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

big hand • small hand
big hand —(usually in the phrase “give someone a big hand”)
between maid
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a large round of enthusiastic applause: The audience gave
Jason a big hand at the end of the performance.
small hand —said of a style of writing belonging to a par-
ticular person: The three folders with notebooks contained
sheets carefully written in small hand.
See also: short arm / short hand.
big house • little house
big house —
1
. (UK) the principal house of an estate; the res-
idence of the squire: Cattle sheds were at Thriepland Hill,
while the “big house” and some other offices were at Branxton.
2. (U.S. sl.) a prison or federal penitentiary: I feel like a crim-
inal who has been in a hideout, been caught, and has to go
back to the Big House. 3. (UK hist.) an institution for the
poor: As long as they kept out of the “big house” (the work-
house) she would not complain.
little house —(euph.) the toilet, especially an outside one: A
gate led from the first yard into another in which were the pig
sty, the hen-house and what they called jocosely “the little
house.”
big shot • large shot
big shot—(sl.) 
1
. an important person: I was asked to dine
with Thomas Lamont, along with a number of big-shots in
the American newspaper world. 2. a substantial injection of a
drug: The final chase scene hit me hard, like a big shot of
heroin in the mainline vein. 3. a generous portion of liquor,
etc.: He then poured himself a big shot of the finest Malt.
large shot—
1
. = big shot 3: Add a large shot of vodka, a large
shot of freshly made espresso coffee, and a dash of sugar syrup.
2. (hist.) cannon-balls: His musket balls reached us in every
direction but his large shot either fell short or went consider-
ably over us.