The idiom “and counting” is not a very old idiom in that it seems to have originated with the launch of rockets and the associated countdowns. It probably originated in the mid-1900’s.
Meaning of ‘and Counting’
‘And counting‘ is used to indicate that a number or amount of something is going up and will probably keep rising, perhaps for an indefinite span of time.
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Notes On Use
And counting is most often used to refer to numbers that are going up, but sometimes can refer to numbers that go down, especially in regards to awaiting some event or important date.
Sentence Examples
“Our company is off to a great start, we’ve netted $100,000 and counting!”
“The new app has reached 4,500 users and counting.”
“It’s 21 days and counting until my vacation.”
“Which city will be reached first?” “Houston, Texas. ETA six minutes and counting.”— Independence Day (1996)
“How long have you had your dental practice?” “Twelve years, seven months and counting.” — Under the Mistletoe (2006)
Origin
As above, the idiom ‘and counting’ refers to launching rockets, particularly into outer space, and the countdowns associated with them, as in “T-minus 10 seconds and counting. However, in a countdown, the number goes down while the idiom is usually used to refer to numbers that are going up.
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