A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

be in stitches • not have a stitch on
be in stitches —(coll.) be laughing noisily and deeply: We
were in stitches! You’ll be in stitches too when you see him on
the stage!
not have a stitch on —have no clothes on: Little Tommy
spent most of the time running around the pool with not a
stitch on.
be in the clouds • be on cloud seven
be in the clouds —(also: be in the skies) be given to day-
dreaming; not act according to the realities of life: I’m so prac-
tical, a little too solid perhaps, while you are, and always will
be, in the clouds.
Note:
The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the
phrase drop from the clouds—(also: drop from the skies) appear
unexpectedly as if by magic: We were fired upon from behind
houses and barns by marksmen, who seemed to “drop from
the clouds.”
be on cloud seven —(also: be on cloud nine) be extremely
happy or euphoric: She was on cloud seven. Gary was the
prize catch who could have had any girl he wanted, but he
asked her, instead.
be in the club • join the club
be in the club —(coll.) become pregnant (also: be in the pud-
ding club): When the doctor told me I was in the club I told
him he was daft — that I’d never — well, you know.
join the club —
1
. (also: join the crowd) is used to tell that one
has already had a similar, usually unfavorable, experience: You
think you’ll never be out of debt? Join the club. 2. be one of
a number of people sharing smth. in common: Men knew she
was available to anyone who cared to take her out for an eve-
ning. Peter had avoided joining the club. 3. = be in the club:
It was not long into my girlfriend’s pregnancy that I realized
it was not going to be fun. Between the time she “joined the
club” and us knowing about it, she went decidedly mad.