Posted by Alan Hakim on March 26, 2006 at 18:46:25 from 212.137.234.230 user awhakim.
In Reply to: to and fro request - was Re: Ransome expressions, but across the pond...(and back again) posted by Ed Kiser on March 25, 2006 at 09:01:27:
"To and fro" is definitely current usage, and has been for as long as I can remember. Only yesterday I read a newspaper article which said that "after much to-ing and fro-ing" a decision had been made. Any reader would know that it had involved a lot of unfruitful discussion. "To and from" would not be a substitute, having a purely geographical meaning: "PM contains telegrams to and from the GA".
Equally, that second example could be replaced by 'from and to' without affecting the sense. The usage 'fro and to' doesn't exist.