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

determined in something • determined on
 something
determined in something —showing resolution in one’s man-
ner or speech: He sounded most determined in his answer.
determined on something —resolved to do smth.; firm in one’s
decision to do smth.: He is quite determined on a trip to
Egypt.
deus ex machina • ghost in the machine
deus ex machina —an improbable person or event that pro-
vides a sudden and unexpected solution to a difficulty: When
the impoverished hero is relieved by an unexpected inheri-
tance, it is often called a deus ex machina.
ghost in the machine —is used to denote the view of the
human mind as being completely independent of the physical
body: So there is nothing magical about human brains — no
ghost in the machine, to use Ryle’s phrase.
devil’s coachhorse • devil’s horse
devil’s coachhorse —any of several rove beetles of the family
Staphylinid: This atrocious tale of lies turned up joint by joint
before her like a devil’s coach-horse.
devil’s horse —praying mantis of the family Mantid (an insect
that feeds upon other insects and is harmless to man): Another
– 95 –
devil’s coachhorse

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of the most peculiar and interesting insects in Texas is called
the “devil’s horse.”
devil’s dust • dust devil
devil’s dust—wool or cotton waste made from old cloth by
a machine called the “devil”: The operation sends forth clouds
of floating fibers — the real and original “devil’s dust.”
dust devil —a whirlwind visible as a column of dust : A
whirling dust-devil would scutter across the plain for a couple
of miles.
Diamond State, the • Gem State, the
Diamond State, the —(U.S.) a nickname of the State of
Delaware: Long called the Diamond State, a name arising
from a quotation attributed to Jefferson … Delaware’s re-
sources are varied and rich.
Gem State, the —(U.S.) a nickname of the State of Idaho:
Idaho’s nickname, the “Gem State,” is well deserved due to
the 80 varieties of gemstones found within her borders.