BINOMIAL EXPRESSIONS – Does frequency matter?

Janice Golenbock

 

Phrase

 

Words

 

Spoken – Total number of Occurrences

 

Total number of occurrences for all corpora

 

Average Number per Million words (spoken only)

 

Skin and bones

 

Skin

 

182

 

5353

 

19.6/million

 

 

Bones

63

961

6.8/million

Bread and water

Bread

212

2039

22.9/million

 

water

1663

15678

179.3/million

Horse and driver

Horse

262

4369

28.3/million

 

Driver

178

4049

19.2/million

Science and technology

Science

1055

4543

113.8/million

 

Technology

665

4002

71.7/million

Aches and pains

Aches

15

141

1.6/million

 

Pains

52

553

5.6/million

Husband and wife

Husband

925

7963

99.8/million

 

Wife

743

11440

80.1/million

Winners and losers

Winners

23

2905

2.5/million

 

Losers

10

359

1.1/million

Bread and butter

Bread

212

2039

22.9/million

 

Butter

134

1349

14.5/million

Women and children

Women

2329

25693

251.2/million

 

Children

3833

30169

413.4/million

Fruits and vegetables

Fruit/fruits

218

3702

23.5/million

 

Vegetables

104

1434

11.2/million

Men and women

Men

1351

22426

145.7/million

 

Women

2329

25693

251.2/million

Track and field

Track

338

4803

36.5/million

 

Field

764

6650

82.4/million

Fish and chips

Fish

335

5219

36.1/million

 

chips

118

863

12.7/million

Salt and pepper

Salt

124

1641

13.4/million

 

Pepper

107

903

11.5/million

Mom and dad

Mom/mum

2532

6535

273.1/million

 

dad

1583

4953

170.7/million

Cowboys and Indians

cowboys

10

492

1.1/million

 

Indians

58

893

6.3/million

Cats and dogs

Cats

98

1073

10.6/million

 

Dogs

436

2531

47.0/million

Pen and pencil

Pen

125

1289

13.5/million

 

Pencil

62

502

6.7/million

Tables and chairs

Tables

126

1451

13.6/million

 

Chairs

109

1052

11.8/million  

Ball and chain

 

Ball

 

458

 

8684

 

49.4/million

 

 

Chain

164

1868

17.7/million

Nuts and bolts

Nuts

72

659

7.8/million

 

Bolts

30

173

3.21/million

 

Black and white

Black

68

2094

7.3/million

 

 

White

68

2856

7.3/million

 

Peanut butter and jelly

Peanut butter

17

94

1.8/million

 

 

Jelly

28

557

3.0/million

 

Bed and breakfast

Bed

828

6810

89.3/million

 

 

Breakfast

202

2547

21.8/million

 

Surf and turf

Surf

4

621

0.4/million

 

 

Turf

13

471

1.4/million

 

Sticks and stones

Sticks

140

830

15.1/million

 

 

Stones

65

1333

7.0/million

 

Shirt and tie

Shirt

172

2750

18.5/million

 

 

Tie

166

2298

17.9/million

 

Bride and groom

Bride

27

873

2.9/million

 

 

Groom

9

355

1.0/million

 

Brother and sister

Brother

939

5235

101.3/million

 

 

Sister

859

4322

92.6/million

 

Horse and carriage

Horse

262

4369

28.3/million

 

 

Carriage

21

395

2.3/million

 

Sit and listen

 

Sit

 

1378

 

4968

 

148.6/million

 

 

Listen

873

3308

94.7/million

Go and see

Go

21797

58144

2350.7/million

 

See

17678

54467

1906.5/million

Read and write

Read

2191

9693

236.3/million

 

Write

1572

7241

169.5/million

Walk and run

Walk

1607

6202

173.3/million

 

Run

1967

15622

212.1/million

Cook and clean

Cook

238

3047

25.7/million

 

Clean

397

4246

42.8/million

Stop and shop

Stop

1578

10209

170.2/million

 

Shop

1632

6127

176.0/million

Shake and bake

Shake

79

1216

8.5/million

 

