Irreversible binomial

In linguistics and stylistics, an irreversible binomial, (frozen) binomial, binomial pair, binomial expression, (binomial) freeze, or nonreversible word pair is a pair or group of words used together in fixed order as an idiomatic expression or collocation. The words belong to the same part of speech, have some semantic relationship, and are usually connected by the words and or or.

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) 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 due to alliteration or rhyming, and many have become ubiquitous clichés or catchphrases. Phrases like rock and roll, the birds and the bees, mix and match, and wear and tear have meanings beyond those of the constituent words and are thus inseparable and permanent parts of the English lexicon; the former two are idioms, whilst the latter two are collocations. Ubiquitous collocations like loud and clear and life or death are fixed expressions, making them a standard part of the vocabulary of native English speakers.

The order of elements cannot be reversed. 

They may be composed of various parts of speech: milk and honey (two nouns), short and sweet (two adjectives), and do or die (two verbs).

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

Some irreversible binomials are used in legalese. Due to the use of precedent in common law, many lawyers use the same collocations found in documents centuries old, many of which are legal doublets of two synonyms, often one of Old English origin, the other of Latin origin: deposes and says, heirs and successors.

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 figurative (like between a rock and a hard place, five and dime). Others are somewhat in between these extremes because they are more subtle figures of speech, synecdoches, metaphors, or hyperboles (like cat and mouse, sick and tired, barefoot and pregnant, rags to riches). The terms are often the targets of eggcorns, malapropisms, mondegreens, and folk etymology.

Some irreversible binomials have variations: time and time again is frequently shortened to time and again; a person who is covered in tar and feathers (noun) usually gets that way by the action of a mob that tars and feathers (verb) undesirable people.

The precise wording may change the meaning. A give and take is mutual flexibility, while give or take is a numerical approximation. A person can do something whether it is right or wrong in contrast to knowing the difference between right and wrong; each word 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 part of speech, have some semantic relationship, and are usually connected by and or or. They are often near-synonyms or antonyms, alliterate, or rhyme.

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
 big and small
 boys and girls
 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
 dusk till dawn
 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
 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
 ladies and gentlemen
 land and sea
 life or death
 long and short
 lost and found
 love and hate
 love and war
 man and wife
 mom and pop
 naughty or nice
 near and far
 night and day (difference)
 nip and tuck
 north to south
 now and then
 now and later
 on and off
 open and shut
 over and under
 park and ride
 pen and ink
 port and starboard
 pros and cons
 rank and file
 rise and fall
 savings and loan
 in sickness and in health
 soap and water
 start to finish
 strike and dip
 sweet and sour
 stop and go
 the quick and the dead
 thick and thin
 tip and ring
 to and fro
 top to bottom
 town and country
 up and down
 ups and downs
 uptown and downtown
 victory and defeat
 war and peace
 washer and dryer
 wax and wane
 yes and no

With related words and synonyms 

 ages and generations
 aid and comfort
 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
 (this) day and age
 dot the i's and cross the t's
 fear and loathing
 first and foremost
 hail and farewell
 hand over fist
 haughty and high minded
 head and shoulders
 heart and soul
 herbs and spices
 house and home
 hunger and thirst
 leaps and bounds
 like father, like son
 like mother, like daughter
 neat and tidy
 six of one,half a dozen of the other
 nook and cranny
 null and void
 over and done with
 pain and suffering
 peace and quiet
 pick and choose
 (on) pins and needles
 plain and simple
 prim and proper
 rocks and shoals
 nickel and dime
 dollars and cents
 rant and rave
 shock and awe
 signs and wonders
 skull and bones
 skull and crossbones
 strait and narrow
 stress and strain
 ticks and chiggers
 whine and complain
 wind and rain
 yea and amen

With alliteration 

 bag and baggage
 baubles and beads
 beams and balance
 bed and breakfast
 belt and braces
 big and bad
 the birds and the bees
 bish bash bosh
 black and blue bold and beautiful bootleggers and Baptists boxers or briefs bread and butter bull and boar cash and carry chalk and cheese cliques and clans command and control 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 and Dragons fast and furious feast or famine fire and faggot fire and fury fit in or fuck off flip-flop flora and fauna footloose and fancy-free forgive and forget form and function footloose and fancy free 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 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 it or leave it mix and match meek and mild name and number part and parcel peas in a pod pen and pencil pen(cil) and paper pig in a poke pillar to post pots and pans publish or perish rags to riches ranting and raving read and write ready to rumble rest and relaxation (R&R/R'n'R)
 (without) rhyme or reason right and wrong rock and roll rough and ready rules and regulations safe and secure safe and sound shot and shell shower and shave signs and symptoms slip and slide spick and span spit and shine Stars and Stripes sticks and stones sugar and spice this or that tic-tac-toe 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 wooly wise and wonderful witches and warlocks wrack and ruin With rhymes and similar-sounding words 

 break and take box and cox chalk and talk charts and darts chips and dip double trouble even Steven fender bender five and dime flotsam and jetsam no fuss, no muss handy-dandy harum-scarum helter skelter high and dry hire and fire hit it and quit hither and thither hocus pocus hoi polloi hoity toity hot to trot huff and puff hustle and bustle lap and gap lean, mean, fightin' machine lick 'em and stick 'em lout and proud mean, green, fightin' machine meet and greet 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 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 surf and turf time and tide town and gown use it or lose it wake and bake wear and tear weed and feed wham, bam, thank you, ma'am willy nilly wine and dine yea or nay (the) yeas and (the) nays Legal terminology 
Known as legal doublets, there are many collocations and merisms which are repetitively used in a legal or official context. Many of these can be found in legal documents dating back centuries; their habitual use has been decried by some legal scholars as superfluous in modern legal briefs. There are also legal triplets, which are listed below in their own section.

