this and that

Idioms  

1. Also, this, that, and the other. Various miscellaneous items, one thing and another, as in He said this and that about the budget, but nothing new or of great substance, or We spent all evening chatting about this, that, and the other. The first idiom was first recorded in 1581; the variant dates from the early 1900s.

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Example Sentences

"The oil industry has not provided a particularly convincing explanation for this, and that is why we will take action."

From Barron's

It really comes down to finding hard evidence of this — and that’s a hard case to prove.

From Los Angeles Times

Making his way deeper into a large, shadowy room filled from floor to ceiling with this and that, Duane spotted something as tall as he, but thinner, with a very round face and no hands or arms.

From Literature

I wanted to show that humor lives within this and that a lot of resilience and strength are also within this, and that was really the motivator.

From Los Angeles Times

It examines unrequited love from the perspective of the singer warning a friend that his girlfriend has been boasting about lavishly spending his money: “Sayin’ you bought her this and that / And how much you done spent / I swear she must believe it’s all heaven sent / Hey boy / You better bring the chick around.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• odds and ends