right and left

Idioms

In or from all directions, on every side, as in Questions were coming right and left, or She was giving orders right and left. This idiom, first recorded in 1839, uses the directions right and left to signify all sides.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Well, orient us. Right and left — what’s that?”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2022

ICYMI: Jenner apparently bought some drinks at Brooklyn venue/bar Baby's All Right, and left the tip field blank.

From Time • Aug. 9, 2017

Right and left, there is a widespread consensus on the urgent need “to redefine the essence of the European project,” in the words of Arnaud Montebourg, a socialist contender for the nation’s highest office.

From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2016

Right and left alike have been shaken by the attack.

From New York Times • Aug. 28, 2012

Right and left, up and down, through the country I have gone all the years of my life.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 26, July 1880. by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023