Rhyming Compounds
Alphabetical Order
This page contains alphaDictionary's current glossary of rhyming compounds organized in alphabetical order. Asterisks mark the latest additions to our ever-growing glossary. For details, read Dr. Goodword's essay on sing-songy rhyming compounds in English. Click here for the same glossary listed by category.
English Rhyming Compounds | ||
Word | Definition | Type |
argle-bargle | Argument or fight | Rhyming |
artsy-fartsy | Fake-art | Rhyming |
backpack | Satchel carried on back | Rhyming |
bigwig | Important person | Rhyming |
black-jack | Card game | Rhyming |
bogo | Buy one, get one (free) | Rhyming |
boogie-woogie | Fast jazz dance | Rhyming |
boob tube | Television set | Rhyming |
bric-a-brac | Cheap decorative objects | Alliterative |
candy-shmandy | Candy my eye! | SH-Rule |
car-shmar | Car my eye! | SH-Rule |
cha-ching | The sound of a cash register. | Alliterative |
chit-chat | Idle talk | Alliterative |
chitter-chatter | Idle talk | Alliterative |
chug-a-lug | To drink down in one swallow | Rhyming |
claptrap | Cheap talk | Rhyming |
clickety-clack | Heavy clicking | Complex |
cock-a-doodle-doo | Rooster sound | Complex |
cock-a-leekie | Chicken-leek soup | Complex |
Coco | French nickname | Duplicative |
couscous | Steamed semolina | Duplicative |
creepy-crawly | A small flightless frightening creature | Alliterative |
crisscross | To move back & forth | Alliterative |
dadaism | Absurdist art | Duplicative |
dilly-dally | Dawdle, move slowly | Alliterative |
dingaling | Bell sound; foolish person | Complex |
ding-dong | Bell sound | Alliterative |
doodad | Trinket | Alliterative |
fancy-shmancy | Fancy my eye! | SH-Rule |
fast track | Expedited service | Rhyming |
fiddle-faddle | Nonsense | Alliterative |
Fifi | French nickname | Duplicative |
fishy-shmishy | Fishy my eye! | SH-Rule |
flibbertigibbet | A talkative airhead | Complex |
flim-flam | Con game | Alliterative |
flip-flop | Thong slippers, change of mind | Alliterative |
flotsam-jetsam | Sea garbage | Alliterative |
fribble-frabble | Nonsense | Alliterative |
frou-frou | Fussy stuff added to attire | Duplicative |
fuddy-duddy | Old-fashioned person | Rhyming |
fuss budget | Fussy person | Complex |
gibble-gabble | Nonsense talk, drivel | Alliterative |
Gigi | French nickname | Duplicative |
gogo | Fast paced (music) | Duplicative |
goo-goo | Baby talk. | Duplicative |
goody-goody | A smugly or affectedly virtuous person. | Duplicative |
ha-ha | Normal laugh | Duplicative |
handy-dandy | Quite useful | Rhyming |
hanky-panky | Questionable activity | Rhyming |
heebie-jeebies | Chills of fright | Rhyming |
hee-haw | Mule sound | Alliterative |
hee-hee | High-pitched laugh | Duplicative |
he-he | Conniving laugh | Duplicative |
helter-skelter | in all directions | Rhyming |
hi-fi | High quality sound | Rhyming |
higgledy-piggledy | Disorganized | Rhyming |
hip-hop | Chanting music | Alliterative |
hippety-hop | Hopping | Complex |
hobnob | Hang around with | Rhyming |
hocus-pocus | Trickery | Rhyming |
ho-ho | Deep laugh | Duplicative |
hoi-poloi | Ordinary people | Rhyming |
hoity-toity | Showing off | Rhyming |
hokey-pokey | Dance, ice cream | Rhyming |
holus-bolus | All together | Rhyming |
honky-tonk | Sleazy saloon | Rhyming |
hootchy-kootchy | Erotic dance | Rhyming |
hotshot | Important person | Rhyming |
hubba-hubba | Disparaging salute to women | Duplicative |
hubble-bubble | Noisy confusion of sounds | Rhyming |
hubbly-bubbly | Hookah | Rhyming |
hugger-mugger | Secrecy; in secret | Rhyming |
hubbub | Noisy confusion of sounds | Rhyming |
humdrum | Boringly routine. | Rhyming |
Humpty-Dumpty | Nursery rhyme name (egg) | Rhyming |
hunky-dory | OK, alright | Complex |
hurdy-gurdy | Cranked musical instrument | Rhyming |
hurly-burly | Tumult, bustle, confusion | Rhyming |
itsy-bitsy | Very, very little | Rhyming |
itty-bitty | Very, very little | Rhyming |
