S/N | Variants | Examples with Serial Numbers |
1. | Initial prep | to my surprise, 20; in my opinion, 22; to raise one’s eyebrows, 183 |
2. | Prep + prep | from pillar to post, 157; on the edge of a precipice, 180 |
3. | Verb + verb | don’t keep asking (questions), 36 |
4. | Noun + noun | neck and neck, 8 ; cats and dogs, 178 |
5. | Verb + prep | play with fire, 27; vanished into thin air, 129 |
6. | Verb + adv. | reap where you have not sown, 33 |
7. | Adj. + noun | black market, 41; bad books, 120 |
8. | Noun + prep | light at the end of the tunnel, 131 |
9. | Verb + adj. | was being too clever by half, 177 |
10. | Verb + noun | open fire, 27; covered a lot of grounds, 30; broke the ice, 124 |
11. | Prep + noun | out of pocket, 176 |
12. | Adv. + adv. | far and away, 136 |