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

lock someone away • lock someone out
lock someone away —put smb. in prison or mental hospital:
It would be inhumane to lock her away when she is suffering
from a psychological problem that is producing her drug
addiction.
lock someone out—
1
. prevent a person from entering a room
or building: He hasn’t made any threats, in fact once he locked
me out and told me to leave. 2. prevent workers from entering
a factory, etc. during an argument between management and
the workers: The workers have been off the job since Monday,
when management locked them out.
lone star • lonely star
lone star —
1
. is used with reference to the state flag of Texas:
The lone star of Texas shall continue to wave proudly in the
air as long as one brave Texan remains to defend it. 2. the
only or sole person: He was a lone star not just from India,
but from this Asian region as well, when the sport was dom-
inated by Europeans.
lonely star —a lonely or unattached person: I must admit
that I was half expecting to meet a tired, dejected lonely star
who had retreated to the Irish countryside.
Lone Star State, the • North Star State, the
Lone Star State, the —(U.S.) a nickname of the Sate of Texas:
He twisted the tail of a Connecticut company that was trying
to do business contrary to the edicts of the great Lone Star
State.
North Star State, the —(U.S.) a nickname of the State of
Min nesota: In the North Star State here, we rejoice in having
a Grand Master, who knows no such word as fail.
long arm • long hand
long arm —
1
. a far reaching power: The long arm, or perhaps
one might better say the long purse, of diplomacy at last
effected the release of the prisoners. Cf.: long arm of the law —
used with reference to ability of the police to find and catch people
who commit crimes: The long arm of the law finally nabbed
Victoria’s two most infamous financial fugitives. 2. a pole fitted
with a hook, etc. for use beyond the ordinary reach of the
arm: Barnes reached a long arm over the ridge of fallen soil
… and groped experimentally around within. 3. a long, nar-
row part of the sea or river enclosed by the shore: Australian
rivers often have a long arm or two wandering off into the
plain.
long hand— the hand of a clock or watch which indicates
the minutes: When it is one o’clock the minute hand, the long
hand, is pointing toward the 
1
2, while the hour hand is point-
ing towards the number one.