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

worth while • worthwhile
worth while —(predic.) worthy of the time or effort spent
(also: worth one’s while): We had to wait for the food but the
wait was worth while as the food was exceptional!
worthwhile —(attrib.) said of smth. of sufficient value or im -
portance: The report suggests that patient education regarding
the side effects of drugs is a worthwhile effort.
wring one’s hands • wring someone’s hand
wring one’s hands—
1
. squeeze one’s hands together to express
despair, sorrow, etc.: His face was pale, and he stared at his
feet while wringing his hands nervously. 2. be very worried or
upset about smth.: Our President is all day in security sessions,
briefings, debriefings, staying up all night wringing his hands
over this whole mess.
wring someone’s hand —shake hands with a person showing
more emotion than in the usual handshake: He shook hands
with Tom, wringing his hand harder than he knew.
write for something • write off for something
write for something —
1
. write pieces for a newspaper, mag-
azine, etc.: Students past and present have written for the
Oxford student newspaper and the University radio station.
2. request smth. by post: “And haven’t you written for further
particulars?” “I have been thinking of doing so. You would
advise me to write to the doctor?”
write off for something — = write for something 2: No one
here could answer my questions, so I had to write off for more
information.
write something down as • write something off as
write something down as —classify or regard smth. as: The
corporation had made a number of tests with it … and they
had written it down as a failure.
write something off as —
1
. = write something down as: The
way I justify this silly exercise in hard labor is that I can write
it off as a learning experience. 2. regard smth. as unsuitable
or having no value: Paint-coating should not be written off
as a possible future solution as the durability of coating mate-
rials is constantly being improved.