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This question is Not Answered. Latest post 2 yr 308 days ago by Mister Micawber. 3 replies.

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Anonymous  [More info]

Dear Sir/Madam

It would be my grateful if anyone else can enlighten me the meanings of these colloquial pairs

prim and proper       to and fro      odds and ends     hard and fast      tooth and nail  down and out      length and breadth      safe and sound       

ins and outs      cloak and dagger      spick and span      up and about      ups and downs      song and dance      collar and tie      pins and needles      sick and tired      bits and bobs

Thanks in advance for your help,

 

Regards,

+1 Clive  [More info]

Hi,

You have a lot of these. Here are some very brief comments.

prim and proper fastidious, ceareful, neat      

to and fro from one place to another, and back again, repetitively

odds and ends miscellaneous, unimportant, unrelated things

hard and fast clearly defined, not easily changed, eg rules

tooth and nail with every effort, fiercely

down and out no money

length and breadth everywhere

safe and sound  very safe and well

ins and outs    petty and complete details and methods 

cloak and dagger      very secret

spick and span      very clean and tidy

up and about      normal, healthy, not sick anymore, rejoining the world

ups and downs      good times and bad times

song and dance     unnecessary fuss and difficulty

collar and tie     wearing a neat shirt and tie 

pins and needles   small pains and cramps you get, for example if you sit on your foot in an awkward position. Also use to refer to a feeling of suspense and anticipation.  

sick and tired      losing patience, angry

bits and bobs similar to 'odds and ends' above

Best wishes, Clive

 

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004
Canada
Veteran Member 34,881
El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Syllable structure

Submitted by hitchhiker v3 by Anonymous 187 days ago
Lesson Three: Syllable Structure Can Vary A Lot Another reason English is so hard to pronounce correctly is because of its 'syllable structure'. In many languages, especially Asian languages such as Japanese and Chinese, syllables very often go: Consonant - Vowel -...

Can u quote some example on how to use these words? thanks!

 
+1 Mister Micawber  [More info]

Googling the phrases, like PRIM AND PROPER, will provide you with both plentiful examples and further definitions.

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004
Yokohama
Veteran Member 36,916
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'
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