--- and ---

1. — And is used between repeated words to show continuation or emphasis.

/When the children saw the beautiful Christmas tree they looked and looked./

/Old Mr, Bryan has known Grandfather for years and years, since they were boys./

/Billy dived to the bottom of the lake again and again, looking for the lost watch./

/Everyone wished the speaker would stop, but he talked on and on./

Compare: THROUGH AND THROUGH.

2. — When "and" is used between words with opposite meaning, it often emphasizes how much you mean.

/Mr. Jones worked early and late to earn enough to live./

/The parents hunted high and low for the lost child./

Compare: DAY AND NIGHT, FROM -- TO, INSIDE AND OUT.

Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms

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