So there was just a thunderstorm, and my sister came with a question I couldn’t answer: Why is it “thunder and lightning”, because the lightning comes before the thunder? Shouldn’t it be “lightning and thunder”? And now I wonder, where did the phrase “thunder and lightning” come from, and why isn’t it “lightning and thunder”? … Read more
Why do we often say “kith and kin” and not “kin and kith”? I was taught to believe that family comes first and the other later, and I do still believe in what I was taught. Answer I’ll try to satisfy your curiosity. Kith originally meant your native land. So kith and kin was “country … Read more
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 law and order wit and wisdom salt and pepper bacon and eggs horse and carriage Adam and Eve ladies and gentlemen loud … Read more
While I was translating the sentence “Mi tío y mi tía estaban caminando en esa calle cuando vieron tu coche,” on DuoLingo, I got dinged for translating the sentence to “My aunt and uncle were walking on that street when they saw your car.” The “correct” translation on the site appears to be “My uncle … Read more
I’m curious if the order implies anything here. I’m pretty sure “Mom and Dad” is standard in English. The issue was hard for me to google, so I’m asking it here: Is using “Dad” before “Mom” incorrect, or is it just not often seen/bad practice? I see both, but “Mom and Dad” is far more … Read more
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 come forth; go forth. Wouldn’t the term be more meaningful if “forth” was used first since you have to have a starting place … Read more
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 pets I know of. What is the preferred order? Dogs are superior. Don’t put dogs and cats … Read more
