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

warm 
(get warmed up)
warmer 
(bench warmer; chair warmer)
wash 
(all washed out; all washed up;
come out in the wash; hog-wash;)
washing 
(do the washing; pig-wash-
ing)
washing-up 
(do the washing-up)
watch 
(night watch)
water 
(angel-water; at low water; be in
deep waters; be in murky waters; be
in uncharted waters; blow someone
out of the water; burn the water;
carry water in a sieve; fire-water; fish
in murky waters; get into hot water;
head of water; high water; hold one’s
water; hold water; holy water; in
deep water; in low water; king of
waters; like water; like water off a
duck’s back; open water; pour cold
water on someone; pour water into a
sieve; take in water; take the water;
take the waters; throw cold water on
someone; tread water; turn some-
one’s water off; under water; walk on
water; waste of water; waste water;
wasted water; weak as water; writing
on water)
waterworks 
(turn on the waterworks)
wave 
(make waves; raise waves)
way 
(all the way; all the way live; any
way; come a long way; come some-
one’s way; cut both ways; either way;
every way; get in the way of some-
thing; get into the way of some-
thing; get out of the way; get out of
the way of doing something; give
way to something; go a long way; go
all the way; go all the way with
someone; go back a long way; go
one’s own way; go one’s way; go out
of one’s way; go out of the way to do
something; go someone’s way; half-
way; have a way with someone; have
it both ways; have one’s own way;
have one’s way with someone; in a
big way; in a family way; in a great
way; in a way; in no way; in one’s
way; in the family way; in the way;
know one’s way about; know one’s
way around; lose one’s way; lose
way; make one’s own way; make
one’s way; make way for something;
mend one’s ways; milky way; no
way; on one’s way; on the way; one
way or another; one way or the
other; pave the way for something;
pay one’s way; put oneself out of the
way; put someone out of the way;
swing both ways; swing either way;
that’s the way it goes; that’s the way
the ball bounces; that’s the way the
cookie crumbles; that’s the way the
cow eats the cabbage; that’s the way
to go; there are more ways than one
to kill a cat; there are no two ways
about it; there’s more than one way
to kill a cat; win one’s way)