Vocabulary: expressions that rhyme
Advanced level English (C1-C2)

There are an interesting group of words and expressions that usually have two elements that rhyme. I recommend you listen out for them and try to develop a feel for how they are used. Here are a few:

Wishy-washy (adj)

Someone or something can be wishy-washy. It has a negative meaning and suggests someone or something is unclear, confused or weak. Some examples:

I’m fed up of wishy-washy liberals defending benefits for people who don’t want to work.
His plan came across as rather wishy-washy. It lacked a clear goal.

Hotchpotch (n)

A hotchpotch is a mixture of things that don’t seem organised or are jumbled and confused. Eg:

The new political party presented a hotchpotch of underdeveloped policies.
The housing development contained a nasty hotchpotch of styles.

Mumbo jumbo (n)

‘Mumbo jumbo’ is used to talk about things that you think are nonsense or have questionable or dubious foundations. Eg:

I don’t believe in all that astrology mumbo jumbo.
All that new-age nonsense is a load of mumbo jumbo if you ask me.
The finance minister dismissed the economic theory as mumbo jumbo.

Nitty-gritty (n)

This means the important, fundamental or practical aspects of a situation. It’s often used as part of other fixed expressions Eg:

It was a challenging meeting. We got down to the nitty-gritty straightaway and didn’t finish until well into the evening.
Her comments focussed on the nitty-gritty of the proposal.

Arty-farty (adj)

This is a negative description of something or someone that is seen as pretentious in the art world. Eg:

I’m tired of reading all that arty-farty nonsense.
The party was full of those arty-farty types.