Pairs #11

Alive and kicking. (idiomatic) Healthy; vital; in good health, particularly in opposition to unfavorable circumstances.

Dollars-and-cents. Considered or expressed in terms of money.

An arm and a leg. A very high price for an item or service; an exorbitant price.

Barefoot and pregnant. (derogatory, of women) Kept at home to perform the traditional duties expected of women.

On and off. Intermittently.

Hand and Foot. A variation of Canasta.

Hammer and sickle. A communist symbol representing proletarian solidarity between agricultural and industrial workers.

Bat and ball. Typical baseball equipment. Or, in general, a type of field game (such as baseball or cricket) in which a player throws a ball at an opposing player who tries to hit it with a bat and run between safe areas on the field to score.

Latitude and longitude. Components of the geographic coordinate system (GCS).

Salt and Vinegar. A popular variety of savory snack foods, particularly potato chips/crisps.

Man and wife. An opposite-sex married couple.

Wash-and-wear. Clothing that requires no ironing after being washed and dried.

Dogs and cats. Common household pets.

Chalk and cheese. (Britain, New Zealand, idiomatic) Said of things that are very different, though possibly superficially alike. (Similar to “apples and oranges” in the US)

Catch and release. 1. A practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned live to the water. 2. In US immigration enforcement, a practice of releasing a low risk migrant to the community while he or she awaits hearings in immigration court, as an alternative to holding them in immigration detention.

Red beans and rice. A traditional Louisiana Creole dish.

Goals and aspirations. A general phrase roughly meaning “objectives.”

Fear and loathing. A state inspired by the prospect of dealing with certain real-world systems and standards that are untenable but ubiquitous, or with politicians who clash with the people they are paid to represent. From the title of Hunter S. Thomason’s 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.

Kit and caboodle. Everything entirely, the whole lot.

Park and ride. A parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centers to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system or carpool for the remainder of the journey.

The birds and the bees. Sex, particularly as related to sex education for children.

Good and evil. A classic dichotomy in religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology

Play fast and loose. 1. (idiomatic) To ignore proper behavior or social conventions, especially when it suits one's purpose. 2. (idiomatic) To be recklessly inaccurate, inappropriate, or otherwise ignoring guidelines and conventions. 3. (idiomatic) To act in a tricky, inconstant way, saying one thing and doing another.

Name it and claim it (sometimes “name it, claim it”). (Christianity) A catch phrase of the Christian Word of Faith movement, a statement of faith and affirmation. Sometimes used pejoratively by detractors, along with “blab it and grab it.”