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. Lingu ...

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 individ ...

, 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 lon ...

used the name Siamese twins (i.e.,

conjoined twins Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined '' in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence ...

) 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 ...

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 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 ...

, 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 Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...

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 English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

: the former two are idioms, whilst the latter two are collocations. Ubiquitous collocations like ''loud and clear'' and ''life or death'' are

fixed expression A phraseme, also called a set phrase, idiomatic phrase, multi-word 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 restri ...

s, 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 la ...

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 A fossil word is a word that is broadly obsolete but remains in current use due to its presence within an idiom, word sense, or phrase. An example for a word sense is 'navy' in ' merchant navy', which means 'commercial fleet' (although that sense ...

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 Archaic is a period of time preceding a designated classical period, or something from an older period of time that is also not found or used currently: *List of archaeological periods **Archaic Sumerian language, spoken between 31st - 26th cent ...

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 words ...

s contain two synonyms, often one of Old English origin and the other of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power ...

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 us ...

''). 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 ordinary language use in order to produce a rhetorical effect. Figures of speech are traditionally classified into '' schemes,'' which vary the ordinary ...

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 En ...

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 wit ...

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 c ...

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 to ...

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, 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 Asset and liability management (often abbreviated ALM) is the practice of managing financial risks that arise due to mismatches between the assets and liabilities as part of an investment strategy in financial accounting. ALM sits between ri ...

'' * ''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 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 "Brother and Sister" (also "Little Sister and Little Brother"; German: ''Brüderchen und Schwesterchen'') is a European fairy tale which was, among others, written down by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 11). It is a tale of Aarne–Thompson Type 450. I ...

'' * ''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 posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returne ...

'' * ''

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'' * ''fire and ice'' * ''first and last'' * ''floor to ceiling'' * ''food and drink'' * ''

fore and aft A fore-and-aft rig is a sailing vessel rigged mainly with sails set along the line of the keel, rather than perpendicular to it as on a square rigged vessel. Description Fore-and-aft rigged sails include staysails, Bermuda rigged sails, gaff ...

'' * ''foreign and domestic'' * ''forward and backward'' * ''friend or foe'' * ''front to back'' * ''fruits and vegetables'' * ''give and take'' * '' good and evil'' * ''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 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 articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'' * ''love and hate'' * ''love and war'' * ''man and wife'' * ''

mom and pop ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestat ...

'' * ''naughty or nice'' * ''near and far'' * ''night and day (difference)'' * '' nip and tuck (cosmetic surgery), 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 a ...

'' * ''pros and cons'' * ''push and pull'' * ''

rank and file Rank and file may refer to: *A military term relating to the horizontal "ranks" (rows) and vertical "files" (columns) of individual foot-soldiers, exclusive of the officers *A term derived from the above used to refer to enlisted troops, as oppose ...

'' * ''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 I ...

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

soap and water Soap is a 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, soaps are used ...

'' * ''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 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 England since the Middle Ages. Dickson Wright, Clarissa (2011) ''A Histor ...

'' * ''stop and go'' * '' the quick and the dead'' * ''thick and thin'' * ''(there's) a time and a place'' * ''

tip and ring Tip and ring are the two conductors or sides of a telephone line. Their names are derived from the telephone plugs used for connecting telephone calls in manual switchboards. One side of the line is connected to the metal ''tip'' of the plug, and ...

'' * ''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 negativ ...

'' * ''

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 Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases ...

'' * ''

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 1 ...

'' * ''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 follo ...

'' * ''

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 ''Hunger and Thirst'' (French original title ''La Soif et la faim'') is one of Eugène Ionesco's late plays, premiering in Paris at Comédie-Française on February 28, 1966. The play has one act divided into four periods. In the play, Ionesco d ...

'' * ''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 In law, void means of no legal effect. An action, document, or transaction which is void is of no legal effect whatsoever: an absolute nullity—the law treats it as if it had never existed or happened. The term void ''ab initio'', which means ...

'' * ''over and done with'' * ''

pain and suffering Pain and suffering is the legal term for the physical and emotional stress caused from an injury (see also pain and suffering). Some damages that might come under this category would be: aches, temporary and permanent limitations on activity, ...

'' * ''peace and quiet'' * ''

pen and ink A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity ...

