What is English binomial?

Binomials are expressions (often idiomatic) where two words are joined by a conjunction (usually “and”). The order of the words is normally fixed.¹

AND

back and force

back and force [1]

to move many times from one place to another and then back again.

• He kept walking back and forth in his office because he was waiting for an important phone call and couldn’t sit still.

black and white

black and white [1]

a) to describe when there are no colours, only black, white and grey.

• We watched a black and white movie last night.

b) to describe a situation which is clear to understand and is considered to be completely right or completely wrong (good or bad).

• This is a black and white issue for me. I’m right and you’re wrong.

chalk and cheese

chalk and cheese [1]

used to refer to two people or things as being completely different from each other.

• I’m not surprised that he split up with his last girlfriend. They were like chalk and cheese.

(no) ifs and buts

ifs and buts [1]

used to emphasize when you don’t want someone to argue about a situation.

• No ifs and buts. You have to finish your homework before you can watch television.

(the) ins and outs

(the) ins and outs [1]

refers to the detailed information about a situation.

• Our manager loves to go through all the ins and outs of our company background with new employees.

give and take

give and take [1] [2]

(1) willingness to accept suggestions from another person and give up some of your own; a spirit of compromise.

• In every friendship there has to be some give and take.
• Every relationship needs a bit of give and take to be successful.

(2) an exchange of ideas or statements.

• The candidates engaged in a lively give and take, witnessed by a huge television audience.

hustle and bustle

hustle and bustle [1]

noise and activity.

• I love the hustle and bustle of the marketplace.
• I come from New York, so I’m used to hustle and bustle.
• We wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

lo and behold

lo and behold [1]

used before mentioning something surprising that happened – used humorously.

• We had just been talking about John when, lo and behold, he walked into the room.

more and more

(skip over)

nuts and bolts (of something)

nuts and bolts (of something) [1] [2]

If you talk about the nuts and bolts of a subject or an activity, you are referring to the detailed practical aspects of it rather than abstract ideas about it.

• He’s more concerned about the nuts and bolts of location work.
• the nuts and bolts of government
• That meant that they could not stand the Central Office youths involved in the nuts and bolts of the campaign.
• He did pioneering work in figuring out the nuts and bolts of sustainability.
• They’re good guys, but I’m not sure how familiar they are with the nuts and bolts of the banking system.

Synonyms: essentials, basics, fundamentals, nitty-gritty.

odds and ends

odds and ends [1]

a variety of small things that are not valuable or important.

• Every few months, I just throw away all the odds and ends in our family home.

on and off/off and on

on and off/off and on [1] [2]

happening or existing only some of the time; occasionally.

• He worked off and on as a bicycle messenger, but he never found permanent work.
• We’ve had meetings on and off.

pros and cons

pros and cons [1]

the advantages and disadvantages of something, especially something that you are considering doing.

• We’re just weighing up the pros and cons of moving to a bigger house.
• We looked at the financial pros and cons of the deal.

time and (time) again

time and (time) again [1]

very often.

• I’ve told you time and time again - look before you cross the road.
• This woman has proven time and time again that she cannot be trusted.
• You see this pattern repeated time and time again.

ups and downs

ups and downs [1]

If someone or something experiences ups and downs, a mixture of good and bad things happens to him, her, or it.

• Like most married couples we’ve had our ups and downs, but life’s like that.

wine and dine

wine and dine [1]

to entertain someone by having drinks and eating together.

• We like to wine and dine potential clients when we’re on business trips.

BUT

slowly but surely

slowly but surely [1] [2]

(1) gradually.

• Slowly but surely, I realized the boat was sinking.

(2) carefully, in order to avoid problems.

• Slowly but surely we’re making progress.
• The situation is improving, slowly but surely.

BY

bit by bit

bit by bit [1]

If something happens bit by bit, it happens in stages. (Synonyms: little by little, slowly, progressively, steadily).

• Bit by bit I began to understand what they were trying to do.

day by day

day by day [1]

gradually or progressively; daily.

• He weakened day by day.

little by little

little by little [1]

If something happens little by little, it happens very gradually.

• In the beginning he had felt well, but little by little he was becoming weaker.
• I would have to learn, little by little, to exist alone.

step by step

step by step [1]

If you do something step by step, you do it by progressing gradually from one stage to the next.

• I am not rushing things and I’m taking it step by step.

IN

all in all

all in all [1]

to summarize when you look at every aspect of a situation.

• All in all, he really enjoyed working abroad for a few years.

OR

all or nothing

all or nothing [1]

to describe when something must be done completely to be successful or not at all.

• You have to be fully committed if you want to be a professional sports player. It’s all or nothing.

more or less

more or less [1]

approximately, almost, to some degree.

• The travel agent told us that a package holiday in Asia will cost, more or less, €2000 per person.

(it’s) now or never

(it’s) now or never [1]

used to emphasize that if you don’t do something immediately, there will not be another opportunity in the future.

• If you really like her, you should ask for her phone number before she leaves the nightclub. It’s now or never!

sink or swim

sink or swim [1] [2]

survive or fail; If you are left to sink or swim, you are given no help so that you succeed or fail completely by your own efforts.

• He won’t help her - she’ll have to sink or swim.
• My employer gave me no help when I started my new job - I was just left to sink or swim.

TO

back to front

back to front [1] [2]

the wrong way; with the back part of something where the front should be.

• You’ve got your sweater on back to front.
• He was wearing his hat back to front.
• She was sitting back to front on a wooden chair.

heart to heart

heart to heart [1]

used to describe an open and honest private conversation between friends.

• We had a heart-to-heart (a heart-to-heart chat) yesterday evening about family problems.

References