Questions tagged [freezes]
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13 questions
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Is "helter skelter" a word or two words or two non-words? What do we call it? [duplicate]
The phrase "helter skelter" is strange because you don't see the word "helter" or "skelter" used anywhere, and when I searched Merriam-Webster dictionary for either word it links me to the definition ...
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2
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Why is a rhyming word beginning with "h" put before another word to create a new term?
I recently learned a new phrase: "herby-kerby," which is regionalism from the Kalamazoo, MI area for a wheeled trash bin placed at the curb for trash collection. I've found several uses of the phrase:
...
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What is the name for words that are only used in a certain order even though switching them would be grammatically correct? [duplicate]
E.g. hammer and anvil, and part and parcel. Unlike a normal cliche all of these would make sense if you switched the word order, but no one ever does. I remember seeing a name for this, but can't ...
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3
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The ordering of word pairs: anyone for chips and fish?
When we list pairs of words, certain orders seem much more common and natural than others.
A few examples:
Fish and chips instead of chips and fish
Ladies and gentlemen instead of gentlemen and ...
- 151
2
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0
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Why does "north" come before "south", and "black" before "white"? [duplicate]
This website is common in both north and south America.
Or is this better?
This website is common in both south and north America.
Let's ask Google:
"in north and south": 26,800,00 hits
"in south ...
- 231
7
votes
1
answer
322
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Reversing Binomials
Siamese twins or binomials are pairs of expressions which are often conjoined. For example:
back and forth
ebb and flow
near and far
better or worse
do or die
Is there is a name for the rhetorical ...
- 18.1k
24
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2
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"pros and cons", "black and white", "ups and downs". Always in a fixed sequence, is there a word or phrase for these?
Is there a word or phrase for two nouns or adjectives joined by a conjunction (usually "and") in a fixed sequence?
alive and well
fast and furious
hat and gloves
pen and pencil
...
- 50.4k
20
votes
7
answers
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Why does left come before right?
For example in the idioms "left and right", "left, right and centre", and in many contexts where both left and right are mentioned, it seems that the left usually comes before the right. Why is this ...
- 3,632
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4
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crisscross, dillydally, riffraff, etc
Some English words only differ in their vowels: crisscross, dillydally, riffraff, etc. Is there a name for them?
- 4,424
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Is "forth and back" more proper than "back and forth"?
I think the term "back and forth" gets thrown around a lot without much thought.
From Dictionary.com:
forth [fawrth, fohrth]
adverb
1. onward or outward in place or space; forward: to ...
- 705
2
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3
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Preferred list ordering [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What are the principles that make certain lists sound euphonious?
Name for a type of idiom with two things joined (like “raining cats and dogs”, “bread and ...
- 21
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3
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Which comes first: cat or dog?
Which comes first in a sentence?
I know some word pairs such as bacon and eggs, where bacon always comes first. E.g:
Make me bacon and eggs for dinner, honey.
Cats and dogs are the two most common ...
- 472
0
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5
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Pairs in common idioms/phrases
There are phrases which pair things up. For example, "checks and balances", "bells and whistles",
What is the rational behind this construct? Any more examples?
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