SUMMARY
Multiword items in English are a motley crew, as they are not only numerous but also structurally, semantically, and functionally diverse. The paper offers a fresh look at fixed binomials, an intriguing and unexpectedly heterogeneous phraseological type prototypically consisting of two lexical components with the coordinating conjunction and – less commonly but, or, (n)either/ (n)or – acting as the connecting element, as e.g. in body and soul, slowly but surely, sooner or later, neither fish nor fowl. In particular, their idiomaticity and lexicographical significance are highlighted, while the cross-linguistic perspective is only outlined.