neck and neck
Equal or nearly equal in a race or contest; abreast; tied.
At the end of the race the two horses were neck and neck.
For months John and Harry seemed to be neck and neck in Alice's favor.
nip and tuck
Evenly matched; hard fought to the finish.
The game was nip and tuck until the last minute.
A was a nip and tuck race right to the finish line.
The two salesmen fought nip and tuck for the contract all the way.
not a leg to stand on
leave without a leg to stand on
not have a leg to stand on
No good proof or excuse; no good evidence or defense to offer.
Не достаточные доказательства или оправдания; отсутствие хороших свидетельств или защиты.
The man with a gun and $300 in his pocket was accused of robbing an oil station. He did not have a leg to stand on.
Three people testified against him. He didn't have a leg to stand on.
Трое дали показания против него. Он не мог доказать свою правоту.
now and then
now and again
Not often; not regularly; occasionally; sometimes.
Now and then he goes to a ball game.
The maid broke a dish now and then.
I don't see him very often, but now and then we arrange to have lunch together.
null and void
Not worth anything; no longer valid.
Both the seller and the buyer agreed to forget about their previous contract and to consider it null and void.
nuts and bolts of
The basic facts or important details of something.
"Ted will he an excellent trader," his millionaire grandfather said, "once he learns the nuts and bolts of the profession."
odds and ends
Miscellaneous items; remnants.
After the great annual clearance sale there were only a few odds and ends left in the store.
off and on
on and off
Not regularly; occasionally; sometimes. Sometimes used with hyphens like an adjective.
Joan wrote to a pen pal in England off and on for several years.
It rained off and on all day.
A worn-out cord may make a hearing aid work in an off-and-on way.