now and then
285
1.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
de vez en cuando
- Every now and then I got to mow the lawn.
- only now and then
- now and then I hear
- now and then, here and there
You can still be successful now and then, but it won't make you happy.
- You can still be successful now and then, but it won't make you happy.
- And every now and then around safe people.
- You know, one of my first coaches that I actually now and then still speak with.
- But there is some room for guidance, for a push now and then.
Examples
-
You should leave the house now and then.
-
Every now and then, I like to take a long walk to clear my mind.
-
And every now and then around safe people.
-
Just check in with me now and then.
-
Every now and then I feel his presence.
-
You got a good idea every now and then.
-
There have been a couple of men every now and then who took off.
Fiction book (1990) -
Every now and then, an occasional long shot pays off.
-
And they traveled back now and then by bus to visit relatives and others still there.
Academic text (2009) -
You know, Niki, every now and then, it helps if people like you.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
On some occasions but not always
451
1.0
Happens sometimes but not often
438
2.0
Happens sometimes but not often
427
1.6
Sometimes, but not very often
267
1.4
Happens sometimes but not regularly
137
2.0
Sometimes, not very often
88
1.6
Happens one or two times, not often
79
1.7
It happens sometimes but not very often
73
2.0
Happens sometimes but not regularly
54
2.3
Happens sometimes but not very often
41
2.4
Happens sometimes, but not very often
30
2.5
Happens sometimes but not regularly
16
5.0
Happening only sometimes
13
6.5
Happening only sometimes and not regularly
Not happening often
Antonyms
How Often
Surface Forms
Morphology
now + and + then
The phrase combines two obvious temporal adverbs ('now' and 'then') joined by 'and' to signal intermittent occurrences, so the meaning 'occasionally' is directly inferable from the constituents. This compositional temporal contrast is common cross-linguistically and follows a transparent logic that a B1 learner who knows the parts can readily understand.
Etymology
Now and then may come from a simple time picture: saying now and then points to two separate moments, not every moment in between. So it came to mean 'occasionally' or 'from time to time'.