linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

and

stylistics Stylistics, a branch of applied linguistics, is the study and interpretation of texts of all types, but particularly literary texts, and spoken language with regard to their linguistic and tonal style, where style is the particular variety of l ...

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

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a Literal and figurative language, figurative or non-literal meaning (linguistic), meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic speech, formulaic ...

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 t ...

. The words have a

semantic Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...

relationship usually involving 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 ...

: 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 in 1954, though various aspects of the phenomenon had been discussed since at least 1903 under different names: a "terminological imbroglio". Ernest Gowers used the name Siamese twins (i.e.,

conjoined twins Conjoined twins, popularly referred to as Siamese twins, are twins joined '' in utero''. It is a very rare phenomenon, estimated to occur in anywhere between one in 50,000 births to one in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in south ...

) 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 politically incorrect. Many irreversible binomials are catchy due to

alliteration Alliteration is the repetition of syllable-initial consonant sounds between nearby words, or of syllable-initial vowels if the syllables in question do not start with a consonant. It is often used as a literary device. A common example is " Pe ...

, rhyming, or ablaut reduplication, so becoming clichés 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. Idioms like ''rock and roll'', ''the birds and the bees'', and collocations like ''mix and match'', and ''wear and tear'' have particular meanings apart from or beyond those of their constituent words. Ubiquitous collocations like ''loud and clear'' and ''life or death'' are fixed expressions, making them a standard part of the

vocabulary A vocabulary (also known as a lexicon) is a set of words, typically the set in a language or the set known to an individual. The word ''vocabulary'' originated from the Latin , meaning "a word, name". It forms an essential component of languag ...

of native English speakers. Some English words have become

obsolete Obsolescence is the process of becoming antiquated, out of date, old-fashioned, no longer in general use, or no longer useful, or the condition of being in such a state. When used in a biological sense, it means imperfect or rudimentary when comp ...

in general but are still found in an irreversible binomial. For example, ''spick'' is a

fossil word A fossil word is a word that is broadly obsolete but remains in current use due to its presence within an idiom or phrase. An example for a word sense is 'ado' in 'much ado'. An example for a phrase is ' in point' (relevant), which is retained ...

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. Due to the use of

precedent Precedent is a judicial decision that serves as an authority for courts when deciding subsequent identical or similar cases. Fundamental to common law legal systems, precedent operates under the principle of ''stare decisis'' ("to stand by thin ...

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

, many lawyers use the same collocations found in legal documents centuries old. Many of these legal doublets contain two synonyms, often one of

Old English Old English ( or , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

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 spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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 Surf and turf, sometimes called reef and beef, is a main course combining seafood and red meat, typically beefsteak. While lobster and filet mignon are a standard combination, variations common to steakhouse menus include Shrimp and prawn as foo ...

'') or mostly so (like ''between a rock and a hard place, five and dime''). Somewhat in between are more subtle

figures of speech A figure of speech or rhetorical figure is a word or phrase that intentionally deviates from straightforward language use or literal meaning to produce a rhetorical or intensified effect (emotionally, aesthetically, intellectually, etc.). In the ...

synecdoche Synecdoche ( ) is a type of metonymy; it is a figure of speech that uses a term for a part of something to refer to the whole (''pars pro toto''), or vice versa (''totum pro parte''). The term is derived . Common English synecdoches include '' ...

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 usually meant to cr ...

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

malapropism A malapropism (; also called a malaprop, acyrologia or Dogberryism) is the incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, either unintentionally or for comedic effect, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance. An exam ...

s, mondegreens, and

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

. 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'' (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 precisely 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 a ...

or antonyms, alliterate, or

rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final Stress (linguistics), stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciou ...

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

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

'' * ''big and small'' * ''a blessing and a curse'' * ''boom or bust'' * ''bride and groom'' * '' brother and sister'' * ''butt and pass'' * ''buy and sell'' * '' catch and release'' * '' cause and effect'' * '' church and state'' * ''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'' * ''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 philosophy, religion, and psychology, "good and evil" is a common dichotomy. In religions with Manichaeism, Manichaean and Abrahamic influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic cosmology, dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which ...

