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

come it strong • come on strong
come it strong —(also: go it strong ) speak or act in a way which
is too extreme: The newspaper’s description of the accident
was coming it a little strong.
come on strong —(also: come out strong ) 
1
. perform or contest
successfully: Cheevers has come on strong to maintain his rep-
utation as one of the best netminders in hockey.
2 = come it strong: Joe came on very strong last night about
the war in Indochina; most of us felt embarrassed.
come off • go off
come off —
1
. fall from smth. such as a bicycle, etc.: The horse
refused at the first fence, and that’s when I came off. 2. become
detached: When I lifted the jug up, the handle came off. 3.
(of an event) take place; succeed: My friend’s marriage didn’t
come off; his fiancée broke off the engagement.
go off —
1
. = come off 3: They dotted lit bars and tables
around the lot, and made sure the party went off without a
hitch. 2. fall asleep or faint: He didn’t seem to be able to go
off, so he went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of
tea. 3. explode; make a sudden noise : Just as the burglar
thought he was safely inside the house, the alarm went off. 4.
(of food) deteriorate; become unfit to eat: This milk was fresh
this morning, but it’s gone off. 5. (of gas, electricity, etc.) be-
come unavailable: Just as the weather turned cold, the elec-
tricity supply went off. 6. (of goods) sell: I found that the place
was one of no trade, and that my goods went off very slowly.
come off one’s perch • fall off one’s perch
come off one’s perch —(coll.) adopt a less arrogant manner
(also: get off one’s perch): What you’ve first got to do is to come
off your perch — and listen to what we want.
come into contact with someone
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fall off one’s perch —(coll., dated) die: By the time I fall off
my perch, Britain may well be a republic.