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

Prayer Book, the • prayer book
Prayer Book, the —the book of prayers used in Church of
England services: Subsequent revisions of the Prayer Book
have introduced into the English Matins and Evensong ele-
ments foreign to the ancient Hours.
prayer book —a book containing prayers: Mahzor has come
to mean the festive prayer book, as distinguished from the
Jewish prayer book (Siddur) used on ordinary sabbaths and
on weekdays.
preparatory school (UK) • preparatory school
(U.S.)
preparatory school (UK)—fee-paying private junior school
which prepares pupils for admission to independent secondary
school: Laurence attended a “preparatory school” from the
time he was 8 years old until he was 
1
3.
preparatory school (U.S.)—fee-paying private senior school
which prepares pupils for admission to a university: Egger
intends to spend more time with her daughters, 
1
8 and 
1
6,
who attend preparatory school out of state.
press agency • press agentry
press agency —(also: news agency) an organization that pro-
vides news coverage to newspapers, etc.: According to a report
issued by Reuters press agency, about 600 people have been
evacuated after Mount Egon on Flores island started to erupt.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase press agent— a person employed to arrange favorable pub-
licity for a firm, public figure, etc: The development of a fine
reputation as a surgeon is not built by a press agent or a web
site.
press agentry —the promotion of entertainment stars, politi-
cians, etc. to magazines, radio, and television: When press
agentry began it was much more basic and considered to be
vile and base by social critics and newspaper editors.