# The lazy and superfluous "and/or" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322 "2008-05-06T18:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/21 "2008-05-07T11:47:19Z")
I think a Mod should change the thread title to **The lazy and/or superfluous “and/or”**. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/22 "2008-05-07T14:04:39Z")
I have no problem with ‘and/or’. It’s when people use the phrase ‘if and when’ about a future event. Either something _may_ happen (if) or _will_ happen (when). Unless I’m missing something. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/23 "2008-05-07T14:31:31Z")
I think the thing with ‘if and when’ is that, should the ‘if’ become a definite ‘yes’, then there will be a ‘when’. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/24 "2008-05-07T14:42:12Z")
[QUOTE=sandra\_nz] I think the thing with ‘if and when’ is that, should the ‘if’ become a definite ‘yes’, then there will be a ‘when’. [/QUOTE] Then at the time of writing, only an ‘if’ should be necessary as far as I can tell. Maybe the (IMO) unnecessary ‘when’ is there to suggest an increased likelihood. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/25 "2008-05-07T17:09:56Z")
It seems to that in “If and when A, then B”, then “when” is there to tell you that that’s the moment in time when B will occur: when A occurs. (And the “if”, of course, accounts for the possibility that A may not occur by making this explicitly conditional on A occurring) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/26 "2008-05-07T17:13:58Z")
I have actually met a person who used the phrase “or/and/or.” Seems like a bit of overkill. ---
**Author:** ![justpassingthrough](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@justpassingthrough](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justpassingthrough)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322/27 "2008-05-07T21:35:38Z")
I’m with the OP in my dislike of ‘and/or.’ My boss, however, loves the phrase and recently used it 16 times in one 3-page report. I recently asked if an ‘or both’ statement she made wasn’t redundant with the ‘and/or’ used earlier in the sentence. Oh no…no redundancy. ‘And/or’ followed later by ‘both’ conveyed exactly what she wanted. Feel free to let me know I’m a rube, but the (2) bosses’ frequent use of ‘and/or’, ‘centerized’, and ‘reviewal’ makes me think at least one of us has a few misconceptions about (American) business English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lazy-and-superfluous-and-or/448322.md?page=1)