Good and ...

[Rudolph C Troike]

        This is a question that has probably been dealt with before on the
list, but whether or not, it would be helpful to get some information on
it. A friend relayed to me a question as to

        (1) the origins of expressions such as "good and mad", "good and
tired", "nice and easy", "nice and slow", where the seemingly compounded
adjectives "good and" and "nice and" lack their usual (literal) lexical
meaning, and function as intensifiers comparable to "very"; and

        (2) the position of these within the structure of the Adjective
Phrase (thinking in terms of a Chomskyan tree of some recent vintage).

        Any ideas on either question will be appreciated.


                -- Rudy Troike