Pairs #14

Cheese and crackers. A food pairing often served as a snack or as an hors d'oeuvre.

Open and shut. (informal) Simple and obvious; easily decided.

Bells and whistles. (idiomatic) Extra features added for show rather than function.

Mike and Ike. A brand of oblong fruit-flavored chewy candies introduced in 1940 and still manufactured as of 2023.

Thick and thin. 1. Both thickets and thin woodland; (through) all obstacles in a path. 2. (idiomatic) Both good and bad times.

Heart and soul. The core of a thing; the most essential or important part.

Belt and braces. Redundancy affording mutual backup in the event of one system failing.

Pen and pencil. A pair of writing implements needed by many students.

Head and shoulders. 1. (idiomatic) To a considerable degree. 2. (as Head & Shoulders) A brand of anti-dandruff shampoo.

Form and substance. The structure and content of something, such as a creative work.

Duck and dive. (UK, colloquial) To operate in a skilfully shifty or evasive manner.

Hearth and home. Traditional family values and home life.

Before and after. A description of a pair of images showing the difference made by a specified treatment.

Chips and dip. A dish usually served as a snack or appetizer and consisting of potato, tortilla, corn, bean, vegetable, pita, plantain or other chips (crisps) and one or more dips, e.g., French onion dip, salsa, guacamole.

Nice and easy. In a way that is slow, careful, gentle, or easy.

Over and out. (procedure word, idiomatic) Used in films and TV to signal the end of a conversation, especially one conducted by CB radio or the like. (Not used in real-life radio communications, since “over” means other parties are free to speak and “out” means you do not expect a reply.)

Fish and chips. A hot dish featuring batter-fried fish and chips (French fries), which originated in Britain and is today popular in English-speaking and Commonwealth nations.

Five and dime. (US) A store selling inexpensive items.

First and last. 1. Only. 2. First and last names.

Rhythm and blues. A genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s.

Meet and greet. A social gathering primarily for purposes of networking.

Rich and famous. 1. A description of wealthy celebrities. 2. A 1981 film starring Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen.

Search and rescue. The search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.

Lock and dam. A system that enables a large ship to move from a body of water at one level to another body of water at another level.