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

snow boots • snow shoes
snow boots —overboots of rubber and cloth; winter boots
made for deeper snow: Soon after our walk began, I discovered
my snow boots had a small leak.
snow shoes —flat frames attached to a boot for walking on
snow: There was no village at which the required articles could
be procured: namely, two pairs of snow shoes.
snow on someone • snow someone
snow on someone —fall in the manner of snow; shower down
on smb.: They were subjected to conditions where the asbestos
was snowing on them continually.
snow someone —(U.S. sl.) deceive a person or win over with
plausible words: I won’t get mad. Just don’t snow me with any
sob-sister business.
snowed in • snowed under
snowed in —(also: snowed up) 
1
. (of cars, roads, etc.) be (com-
pletely) covered with snow: Cars were snowed in and several
parking lots were still filled shin-deep with snow. 2. (of people)
slip up on something
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unable to go out because of the abundance of snow: After one
particularly heavy storm, they were snowed in for more than
two weeks.
snowed under —
1
. = snowed in 
1
: If she would have gone into
labor a day later, she wouldn’t have gotten to the hospital.
Stern’s car was “snowed under” the next day. 2. burdened with
too much paperwork, etc.: I have been snowed under with
correspondence ever since my secretary was taken ill. 3. over-
whelmed; completely defeated: The opposing team were
snowed under by our well-planned attack.
so and so • so so
so and so —
1
. is used as an abusive characteristic for a person
or thing: That’s what we pay rates and taxes for, and no so-
and-so policemen in sight! 2. (also: such and such) is used of
a person or thing whose name one does not remember or when
one does not want to be precise: He told me that he could
send me over to doctor so and so if I wished. 3. (also: thus and
so) act in a particular way; according to directions given: The
analyst would tell her to do so and so, and she’d go and tell
her husband that so and so is what they ought to do.
so so —commonplace or mediocre; neither very good nor
very bad: After working for some so-so companies, I’ve actu-
ally found something that’s rewarding to do.