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

put something on the map • wipe something off
the map
put something on the map —(of a town, etc.) cause to be con-
sidered important; put into public notice : It was Princess
Amelia who helped put the place on the map by taking a hol-
iday here in 
1
797.
wipe something off the map —(of a town, etc.) completely
destroy: A devastating flood several years ago nearly wiped the
village off the map.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase wipe something off the slate— agree to forget smth. such
as smb.’s debt, misdemeanor, etc.: The fact that the Japanese
commercial whaling interests have had a role in this affair,
cannot simply be wiped off the slate.
put something over on someone • put something
over to someone
put something over on someone —(also: put something across
someone) trick a person into accepting or believing smth.: How
else are they going to put this over on James Mason? He is
not an idiot.
put something over to someone —(also: put something across to
someone) explain or communicate smth. successfully: I seem
to have put the idea over to them all right, for they said, “Go
ahead.”
put the black on someone • put up a black
put the black on soneone —(UK sl.) engage in blackmail: “I’ll
put him where I want him to be,” he repeated. “You’re going
to put the ‘black’ on him?” she said, her lips curling.
put up a black —(UK sl.) make a blunder: One day she put
up a black…. She had fried our salmon in batter.
put the chill on someone • put the heat on
 someone
put the chill on someone —
1
. exert a depressing influence on
a person: Export orders are falling as the winds of war put the
chill on foreign buyers. 2. (U.S. sl.) ignore a person; end social
contact with smb. (also: put the freeze on someone): They have
put the chill on me, I presume for reasons that other types of
persons are more easily dealt with.
put the heat on someone —(sl.) put pressure on a person; sub-
ject smb. to a severe cross examination (also: turn the heat on
someone): He told everything about the plan when they put
the heat on him.