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

be on all fours • hit on all four
be on all fours —
1
. crawl on one’s hands and knees: Claud
slipped through the hedge on all fours and I followed. 2. (coll.)
correspond or harmonize with smth.: The railways maintain
that conditions in Great Britain and America are not on all
fours.
hit on all four —(coll.) work most efficiently (also: hit on all
six): If we can hit on all four, we can provide incredible value
for our members.
be on home ground • play away from home
be on home ground —(also: be on one’s own ground)
1
. be in
the area where one works or lives (with the implication that it
makes a person feel confident and secure): I was sad to see Ar-
gentina lose on penalties. They were doing pretty well con-
sidering the Germans were on home ground. 2. be competent
in a subject because one is thoroughly familiar with it (with
the implication that it makes a person feel relaxed and comfort-
able): Here he is on home ground, spinning webs of excellent
dialogues around incidents, holding the spectator spellbound.
Here he is at his professional best.
play away from home —(coll.) have an affair on the side: Pink
allegedly agreed that Carey could “play away from home” while
she is on tour.
be on one’s last legs • be the last leg
be on one’s last legs —be at the end of one’s resources and
failing fast: At this point I was on my last legs … I would
– 39 –
be on one’s last legs

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have loved nothing more than to have stopped for a rest. Cf.:
need new legs —(also: need fresh legs) 
1
. be in need of rest: I think
I need new legs from all the walking we did. 2. (Sport) need
players who are young: We need new legs on the team. Veterans
are great, but the youth has so much more potential.
be the last leg —be the last part of a trip (separated from
other parts by a period of rest, etc.): We were tired but this
was the last leg of our journey.