'' * ''hail and farewell'' * '' hand and foot'' * ''head over heels'' * ''Heaven and Hell'' * ''here and there'' * '' hide and seek'' * ''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 A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve Lost, mislaid, and abandoned property, lost articles th ...

'' * ''love and hate'' * ''love and war'' * ''man and wife'' * '' mind over matter'' * '' 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'' * ''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 transport, r ...

'' * ''

port and starboard Port and starboard are Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z), nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the Bow (watercraft), bow (front). Vessels with bil ...

'' * ''pros and cons'' * ''push and pull'' * '' rank and file'' * ''rise and fall'' * '' savings and loan'' * ''in sickness and in health'' * '' soap and water'' * ''start to finish'' * ''(from) stem to stern'' * ''stop and go'' * ''

strike and dip In geology, strike and dip is a measurement convention used to describe the plane orientation or Attitude (geometry), attitude of a Plane (geometry), planar Geology, geologic feature. A feature's strike is the azimuth of an imagined horizontal ...

'' * ''

sweet and sour Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine, and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia and has been used in English cuisine, England since the Middle Ages.Clarissa Dickson WDickson ...

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

yes and no ''Yes'' and ''no'', or similar word pairs, 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 questions ...

'' * ''

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

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'' * ''cheek by jowl'' * ''clean and tidy'' * ''chapter and verse'' * ''cup and saucer'' * '' (it was a) dark and stormy (night)'' * ''(this) day and age'' * ''dollars and cents'' * ''dot the i's and cross the t's'' * '' fear and loathing'' * ''

fish and chips Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of batter (cooking), battered and fried fish, served with French fries, chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, ...

'' * ''first and foremost'' * ''hail and farewell'' * ''hand over fist'' * ''haughty and high minded'' * ''head and shoulders'' * ''heart and soul'' * ''herbs and spices'' * '' highest and best (use)'' * ''house and home'' * '' hunger and thirst'' * ''knife and fork'' * ''leaps and bounds'' * '' like mother, like daughter'' * ''lo and behold'' * ''neat and tidy'' * ''nickel and dime'' * ''nook and cranny'' * '' null and void'' * ''nuts and bolts'' * ''over and done with'' * '' pain and suffering'' * ''peace and quiet'' * '' pen and ink'' * ''pick and choose'' * ''(on) pins and needles'' * ''plain and simple'' * ''prim and proper'' * ''rant and rave'' * '' rocks and shoals'' * '' shock and awe'' * '' signs and wonders'' * ''six of one,
half a dozen of the other'' * '' 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 A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

'' * ''belt and braces'' * ''bench and bar'' * ''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'' * '' cookies and cream'' * '' deaf and dumb'' * ''(between the) devil and the deep blue sea'' * '' dine and dash'' * ''down and dirty'' * ''dribs and drabs'' * '' drink and drive'' * '' drunk and disorderly'' * ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

'' * '' fast and furious'' * ''feast or famine'' * '' fire and forget'' * '' fire and fury'' * ''fit in or fuck off'' * '' flip-flop'' * '' flora and fauna'' * ''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'' * ''to have and to hold'' * ''hearth and home'' * ''hem and haw'' * '' hoot and holler'' * '' horseshoes and handgrenades'' * ''Jew and Gentile'' * ''juking and jiving'' * ''king and country'' * ''kit and caboodle'' * ''kith and kin'' * ''last but not least'' * '' latitude and longitude'' * '' Lend-Lease'' * ''life and limb'' * ''live and learn'' * ''lock and load'' * ''love ‘em and leave ‘em'' * ''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'' * ''pitter-patter'' * '' 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, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

'' * ''rough and ready'' * ''rules and regulations'' * ''safe and secure'' * ''safe and sound'' * ''shot and shell'' * ''shower and shave'' * ''

signs and symptoms Signs and symptoms are diagnostic indications of an illness, injury, or condition. Signs are objective and externally observable; symptoms are a person's reported subjective experiences. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature ...

