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

worker bee • working bee
worker bee —
1
. sterile bee specialized to collect food and
maintain the hive: Only one queen bee is the mother of all
worker bees and drones in a beehive. 2. said of a hard working
person: All those handmade items make it so cozy and invit-
ing. You are a real worker bee.
working bee —
1
. = worker bee 
1
: By this time the number of
working bees in the hive is becoming very great, and the stor-
ing of honey goes on very quickly. 2. = worker bee 2: The
members were “working bees” in the best sense, and were capa-
ble of success anywhere. 3. an event at which people work
towards a common cause: Are you able to assist at our working
bee on Sunday? The purpose of this working bee is to beautify
the area.
working man • workman
working man —a man who has a job in industry; member
of the working class: Greyhound racing is sometimes said to
be the working man’s substitute for horse racing.
Note:
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase working girl—
1
. said of a girl, usually single, who sup-
ports herself by working in an office, etc.: The film portrays a
white-collar working girl who receives a marriage proposal
from a kindly but humble doctor. 2. (euph.) a prostitute: Now,
the average working girl often takes in hundreds, maybe even
thousands, of dollars every night she is on the street.
workman —
1
. a manual worker employed upon some par-
ticular piece of work; a skilled craftsman: The workmen
brought the materials on Friday and promised to start the job
on Monday. 2. a person who works in some specified way:
My health makes me a very slow workman.
working paper • working papers
working paper —a paper produced as a basis for discussion
rather than as a final statement: The Government published
a working paper which set out some possibilities.
working papers —official documents legalizing the employ-
ment of a person not yet legally of age: Before being employed
the boy had to produce his working papers.