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Siamese twin

Either of a pair of identical twins born with their bodies joined at some point, a result of the incomplete division of the ovum from which the twins developed.

[After Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), joined Chinese twins born in Siam (Thailand).]

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World of the Body: Siamese twins

Conjoined twins result when there is incomplete cleavage and separation of monozygotic (single egg) twins. The twins may be joined at the head end (craniopagus) or tail end (ischiopagus and pyopagus), but the majority who survive are joined ventrally with varying degrees of coalescence (thoracopagus and omphalopagus). They may share heart, blood vessels, liver, and gut. Successful surgical separation will depend upon the degree of coalescence of major organs.

Throughout recorded history there are many references to surviving conjoined twins. One of the earliest reports concern Mary and Eliza Chalkhurst, born at Biddenden, Kent, England in the year 1100. They died in 1134 within six hours of each other. They bequeathed 20 acres of land to the church wardens from which a yearly income was used to provide, for the poor, cakes with the imprint of their effigies ‘in their habit as they lived’ together with bread and cheese. For many years this ceremony took place on Easter Monday at their birthplace. As late as 1874 an observer noted that the Biddenden Maids cakes are ‘simple flour and water, are four inches long by two inches wide and are much sought after’. They bear the date 1100 and also their age at death.

'The Biddenden Maid biscuits' — reproduction of an imprinted cake. From Ballantyne, J. W. (1904), Manual of antenatal pathology and hygiene. Wm. Green, Edinburgh

The most notable were the Siamese twins, Eng and Chang, who were born in Siam in 1811, the fourth pregnancy of a Chinese father and a half-Siamese/Chinese mother. They were joined at the chest and upper abdomen. They were ‘discovered’ in 1829 by a Scottish trader, Andrew Hunter who realized their commercial potential and took them to England in 1830, where he exhibited them as ‘The Siamese Double Boys’ for five years. Chang, Eng, and Hunter then embarked on a tour of America, where Phineas T. Barnum ‘acquired’ them in 1835 as exhibits in ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. By 1840 they had earned enough money to retire and became gentlemen farmers in North Carolina. In 1844 they married Addie and Sally Yates, daughters of a nearby farmer, and during the next 20 years had 21 children between them, 10 to Addie, who was married to Chang, and 11 to Sally.

With the advent of the Civil War in 1861 Chang and Eng were forced to move north with their families, and in New York they rejoined Barnum and recouped their lost fortunes. During their travels on show they were seen by many famous surgeons, who considered their separation. Sir James Young Simpson, Professor of Medicine and Midwifery in the University of Edinburgh, gives full details of his examination of them in the British Medical Journal of February 13, 1869.

Whilst on a voyage from Liverpool to New York in 1872, Chang had a paralytic stroke and was partially dragged about by Eng for some months thereafter. Fortunately they had by this time amassed sufficient money to return to the South and rebuild their mansions. At the age of 63, Chang, who was the more argumentative and aggressive of the brothers, and who drank to excess, developed a chest infection. It had been the custom for many years for the families to spend two weeks in alternate mansions. Chang's ‘bronchitis’ developed on Monday 12 January, 1874, and in spite of being unwell he moved to Eng's house on the Thursday of that week. He died on the Saturday morning whilst sleeping on a couch in front of the fire. Eng wakened and discovered his dead brother but died a little more than two hours later. Postmortem examinations showed that they shared muscle and liver tissue, and they were buried, still joined, in a single grave in North Carolina.

— Jim Nielson, Forrester Cockburn

Columbia Encyclopedia: Siamese twins,

congenitally united organisms that are complete or nearly complete individuals. They develop from a single fertilized ovum that has divided imperfectly; complete division would produce identical twins, having the same sex and general characteristics. Siamese twins remain attached at the abdomen, chest, back, or top of the head, depending on where the division of the ovum has failed. In some instances the individuals are joined only by a band of musculofibrous tissue and can be separated surgically, but in other instances they share vital organs and separation may not be possible. Sometimes an ovum divides in such a way that an organism develops having one body and two heads, or one head and two sets of limbs; such organisms are known as monsters. Only rarely do Siamese twins survive birth. When they do, fatal illness in one dooms the other unless separation is possible. The name Siamese twins derives from the most famous of conjoined male twins, Chang and Eng, born in Siam of Chinese parents in 1811. They were exhibited in Barnum's circus for many years; although never separated, they married and fathered a total of 22 children. They died within 2 hours of each other in 1874. See multiple birth.

Veterinary Dictionary: Siamese twins

Identical (monozygotic) twins joined together at birth. The connection may be slight or extensive. It involves skin and usually muscles or cartilage of a limited region, such as the head, chest, hip or buttock. The twins may share a single organ, such as an intestine, or occasionally may have parts of the spine in common. A rare congenital malformation in animals. Called also conjoined twins.

Wikipedia: Siamese twins (English language)

The phrase Siamese twins in the context of the English language refers to a pair or grouping of words that is used together as an idiomatic expression, usually conjoined by the words and or or, and the order of elements cannot be reversed. The expression take it or leave it is an example of Siamese twins.

The ordering of Siamese twins is important. If the order is reversed, then the conjoined elements lose their idiomatic meaning. Hence, it is always take it or leave it but never leave it or take it. A Siamese twins phrase has a single, distinctive meaning.

Origin

The term Siamese twins originates with Chang and Eng Bunker, the conjoined twins from Siam. In the context of the English language, this word was first used and popularised by H. W. Fowler, a renowned lexicographer.

Conjunction

The most common conjunctions used in a phrase that constitutes Siamese twins are and or or.

