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

Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase not the question— not the matter; not the point: Yes, I
heard all you said, but his health is not the question. Is he
thoroughly dependable?
in receipt of something • on receipt of something
in receipt of something —
1
. (formal) having received smth.:
We are in receipt of your letter of the 
1
7th of January. 2. receive
smth. on a regular basis: All people who are in receipt of fixed
incomes … benefit from the fall in prices.
on receipt of something —as soon as smth. is received: On
receipt of your instructions we will send you the goods.
in recess • in the recess
in recess —said with reference to a period in which a legisla-
tive body is not sitting, or to a break during court proceedings:
Congress is now in recess until the first week of December.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase in recession—used of a period of economic decline:
Investors poured into Asia because their own economies were
in recession.
in the recess —in an indented or hollowed-out space set into
a wall: The street was deserted except for a man standing in
the recess of the entry to the apartment building.
in red • in the red
in red —
1
. wearing red clothes: A beautiful girl dressed in
red entered the room and a wave of admiring gasps and whis-
pers followed her. 2. (coll., also: in red ink) in a bad financial
position: We’ve got to put forth our best efforts from now till
the end of the month, or we’ll be in red on the books. 3. exe-
cuted or finished in various shades of red: The fragments dis-
covered showed linear architectural decoration, executed in
red, blue, and white.
in the red — = in red 2: If I don’t get some money from
somewhere very soon, I shall be in the red. Cf.: out of the red —
(coll.) solvent; operating at a profit: Most of the airlines are now
out of the red and profitable.