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

receiving room • reception room
receiving room —
1
. a place for the reception of things: The
malt receiving room contains two malt grids with strong wire
screens at the bottom. 2. a room to which visitors are admit-
ted: The patient walks into the receiving room of the hospital
for a diagnosis.
reception room — = receiving room 2: He entered the paneled
reception room, decorated in Danish modern.
reckon of something • reckon on something
reckon of something —be of the opinion concerning smth.:
What do you reckon of the Joneses’ new house?
reckon on something —depend on smth.; count on smth.:
The proprietors of the Casino reckon on human foolishness
and greed.
red as a beetroot • red as cherries
red as a beetroot—
1
. red in the face from feeling ashamed:
If his friends talked about girls, he went as red as a beetroot.
2. sunburnt: After a day shooting around Sydney, they are as
red as a beetroot! But if it was only the harsh sun that they
had to counter, life would have been easy.
red as cherries —
1
. said of rosy complexion (indicating good
health): Today you see them [women] bouncing, red as cher-
ries, and tomorrow they exhibit themselves effete as dead
weeds…. 2. said of flushed cheeks: My little brother, cheeks
as red as cherries and eyes all a-glow, comes bursting in the
house after a long day of sledding. 3. said of fresh red lips:
She had long, lustrous, Japanese eyes, very quick and alert,
lips as red as cherries and the most beautiful teeth in the world.
red cap • red hat
red cap —
1
. (UK) a military policeman: She used to take me
to nightclubs tucked away which no officers or redcaps knew
about. 2. (coll.) a railway porter: Why don’t you get a red cap
to help you carry your bags. 3. the European goldfinch: Many
birds seem to have particular names in these parts. Wood-
peckers are called pickatrees, and goldfinches, red-caps.
red hat—
1
. a cardinal’s hat as the symbol of the position:
To receive the red hat he must go to Rome. 2. (UK Army) a
staff officer: A number of very high-ranking officers were
invited. …The visiting red hats were not impressed.