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

one’s mind is set • one’s mind wanders
one’s mind is set—one is determined about smth.: His mind
was set — not only on earning a degree but also on studying
at an elite school.
one’s mind wanders —one fails to concentrate: I buy a puzzle
book and try to concentrate but my mind wanders. What a
week it has been.
one’s night off • one’s night out
one’s night off —a night free from work usually done at night:
Whenever his “night off ” occurred he bought a ticket to the
theater.
one’s night out—an evening or night spent enjoying oneself
in bars, clubs, etc.: For these people Lansdown Fair was, as
they put it, their “night out.”
one’s second nature • one’s second self
one’s second nature —one’s deeply ingrained habit or ten-
dency: I do feel more at ease when I’m behind a desk: It’s my
second nature.
one’s second self —a person with whom one has the closest
possible ties (sharing beliefs, etc.): As to Miss Mirvan, she is
my second self, and neither hopes nor fears but as I do.
one’s superiors • superior persons
one’s superiors —people holding a higher position in an
organization and having authority over a person mentioned:
She toadied to her superiors when she really came face to face
with them.
superior persons —people occupying superior posts in soci-
ety; the nation’s élite: It is only because miners sweat their
guts out that superior persons can remain superior.
one will have it
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one’s take on something • one’s takeaway on
 something
one’s take on something —(coll.) one’s opinion on smth.:
What’s your take on automobile electronics? Do they make
cars more reliable, longer lasting, safer and cleaner?
one’s takeaway on something —(coll.) the knowledge and skill
one has obtained through some personal experience: My take-
away on the soy milk: It didn’t do me any harm.