and crumpets'' * ''(through) thick and thin'' * ''thunder and lightning'' * ''tits and ass'' * ''to and fro'' * ''tooth and nail'' * ''touch and go'' * ''

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

'' * '' trial and error'' * ''tuck and roll'' * ''up and about'' * ''vim and vigor'' * ''wait and see'' * ''warm and fuzzy'' * '' warp and weft'' * ''wax and wane'' * ''ways and means'' * ''weak and girlish'' * ''well and good'' * ''whinge and whine'' * ''wine and roses'' * ''words and phrases'' * ''X's and O's'' * ''

'' * ''a year and a day''

With "or" or "nor" as the conjunction

* ''all or nothing'' * ''better or worse'' * ''big or small'' * ''black or white'' * ''business or pleasure'' * ''the

chicken or the egg The chicken or the egg causality dilemma is commonly stated as the question, "which came first: the chicken or the egg?" The dilemma stems from the observation that all chickens hatch from eggs and all chicken eggs are laid by chickens. "Chick ...

'' * ''day or night'' * ''dead or alive'' * ''do or die'' * ''fight or flight'' * ''(neither) fish nor fowl'' * ''give or take'' * ''good or bad'' * ''gentle or simple'' * ''he or she'' * ''

heads or tails Coin flipping, coin tossing, or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air and checking which side is showing when it lands, in order to choose between two alternatives, heads or tails, sometimes used to resolve a dispute betwe ...

'' * ''(come) hell or high water'' * ''(neither) here nor there'' * ''(neither) hide nor hair'' * '' his or her'' * ''hit or miss'' * ''(not one) jot or tittle'' * ''kill or cure'' * ''kill or be killed'' * ''(neither) love nor money'' * ''make or break'' * ''more or less'' * ''now or never'' * '' put up or shut up'' * ''rain or shine'' * ''rhyme or reason'' * ''right or wrong'' * ''sink or swim'' * ''sooner or later'' * ''take it or leave it'' * ''two or more'' * ''up or down'' * ''(neither) use nor ornament'' * ''victory or death'' * ''win or lose'' * ''

yes or no Yes or No or Yes/No may refer to: * Yes and no in English * Yes–no question, a form of question which can normally be answered using a simple "yes" or "no" Film and TV * ''Yes or No?'', a 1920 silent film * ''Yes or No'' (film), a 2010 Thai rom ...

With no conjunction

* ''hoity toity'' * ''

hunter-gatherer A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fung ...

'' * ''corn cheese''

People and fictional characters

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in aroun ...

* Ant & Dec *

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

and

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest r ...

Bonnie and Clyde Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The c ...

Cain and Abel In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain ''Qayīn'', in pausa ''Qāyīn''; gr, Κάϊν ''Káïn''; ar, قابيل/قايين, Qābīl / Qāyīn and Abel ''Heḇel'', in pausa ''Hāḇel''; gr, Ἅβελ ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl ...

* Cannon and Ball * Castor and Pollux * Click and Clack * Damon and Pythias *

Deleuze and Guattari Gilles Deleuze, a French philosopher, and Félix Guattari, a French psychoanalyst and political activist, wrote a number of works together (besides both having distinguished independent careers). Their conjoint works were '' Capitalism and Schizo ...

* Dick and Jane * Flanders and Swann *

French and Saunders ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is a ...

* Frick and Frack *

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister. Hansel ...

* Jacob and Esau * Jack and Jill * Jack and Victor *

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...

Lennon and McCartney John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

* Little and Large *

Martin and Lewis Martin and Lewis were an American comedy duo, comprising singer Dean Martin and comedian Jerry Lewis. They met in 1945 and debuted at Atlantic City's 500 Club on July 25, 1946; the team lasted ten years to the day. Before they teamed up, Martin w ...

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986), also known as the Olsen twins as a duo, are American fashion designers and former actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television s ...

* Mel and Sue *

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, workin ...

* Mork and Mindy * Penn & Teller * Phineas and Ferb * Pinky & The Brain * Ren & Stimpy * Rhett & Link *

Rick and Morty , creator = Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon , developer = , voices = {{plainlist, * Justin Roiland * Chris Parnell * Spencer Grammer * Sarah Chalke * Kari Wahlgren , composer = Ryan Elder , count ...

* Rodgers and Hart * Rodgers and Hammerstein * ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' *

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf sucklin ...

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. They are childhood friends of Hamlet, summoned by King Claudius to distract the prince from his apparent madness and if possible to ascertain the cause of ...

Sam and Max ''Sam & Max'' is an American media franchise about Sam and Max, a pair of anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic vigilante private investigators. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies Culture of the United States, American popular cultu ...

* Sonny & Cher * Thomson and Thompson *

Tom & Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...

Tristan and Isolde Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illic ...

Tim & Eric Tim & Eric are an American comedy duo consisting of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. They are the creators and stars of the Adult Swim television series '' Tom Goes to the Mayor'', '' Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', ''Check It Out! w ...

* Vic & Bob *

Watson and Crick "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" was the first article published to describe the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, using X-ray diffraction and the mathematics of a helix transfor ...

Rhyming slang

* ''Adam and Eve'' * ''apples and pears'' * ''bottle and glass'' * ''Brahms and Liszt'' * ''dog and bone'' * ''frog and toad'' * ''hand and blister'' * ''north and south'' * ''rabbit and pork'' * ''trouble and strife'' * ''two and eight'' * ''whistle and flute''

Variants

Irreversible binomials are sometimes isocolons (bicolons, tricolons, etc.) which have become set phrases. They may also be called simply binomials. With three words, they may be called trinomials, and may satisfy the rule of three in writing.

