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

high spirit • high spirits
high spirit—
1
. mentality characterized by lofty and noble
ideas: Her ability to forgive, her high spirit, her faith are the
things that inspire me. 2. said of a bold and audacious person:
She hoped she had tamed a high spirit or two in her day.
high spirits —vivacity; cheerfulness: She hadn’t the high spir-
its which endear grown-ups to healthy children.
high tea • low tea
high tea —(UK) an early evening tea with a full meal (as a
substitute for dinner): He thought of the high tea to which
he sat down … a slice of cold meat, a great deal of bread and
butter and plenty of milk in his tea.
low tea —tea with just bread and butter, cookies, or cake:
Low tea was served in the low part of the afternoon, in aris-
tocratic homes of the wealthy, and featured gourmet tidbits
rather than solid meals.
high time • low time
high time —
1
. (also: full time) time when smth. should be
done at once: Tom was beginning to feel that it was high time
for him to be getting to regular work again. 2. (in the phrase
“have a high time”) have enjoyable, noisy and joyful time: The
Johns had a high time, drinking brandy and eating fried hog.
low time —a short period of time: Never make a negative
decision in the low time. Never make your most important
decisions when you are in your worst moods.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase down time—
1
. the time when a machine or computer is
not operating: The amount of “down time” due to faulty
machine operation is very low. 2. (coll.) an opportunity for rest;
time off: People talk of “enjoying the down-time” when they
are having a break.
See also: peak time / up time.