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

come off something • go off something
come off something —
1
. be no longer involved in smth.: “I
want you to come off that fraud case,” said the inspector. 2.
(of taxes, etc.) be exempt from: Under the agreement, the im-
port tariff comes off certain kinds of goods.
go off something —lose one’s liking for smth.: The children
seem to have gone off cornflakes for breakfast.
come on • go on
come on —
1
. continue to advance: The soldiers came on in
the face of heavy fire. 2. follow a person later: The teacher
went by train to his new job, and the family came on by bus.
3. (of electric light) be turned on: Just as I entered the house,
all the lights came on. 4. appear on duty: The new man doesn’t
come on till midnight. 5. appear on the stage or sports field:
When Laurence Olivier came on for the first time, the audi-
ence applauded. 6. (of an illness, headache, etc.) set in; begin:
My throat’s dry and a bit sore; perhaps I’ve got a cold coming
on. 7. (Progressive Tense) make progress: How is it coming on,
and when will the first volume be ready? 8. is used to encour-
age a person to hurry or make more effort: Come on, Jane,
you can do better than that! 9. is used to express surprise or
disbelief: “I’m home all day working.” “Ah, come on. You
don’t look like you’re working right now.” 
1
0. (of a film, play,
etc.) be shown: There’s a very good play coming on next week.
11
. (of a lawsuit, etc.) be considered by a court: They have been
waiting for a long time for their case to come on.
go on —
1
. continue a journey, etc. (after interruption): The
police examined the cars and then allowed them to go on. 2.
travel ahead of others: The advance party has gone on to see
if the mountain is safe for the other climbers. 3. be able to fit
on smth.: If you fill the box too full, the lid won’t go on. 4. =
come on 3: The street lights go on when it gets dark, and go
off at midnight. 5. = come on 5: I was so nervous when I first
went on. 6. keep talking excessively about smth.: The teacher
went on and on about good behavior, as usual. 7. continue;
last: How long did the war go on? 8. take place; happen: The
governing council has admitted that it did not know all that
went on. 9. = come on 7: By the way, how is your new project
going on? 
1
0. = come on 8: Go on! There isn’t a moment to
lose! 
11
. = come on 9: Ah, go on. I don’t believe you. 
1
2. (coll.)
behave improperly: Sad comfort whenever he returns, to hear
how your brother has gone on! 
1
3. have a friendly relationship:
We all go on well with each other here. 
1
4. (of time) pass, pro-
ceed: As time went on, the English court grew impatient.