What is "now and then"

Now \Now\ (nou), adv. [OE. nou, nu, AS. n[=u], nu; akin to D., OS., & OHG. nu, G. nu, nun, Icel., n[=u], Dan., Sw., & Goth. nu, L. nunc, Gr. ny`, ny^n, Skr. nu, n[=u]. [root]193. Cf. New.]

1. At the present time; at this moment; at the time of speaking; instantly; as, I will write now.

   I have a patient now living, at an advanced age, who discharged blood from his lungs thirty years ago.
   --Arbuthnot.

2. Very lately; not long ago.

   They that but now, for honor and for plate, Made the sea blush with blood, resign their hate.
   --Waller.

3. At a time contemporaneous with something spoken of or contemplated; at a particular time referred to.

   The ship was now in the midst of the sea.
   --Matt. xiv. 2

4. 4. In present circumstances; things being as they are; -- hence, used as a connective particle, to introduce an inference or an explanation.

   How shall any man distinguish now betwixt a parasite and a man of honor?
   --L'Estrange.

   Why should he live, now nature bankrupt is?
   --Shak.

   Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now, Barabbas was a robber.
   --John xviii. 40.

   The other great and undoing mischief which befalls men is, by their being misrepresented. Now, by calling evil good, a man is misrepresented to others in the way of slander.
   --South.

   Now and again, now and then; occasionally.

   Now and now, again and again; repeatedly. [Obs.]
   --Chaucer.

   Now and then, at one time and another; indefinitely; occasionally; not often; at intervals. ``A mead here, there a heath, and now and then a wood.''
   --Drayton.

   Now now, at this very instant; precisely now. [Obs.] ``Why, even now now, at holding up of this finger, and before the turning down of this.''
   --J. Webster (1607).

   Now . . . now, alternately; at one time . . . at another time. ``Now high, now low, now master up, now miss.''
   --Pope.

Then \Then\ ([th][e^]n), adv. [Originally the same word as than. See Than.]

1. At that time (referring to a time specified, either past or future).

   And the Canaanite was then in the land.
   --Gen. xii. 6.

   Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
   --1 Cor. xiii. 1

2. 2. Soon afterward, or immediately; next; afterward.

   First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
   --Matt. v. 24.

3. At another time; later; again. One while the master is not aware of what is done, and then in other cases it may fall out to be own act. --L'Estrange. By then.

   1. By that time.

   2. By the time that. [Obs.]

      But that opinion, I trust, by then this following argument hath been well read, will be left for one of the mysteries of an indulgent Antichrist.
      --Milton.

      Now and then. See under Now, adv.

      Till then, until that time; until the time mentioned.
      --Milton.

      Note: Then is often used elliptically, like an adjective, for then existing; as, the then administration.

adv. (context idiomatic English) sometimes; occasionally; intermittently

adv. now and then or here and there; "he was arrogant and occasionally callous"; "open areas are only occasionally interrupted by clumps of trees"; "they visit New York on occasion"; "now and again she would take her favorite book from the shelf and read to us"; "as we drove along, the beautiful scenery now and then attracted his attention" [syn: occasionally, on occasion, once in a while, now and again, at times, from time to time]

Now and Then is a 1995 American coming-of-age film directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and starring Christina Ricci, Rosie O'Donnell, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, Gaby Hoffmann, Demi Moore, Ashleigh Aston Moore and Rita Wilson. The supporting cast features Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, Cloris Leachman, and Bonnie Hunt, among many others. The plot follows four women who recount a pivotal summer they shared together as adolescents in 1970.

It was filmed largely in Savannah, Georgia, although called Shelby, Indiana in the movie, using the Gaslight Addition and Old Town Cemetery, highlighting the downtown area. Additional filming was done in Statesboro, Georgia in locations including the Bulloch County Court House (also featured in the film "1969") and the building now housing the Averitt Center for the Arts.

A dramatic sequence in the film features a storm drain in a rainstorm that is on Statesboro's West Main Street, across the street from Main Street Billiards and near 119 Chops Restaurant.

On July 18, 2012, it was announced that ABC Family would develop the film into a television series by I. Marlene King, who wrote the film and adapted Pretty Little Liars. However, the project did not move past the development stage.

Now and Then may refer to:

Now And Then is a 2008 compilation album by Chris de Burgh. It was released on UMTV Records on April 21, 2008.

Now and Then is an album recorded by The Rowan Brothers: Chris & Lorin in 2004. It's partly compilation of archive tracks from 1970's, partly newly recorded material.

Now and Then is the 35th book in Robert B. Parker's Spenser series and first published in 2007.

When a simple case turns into a treacherous and politically charged investigation, Spenser faces his most difficult challenge yet-keeping his cool while his beloved Susan Silverman is in danger.

Spenser knows something's amiss the moment Dennis Doherty walks into his office. The guy's aggressive yet wary, in the way men frightened for their marriages always are. So when Doherty asks Spenser to investigate his wife Jordan's abnormal behavior, Spenser agrees.

Now and Then is the third studio album by the Canadian country music artist Michelle Wright. It was released on May 22, 1992, on Arista Nashville. The album's first single, " Take It Like a Man", became Wright's first number one hit on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart and her only top ten hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Two more singles, " One Time Around" and " Guitar Talk", also topped the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.

"Now and Then" (also known as "I Don't Want to Lose You" or "Miss You") is the name given to an unreleased composition by John Lennon. It was first recorded in demo form in 1978 and was considered in 1995 as a third possible reunion single by Lennon's former band, The Beatles, for their 1995 autobiographical project The Beatles Anthology.

Lennon wrote "Now and Then" in the late 1970s, around the same time as " Free as a Bird" and " Real Love". He recorded the unfinished piece of music in a demo form at his home at the Dakota Building, New York City, around 1979. The lyrics are typical of the apologetic love songs that Lennon wrote in the later half of his career. Despite reports, for the most part the verses are nearly complete, though there are still a few lines that Lennon did not flesh out on the demo tape performance.

"Now and Then" is a song written by Gary Harrison and Karen Staley and recorded by Staley. It was released in 1989 as the second single from her debut album, Wildest Dreams. It peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The song was later recorded by Canadian country music artist Michelle Wright. Wright's version was released in 1994 as the seventh single from her third studio album, Now and Then. It peaked at number 9 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in May 1994.