User:DCDuring/Siamese twins

Here are various common English collocations sometimes called Siamese twins. See also Category:English lexical doublets and hendiadys and hendiatris.

Conjunction

The most common conjunctions used in a phrase that constitutes Siamese twins are and or or.

With "and" as the conjunction

Adjectives

Adverbs

Nouns

Verbs

With "or" or "nor" as the conjunction

Adjectives

more or less

Adverbs

Determiners

all or nothing

Nouns

Verbs

Predicates

take it or leave it

Other

Structure

The structure of any Siamese twins phrase has words that are related in some way or the other. The words comprising a Siamese twins phrase may be synonyms, antonyms, include alliterations or similar-sounding words. Other varieties of Siamese twins may also be possible.

Examples below are split into various tables; some may belong in more than one table but are listed only once.

With antonyms

back and forth
beginning to end
better or worse
black and white
chicken and egg
cops and robbers
coming and going
Cowboys and Indians
dawn till dusk
dead or alive
floor to ceiling
food and drink
give and take
give or take
heads or tails
hide and seek
high and low
hit or miss
hither and thither
in and out
life or death
long and short
near and far
now and then
pros and cons
rank and file
start to finish
sweet and sour
to and fro
top to bottom
up and down
victory and defeat
war and peace
wax and wane
yes and no

With synonyms

by hook or by crook
cease and desist
cheek by jowl
first and foremost
heart and soul
leaps and bounds
neat and tidy
six of one, half a dozen of the other
nook and cranny
null and void
peace and quiet
pick and choose
prim and proper
rant and rave
strait and narrow

With alliteration

bag and baggage
belt and braces
the birds and the bees
black and blue
bread and butter
cash and carry
chalk and cheese
fast and furious
fun and frolics
fur and feathers
hearth and home
hem and haw
kith and kin
Lend-Lease
part and parcel
pillar to post
rest and recreation (a.k.a. R'n'R)
rock and roll
rough and ready
safe and sound
sixes and sevens
spick and span
stars and stripes
sugar and spice
top and tail

With similar-sounding words

box and cox
chalk and talk
flotsam and jetsam
handy-dandy
hither and thither
hoi polloi
huff and puff
hustle and bustle
meet and greet
namby-pamby
pell mell
odds and sods
onwards and upwards
out and about
shout and clout
silly billy
time and tide
wear and tear
willy-nilly
wine and dine

With repetition

again and again
all in all
around and around
back to back
bumper to bumper
cheek to cheek
(on the) up and up
elbow to elbow
arm in arm
eye to eye
face to face
hand in hand
hand to hand
head to head
heart to heart
little by little
man to man
more and more
mouth to mouth
neck and neck
on and on
out and out
over and over
side by side
side to side
so and so
step by step
strength to strength
such and such
through and through
time after time
(from) time to time
toe to toe
wall to wall
wire to wire
woman to woman

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

Siamese twins occurring as a pair (that is, having two words occurring together) are also known as binomials. If the variant has three words occurring together, it is also known as a trinomial.

Examples of trinomials

blood, sweat and tears
bust, waist, and hip
cool, calm and collected
ear, nose and throat (E.N.T.)
here, there and everywhere
hither, thither and yon
hook, line and sinker
hop, skip and jump
judge, jury and executioner
lock, stock and barrel
mad, bad and dangerous
nasty, brutish and short
ready, willing and able
red, white and blue
sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll
tall, dark and handsome
the good, the bad and the ugly
Tom, Dick and Harry
shake, rattle and roll
stop, drop and roll
this, that, and the other
way, shape, or form