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

let it go hang 
(let it all hang out)
let oneself go 
(let go of someone)
let someone down easy
(let someone
down)
let someone go
(let go of someone)
let someone have it 
(one will have it)
let someone in on something
(let
someone in for something )
let someone off the hook
(let someone
off )
let someone stew in one’s own juice
(let someone stew)
let something go 
(let go of something )
let something go by 
(give something the
go-by)
let something slip 
(let something slide)
let that fly stick to the wall 
(fly on the
wall)
let the genie out of the bottle 
(let the
cat out of the bag )
let up on someone 
(let someone down)
let well alone
(let alone)
letter under cover 
(cover letter)
level something at someone 
(level
something against someone)
level with someone 
(level someone)
liable to something
(liable for some-
thing )
liberty man
(liberty boy)
liberty ship
(liberty boat)
lie down on the job 
(lay down one’s
job)
lie in wait 
(be in waiting )
lie low
(be laid low)
life everlasting
(everlasting life)
life expectancy 
(expectation of life)
life history 
(one’s life story)
life in the wilderness 
(life in the wild)
life-preserver 
(life-guard)
life-saver
(life-guard)
lifebelt 
(protective belt)
lift someone’s hair 
(let one’s hair down)
light a fire under someone 
(hold some-
one’s feet to the fire)
light artillery 
(heavy artillery)
light-handed 
(light-fingered)
light-headed 
(heavy-headed)
light of hand 
(light in hand)
like a bull at a gate 
(like a bull in a
china shop)
like a cat on hot bricks 
(like a scolded
cat)
like a man
(as a man)
like a singed cat 
(like a scalded cat)
like a wet weekend 
(like a wet rag )
like an elephant in the room 
(like a
bull in a china shop)
like anything 
(as anything )
like grim death 
(like death)
like ham and eggs (ham and egger)
like hell
(as hell)
like in a dream
(like a dream)
like nobody’s business 
(be nobody’s
business)
like nothing on earth
(as anything )
like one o’clock
(like a clock)
like two peas in a pod 
(as thick as peas
in a pod)
like water off a duck’s back
(like water)
line of battle
(fire line)
line of life
(lifeline)
liner train 
(boat-train)
liquid fire 
(sea-fire)
listen out for something 
(listen for
something )
listen to something 
(listen in to some-
thing )
little bird told me, a 
(heard it from the
horse’s mouth)
little black book
(black book)
Little Britain
(Little England)
Little England beyond Wales
(Little
England)
Little Englander 
(Little England)
little green men
(green man)
little house
(big house)
little men with hammers
(little men)
little woman
(little madam)
little word 
(big word)
live a bad life 
(be a bad life)
live a dog’s life 
(live a cat and dog life)
live a good life 
(be a good life)
live in a glass house 
(live in a fishbowl)
live in the open air 
(live in the air)
live in the street 
(have the key of the
street)
live it up 
(live it down)
live line 
(lifeline)
live off the land
(live off the fat of the
land)
live on air
(live in the air)
live on charity 
(live in charity)
live on something 
(live off something )
live on the country 
(live in the country)
live to oneself 
(live by oneself )
live to tell the tale 
(tell tales)
live up to it 
(live it down)
live weight 
(dead weight)
live wire 
(dead wire)
live within oneself
(live with oneself )
living dead 
(dead-alive)
living end, the 
(dead end)
living skeleton 
(living corpse)
Lloyd’s Register (Lloyd’s List)
loaded up with something 
(loaded
down with something )
loathe doing something 
(be loath to do
something )
lock someone out 
(lock someone away)
lock, stock and barrel 
(hook, line, and
sinker)
log-rolling 
(set a stone rolling )
lonely star
(lone star)
long-boat
(long ship)
long day 
(big day)
long-distance line
(long line)
long drink 
(big drink)
long hand
(long arm)
long johns
(Long John)
long-legs 
(daddy-long-legs)
long robes
(long clothes)
longbill
(long bill)
longhand 
(long arm)
look at someone with big eyes 
(give
someone the big eye)
look blue around the gills
(look blue)
look forward to something
(look
ahead to something )
look half dead 
(look alive)
look in on someone 
(give someone a
look-in)
look on someone
(look at someone)
look on something
(look at something )
look on to something 
(look on at some-
thing )
look out for something 
(look for some-
thing )
look someone out 
(look out for some-
one)
look someone up and down 
(look some-
one up )
look spectacular 
(look a spectacle)
look through something
(look some-
thing through)
look to something
(look into some-
thing )
look up and down
(look high and low)
look up to someone
(look to someone)
look well
(look good)
Lord Great Chamberlain
(Lord Cham-
berlain)
Lord High Commissioner 
(Lord Com-
missioner)
Lord of the Admiralty
(Lord Admiral)
lose all spirit 
(be out of spirits)
lose face
(have the face)
lose hold over someone 
(lose hold of
someone)
lose one’s face
(keep one’s face)
lose one’s fortune 
(lose a fortune)
lose one’s heart 
(lose heart)
lose one’s mind (lose one’s head)
lose one’s nana 
(be off one’s nana)
lose one’s rag 
(have the rag on)
lose one’s reason
(lose all reason)
lose one’s religion 
(get religion)
lose one’s shirt
(keep one’s shirt on)
lose one’s tongue 
(find one’s voice)
lose one’s voice 
(find one’s voice)
lose oneself 
(find oneself )
lose out to something
(lose out on
something )
lose touch with someone
(lose one’s
touch with someone)
lose way 
(lose one’s way)
lost to someone
(lost on someone)
lost to something
(lost in something )
love play 
(love game)
love seat 
(US) (love seat [UK])
low-browed 
(low-brow)
low down 
(down low)
low man on the totem pole 
(low man)
low on something 
(high on something )
low tea 
(high tea)
low time 
(high time)
lowball something 
(highball something )
lower house
(low house)
luck of the Irish, the 
(best of British
luck, the)
lunatic policy
(lunar politics)
mad as a cut snake 
(mad as a March
hare)
mad as a wet hen
(mad as a March
hare)
mad for something 
(mad about some-
thing )
– 359 –
Phrase Index

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mad money 
(silly money)
made of something
(made from some-
thing )
made to sell 
(made to be sold)
magic lantern 
(fairy lantern)
Magician of the North, the 
(Great
Magician of the North, the)
maid of honor 
(lady of honor)
mail order 
(post-office order)
mailbox 
(letter box)
mailman
(letterman)
main man 
(head man)
make a bags of something 
(make a
bag )
make a bomb
(be a bomb)
make a book
(do a book)
make a book of something 
(do a book
on something )
make a book on something 
(do a book
on something )
make a bump 
(get a bump)
make a cat’s paw of someone 
(be
under the cat’s paw)
make a claim to something
(make a
claim for something )
make a clean break 
(make a bad
break)
make a clean breast of something 
(get
something off one’s chest)
make a clown of oneself
(clown
around)
make a dash at something
(have a
dash at something )
make a dash for it
(dash it)
make a deal with someone
(deal with
someone)
make a federal case out of something
(make a case for something )
make a fool of oneself
(act foolishly)
make a go of it 
(have a go at it)
make a hit with someone 
(hit it off
with someone)
make a hole in someone’s pocket
(burn a hole in someone’s pocket)
make a home 
(do a house)
make a house
(do a house)
make a joke of something
(make a
joke about something )
make a killing
(make a kill)
make a living for oneself
(make a life
for oneself )
make a long arm
(have a long arm)
make a meal of something 
(make a
meal from something )
make a movement
(make a move)
make a new life for oneself 
(have a
new lease of life)