'' * ''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 The Articles for the Government of the United States Navy were the military laws of the United States Navy for much of its early history. The Articles were often referred to informally as "Rocks and Shoals", after the language of Article 4, Sect ...

'' * ''

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 Signs and wonders refers to experiences that are perceived to be miraculous as being normative in the modern Christian experience, and is a phrase associated with groups that are a part of modern charismatic movements and Pentecostalism. This ...

'' * ''

skull and bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

'' * ''

skull and crossbones A skull and crossbones is a symbol consisting of a human skull and two long bones crossed together under or behind the skull. The design originated in the Late Middle Ages as a symbol of death and especially as a ''memento mori'' on tombstones. ...

'' * ''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 The talk about sex, often colloquially referred to as "the birds and the bees" or "the facts of life", is generally the occasion in most children's lives when their parents explain what sex is and how to do it. According to tradition, "the bird ...

'' * ''bish bash bosh'' * ''black and blue'' * ''bold and beautiful'' * ''

bootleggers and Baptists Bootleggers and Baptists is a concept put forth by regulatory economist Bruce Yandle,Pdf.
:''See also'':

'' * ''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 or e ...

'' * '' 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 Dine and dash is the US phrase for a form of theft by fraud, in which a patron or patrons orders and consumes food and beverages from a restaurant or similar establishment with the intent not to pay. The act may involve the customer leaving the ...

'' * ''down and dirty'' * ''dribs and drabs'' * ''

drink and drive Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

'' * ''

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. (T ...

'' * ''

fast and furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a ...

'' * ''feast or famine'' * ''

fire and forget Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance which does not require further external intervention after launch such as illumination of the target or wire guidance, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line-of-sight of the targe ...

'' * '' fire and fury'' * ''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 The geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or ellipsoidal coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various ...

'' * ''

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 A ''pig in a poke'' is a thing that is bought without first being inspected, and thus of unknown authenticity or quality. The idiom is attested in 1555: I wyll neuer bye the pyg in the poke Thers many a foule pyg in a feyre cloke A "poke" is a b ...

'' * ''pillar to post'' * ''

pots and pans Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookw ...

'' * ''

publish or perish "Publish or perish" is an aphorism describing the pressure to publish academic work in order to succeed in an academic career. Such institutional pressure is generally strongest at research universities. Some researchers have identified the pu ...

'' * ''

rags to riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popula ...

'' * ''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 an ...

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

slip and slide Slip ’N Slide is a children's toy invented by Robert Carrier and manufactured by Wham-O. It was first sold in 1961. The main form is a plastic sheet and a method of wetting it; when the surface is wet it becomes very slippery, allowing the us ...

'' * ''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 Basic fighter maneuvers (BFM) are 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 of aerodynamic fl ...

'' * ''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 In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the remai ...

'' * ''no fuss, no muss'' * ''handy-dandy'' * ''harum-scarum'' * ''helter skelter'' * ''higgledy piggledy'' * ''high and dry'' * ''hire and fire'' *''

hit and split Basic fighter maneuvers (BFM) are 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 of aerodynamic fl ...

'' * ''hit it and quit'' * ''hither and thither'' * ''

hocus pocus Hocus-pocus is an exclamation used by magicians, usually the magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change. Hocus Pocus or Hokus Pokus or ''variant'', may also refer to: Books * ''Hocus Pocus'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Kurt Vonneg ...

'' * ''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 o ...

'' * ''

name it and claim it Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success, or seed faith) is a religious belief among some Protestant Christians that financial blessing and physical well-being are a ...

'' * ''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, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price. Once the opera ...

'' * ''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 ...

'' * ''time and tide'' * ''

town and gown Town and gown are two distinct communities of a university town; 'town' being the non-academic population and 'gown' metonymically being the university community, especially in ancient seats of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and ...

'' * ''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 A contractual term is "any provision forming part of a contract". Each term gives rise to a contractual obligation, the breach of which may give rise to litigation. Not all terms are stated expressly and some terms carry less legal gravity as ...

'' 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 dis ...

''. 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 words ...

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'' * ''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 A comparison of apples and oranges occurs when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared, typically because of inherent, fundamental and/or qualitative differences between the items. The idiom, ''comparing ...

'' * ''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 ...

'' * ''

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 A ball and chain is a physical restraint device historically applied to prisoners, primarily in the British Empire and its former colonies, from the 17th century until as late as the mid-20th century. A type of shackle A shackle (or shack ...