Examples of Siamese twins with "and" as the conjunction

airs and graces
alive and kicking
an arm and a leg
Anthony and Cleopatra
back and forth
bacon and beans
Barbie and Ken
be-all and end-all
bells and whistles
Ben and Jen
bit and bridle
bits and bobs
bitter and twisted
black and blue
blood and guts
bottled beer and oysters
bow and arrow
boys and girls
bubble and squeak
by and large
cap and gown
cat and mouse
cats and dogs
clean and tidy
crash and burn
crimson and clover
Darby and Joan
down and out

far and away
far and wide
fast and loose
fingers and thumbs
fish and chips
gismos and gadgets
grin and bear it
ham and cheese
hammer and sickle
hammer and tongs
hard and fast
heaven and hell
here and there
hide and seek
high and dry
high and mighty
home and dry
hot and cold
hugs and kisses
husband and wife
in and out
intents and purposes
Jack and Jill
king and queen
knife and fork
ladies and gentlemen
lavender and old lace
law and order
live and let live

loaves and fishes
lock and load
lost and found
loud and clear
love and war
make and mend
man and boy
man and wife
meat and potatoes
meet and greet
men and women
mice and men
milk and honey
mother and father
mum and dad
night and day
nuts and bolts
odds and ends
off and away
old and new
once and for all
P's and Q's
peanut butter and jelly
peas and carrots
pros and cons
rock and roll
Romeo and Juliet
shake and bake

shits and giggles^[1]
sick and tired
skin and bone
song and dance
Sonny and Cher
spick and span
spit and polish
stop and go
strawberry cake and spinach
Sturm und Drang
sweetness and light
tea and crumpets
then and there
there and then
thick and thin
time and again
time and time again
to and fro
Tom and Huck
tooth and nail
touch and go
trial and error
up and about
up and coming
up and down
warts and all
wine and roses
yes and no

Examples of Siamese twins with "or" or "nor" or as the conjunction

all or nothing
day or night
do or die
(neither) fish nor fowl
(neither) hide nor hair
kill or cure
(neither) love nor money
make or break
more or less
one way or another
rain or shine
sink or swim
sooner or later
take it or leave it
yes or no

Structure

The structure of any Siamese twins phrase has words that are related in some way or the other. The words comprising a Siamese twins phrase may be synonyms, antonyms, include alliterations or similar-sounding words. Other varieties of Siamese twins may also be possible.

Examples of Siamese twins employing antonyms

back to front
beginning to end
better or worse
black and white
cops and robbers
coming and going
Cowboys and Indians
dawn till dusk
dead or alive
floor to ceiling
food and drink
give and take
give or take
heads or tails
hide and seek
high and low
hit and miss
in and out
inside out
life or death
near and far
now and then
pros and cons
rank and file
start to finish
sweet and sour
to and fro
top to bottom
up and down
upside down
wax and wane
yes and no

Examples of Siamese twins employing synonyms

by hook or by crook (This originally referred to the right to gather firewood only by breaking off dry dead wood by hand, or with a blunt tool such as a crook or a hook; but sharp cutting tools were used so often furtively that the expression got its present meaning of "by any means at all".)
cease and desist
first and foremost
heart and soul
leaps and bounds
neat and tidy
nook and cranny
peace and quiet
pick and choose
prim and proper
rant and rave

Examples of Siamese twins employing alliteration

bag and baggage
belt and braces
the birds and the bees
black and blue
bread and butter
cash and carry
chalk and cheese (Although figuratively, these two words are used as antonyms)
fast and furious
fun and frolics
fur and feathers
hearth and home
hem and haw
kith and kin
part and parcel
pillar to post
rest and recreation (a.k.a. R'n'R)
rest and relaxation (a.k.a. R'n'R)
rough and ready
safe and sound
sixes and sevens
spick and span
stars and stripes
sugar and spice
top and tail

Examples of Siamese twins employing similar-sounding words

box and cox
chalk and talk
flotsam and jetsam
hither and thither
huff and puff
hustle and bustle
meet and greet
namby-pamby
odds and sods
onwards and upwards
out and about
shout and clout
time and tide
tweedledum and tweedledee (tweedledee and tweedledum is also used)
wear and tear
willy-nilly
wine and dine

Examples of Siamese twins employing the same word twice

again and again
around and around
back to back
bumper to bumper
cheek to cheek
(on the) up and up
elbow to elbow
eye to eye
face to face
hand in hand
hand to hand
head to head
heart to heart
little by little
man to man
more and more
mouth to mouth
neck and neck
on and on
out and out
over and over
side by side
side to side
so and so
step by step
strength to strength
such and such
through and through
time after time
(from) time to time
wall to wall
woman to woman

Examples of Siamese twins from Rhyming slang

Adam and Eve
apples and pears
bottle and glass
Brahms and Liszt
dog and bone
frog and toad
north and south
rabbit and pork
trouble and strife
two and eight
whistle and flute

Variants

Siamese twins occurring as a pair (that is, having two words occurring together) are also known as binomials. If the variant has three words occurring together, it is also known as a trinomial.

Examples of trinomials

Big, fat, and ugly
Blood, sweat and tears
Cool, calm and collected
Ear, nose and throat (E.N.T.)
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Here, there and everywhere
Hook, line and sinker
Hop, skip and jump
Judge, jury and executioner
Lock, stock and barrel
Red, white and blue
Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll
Tall, dark, and handsome
The good, the bad, and the ugly
Tom, Dick and Harry

References and external links

^ http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shits+and+giggles

The column Know Your English in the Indian newspaper The Hindu dated November 1, 2005.
The Siamese twins of language - Article in the Education section of The Hindu dated 8 July 2003
Frases Binomiales
Some examples of Siamese twins employing the same word twice

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
		Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Siamese twins (English language)". Read more

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