Bake

16

310

1.7/million

Laugh and cry

Laugh

346

2018

37.3/million

 

Cry

148

1660

16.0/million

Come and go

Come

11072

37299

1194.1/million

 

Go

21797

58144

2350.1/million

Kick and scream

Kick

200

2981

21.6/million

 

Scream

49

649

5.3/million

Shop and save

Shop

1632

6127

176.0/million

 

Save

456

6349

49.2/million

Wash and dry

Wash

246

1568

25.6/million

 

Dry

234

3653

25.2/million

Hit and run

Hit

604

10921

65.1/million

 

Run

1967

15622

212.1/million

Eat and run

Eat

678

3861

73.1/million

 

Run

1967

15622

212.1/million

Rock and roll

Rock

13

152

1.4/million

 

Roll

131

750

14.1/million

Shower and shave

Shower

133

1053

14.3/million

 

Shave

21

225

2.3/million

Wash and wax

Wash

185

843

20.0/million

 

Wax

1

44

0.1/million

Push and shove

Push

375

1985

40.4/million

 

Shove

25

164

2.7/million

Watch and win

Watch

782

6736

84.3/million

 

Win

322

1672.3

34.7/million

Bump and grind

Bump

18

129

1.9/million

 

Gind

12

126

1.3/million

Plug and chug

Plug

38

247

4.1/million

 

Chug

0

14

0/million

Crash and burn

Crash

74

2186

8.0/million

 

Burn

82

959

8.8/million

Give and take

Give

5061

24477

545.8/million

 

Take

7124

41603

768.3/million

Big and tall

 

Big

 

4193

 

23962

 

452.2/million

 

 

Tall

171

2412

18.4/million

Open and shut

Open

902

10278

97.3/million

 

Shut

435

2527

46.9/million

Hot and heavy

Hot

425

5824

45.8/million

 

Heavy

313

5110

33.8/million

Rough and tough

Rough

193

1666

20.8/million

 

Tough

168

3973

18.1/million

Wet and wild

Wet

229

1873

24.7/million

 

Wild

173

3460

18.7/million

Black and blue

Black

892

14773

96.2/million

 

Blue

292

5698

31.5/million

High and dry

High

1622

24151

174.9/million

 

Dry

180

3125

19.4/million

Bright and sunny

Bright

254

3093

27.4/million

 

Sunny

49

679

5.3/million

Soft and cuddly

Soft

155

3806

16.7/million

 

Cuddly

8

170

0.9/million

Sweet and sour

Sweet

194

2503

20.9/million

 

Sour

26

538

2.8/million

Hot and spicy

Hot

433

5869

46.7/million

 

Spicy

14

302

1.5/million

True and false

True

1471

8742

158.6/million

 

False

236

1682

25.5/million

 


 

Phrase

 

Forward in spoken

(# occurrences)

Forward total

(# occurrences)

Backwards in spoken

(# occurrences)

Backwards total

(# occurrences)

Skin and bones

 

0

 

10

 

0

 

1

 

   Horse and

   driver

0

2

0

1

Science and technology

15

159

6

11

Husband and wife

12

144

2

4

Winners and losers

1

45

0

2

Women and children

4

403

1

10

Fruits and vegetables

2

44

1

11

Men and women

67

1106

5

93

Track and field

1

66

1

2

Salt and pepper

2

186

1

3

Cats and dogs

4

47

2

50

Pen and pencil

1

3

0

1

Tables and chairs

2

21

2

12

Shirt and tie

2

24

0

1

Brother and sister

22

108

5

19

Sticks and stones

0

16

0

2

Read and write

46

131

1

8

Walk and run

1

5

0

2

Laugh and cry

0

9

1

1

Come and go

15

108

3

5

Kick and scream

1

3

0

1

Shower and shave

0

2

0

1

Give and take

15

59

1

2

Rough and tough

0

3

0

1

Wet and wild

0

4

0

3

Black and blue

5

29

3

8

Big and tall

0

3

1

1

Bright and sunny

0

3

0

1