Off and on

There's a teensy weensy idiomatic difference between these uses but , as others, have said, if it's only meaning you're after, what the whatever? ?

I do a bit of temari making off and on.

The rain has been on and off all day.

Oldnproud

I say on and off, but the other way round doesn't bother me, as it still makes sense - unlike my DH's use of far and few between instead of few and far between.

"Far and few, far and few are the lands where the Jumblies live" ?

As long as my listener knows what I mean, what on earth does it matter? As it happens, I'd normally say 'on and off'; 'fork and knife' would sound odd to me, but I'd understand the speaker. So what?

Juliet27

On and off (you can’t have off first if nothing’s on?)

Knife and fork

But what if you are talking not about rain, but about the lights in your house? If they suddenly start to flicker, they must have been 'on' in the first place, and the first indication of a problem is their going off, then on ... ?

On and off, knife and fork, few and far between for me.

On and off (you can’t have off first if nothing’s on?)

Knife and fork

I say on and off, but the other way round doesn't bother me, as it still makes sense - unlike my DH's use of far and few between instead of few and far between.

My phone's weather app says I can turn on notifications "when rain or snow is starting or stopping" near me.

on and off

or showery

I have always said "on and off", but I suppose it is optional.

Just to add to the confusion, I say "knife and fork", but DH says "fork and knife".

I say off and on. Perhaps it's a regional thing? I'm a Londoner.