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

guilty of something 
(guilty about some-
thing )
Gulf State 
(Gulf Country)
gun it 
(gun for it)
gun room
(gun chamber)
gutter man 
(gutter child)
hair in the butter, a 
(fly in the oint-
ment, a)
hairy story
(hair-raising story)
half-baked man 
(half a man)
half dead 
(dead and alive)
half past one (two, etc.) 
(half one
(two, etc.)
half-term holiday 
(half-holiday)
half time
(half the time)
half-world
(half the world)
hand in hand
(arm in arm)
hand of death
(dead hand)
hand-run
(hand running )
hand-to-hand
(from hand to hand)
handbook man
(bookman)
hands-off 
(hand-off )
handy-man 
(handicraftsman)
hang behind
(hang back)
hang in the wind
(be in the wind)
hang it all 
(let it all hang out)
hang it up
(hang it)
hang on the bell 
(hang in the bell-
ropes)
hang one on 
(hang on)
hang one on someone 
(hang it on
someone)
hang over
(be hung over)
hang over someone’s head
(be over
someone’s head)
hang up on someone
(be hung up on
someone)
hang up one’s fiddle at the door 
(hang
up one’s fiddle)
hang up one’s hat 
(hang one’s hat)
happy days
(happy day)
happy family
(Happy Families)
– 353 –
Phrase Index

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happy hour
(good hour)
hard act to follow 
(hard nut to crack)
hard coin
(hard cash)
hard currency 
(hard line money)
hard drinking
(hard drink)
hard lines
(hard line)
hard-luck story
(one’s life story)
hard money 
(hard line money)
hard on someone
(hard for someone)
hard on something
(hard at something )
hard put to it
(hard at it)
hard row to hoe 
(hard nut to crack)
hard times
(hard time)
hard work
(hard labor)
haul down the flag 
(hoist one’s flag )
have a bent for something
(be bent on
doing something )
have a big day 
(have a big time)
have a big head 
(have a good head)
have a bird 
(give someone the bird)
have a blue 
(have the baby blues)
have a break 
(get a break)
have a face made of a fiddle
(have a
face as long as a fiddle)
have a fallout 
(have a falling-out)
have a feel on the pulse of something
(feel the pulse of something )
have a feeling for something
(have a
feeling about something )
have a flutter
(be in a flutter)
have a glass too much
(have a drop too
much)
have a go at someone
(be gone on
someone)
have a go at something
(be gone on
someone)
have a good connection
(be well con-
nected)
have a good mind 
(have a good head)
have a good run for one’s money
(have a good bang for one’s buck)
have a hand in something
(have a
hand for something )
have a hard head 
(be soft in the head)
have a hard time 
(have a hard day)
have a head on one’s shoulders
(have
a head)
have a heart 
(lose heart)
have a knees up 
(get one’s feet under the
table)
have a lead of something
(have a lead
in something )
have a light hand
(have a heavy hand)
have a lot of bottle
(have a bottle)
have a lump in one’s throat 
(have a
frog in one’s throat)
have a mind 
(have a head)
have a mind to do something 
(have a
head for something
have a point 
(get the point)
have a record of something 
(hold a
record for something )
have a run-in with someone 
(have an
in with someone)
have a semblance of something 
(have
a resemblance to something )
have a slim chance 
(have a fat chance)
have a steady hand 
(be a steady hand)
have a stiff neck 
(be stiff-necked)
have a strong head
(be headstrong )
have a taste in something 
(have a taste
for something )
have a taste of something
(have a taste
for something )
have a thick head 
(have a swelled
head)
have a thing with someone 
(have a
thing about someone)
have a try for something
(have a try at
something )
have a word in someone’s ear 
(have a
word with someone)
have all one’s marbles 
(for all the mar-
bles)
have an abortion
(do an abortion)
have an affinity with something 
have
an affinity for something )
have an ear for something 
(give ear to
something )
have an effect upon something 
(effect
something )
have an eye out for something
(have
an eye for something )
have an interest in someone 
(be inter-
ested in someone)
have an out 
(have an in)
have an up on someone 
(have a down
on someone)
have another think coming
(give it a
second thought)
have ants in one’s pants 
(ant’s pants)
have at it
(have a go at it)
have balls 
(have a ball)
have bite
(have a bite)
have brains 
(be out of one’s brain)
have clean hands
(dirty one’s hands)
have drag with someone 
(be a drag on
someone)
have egg on one’s face 
(have egg on
one’s chin)
have eyes for someone
(have an eye out
for someone)
have fun with someone 
(make a fun
over someone)
have get up and go 
(be a go-getter)
have good hands 
(be a good hand)
have half a mind 
(be whole of mind)
have hold of someone 
(get hold of some-
one)
have ideas 
(have an idea)
have influence with someone 
(have an
influence on someone)
have interests in something
(have an
interest in something )
have it away on one’s toes 
(have it
away with someone)
have it both ways
(cut both ways)
have it coming to one 
(have something
going for one)
have it in for someone
(have an in
with someone)
have it in one 
(have it)
have it out with someone
(have it
away with someone)
have legs 
(have a leg to stand on)
have made it 
(have it made)
have money to burn 
(burn a hole in
someone’s pocket)
have much practice
(have a large prac-
tice)
have no business to do something
(be
none of someone’s business)
have no fear of something 
(have no
fear for something )
have no heart for something 
(have no
guts for something )
have no stomach for something 
(have
no guts for something )
have no thought of something 
(have
no idea of something )
have no use for something 
(have a use
for something )
have no words 
(have word)
have not the sense of something
(have
no sense of something )
have nothing to say for oneself 
(have
nothing to say)
have one eye on something
(have an
eye on something )
have one too many
(be one too many)
have one’s back against the wall
(come
up against a brick wall)
have one’s bell rung 
(ring one’s bell)
have one’s feet on the ground 
(have a
pied-à-terre)
have one’s fill of something 
(be full of
something )
have one’s hands free 
(have a free hand)
have one’s hands full 
(be empty-
handed)
have one’s head screwed on back-
wards 
(have eyes in the back of one’s
head)
have one’s lunch handed to one 
(have
something handed on a plate)
have one’s off day
(have one’s day off )
have one’s own way
(go one’s own way)
have one’s two pennyworth 
(get one’s
pennyworth)
have one’s way with someone
(have a
way with someone)
have other fish to fry 
(have bigger fish
to fry)
have pins and needles
(be on pins and
needles)
have regard to something
(have regard
for something )
have respect to something
(have
respect for something )
have second thoughts 
(give it a second
thought)
have seen better days 
(good day)
have seen its day 
(have seen better days)
have someone cold
(catch someone cold)
have someone doing something 
(have
someone do something )
have someone in one’s power
(have
power over someone)
have someone on 
(have someone in)
have someone on the line 
(have some-
one on a string )
have someone under one’s command
(have someone at one’s command)
have someone’s name on it
(give a
name to something )
have someone’s number on it
(have
someone’s number)
Phrase Index
–
354 –

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have something going with someone
(have something going for one)
have something in hand 
(have some-
thing in one’s hands)
have something in mind 
(have one’s
mind on something )
have something in store
(have some-
thing in stock)
have something on one
(have some-
thing on)
have something on one’s conscience
(have no conscience about something )
have something on one’s hands
(have
something in one’s hands)
have something on one’s mind 
(have
one’s mind on something )
have something on one’s plate
(have
something handed on a plate)