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

at the end of the day • late in the day
at the end of the day —(coll.) after one has considered all the
relevant facts: The question at the end of the day is whether
the house is actually worth that amount.
late in the day —
1
. said of an action taken somewhat late
and consequently not fully effective: It’s a little late in the day
to start talking about policy changes. 2. eventually; at almost
the last possible time: It was the pensioners’ vote late in the
day which influenced the election of Mr. Simmons.
at the feet of someone • at the foot of something
at the feet of someone —on the floor in front of a person, es-
pecially to show homage: One of the lay-followers threw her
a cloak and … she prostrated at the feet of the Buddha.
at the foot of something —at the bottom of hills and moun-
tains: The city stretches out at the foot of the mountain, low
houses dwarfed by the immensity of the snowcapped peak.
at the front • on the front
at the front—
1
. (also: in front) in the position nearest to the
front part of smth.: A loudspeaker system is a box with a grille
at the front through which the sound comes. 2. fighting as a
member of the armed forces in a war: Women must keep the
at the back of something
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home industries going for the boys who were fighting at the
front.
on the front—
1
. on the foremost or most important side of
smth.: The label on the front of the packet lists the actual net
weight. 2. = at the front 2. While the Austrian troops were
falling back in collapse, German formations on the front re-
treated with discipline.
at the heart of something • in the heart of some-
thing
at the heart of something —at the basis of smth.: The two-
stage module is at the heart of the plans to land two men on
the moon.
in the heart of something —in the central part of smth.: The
Verbas, another Bosnian river, rises in the heart of the coun-
try.