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

life in the wild

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lifeguard • life preserver
lifeguard —
1
. a person assigned to watch against accidents
to bathers at a beach, etc.: When a party bathe, one or two
of the best swimmers should be posted as lifeguards. 2. a device
attached to a locomotive for sweeping obstructions from the
track: Had not the lifeguard protected the wheels of the engine
the train would have been thrown off the line.
life preserver —
1
. a life belt or other device used in saving
life at sea: Taking a life preserver, I ventured into one of the
little canoes. 2. a bludgeon loaded with lead, intended for self-
defense: The prisoner was given in charge to the police, a life
preserver having been found upon him. 3. smth. that may
help a person in a critical situation: He was busy preparing a
“life preserver” in the form of stolen documents he could use
later.
Note:
Neither compound fully correlates in meaning with life-
saver
—
1
. = lifeguard 
1
: …mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, by
which a life-saver inflates a victim’s lungs with his own breath.
2. = life preserver 3: Again many thanks for the money you
sent. It was a life-saver. 3. a candy shaped like a small life-belt:
The American soldiers gave us chocolate bars, life saver can-
dies, chewing gums…
lifeline • line of life
lifeline —
1
. a rope (attached to a life-buoy) to which a per-
son may cling to save his life: Lifelines used on Mr. Heath’s
ill-fated yacht were yesterday called sub-standard by the
British Safety Council. 2. smth. regarded as indispensable
for survival: A £54-million “lifeline” was thrown by the Gov-
ernment yesterday to the farming industry. 3. (Palmistry) a
line that supposedly indicates the duration and events in life:
He felt a sharp pain in his palm, the part bounded by his life-
line.