left and rightadv.adj.n.
/ˌlɛft ən(d) ˈrʌɪt/, U.S. /ˌlɛft ən ˈraɪt/ A. adv.
1. On or towards the left and the right; on both sides; in both directions. Cf. right and left adv. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in sideways direction > to right and left
right and lefta1400
left and right1760
omnilaterally1936
1760 R. Lloyd Shakespeare: Epist. to Garrick 6 Shewing its Sorrow, or Delight, By shifting Dances, left and right.
1814 Sporting Mag. June 167 He out-fought his adversary left and right.
1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche i. xxiii. 10 She..Looked left and right to rise and set of day.
1917 ‘Contact’ Airman's Outings 269 Two huge mine-craters sentinel it, left and right.
1946 D. Hamson We fell among Greeks xvii. 180 He would..dip his wings left and right in salute.
2003 M. Atwood Oryx & Crake (2004) xii. 351 ‘These are top-of-the-line,’ he said, nodding left and right.
2. colloquial. On or from all sides; in all directions; indiscriminately; prodigiously. Cf. left, right, and centre at left adj.1, n., and adv. Phrases 2, right and left adv. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > [phrase] > everywhere > on all sides
on all sidesc1275
on all handsc1540
on every handc1540
right and left1822
left and right1824
right, left, and centre1852
1824 Mirror Lit., Amusem., & Instr. 21 Feb. 114/1 Left and right, everywhere there was a blaze.
1869 E. Bulwer-Lytton Walpole ii. i. 35 Every man has his price; I must bribe left and right.
1896 H. Greenbank in O. Hall et al. Songs of Geisha 5 The money in his pocket burns a hole, And he's never happy quite Till he's spent it left and right.
1932 Salamanca (N.Y.) Republican-Press 29 Oct. 5/4 She..deals out scoldings, punishment and denials left and right.
1989 PC World Oct. 84/2 Distributed processing and connectivity between applications is all the rage these days, with ‘seamless’ and ‘transparent’ data access touted left and right.
2002 R. Mistry Family Matters (2003) i. 32 The crackpot accuses people left and right of being anti-this or anti-that.
B. adj.
Characterized by movement to both left and right; characterized by, or involving both the left and the right hands, sides, etc. Cf. right and left adj.Earliest in left-and-right shot n. at Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > quality of having sides or being a side > [adjective] > situated at the side > right and left
right and left1611
right and left handed1738
left and right1856
right-left1904
1856 Weekly Wisconsin (Milwaukee) 6 Aug. 40 birds to be let on flight two at once, making 20 double—a left and right shot; and 60 single ones.
1873 Eng. Mechanic 14 Mar. 634/1 An up-and-down movement was given to the arm B, which in its action communicated a left and right motion to the crank at the other end of the arm A.
1914 E. Cave Boy's Camp Bk. ix. 102 The Myer code shows its advantages for flag signalling; there is no mistaking the big left and right sweeps of the flag, even if it is a mile away.
1952 Let's Dance! Feb. 15/1 Girls reach under with your left hand And go right into a left and right grand.
1988 Sci. News 20 Aug. 122/1 Reciprocal leg extension and flexion—the coordinated left and right ‘stepping’ action of walking.
2008 R. Izhaki Mixing Audio (2013) xiii. 204 An autopanner pans audio back and forth between the left and right sides of the stereo panorama... With slow rate..the left and right movement is clearly recognizable.
C. n.
1. Shooting. = left-and-right shot n. at Compounds. Cf. right and left n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > shooting > [noun] > a shot at game
snapshot1808
left1833
right and left1833
pot-shot1843
snap1851
body shot1857
left and right1886
pot1986
1886 Punch 18 Dec. 289/2 He blew both the Rector's legs off with a cheerful left and right.
1905 Western Field Jan. 440/2 Bang! Bang! Good boy!! A left and right.
1958 J. Betjeman County in Coll. Poems (1997) 316 A left and right! Well done, sir! They're falling in the road; And here's your other gun, sir.
1994 Game Gaz. Dec. 93/3 I really started to get stuck in, taking birds that I never dreamt I was capable of shooting, including half a dozen left and rights.
2. Boxing. An attack consisting of a blow delivered with the left hand followed by a blow delivered with the right hand. Cf. right and left n. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific thing > [noun] > with the hand > right or left
right1804
left1806
left-hander1816
right-hander1823
left and right1896
1896 Rocky Mountain News (Denver) 21 Nov. 3/3 Mac landed hard left and rights on the head and ribs.
1920 H. C. Witwer Kid Scanlan viii. 393 The Kid staggers Arthur with a lucky right smash to the chin, and then a half a dozen left and rights to the body cut his size down.
1965 Times 2 June 4/7 He struck at last with a left and right to the jaw that made McGowan bend at the knees.
2009 B. Paxton Fearless Harry Greb xiv. 183 Greb started wrestling Walker, then threw a left and right to his face.
Compounds
left-and-right shot n. Shooting a shot from both barrels of a double-barrelled shotgun; an instance of hitting game with the shots from both barrels.
ΚΠ
1856 Weekly Wisconsin (Milwaukee) 6 Aug. 40 birds to be let on flight two at once, making 20 double—a left and right shot; and 60 single ones.
1952 J. A. Hunter Hunter xii. 171 Dropping both beasts with a quick left and right shot.
2002 I. Badhwar Sniffing Papa iii. 27 That idiot of a bird-picker who had refused to see that brilliant left-and-right shot with Number Four shells.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.adj.n.1760