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

opera bouffe • opera buffa
opera bouffe —a type of light or satirical French opera: Each
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opera bouffe

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competitor will have to choose a free extract from an operetta,
an opera bouffe or a musical.
opera buffa —an Italian comic opera: For Falstaff, time does
not exist, since he belongs to the opera buffa world of play
and mock action.
operating theater • theater of operations
operating theater —a room for surgical operations: A brisk
nurse told us he was going to the operating theater within
minutes and not to disturb the patient.
theater of operations —the scene of military operations: The
theater of operations of an army embraces all the territory it
may desire to invade and all that it may be necessary to defend.
or what • or whatever
or what—is used as a tag question to ask for confirmation,
agreement, or an alternative: Do you want to go to the dance
with me or what?
or whatever —or any other thing that might be mentioned:
You might stay together for the kid’s sake, or maybe you can’t
afford to leave or whatever.
order book • orderly book
order book —
1
. a book in which orders from customers are
entered: The order book at the year-end was satisfactory, com-
paring very favorably with the position at the end of 
1
983. 2.
(UK) a paper supplied to members of the House of Commons
that gives details of the day’s proceedings: A member is
required to state the form of his motion on a previous day,
and to have it entered in the Order Book.
orderly book —(Military) a book kept at headquarters in
which orders and instructions received from higher authorities
are recorded: She made me a present of the orderly book of
one of the French regiments.