• НЕТ-НЕТ ДА И...; НЕТ-НЕТ ДА (И)... all coll
[Particle; these forms only; fixed WOl periodically, sometimes, at irregular intervals: from time to time; (every) once in a while; (every) now and then (again); every so often; occasionally; [in limited contexts]
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⇒ an occasional [NP].
♦ ...Вращаясь в высоких кругах, Яконов нет-нет да и слышал подробности, недоступные печати (Солженицын 3)...Moving as he did in high circles, Yakonov from time to time heard about details not available to the press (3a).
♦ Нюра, идя следом, нет-нет да и поглядывала украдкой на нового своего знакомого (Войнович 2). Every once in a while, as she followed behind him, Nyura would steal a glance at her new acquaintance (2a).
♦ "Буду вот твои сочинения читать, буду про тебя слышать ото всех, а нет-нет - и сам зайдешь проведать, чего ж лучше?" (Достоевский 3). Til read your writings, I'll hear about you from everyone, and once in a while you'll stop by to see me yourself-what could be better?" (3c). "What I'll do is read your articles, and I'll also be hearing about you from everybody else, and now and again you'll come to see me yourself; what could be better?" (3a).
♦ Влад нет-нет да сходит туда, в тот двор, и теперь (Максимов 2). Even now Vlad still occasionally passes by and goes into that courtyard (2a)
♦ Самолёт всё еще плыл над ватной пустыней, но в пустыне эюй уже стали возникать просветы: нет-нет да блеснет внизу ночное озеро или изгиб реки... (Аксенов 6). The aircraft was still floating over a wilderness of cotton, but gaps were already starting to appear in that wilderness. Down below were occasional glints of nocturnal lake or the bend of a river . (6a)
Большой русско-английский фразеологический словарь. — М.: ACT-ПРЕСС КНИГА. С.И. Лубенская. 2004.