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I try to figure out if I can use "now and then" to refer to "past-present-future", as a free interpretation?

Or is the logical meaning in English always "Occasionally"? I need this information in a research for a product name.

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  • I think you should use 'then and now' instead and avoid any confusion.
    – Varun Nair
    Commented Mar 1, 2017 at 8:53

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You certainly can use "now and then" to refer to the past and the present (not sure the future would be involved though) - for example, this BBC article about the differences between London in the past and now.

Arguably though, at least to my British ears, "then and now" would be the more usual ordering if you intend to convey this particular meaning. Historically, "then and now" has been the much more commonly used phrase (apart from a spell in the mid-20th century).

The most probable reason for this is the usage of "now and then" in the idiom (every) now and then, which as you correctly state means "occasionally", "sometimes" or "not very often".

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