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

light in hand • light of hand
light in hand —(of a car, boat, etc.) easy to manage or control:
For its bulk it is admirably wieldy and light in hand.
light of hand —skilful and swift: He was by far the best dig-
ger of them all; none so light of hand as he, so deft to extricate
fragile objects…
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase sleight of hand—
1
. used in reference to jugglery or con-
juring: Rudy Twomoon is a sleight-of-hand magician who has
been performing publicly for ten years. 2. tricky reasoning or
practices: They say all the right things in public, and mean-
while, with sleight of hand, they’re gutting the laws they don’t
like.
See also: light-fingered / light-handed.
light pen • penlight
light pen —(Computers) a penlike device used to transmit
information by moving the tip on the screen: The light pen
provides users with a natural, easy to use alternative to tradi-
tional input devices.
penlight—a small electric torch shaped like a pen: Miller
had a pen-light in his hand and was looking at his watch.
like a bull in a china shop • like an elephant in
the room
like a bull in a china shop —said of a rough or clumsy person
who is very careless and often breaks things: I felt like a bull
in a china shop as I perched on a settee in a room filled with
wonderful treasures.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase like a bull at a gate— used of smb. acting with unchecked
violence or impetuosity: She is dead scared of policemen and
you’ll get nothing out of her if you go at it like a bull at a
gate.
like an elephant in the room— said of a problem that every-
one knows well but no one talks about because it is embar-
lifeguard
– 218 –

---

rassing, etc.: We avoided talking about what had been hap-
pening between us over the past days, but it was like an ele-
phant in the room.