every now and then
every now and then (idiom)
/ˈɛvri naʊ ən ðɛn/
Synopsis
The idiom “every now and then” means to do something occasionally or at irregular intervals, without any fixed pattern. It developed in England during the seventeenth century as an extended form of the older phrase “now and then”, which had long meant “sometimes.”
Meanings
- Occasionally; sometimes, but not regularly.
- At irregular intervals over a period of time.
- Not very often, but more than rarely.
Synonyms: occasionally; sometimes; from time to time; every so often; every once in a while; now and then; on occasion; sporadically.
Example Sentences
- every now and then, I like to step away from work and take a quiet walk to reset my mind.
- We still talk every now and then, catching up whenever our schedules allow.
- The old porch light flickers every now and then, reminding us it needs replacing.
Origin and History
The idiom “every now and then” has long conveyed the meaning of doing something occasionally or at irregular intervals. Its modern sense is essentially the same as its earliest documented uses: an action occurs, but not frequently or predictably.
Growth from an Older Time Expression
The expression developed from the earlier English phrase “now and then”, recorded in the fifteenth century with the meaning “occasionally.” English speakers later strengthened this idea of scattered repetition by adding the determiner “every”, forming “every now and then” with a slightly heightened emphasis on repeated but unscheduled occurrences. Comparable “now and then” forms appear in nearby Germanic languages, but the expanded English construction is uniquely English in invention.
Seventeenth-Century Emergence
Evidence places the rise of “every now and then” in seventeenth-century England. A clear example appears in the 1666 diary of Samuel Pepys, who used the phrase in describing his movements during the Great Fire of London. His usage shows that educated Londoners were already employing the expression in its familiar sense.
Earliest Printed Witness
The earliest well-known printed example occurs in Joseph Addison’s essay “Sir Roger at Church,” published in 1711. There, the narrator observes Sir Roger greeting parishioners and pausing “every now and then” to inquire after families he does not see present. This seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century documentation anchors the idiom firmly in written English, demonstrating its transition from everyday speech into public literary culture.
English Origin and Linguistic Setting
All early occurrences point decisively to England, particularly London, as the birthplace of “every now and then”. Its vocabulary consists entirely of native English words, and its earliest uses arise in personal diaries and periodical essays, indicating that it was part of natural, evolving English idiom rather than a borrowed or translated form.
Stable Meaning Across Centuries
From the early eighteenth century onward, the idiom appears consistently in British and later American writing with the same meaning it holds today: something happens from time to time, without regularity. Variants such as “every now and again”, “every so often”, and the simpler “now and then” have circulated alongside it, but none have altered the core sense of irregular, occasional occurrence that defines “every now and then”.
Variants
- every now and again
- now and then
- every now and again (with or without “every”)
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