Technical term for phrases

Posted by Masakim on December 30, 2001

In Reply to: technical term for phrases posted by john netherwood on December 30, 2001

: What is the technical term for phrases such as
: super-duper humpty- dumpty hoity- toity
: and is there a site with a list of these terms?

Reduplicated or Ricochet Words,
of intensifying force. Chit-chat, click-clack, clitter-clatter, dilly-dally, ding-dong, drip-drop, fal-lal, flim-flam, fiddle-faddle, flip-flop, fliffy-fluffy, flippity-floppity, handy-pandy, harum-scarum, helter-skelter, heyve-keyve (Halliwell), hibbledy-hobbledy, higgledy-piggledy, hob-nob, hodge-podge, hoity-toity, hurly-burly, mish-mash, mixy-maxy (Brockett), namby-pamby, niddy-noddy, niminy-piminy, nosy-posy, pell-mell, pit-pat, pitter-patter, randem-tandem, randy-dandy, ribble-rabble, riff-raff, roly-poly, rusty-fusty-crusty, see-saw, shilly-shally, slip-slop, slish-slosh, snick-snack, spitter-spatter, splitter-splutter, squish-squash, teeny-tiny, tick-tack, tilly-valley, tiny-totty, tip-top, tittle-tattle, toe-toes, wee-wee, wiggle-waggle, widdy-waddy (Halliwell), widdle-waddle, wibble-wobble, wish-wash, wishy-washy; besides a host of rhyming synonyms, as bawling-squawling, mewling-pewling, whisky-frisky, musty-fusty, gawky-pawky, slippy-sloppy, rosy-posy, right and tight, wear and tear, high and mighty, etc.; and many more with the Anglo-Saxon letterrhyme, as safe and sound, jog-trot, etc.
From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable