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

home phone • house phone
home phone —a telephone at a person’s place of residence:
“This was intercepted yesterday afternoon on the Milettis’
home phone,” the magistrate explained.
house phone —a telephone connected to the switchboard of
a building but not directly to the exchange: The lighted button
was his private line, not his house phone. Everyone understood
that his private line was used only for important business.
homecraft • housecraft
homecraft—an art or craft pursued in the home: Clock pro-
duction was part of the homecraft of the peasant people of
Dalarna province in Sweden.
housecraft—the art of managing a house; skill in domestic
duties: The girls did housecraft activities such as cleaning and
cookery and also studied typing.
homestay • stay-at-home
homestay —a visit to smb.’s home in a foreign country (often
a stay by an exchange student): As Howell discovered during
her homestay, much of the education in a study abroad pro-
gram takes place beyond the classroom.
stay-at-home —
1
. said of smb. preferring a quiet domestic
life to traveling or leading a busy social life: Thoreau was such
a stay-at-home that he refused to go to Paris lest he miss some-
thing of interest in Concord. 2. said of smb. staying or working
at home: I’m a stay at home mother of two young girls. I have
very little time that I can call my own.
honor-man • man of honor
honor-man —(also: honors man) a person obtaining an “hon-
ors degree” from a university, etc.: He entered Queens Uni-
versity at Kingston, Ontario, and again was honor man of his
class in anatomy.
man of honor —a person with a reputation for loyalty, truth-
fulness, etc.: Are you or are you not willing to act like a man
of honor to protect your own good name, the family name,
the name of this child…