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

Mother’s Day • Mothering Sunday
Mother’s Day —(U.S.) the second Sunday in May set aside
to celebrate mothers: Almost all mothers agree that receiving
a card on Mother’s Day holds special emotional meaning.
Mothering Sunday —(UK) similar in meaning to Mother’s
Day and observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent, therefore its
date varies: During the 
1
7th century, England began to cele-
brate “Mothering Sunday.”
motor car (UK) • motor car (U.S.)
motor car (UK)—an automobile; a four-wheel road vehicle:
John was driving a motor car eastwards when it skidded on
the icebound roadway, causing the car to turn completely
round.
motor car (U.S.)—
1
. = motor car (UK): It takes a leisurely
sort of a millionaire indeed who can afford to come in his
motor car all the way downtown through the press and strain
of Broadway traffic. 2. a self-propelled vehicle operated on
rails along a regular route: Do you remember those railroad
motor cars you used to see in the fifties and sixties on virtually
every line in the U.S. and Canada?
motor caravan • touring caravan
motor caravan —a motor vehicle designed to serve as self-
contained living quarters for recreational travel: Our intention
was to use the house as a base in France and then travel
throughout Europe in our motor caravan.
touring caravan —a mobile, non-motorized caravan with
living facilities that can be towed by a vehicle and used as a
residence: Drivers must have a minimum of third party insur-
ance required for towing a touring caravan.
move away • move off
move away —
1
. go away; depart: Eventually the police and
the crowd reached an understanding and the crowd moved
away. 2. leave a place where one has lived: The house was let
to a retired couple for a while, but they moved away up to
Inverness.
move off —
1
. (of a vehicle) start moving: The bus moved off
before the passengers had got on board. 2. = move away 
1
: As
the crowd moved off, some of its members looted the windows
of West End shops. 3. (of goods) be sold off: A second or third
edition of the book moves off languidly enough.