hammer and tongs
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
They have been going hammer - and - tongs since last July and the tour of Namibia.
I always go hammer and tongs at my running and then wonder why I end up with chest pains sore throats, dead legs, etc.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “Irreversible binomial” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29).
Common questions
What does “hammer and tongs” mean?
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
Is “hammer and tongs” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.