'' * ''

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 Suspenders (American English, Canadian English), or braces (British English, Australian English) are fabric or leather straps worn over the shoulders to hold up skirts or trousers. The straps may be elasticated, either entirely or only at atta ...

'' * ''big and bold'' * ''big and tall'' * ''bigger and better'' * ''binge and purge'' * ''

bit and bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. Headgea ...

'' * ''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 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 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 M. Todd, Helen Todd; a line in that speech about "bread for all, and roses ...

'' * ''brown and serve'' * ''bucket and spade'' * ''bump and grind'' * ''by and large'' * ''by guess and by golly'' * ''

cap and gown Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary (and sometimes secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or similar), or hold a status that entitles them to assu ...

'' * ''

car and driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was f ...

'' * ''

cat and mouse Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes." The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse ...

'' * ''

checks and balances Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typica ...

'' * '' chicken and dumplings'' * ''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 Formal wear or full dress is the Western dress code category applicable for the most formal occasions, such as weddings, christenings, confirmations, funerals, Easter and Christmas traditions, in addition to certain state dinners, audience ...

'' * ''

coffee and doughnuts Coffee and doughnuts is a common food and drink pairing in the United States and Canada (where ''doughnuts'' are typically spelled ''donuts''). The pairing is often consumed as a simple breakfast, and is often consumed in doughnut shops. Coffee i ...

'' * ''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 m ...

'' * ''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 cover" is a method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear explosion. Ducking and covering is useful in offering a degree of protection to personnel located outside the radius of the nuclear fireball but still within su ...

'' * ''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 Fire and brimstone ( ''gofrit va’esh'', grc, πυρὸς καὶ θείου) is an idiomatic expression referring to God's wrath found in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament. In the Bible, it often appears in reference t ...

'' * ''

'' * ''(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 ''Hammer and Tongs'' is the second album from the Scottish rock group Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. It was recorded in Germany in 1989, at Berlin's Hansa Ton Studios just as the Fall of the Berlin Wall occurred. The album sat on the shelf for almost ...

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

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 an ...

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

hook and eye A hook-and-eye closure is a simple and secure method of fastening garments together. It consists of a metal hook, commonly wire bent to shape, and an eye (or "eyelet") of the same material into which the hook fits. History The hook and eye clo ...

'' * ''

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, alternat ...

'' * ''horse and buggy'' * ''horse and carriage'' * ''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'' * ''law and order (politics), 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 honey'' * ''mortise and tenon'' * ''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'' * ''wikt:over and out, 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'' * ''pure and simple'' * ''quick and dirty'' * ''rack and pinion'' * ''rack and ruin'' * ''raining cats and dogs'' * ''rape and pillage'' * ''research and development'' (R&D) * ''rhythm and blues'' (R&B) * ''rich and famous'' * ''rise and shine'' * ''wikt:between a rock and a hard place, (between a) rock and a hard place'' * ''room and board'' * ''rough and tumble'' * ''run and jump'' * ''(all's) said and done'' * ''salt and pepper'' * ''scratch and sniff'' * ''search and rescue'' * ''seek and destroy'' * ''(different) shapes and sizes'' * ''shirt and tie'' * ''short and fat'' * ''short and sweet'' * ''short and stout'' * ''wikt:show and tell, 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'' * ''socks and shoes'' * ''song and dance'' * ''sound and fury'' * ''(in) spirit and (in) truth'' * ''spit and polish'' * ''stand and deliver'' * ''stress and strain'' * ''suave and debonair'' * ''suit and tie'' * ''sunshine and rainbows'' * ''supply and demand'' * ''sweetness and light'' * ''a swing and a miss'' * ''sword and sandal'' * ''tables and chairs'' * ''tall and thin'' * ''tarring and feathering, 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'' * ''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 rule, 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'' * ''wikt:put up or shut up, 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 and no, yes or no''

With no conjunction

* ''hoity toity'' * ''hunter-gatherer'' * ''corn cheese''