Common trinomials

* '' Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'' * '' animal, vegetable, or mineral'' * '' back, sack, and crack'' * '' beans, bullets, and bandages'' * ''

beg, borrow, or steal "Beg, Steal or Borrow" is a 1972 song by The New Seekers. Beg, Steal or Borrow or Beg, Borrow and Steal may also refer to: Music * "Beg, Steal or Borrow" (Ray LaMontagne song), 2010 * "Beg, Steal or Borrow", a song by Berlin from the 1984 album ...

'' * '' bell, book, and candle'' * ''blood, sweat, and tears'' * ''calm, cool, and collected'' * ''Coffee, tea, or me?'' * '' could've, would've, should've'' * '' Eagle, Globe, and Anchor'' ** ''bird, ball, and chain'' * '' ear, nose, and throat'' * ''eat, drink, and be merry'' * ''fat, dumb, and happy'' * '' Father, Son, and Holy Ghost'' * ''

fear, uncertainty, and doubt Fear, uncertainty and doubt (often shortened to FUD) is a propaganda tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics, polling and cults. FUD is generally a strategy to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or f ...

'' * '' fraud, waste, and abuse'' * '' friends, Romans, countrymen'' * '' (do not) fold, spindle, or mutilate'' * ''Get it? Got it? Good.'' * '' gold, silver, and bronze'' *" gold, God, and glory" * ''good, bad, and indifferent'' * ''the good, the bad, and the ugly'' * ''

Guns, Germs, and Steel ''Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies'' (subtitled ''A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years'' in Britain) is a 1997 transdisciplinary non-fiction book by Jared Diamond. In 1998, it won the Pulitzer Prize for ...

'' * '' hand, foot, and mouth'' * '' healthy, wealthy, and wise'' * ''here, there, and everywhere'' * '' hook, line, and sinker'' * '' lather, rinse, repeat'' * '' lie, cheat, or steal'' * '' lights, camera, action'' * '' location, location, location'' * '' win, place, or show'' * '' hop, skip, and a jump'' * '' I came, I saw, I conquered'' * ''(no) ifs, ands, or buts'' * '' judge, jury, and executioner'' * ''left, right and center'' * '' lies, damned lies, and statistics'' * '' life, liberty, and property'' * ''

lock, stock, and barrel "Lock, stock, and barrel" is a merism used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America, meaning "all", "total" or "everything". It derives from the effective portions of a gun: the lock, the stock, and the barrel. History The term wa ...

'' * ''mad, bad, and dangerous'' * ''me, myself, and I'' * ''name, rank, and serial number'' * ''

nasty, brutish, and short ''Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil'', commonly referred to as ''Leviathan'', is a book written by Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and published in 1651 (revised Latin edition 1668). Its name deriv ...

'' * ''The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María'' * ''

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' is a 1987 American comedy film written, produced and directed by John Hughes and starring Steve Martin and John Candy with supporting roles by Laila Robins and Michael McKean. It tells the story of a high-strun ...

'' * '' (neither) rain, nor sleet, nor snow'' * '' reading, writing and 'rithmetic'' * ''ready, willing, and able'' * '' red, white, and blue'' * '' secure, contain, protect'' * '' sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll'' * ''

Shake, Rattle, and Roll "Shake, Rattle and Roll" is a song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone (usually credited as Charles Calhoun, his songwriting name). The original recording by Big Joe Turner is ranked number 127 on the '' Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of The 500 Gr ...

'' * ''short and sweet and to the point'' * ''slips, trips, and falls'' * ''small, medium, and large'' * '' stop, drop, and roll'' * '' stop, look, and listen'' * '' soup, soap, and salvation'' * '' sugar and spice and everything nice'' * ''tall, dark, and handsome'' * ''this, that, and the other'' * ''

tic-tac-toe Tic-tac-toe (American English), noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English), or Xs and Os (Canadian or Irish English) is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a three-by-three grid with ''X'' or ''O''. ...

'' * '' Tom, Dick, and Harry'' * ''up, down, and sideways'' * ''(in no) way, shape, or form'' * '' the way, the truth, and the life'' * ''whats, whys, and wherefores'' * ''win, lose, or draw'' * '' your tired, your poor, your huddled masses'' * ''

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Huey, Dewey, and Louie are triplet cartoon characters created by storyboard artist (screenwriter) Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company from an idea proposed by cartoonist Al Taliaferro and are the nephews of Donald Duck and the grand-neph ...

Quadrinomials

* '' attack, decay, sustain, release'' * '' blood, toil, tears, and sweat'' * '' John, Paul, George, and Ringo'' * '' Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John'' * '' soprano, alto, tenor, bass'' *'' Suck, squeeze, bang, blow'' * '' War, Pestilence, Famine, Death''

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Cooper, William E. and Ross, John R. (1975). World order. In Robin E. Grossman et al. (Eds.), ''Papers from the Parasession on Functionalism,'' Chicago Linguistic Society, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 63–111. *

Sarah Bunin Benor Sarah Bunin Benor is an American linguist and scholar of Jewish languages. She is a professor of contemporary Jewish studies and linguistics and vice provost of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. Biography Benor graduated fro ...

, Roger Levy, "The Chicken or the Egg?: A Probabilistic Analysis of English Binomials", ''

Language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

'' 82:2:233-278 (June 2006)
full text
* Ourania Hatzidaki, "Binomials and the Computer: a Study in Corpus-Based Phraseology", ALLC/ACH Conference, University of Glasgow, July 200

{{Authority control English language Idioms

Structure

With opposites and antonyms

With related words and synonyms

With alliteration

With rhymes and similar-sounding words

Legal terminology

Conjunction

With "and" as the conjunction

With "or" or "nor" as the conjunction

With no conjunction

People and fictional characters

Rhyming slang

Variants

Common trinomials

Quadrinomials

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography