Save and...

Is it "save and except" OR "save and accept"? This one stumps me all the time.

We are, we confess quite adept
At clearing up phrases. Except,
We find it absurd
To define just one word.
See the dictionary, read, and accept.

Neither version is a common phrase in everyday nontechnical English. What's the context? Do you find "save and ___" in legal documents, by any chance? Lawyers love to say things twice to make sure that what they write is clear. A contract might specify that Party A shall pay Party B $1,000 a day for use of machinery that B owns, "save and except" days when the machinery breaks down and can't be used.

"Save" is an old-fashioned way of saying "except." So, if the context is as above, what you have there is a pair of synonyms. ~rb