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

paper 
(fly paper; music paper; note
paper; notice paper; scrap of paper;
scrap paper; working paper; working
papers)
parade 
(hold a parade; make a parade)
part 
(for my part; in good part; in
part; in parts; on my part; play a
part; play one’s part; play the part;
take a good part of something; take
something in good part)
particular 
(in particular; in the partic-
ular)
partner 
(pillow partner; sleeping part-
ner)
party 
(bridal party; make a party;
make up a party; party is over, the)
pass 
(bring something to a pretty pass;
bring something to pass; come to a
pretty pass; come to pass; cut some-
one off at the pass; make a pass;
make the pass)
passenger 
(transit passenger)
pat 
(give someone a pat on the back;
give someone a pat on the shoulder)
path 
(cross paths)
pea 
(like two peas in a pod; thick as
peas in a shell)
peace 
(achieve peace; be left in peace;
keep one’s peace; keep the peace; rest
in peace; win the peace)
pecker 
(keep one’s pecker up; put
someone’s pecker up)
peg 
(bring someone down a peg; off
the peg; on the peg; take someone
down a peg)
pen 
(knight of the pen; light pen)
penalty 
(pay the penalty for some-
thing)
pencil 
(knight of the pencil)
penny 
(bad penny; bad penny always
turns up, a; count the pennies; hon-
est penny, an; pretty penny, a; spend
a penny)
pennyworth 
(have one’s two penny-
worth)
people 
(best people; boat people;
chosen people; earth people; enemy
of the people; jet people; man of the
people; plain people; plains people;
plane people; real people; river peo-
ple; small people; street people)