People and fictional characters

* Abbott and Costello * Adam and Eve * Antony and Cleopatra * Ant & Dec * Batman and Robin (comics), Robin * Bonnie and Clyde * Cain and Abel * Cannon and Ball * Castor and Pollux * Tom and Ray Magliozzi, Click and Clack * Damon and Pythias * Deleuze and Guattari * Dick and Jane * Flanders and Swann * French and Saunders * Frick and Frack * Gilbert and Sullivan * Hansel and Gretel * Jacob and Esau * Jack and Jill (nursery rhyme), Jack and Jill * Still Game, Jack and Victor * Laurel and Hardy * Lennon and McCartney * Lewis and Clark * Little and Large * Martin and Lewis * Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen * Mel and Sue * Morecambe and Wise * Mork and Mindy * Penn & Teller * Phineas and Ferb * Pinky & The Brain * Ren & Stimpy * Rhett & Link * Rick and Morty * Rodgers and Hart * Rodgers and Hammerstein * ''Romeo and Juliet'' * Romulus and Remus * Rosencrantz and Guildenstern * Sam and Max * Sonny & Cher * Thomson and Thompson * Tom & Jerry * Tristan and Isolde * Tim & Eric * Vic & Bob * Watson and Crick

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 (writing), rule of three in writing.

Common trinomials

* ''Abraham's family tree, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'' * ''animal, vegetable, or mineral'' * '' male waxing, back, sack, and crack'' * ''materiel, beans, bullets, and bandages'' * ''poverty, beg, borrow, or steal'' * ''bell, book, and candle'' * ''blood, sweat, and tears'' * ''calm, cool, and collected'' * ''Coffee, tea, or me?'' * ''wikt:could have, would have, should have, 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'' * ''Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost'' * ''fear, uncertainty, and doubt'' * ''Medicare fraud, fraud, waste, and abuse'' * ''friends, Romans, countrymen'' * ''Punched_card#Do_Not_Fold,_Spindle_or_Mutilate, (do not) fold, spindle, or mutilate'' * ''Get it? Got it? Good.'' * ''Olympic medal, gold, silver, and bronze'' *"Imperialism, gold, God, and glory" * ''good, bad, and indifferent'' * ''the good, the bad, and the ugly'' * ''Guns, Germs, and Steel'' * ''hand, foot, and mouth disease, hand, foot, and mouth'' * ''Poor Richard's Almanack, healthy, wealthy, and wise'' * ''here, there, and everywhere'' * ''hook, line, and sinker (idiom), hook, line, and sinker'' * ''lather, rinse, repeat'' * ''lie, cheat, or steal'' * ''wikt:lights, camera, action, lights, camera, action'' * ''real estate broker, location, location, location'' * ''horse racing, win, place, or show'' * ''hop, skip, and a jump'' * ''veni, vidi, vici, I came, I saw, I conquered'' * ''(no) ifs, ands, or buts'' * ''extrajudicial punishment, judge, jury, and executioner'' * ''left, right and center'' * ''lies, damned lies, and statistics'' * ''life, liberty, and property'' * ''lock, stock, and barrel'' * ''mad, bad, and dangerous'' * ''me, myself, and I'' * ''name, rank, and serial number'' * ''nasty, brutish, and short'' * ''The Niña, the Pinta (ship), Pinta, and the Santa María (ship), Santa María'' * ''Planes, Trains, and Automobiles'' * ''United States Postal Service, (neither) rain, nor sleet, nor snow'' * ''the three Rs, reading, writing and 'rithmetic'' * ''ready, willing, and able'' * ''Red White and Blue (disambiguation), red, white, and blue'' * ''SCP Foundation, secure, contain, protect'' * ''hippie#1970–present: Aftershocks, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll'' * ''Shake, Rattle, and Roll'' * ''short and sweet and to the point'' * ''slips, trips, and falls'' * ''small, medium, and large'' * ''stop, drop, and roll'' * ''stop, look, and listen'' * ''homeless shelter#Religious shelters, 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'' * ''up, down, and sideways'' * ''(in no) way, shape, or form'' * ''Gospel of John, the way, the truth, and the life'' * ''whats, whys, and wherefores'' * ''win, lose, or draw'' * ''The New Colossus, your tired, your poor, your huddled masses'' * ''Huey, Dewey, and Louie''

Quadrinomials

* ''Envelope (music), attack, decay, sustain, release'' * ''blood, toil, tears, and sweat'' * ''The Beatles, John, Paul, George, and Ringo'' * ''Four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John'' * ''SATB, soprano, alto, tenor, bass'' *''Suck, squeeze, bang, blow'' * ''The Four Horsemen, 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 (journal), Language'' 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