English Vocabulary for learners
BINOMIALS-2
Fixed expressions with two words
Binomials from: 'hale and hearty' to: 'loud and clear'
Binomials Expressions, page 2:
Binomals are two-word expressions joined by a conjunction, for example 'high and dry'.
| BINOMIAL EXPRESSION |
MEANING | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| Hale and hearty | Healthy and strong; in excellent physical condition. | My grandparents are both over 90 years old and are still hale and hearty. |
| Hard and fast | Fixed and strongly binding. | The administration established hard-and-fast rules for every procedure. |
| Haves and have-nots | Rich and poor people. | Our aim is to reduce the gap between the haves and have-nots in our society. |
| Heart to heart | An open an honest conversation. | We had a heart-to-heart discussion yesterday about the problem. |
| Heart and soul | Make a lot of effort to do something. | Paul put his heart and soul into the project. Let's hope it will be a success. |
| Hem and haw | Be very evasive; not give a clear answer. | Bobby hemmed and hawed when his parents asked him where had spent the night. |
| Here and there | In various different places. | We found some mushrooms here and there in the woods. |
| High and dry | In a difficult situation without resources or assistance | Those who lose their jobs may be left high and dry. |
| High and low | Everywhere | I searched high and low for my keys but couldn’t find them. |
| High and mighty | Superior, haughty, full of self-importance | She was too high and mighty to tidy up after herself! |
| Hit and run | A motor accident in which the vehicle involved does not stop. | A cyclist was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. |
| Hither and thither | Here and there in a disorganized way, in random directions. | She ran hither and thither through the park looking for her dog. |
| Hot and bothered | Agitated, flustered or worried. | There's no need to get all hot and bothered. It's just an English test! |
| Hot and cold | 1) Indecisive; unpredictable. 2) Worried or nervous. |
1)Julia has been hot and cold about whether she's coming on the trip or not. 2) Tom went hot and cold all over when the letter arrived with his exam results. |
| Hue and cry | Loud opposition to something. | There will be a great hue and cry when the measures are announced. |
| Huff and puff | Breathe loudly, especially after physical exercise. | We were huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top of the tower. |
| Hustle and bustle | Noisy activity and surroundings. | John moved to a small village to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. |
| Ifs and buts | The reasons why someone doesn't want to do something. | I don't want to listen to any ifs and buts! Just tidy up that mess! |
| Ins and outs | The finer details of something. | I heard he was arrested, but I don't know the ins and outs of the story. |
| Knick-knacks | Small objects of little value, especially ornaments. | The old lady’s house was full of knick-knacks. |
| Laughter and tears | Joy and sorrow. | The family reunion was a blend of laughter and tears. |
| Leaps and bounds | Very quickly and by a large degree. | Silvia's English has improved in leaps and bounds this year. |
| Loud and clear | Easy to understand. | The message was loud and clear; everyone understood. |
more Binomials: