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What are the Siamese twins of the English language?

(S. N. Prasad, Hyderabad)

Expressions like `to and fro', `safe and sound', `take it or leave it', and `rhyme or reason' are some of the Siamese twins of the English language. They are usually expressions joined together by `and' or `or'. Like the twins, the two words in these expressions are inseparable; their order is fixed and they have only one meaning. You cannot say, `sound and safe' or `leave it or take it'.

S. Upendran

upendrankye@gmail.com

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