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

by half • by halves
by half —
1
. increase or reduce smth. by fifty percent of the
original amount: This move cuts by half the religious pro-
gramming on ITV on Sunday. 2. far more than is satisfactory
or desirable: Of course, he is a very clever politician. Too
clever by half, in my opinion.
by halves — do smth. imperfectly or not completely: Those
in charge should not deal by halves with a question in which
all classes have so deep an interest.
by inches • inch by inch
by inches —
1
. very gradually or slowly: The ship was sinking
by inches; she might remain above water an hour or more. 2.
miss by a very small margin: We scrambled to get out of the
way, the car missing us by inches.
inch by inch —
1
. by small degrees or stages: When life falls
apart, we are forced to rebuild it inch by inch. 2. scrutinize
smth. closely; examine smth. very carefully: I have examined
that cloth inch by inch; there is not a flaw in it.
by installments • in installments
by installments — paid in part payments spread over a period
of time: Students may pay their tuition fees in a single pay-
ment or by instalments.
in installments —(of publicatiions) come out in parts pub-
lished over a period of time: The biography will appear in in-
stallments in the April and September issues of the magazine.
by occasion of something • on the occasion of
something
by occasion of something —(formal) because of smth.: The
debate has to be postponed by occasion of the illness of one
of the principle speakers.
on the occasion of something —in connection with some for-
mal event or celebration: This was given us as a present on the
occasion of our silver wedding.
by one’s own account • on one’s own account
by one’s own account—according to one’s own story: She says
she thought she saw him, but by her own account she could
have been mistaken.
on one’s own account— acting independently; without help
from others: He left the company last year, and went into
business on his own account.