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

come from someone • come of someone
come from someone —be descended from a person or family:
Harlow comes from a wealthy ranch-owning family.
come of someone —
1
. happen to a person: No one knows
where he has gone or what has come of him. 2. = come from
someone: He came of a rich family, but was left an orphan in
his early youth.
come from something • come of something
come from something —
1
. originate from a place: The African
Elephant is said to be smaller than the Asiatic: yet the largest
tusks come from Africa. 2. result from smth.: That’s what
comes from staying up late with little sleep when cramming
for an exam.
come of something —
1
. happen to smth.: John shudders as he
looks down upon what has come of his once great college. 2.
= come from something 2: That’s what comes of sleeping late,
you have a headache all morning.
come hell or high water • come through hell and
high water
come hell or high water —no matter what happens: We are
going to change the way government works. And we will do
it come hell or high water.
come through hell and high water —(also: go through hell and
high water) pass through difficulties or troubles: Our forefa-
thers came through hell and high water so that we could be
here today.
come home to roost • go to roost
come home to roost—return by way of retribution: All our
mistakes sooner or later surely come home to roost.
go to roost—(coll.) retire to rest: He broke the silence by re-
marking, after a glance at the clock, “Time to go to roost.”
come in • go in
come in —
1
. come to work in a house : The charwoman
“came in” for half a day on alternate days. 2. (of a train, etc.)
arrive at its destination (according to schedule): When does
your train come in? 3. flow in: Don’t stay on the rocks too
long; the tide comes in a long way at this point. 4. arrive; be
received: News is just coming in of an air-crash over the At-
lantic. 5. join a business as a partner: My father started the
insurance firm, and I came in when I was 
1
8. 6. become sea-
sonable or available: When do strawberries come in? 7. become
fashionable: I expect long skirts will come in again soon. 8.
take position in a competition: He led most of the way but
suddenly lost his strength and came in last. 9. be elected; come
into power: The socialists came in at the last election. 
1
0. be
received as income: He doesn’t work; but he has at least a
thousand a year coming in from investments. 
11
. (of a discus-
sion, etc.) contribute a commentary: I should like to come in
here, as I happen to know the situation well. 
1
2. happen; ap-
pear: This is where the mistakes usually come in.
go in —
1
. fit inside smth.: That space is too small, the book-
case won’t go in. 2. (of the sun or moon) disappear behind
clouds: At this time of the year, when the sun goes in, it is
suddenly much colder. 3. arrive at one’s place of employment
(to start work): What time do you have to go in tomorrow? 4.
(of troops) start an attack: The soldiers were ordered to go in
and seize the enemy position. 5. (UK coll.) be understood
(also: sink in): I keep trying to understand how the system
works, but it doesn’t seem to go in.