'' * '' slip and slide'' * ''spick and span'' * ''spit and shine'' * '' Stars and Stripes'' * '' sticks and stones'' * ''sugar and spice'' * ''this or that'' * ''ticky-tacky'' * ''tit for tat'' * ''top and tail'' * ''toss and turn'' * '' trick or treat'' * ''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'' * ''box and cox'' * ''chalk and talk'' * ''charts and darts'' * ''chips and dip'' * ''dive and drive'' * ''double trouble'' * ''even Steven'' * ''fair and square'' * ''fender bender'' * ''five and dime'' * '' flotsam and jetsam'' * ''handy-dandy'' * ''hanky-panky'' * ''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'' * ''hotch-potch'' * ''huff and puff'' * ''hurly-burly'' * ''hustle and bustle'' * ''itty-bitty'' * ''itsy-bitsy'' * ''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'' * ''might makes right'' * ''motor voter'' * ''my way or the highway'' * ''namby-pamby'' * '' name and shame'' * '' 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 Pump and dump (P&D) is a form of securities fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements (pump), in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price (dump). O ...

'' * ''rough and tough'' * ''run and gun'' * ''shout and clout'' * ''saggy baggy'' * ''shake and bake'' * ''slowly but surely'' * ''smoke and joke'' * ''son of a gun'' * ''stash and dash'' * ''stitch and bitch'' * ''stop and drop'' * '' so far, so good'' * ''

'' * ''teeny-weeny'' * ''time and tide'' * '' town and gown'' * ''true blue'' * ''use it or lose it'' * ''wake and bake'' * ''wear and tear'' * ''weed and feed'' * ''wham, bam, thank you, ma'am'' * ''wheeling and dealing'' * '' 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 by one party, often a business, to warn another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act, such as copyright infringement, and that they will take legal action if the oth ...

''. See the Legal doublet article for a list.

Conjunction

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

With "and" as the conjunction

* ''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'' * '' bait and switch'' * ''bait and tackle'' * ''(old) ball and chain'' * '' barefoot and pregnant'' * ''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'' * ''

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

'' * ''bound and determined'' * ''bound and gagged'' * ''bow and scrape'' * ''brace and bit'' * ''bread and water'' * '' bread and circuses'' * '' bread and roses'' * ''brown and serve'' * ''bucket and spade'' * ''bump and grind'' * '' bump and run'' * ''by and large'' * ''by guess and by golly'' * '' cap and gown'' * '' car and driver'' * '' cat and mouse'' * '' checks and balances'' * '' chicken and dumplings'' * ''chop and change'' * ''clean and sober'' * ''

cloak and dagger "Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common by the time of 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. Over ...

'' * '' coat and tie'' * '' coffee and doughnuts'' * ''cock-and-bull'' * ''come and go'' * ''crash and burn'' * ''cream and sugar'' * '' crime and punishment'' * ''cup and saucer'' * ''cut and dried (dry)'' * ''cut and paste'' * ''cut and run'' * '' dandelion and burdock'' * ''(in this)day and age'' * ''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'' * ''facts and figures'' * ''far and wide'' * '' fast and furious'' * ''fast and loose'' * ''fine and dandy'' * ''fingers and thumbs'' * '' fire and brimstone'' * ''first and foremost'' * ''

'' * ''(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'' * ''give and take'' * ''goals and aspirations'' * ''good and plenty'' * ''goodness and light'' * ''grin and bear it'' * ''ground and pound'' * '' hack and slash'' * ''hale and hearty'' * ''hard and fast'' * '' ham and eggs'' * ''hammer and nail'' * '' hammer and sickle'' * '' hammer and tongs'' * ''hearts and minds'' * ''(move) heaven and earth'' * ''here and now'' * ''hide and seek'' * ''hide and watch'' * ''high and mighty'' * ''high and dry'' * '' high and tight'' * ''hit and miss'' * '' hit and run'' * ''hit it and quit it'' * ''hither and yon'' * ''hither and thither'' * ''home and hosed'' * ''home and dry'' * '' hook and eye'' * '' hook and loop'' * '' horse and buggy'' * '' horse and carriage'' * ''hot and heavy'' * '' hot and high'' * ''hot and bothered'' * ''huff and puff'' * '' hugs and kisses'' (XOXO) * ''if and when'' * ''(for all) intents and purposes'' * ''kippers and custard'' * '' kiss and tell'' * ''kiss and make up'' * ''kith and kin'' * ''knife and fork'' * ''kicking and screaming'' * ''lakes and streams'' * '' last will and testament'' * '' law and order'' * ''lo and behold'' * '' lock and dam'' * '' lock and key'' * '' look and feel'' * ''loud and clear'' * ''make do and mend'' * ''man and boy'' * ''meat and potatoes'' * ''men and women'' * ''milk and cookies'' * ''milk and honey'' * '' mortise and tenon'' *'' movers and shakers'' * ''name and address'' * ''names and faces'' * ''nice and easy'' * ''nook and cranny'' * '' noughts and crosses'' * ''(every) now and then'' * ''nuts and bolts'' * ''odds and ends'' * ''off and away'' * ''once and for all'' * ''one and done'' * ''out and about'' * '' over and out'' * oyer and terminer * '' 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'' * ''pros and cons'' * '' pork and beans'' * ''pure and simple'' * ''quick and dirty'' * '' rack and pinion'' * ''rack and ruin'' * ''raining cats and dogs'' * '' rape and pillage'' * ''

