right and left

Idioms  

1. 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

Successive governments of the right and left have positioned the country, which has the world's sixth-fastest internet speeds, according to Speedtest Global Index, as a tech hub.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

He was a fierce defender of the independence of his organisation from political and ministerial pressure - from right and left.

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025

“Look, it’s an interesting time in my country, but most people, right and left, want the same. They want a job with dignity, health for themselves and their family,” he said.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

“Before that, when they left my premises, they looked right and left to see if ICE was around, every day, all the time. They lived with that,” Metchek said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2025

And usually he was such a slow careful driver, stopping dead at every cross-roads, peering to right and left, blowing his horn at every bend in the road.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier