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

white slave • white-collar slave
white slave —a white girl procured for prostitution purposes,
especially when brought to a foreign country: The conference
was attended by representatives of the International Migration
Organization and countries supplying white slaves.
white-collar slave —(derog.) an office employee who works
hard and continuously: You’re an adult now and are on your
way to being a powerless pseudo intellectual white collar slave.
who ever • whoever
who ever —is used as a more emphatic variant of “who”:
Who ever would have thought it would be so difficult to get
people to support a charity?!
whoever —no matter who; anyone who: Whatever and who-
ever takes the credit becomes largely irrelevant when the qual-
ity of the material is this good.
whole lot, a • whole lot, the
whole lot, a —a great amount or number: They did a whole
lot of proving flights over the route before they put it into
regular operation.
whole lot, the —the total number or quantity: A net is put
round a school of tuna, the base is closed and the whole lot
hauled on board.
wide open • widely open
wide open —
1
. fully open: The living areas are very spacious
with comfortable sofas and wide open doors welcoming in a
fresh breeze and bright light. 2. (Boxing ) fully exposed; unpro-
tected: Summers in an unguarded moment, left himself wide
open and encountered one of the most decisive knock-out
punches I ever saw. 3. vulnerable; off one’s guard: You never
find me going in for favors…. It leaves you wide open. 4.
(U.S.) said of a town characterized by a lack of restrictions on
places for drinking, gambling, etc.: He has been elected three
times because the citizens want a wide-open town.
widely open — = wide open 
1
: We caught a glimpse through