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

'' (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 within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

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

room and board Room and board describes an accommodation which, in exchange for money, labour or other recompense, a person is provided with a place to live in addition to meals. It commonly occurs as a fee at higher educational institutions, such as colleges ...

'' * ''rough and tumble'' * ''run and jump'' * ''(all's) said and done'' * '' salt and pepper'' * ''salt and vinegar'' * '' scratch and sniff'' * ''

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'' * ''(different) shapes and sizes'' * ''shirt and tie'' * ''short and fat'' * ''short and sweet'' * ''short and stout'' * '' show and tell'' * '' shuck and jive'' * ''sick and tired'' * '' slash and burn'' * '' slings and arrows'' * '' slip and fall'' * ''slow and steady'' * ''skin and bone(s)'' * '' smash and grab'' * '' smoke and mirrors'' * '' snakes and ladders'' * '' song and dance'' * '' sound and fury'' * ''(in) spirit and (in) truth'' * '' spit and polish'' * ''stand and deliver'' * ''stress and strain'' * ''

Sturm und Drang (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto-Romanticism, Romantic movement in German literature and Music of Germany, music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity an ...

'' * ''suave and debonair'' * '' suit and tie'' * ''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#Applications, holding all else equal, the unit price for a particular Good (economics), good ...

'' * '' 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'' * ''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 (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

'' * '' trial and error'' * ''trials and tribulations'' * ''tuck and roll'' * ''twist and turn'' * ''up and about'' * ''up and coming'' * ''vim and vigor'' * ''wait and see'' * ''warm and fuzzy'' * '' warp and weft'' * ''watch and ward'' * ''wax and wane'' * ''ways and means'' * ''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'' * ''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'' * ''(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''

With no conjunction

* ''hoity toity'' * ''

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

'' * ''corn cheese''

People and fictional characters

* Abbott and Costello * Abraham and Isaac * Achilles and Patroclus *

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. ...

* Alexiares and Anicetus * Antony and Cleopatra * Ant & Dec * Batman and Robin * Bonnie and Clyde * Cain and Abel * Cannon and Ball * Castor and Pollux * Cupid and Psyche * Click and Clack * Damon and Pythias * David and Goliath * Deleuze and Guattari * Dick and Jane * Faust and Marguerite * Flanders and Swann * French and Saunders * Frick and Frack * Fry and Laurie * Gilbert and Sullivan * Gilgamesh and Aga * Hansel and Gretel *

Hellman & Friedman Hellman & Friedman LLC (H&F) is an American private equity firm, founded in 1984 by Warren Hellman and Tully Friedman, that makes investments primarily through leveraged buyouts as well as growth capital investments. H&F has focused its efforts ...

* Jacob and Esau * Jack and Jill * Jack and Victor * Jaya and Vijaya * Jekyll & Hyde *

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

* Lennon and McCartney * Lerner and Loewe * Lewis and Clark * Lilo & Stitch * Little and Large * Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea *

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

and Luigi * Martin and Lewis * Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen *

Mel and Sue Mel Giedroyc (born 5 June 1968) and Sue Perkins (born 22 September 1969), known collectively as Mel and Sue, are an English comedy double act. They are known for hosting the BAFTA Award-winning BBC One cookery series '' The Great British ...

