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

separate the men from the boys • separate the
sheep from the goats
separate the men from the boys —separate those who have
great skill, courage, etc., from those whose abilities are more
limited: The first part of the race is not really difficult; it’s the
final three miles over rough and hilly ground that will separate
the men from the boys.
separate the sheep from the goats —(also: separate the wheat
from the chaff ) separate the good and the bad persons: What
the government needed was a new leader who would separate
the sheep from the goats and show the public that dishonesty
would no longer be tolerated.
serve one’s time • serve time
serve one’s time —
1
. do one’s service in the armed forces: I
wish I could serve my time in the army; I would gladly serve
of my own free will. 2. work as an apprentice for a fixed period
of time: I thought I was a man and not a sniveling canting
apprentice angel serving his time in a vale of tears. 3. serve a
prison sentence: Prisoners might serve their time in quarries,
which would be turned into labor camps.
serve time —
1
. shape one’s behavior so as to fit the dominant
pattern of one’s times: We always wait till the last moment to
declare our policy. Gives the impression that we serve time.
2. = serve one’s time 3: Since it was known that Brown had
once served time, it was often difficult for him to find work.
3. work at a particular task, especially an undesirable one: We
are enthusiastic about what we do, and we are driven to make
a difference, not just serve time.
See also: time service / timeserving.
set a stone rolling • set the ball rolling
set a stone rolling —(also: set the stone rolling ) start smth.
which may lead to serious or unanticipated consequences: He
used to treat the opium abuse as the ancestors’ tradition. Any-
way, this set a stone rolling, and a tiny seed of a big misfortune
was planted…