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

white boy • white man
white boy —(U.S. Drug users) heroin: Then there are the
white boy drug dealers in the suburbs…. I know that only a
small percentage of people is dangerous, but it’s best to be on
the safe side.
white man —(dated) said of a good and righteous man back
in the colonization days: “Is it a marriage of true minds?” “It
certainly is. Young Jon is a pretty white man.” Cf.: play the
white man —(UK dated) be decent and trustworthy in one’s
actions: When the enemy plays by different rules it is hard to
play the white man.
white cap • white hat
white cap —
1
. (pl.) white foam on the crests of waves (in
stormy weather): We had a strong head wind … the surface
of the lake was covered with white-caps. 2. name for several
birds having a white patch on the head: The male [Redstart]
is called “whitecap” in Shropshire, from its white forehead. 3.
name for species of mushroom: These are the common mush-
rooms you see in almost every supermarket these days. White
caps are used raw in salads, and in cooking.
white hat—
1
. (U.S. Navy) an enlisted man: There’s a white
hat out here who has gone crazy. 2. (coll.) a good and righteous
man: Nixon clung to the original plan against the urging of
Garment, and other “white hats.”
white foot • white leg
white foot—(pl. whitefoots) a white-footed mouse of the
genus Peromyscus: “Whitefoots” are active all year round, even
in cold weather. Their activities begin at dusk and continue
through the night.
white leg —(med.) thrombophlebitis of a femoral vein after
child-birth: After our May was born she never walked properly
again. She had what they called the white leg.
white girl • white lady
white girl —(U.S. Drug users) cocaine: When she gets to col-
lege and doesn’t fit in with either white or black students, she
turns instead to the cocaine (nicknamed White Girl).
white lady —
1
. cocktail made of gin, orange liqueur and
lemon juice: He indicated a cocktail cabinet and proceeded
to mix two “White Ladies.” 2. (Austral. sl.) a drink of methy-
lated spirits mixed with other ingredients: Aborigines used to
swill cheap wines and other concoctions like “White Lady”—
a fiendish brew of methylated spirit and powdered milk. 3. =
white girl: White Boy, White Horse, White Lady: Those are
just a handful of cocaine’s street names.