* Morecambe and Wise * Mork and Mindy * Orpheus and Eurydice * Ox-Head and Horse-Face * Penn & Teller * Phyllis and Aristotle *

Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated series, animated Musical film, musical-television comedy, comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on t ...

* Pinky & The Brain * Pygmalion and Galatea * Ren & Stimpy * Rhett & Link *

Rick and Morty ''Rick and Morty'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated science fiction Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The series follows the misadvent ...

* Rodgers and Hart * Rodgers and Hammerstein *

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and (, ) are twins in mythology, twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the Founding of Rome, founding of the History of Rome, city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his frat ...

* Rosencrantz and Guildenstern * Sam and Max * Samson and Delilah *

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...

* Sonny & Cher * Thelma & Louise * Thomson and Thompson * Tom & Jerry * Tristan and Isolde * Tim & Eric *

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

and

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis (; ) was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity. The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip ...

* 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 transform ...

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 phrase A phraseme, also called a set phrase, fixed expression, multiword expression (in computational linguistics), or idiom, is a multi-word or multi-morphemic utterance whose components include at least one that is selectionally constrained or restrict ...

s. 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'' * '' bell, book, and candle'' * ''blood, sweat, and tears'' * ''calm, cool, and collected'' * ''Coffee, tea, or me?'' * '' could've, would've, should've'' * '' culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'' * '' 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'' * '' fraud, waste, and abuse'' * '' friends, Romans, countrymen'' * '' (do not) fold, spindle, or mutilate'' * ''Get it? Got it? Good.'' * '' gold, frankincense, and myrrh'' * '' gold, God, and glory'' * '' gold, silver, and bronze'' * ''good, bad, and indifferent'' * '' the good, the bad, and the ugly'' * '' Guns, Germs, and Steel'' * '' hand, foot, and mouth'' * '' healthy, wealthy, and wise'' * ''here, there, and everywhere'' * '' hook, line, and sinker'' * '' hop, skip, and a jump'' * '' Huey, Dewey, and Louie'' * '' I came, I saw, I conquered'' * ''(no) ifs, ands, or buts'' * '' judge, jury, and executioner'' * '' lather, rinse, repeat'' * ''left, right and center'' * '' lie, cheat, or steal'' * '' lies, damned lies, and statistics'' * '' life, liberty, and property'' * '' lights, camera, action'' * ''

location, location, location ''Location, Location, Location'' is a British reality property programme that has aired on Channel 4 since 17 May 2000 and is presented by Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer. The show follows Allsopp and Spencer as they try to find the perfect ...

'' * '' lock, stock, and barrel'' * ''mad, bad, and dangerous'' * ''me, myself, and I'' * ''

mean A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

, and mode'' * ''name, rank, and serial number'' * '' nasty, brutish, and short'' * ''The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María'' * ''

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' is a 1987 American road film, road trip comedy film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughes and starring Steve Martin and John Candy. It tells the story of Neal Page, an uptight ...

'' * '' (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'' * '' Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego'' * '' Shake, Rattle, and Roll'' * ''short and sweet and to the point'' * ''slips, trips, and falls'' * ''small, medium, and large'' * '' Snap, Crackle and Pop'' * '' 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'' * '' Tom, Dick, and Harry'' * '' the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (so help me/you God)'' * ''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'' * '' win, place, or show'' * ''your tired, your poor, your huddled masses''

Quadrinomials

* '' attack, decay, sustain, release'' * '' blood, toil, tears, and sweat'' * '' Create, Read, Update, Delete'' * '' Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony'' * '' John, Paul, George, and Ringo'' * '' Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John'' * '' north, south, east and west'' * '' signed, sealed, published, and declared'' * '' soprano, alto, tenor, bass'' * '' spectacles, testicles, wallet, and watch'' * '' suck, squeeze, bang, blow'' * '' time, destiny, fate, eternity'' * '' 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, Roger Levy, "The Chicken or the Egg?: A Probabilistic Analysis of English Binomials", ''

Language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

'' 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