by one and one
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Singly, one at a time; en- tirely by oneself. He was one too many for me. He was a little bit too clever, he outwitted me.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “by one and one” mean?
Singly, one at a time; en- tirely by oneself. He was one too many for me. He was a little bit too clever, he outwitted me.
Is “by one and one” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.