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

bee 
(busy as a bee; put a bee in some-
one’s bonnet; worker bee; working
bee)
beehive 
(busy as a beehive)
beersheba 
(from dan to beersheba)
beetroot 
(red as a beetroot)
begin 
(to begin with)
beginning 
(at the beginning)
behavior 
(amoral behavior; childish
behavior; childlike behavior;
immoral behavior; manly behavior;
mannish behavior)
behind 
(way behind)
bell 
(clear as a bell; hang all one’s bells
on one horse; hang on the bell; have
one’s bell rung; ring a bell; ring alarm
bells; ring bells; ring one’s bell; ring
one’s own bell; ring someone’s bell;
ring the bell; who will ring the bell)
belly 
(go belly up)
below 
(here below; way below some-
thing)
belt 
(protective belt; safety belt)
bench 
(back bench, the; on the back
bench; on the bench; warm the
bench)
bend 
(around the bend; be bent on
doing something; go around the
bend; go on the bend; go round the
bend; round the bend)
bent 
(have a bent for something)
best 
(all the best; at best; at one’s best;
be best at something; be the best at
something; do best; do one’s best;
give of one’s best; give someone best;
have the best of it; know best; make
the best of it)
bet 
(do you want a bet; you bet)
better
(all the better; i have seen better;
know better; one had better; one’s
better self; think better of someone;
think better of something)
bible 
(swallow the bible; swear on a
stack of bibles; swear on the bible;
unrighteous bible, the; wicked bible,
the)
bidding 
(blind bidding)
big 
(as big as a barn; as big as all out-
doors; as big as life; as big as they
come; be too big for one’s boots; go
big; make it big; talk big)