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

set one’s teeth • set someone’s teeth on edge
set one’s teeth —show deep resolution in the face of pain,
opposition, etc.: Erik set his teeth when the memories came
flooding back, bursting their hastily constructed dams.
set someone’s teeth on edge —said of smth. extremely unpleas-
ant getting on a person’s nerves: The sight of that man eating
with his knife sets my teeth on edge.
set someone back on his feet • set someone back
on his heels
set someone back on his feet—(also: put someone back on his
feet) 
1
. make smb.’s position or means of living secure again:
Count Pückler went to England in search of a rich heiress who
would set him back on his feet financially. 2. (of medicine,
etc.) cure a person: Right now she couldn’t even face the
thought of the long drive home … but a short rest would set
her back on her feet again.
set someone back on his heels —(coll.) take aback or disconcert
a person: First, the question set me back on my heels, as I felt
the sudden shift of responsibility onto my shoulders. But then
it excited me.
Note:
Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase
set someone back
—
1
. cause a person to put smth. off or get be -
hind schedule: Hurricane Charley has set us back by a week,
so our summer fun program extends well into September. 2.
(coll.) cause smb. to pay out or to lose a sum of money: Working
professionals might meet with an unforeseen accident that
might set them back by thousands of dollars.
set someone up • upset someone
set someone up —
1
. (coll.) make a person feel better: You need
a holiday to set you up again after all that hard work. 2. help
a person start as someone in business, etc.: His father lent him
some money to set him up as a shoemaker. 3. (often Passive)
deliberately cause a person to receive blame, punishment, etc.:
I’m not to blame really; I’ve been set up.