jelly belly | Protruding stomach | Rhyming |
jiggery-pokery | Trickery | Complex |
jim-jams | Pajamas; the jitters (archaic) | Alliterative |
jingle-jangle | Sound of metallic pieces | Alliterative |
Ju-jubes | Commercial candy name | Rhyming |
KitKat | Commercial candy name | Alliterative |
kitty-cat | A cat | Alliterative |
klip-klop | Sound of hooves | Alliterative |
knick-knack | Trinket | Alliterative |
legal beagle | Agressive lawyer | Rhyming |
lickety-split | Fast | Complex |
linsey-woolsey | Coarse wool fabric | Complex |
litty-bitty | Very, very little | Rhyming |
loosey-goosey | Very relaxed | Rhyming |
lovey-dovey | Affectionate(ly) | Rhyming |
mau-mau | To terrorize | Duplicative |
miminy-piminy | Prim and proper | Rhyming |
Mimi | French nickname | Duplicative |
moo-juice | Milk | Complex |
mumbo-jumbo | Unintelligible speech | Rhyming |
nid-nod | Nod repeatedly | Alliterative |
niddle-noddle | Nod unsteadily | Alliterative |
nightlight | Small electric light | Rhyming |
niminy-piminy | Prim and proper | Rhyming |
nitty-gritty | The details of the essence | Rhyming |
nitwit | Dumb person | Rhyming |
nolens-volens | Like it or not | Rhyming |
okey-dokey | OK | Rhyming |
oops-a-daisey | Exclamation for a fall or lifting | Complex |
pall-mall | Old stick-and-ball game | Rhyming |
palsy-walsy | Suspiciously friendly | Rhyming |
peewee | Very small | Alliterative |
pell-mell | In a rush | Rhyming |
pish-posh! | Nonsense | Alliterative |
Pit-Pat | TV show character | Alliterative |
pitter-patter | Sound of little feet | Alliterative |
poo-poo | Poop | Duplicative |
pooh-pooh | Dismiss as trivial | Duplicative |
pooper-scooper | Pet dropping scoop | Rhyming |
prime time | TV programming 8 to 11 PM | Rhyming |
prittle-prattle | Idle chatter, babble | Alliterative |
raggle-taggle | Strangely mixed | Rhyming |
ragtag | Ragged, disorganized | Rhyming |
ratta-tat(-tat) | Drum roll, drum sound | Rhyming |
razzle-dazzle | Showiness | Rhyming |
razzmatazz | Dazzling display | Complex |
rickrack | Zigzag trim for clothing | Alliterative |
riff-raff | Low life, worthless people | Alliterative |
roly-poly | Round | Rhyming |
roister-doister | Loud-mouth, cut-up, show-off | Rhyming |
rooty-toot(-toot) | Sound of brass instrument | Rhyming |
salary-shmalary | Salary my eye! | SH-Rule |
Scooby-Doo | The name of a cartoon dog. | Rhyming |
seesaw | A teeter-totter; to go back and forth | Alliterative |
shilly-shally | Delay, lag behind | Rhyming |
silly Willy | Casual nickname | Rhyming |
sing-song | Boringly monotonic | Rhyming |
slangwhang | Rant nonsense | Rhyming |
slap-happy | Crazy happy; dizzy from beatings | Complex |
slo-mo | Slow motion (movies) | Rhyming |
Soho | Area of London | Rhyming |
tee-hee | High pitched laugh | Rhyming |
teeter-totter | Wobble; a see-saw | Alliterative |
Tex-Mex | Texas-Mexican | Rhyming |
tick-tock | Sound of an old clock | Alliterative |
tipsy-topsy | Head over heels | Alliterative |
tittle-tattle | Idle chatter | Alliterative |
topsy-turvy | Confused | Complex |
tutti-frutti | Italian ice cream flavor | Rhyming |
twiddle-twaddle | Gab, superficial talk | Alliterative |
Tweedledum & Tweedledee | Two things virtually identical | Alliterative |
voodoo | Caribbean magic | Rhyming |
walkie-talkie | Two-way hand-held portable radio. | Rhyming |
wiggle-waggle | Waggling back and forth | Alliterative |
whipper-snapper | An upstart | Alliterative |
whing-ding | Wild party | Rhyming |
whirly-bird | Helicopter | Complex |
wing-ding | Wild party | Rhyming |
wi-fi | Wideband wireless network | Rhyming |
willy-nilly | Like it or not; randomly | Rhyming |
wishy-washy | Indecisive, vacillating | Alliterative |
yadda-yadda-yadda | Etc., chatter, verbiage | Duplicative |
yackety-yack | Droning chatter | Complex |
zig-zag | Move back and forth | Alliterative |
Thank you to the following contributors: Lenore Taylor, Dr. Robert Whittier, . . .