 accord and satisfaction aid and abet all and sundry acknowledge and confess alter or change appropriate and proper armed and dangerous assault and battery bind and obligate breaking and entering by and between butts and bounds care and attention cease and desist covenant and agree death and dismemberment deem and consider demise and lease depose and say due and payable eastings and northings expressed or implied final and conclusive fit and proper free and clear from now and henceforth full faith and credit furnish and supply goods and chattels have and hold heirs and successors high crimes and misdemeanors hue and cry indemnify and hold harmless infangthief and outfangthief keep and perform kind and nature legal and valid let or hindrance lewd and lascivious conduct liens and encumbrances make and enter into marque and reprisalmetes and bounds mind and memory No quarter. No mercy. null and void over and above perform and discharge power and authority profit and loss sac and soc sale or transfer search and seizure signed and sealed sole and exclusive successor and assigns terms and conditions toll and team true and correct waif and stray 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 beck and call bells and whistles belt and suspenders big and bold big and tall binge and purge bit and bridle bits and bobs bits and pieces block and tackle blood and guts blood and gore bob and weave bow and arrow bound and determined bound and gagged bow and scrape brace and bit bread and water bread and circuses bread and roses brown and serve bump and grind by and large by guess and by golly cap and gown car and driver cat and mouse checks and balances chop and change clean and sober cloak and dagger coat and tie coffee and doughnuts cock-and-bull
 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
 day and night
 dead and buried
 dead and gone
 death and taxes
 divide and conquer
 dog and pony show
 down and out
 duck and cover
 duck and dive
 each and every
 eyes and ears
 far and wide
 fast and furious
 fast and loose
 fine and dandy
 fingers and thumbs
 fire and brimstone
 fish and chips
 (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
 hammer and tongs
 hearts and minds
 here and now
 hide and watch
 high and mighty
 high and dry
 high and tight
 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
 hugs and kisses (XOXO)
 (for all) intents and purposes
 kippers and custard
 kiss and tell
 kiss and makeup
 kith and kin
 knife and fork
 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 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
 over and out
 peaches and cream
 Ps and Qs
 peanut butter and jelly
 peas and carrots
 pestle and mortar
 pickles and ice cream
 pick and axe
 piss and vinegar
 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
 (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
 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
 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
 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 woof
 ways and means
 weak and girlish
 whinge and whine
 wine and roses
 words and phrases
 X's and O's
 yes and no
 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

People and fictional characters 

 Abbott and Costello
 Adam and Eve
 Antony and Cleopatra
 Ant & Dec
 Batman and Robin
 Bert and Ernie
 Bonnie and Clyde
 Cain and Abel
 Flanders and Swann
 French and Saunders
 Gilbert and Sullivan
 Jacob and Esau
 "Jack and Jill"
 Laurel and Hardy
 Lennon and McCartney
 Lewis and Clark
 Mel and Sue
 Morecambe and Wise
 Mork and Mindy
 Penn & Teller
 Pinky & The Brain
 Ren & Stimpy
 Rodgers and Hart
 Rodgers and Hammerstein
 Romeo and Juliet
 Sonny & Cher
 Tom & Jerry
 Tristan and Isolde
 Tim & Eric
 Vic & Bob

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
 tit for tat
 trouble and strife
 two and eight
 whistle and flute

Variants 

Irreversible binomials are sometimes isocolons (bicolons, tricolons, etc.) which have become set phrases.

They may also be called simply binomials.

With three words, they may be called trinomials, and may satisfy the rule of three in writing.

Common trinomials 

 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
 animal, vegetable, or mineral
 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
 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, 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
 lather, rinse, repeat
 lie, cheat, or steal
 lights, camera, action
 location, location, location
 win, place, or show
 hop, skip, and a jump
 I came, I saw, I conquered
 (no) ifs, ands, or buts
 judge, jury, and executioner
 left, right and center
 life, liberty, and property
 lock, stock, and barrel
 mad, bad, and dangerous
 me, myself, and I
 nasty, brutish, and short
 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
 (neither) rain, nor sleet, nor snow
 reading, writing and 'rithmetic
 ready, willing, and able
 red, white, and blue
 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
 soup, soap, and salvation
 sugar and spice and everything nice
 tall, dark, and handsome
 this, that, and the other
 Tom, Dick, and Harry
 up, down, and sideways
 way, shape, or form
 whats, whys, and wherefores
 win, lose, or draw

Legal triplets 

 cancel, annul, and set aside
 convey, transfer, and set over
 give, devise, and bequeath
 grant, bargain, sell
 name, constitute, and appoint
 ordered, adjudged, and decreed
 remise, release, and forever quit claim
 rest, residue, and remainder
 right, title, and interest
 signed, sealed, and delivered

See also 

 Collocation
 Fossil word
 Hendiadys
 Hendiatris
 Isocolon
 Meme
 Merism
 Phraseme
 Set phrase
 Word order
 Anastrophe

Notes

References

Bibliography
 Sarah Bunin Benor, Roger Levy, "The Chicken or the Egg?: A Probabilistic Analysis of English Binomials", 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 2000 abstract

Category:English language
Category:Idioms