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

keep a house • keep house
keep a house —
1
. provide for or manage a household: She
kept a house, raised my sister and worked part-time in my
dad’s store. 2. (keep a House) secure the presence of enough
members of parliament for a quorum (also: make a House): I
may support him in his view that the Government have failed
to keep a House.
keep house —
1
. = keep a house 
1
: She kept house well, was a
good cook and punctual. 2. (also: keep one’s house) stay indoors
(being confined through illness, etc.): Sure, there is no neces-
sity for us to keep house till she arrives.
Note: 
Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase
keep open house
— offer hospitality and be ready to welcome and
entertain guests at any time: The King kept open house every
day, and all day long, for the good society of London.
keep a shop • keep shop
keep a shop —own and manage a shop; be a shopkeeper: I
used to live with my auntie. She kept a sweet-shop.
keep shop —look after a shop: Mr. Green got a friend to
keep shop for him while he went to his wife’s funeral.
keep a straight face • keep straight
keep a straight face —(also: keep one’s face) refrain from show-
ing one’s feelings by one’s facial expression: All I felt called
upon to do was to keep a straight face and pretend that every-
thing was kosher.
keep straight—(also: go straight) be virtuous or well-behaved;
refrain from criminal activities: She meant to marry him in
two or three years, if he proved he could keep straight in the
meanwhile.
keep accounts • keep an account
keep accounts —
1
. make records of money paid out and
received: After two years passed in keeping accounts in Cal-
cutta, Hastings went up the country. 2. is used of money kept
at a bank: Like every other nonbank institution, savings and
loan associations must keep accounts with commercial banks.
keep an account—
1
. = keep accounts 2: A current account is
an account kept by a customer at a bank to meet his current
expenses. 2. count and record the number: A game book is
one wherein the sportsman may keep an account of all the
game he kills. 3. make written notes: When you go on a vaca-
tion, carry a notebook and keep an account of what you do
every day.