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

bound 
(beyond the bounds of some-
thing; out of bounds to someone)
bow 
(make a bow; make one’s bow;
take a bow)
bowel 
(have bowels)
bowl 
(dust bowl; rust bowl)
box 
(be in the wrong box; black box;
call box; coin box; dark box; first
time out of the box; get off one’s
soap box; glove box; in the box; in
the ice box; knocked out of the box;
letter box; money box; out of one’s
box; out of the box; outside the box;
post box; post-office box; sardine
box; white box)
boy 
(bad boy; bell boy; best boy; blue
boys; blue-eyed boys; bluecoat boys;
boy, oh boy; boys will be boys; bus
boy; call boy; copy boy; girl-boy;
girlie-boy; go-go boy; golden boys;
head boy; high-boy; home boy;
house-boy; liberty boy; man and
boy; new boy; old boy; poor boy;
poor little boy; principal boy; sea
boy; side boy; tea boy; tent-boy; toy
boy; whipping boy; white boy; yel-
low boy)
brain (
be out of one’s brain; beat one’s
brains out; blow one’s brains out;
blow someone’s brains out; crack-
brain; have brains; have something
in one’s brain; have something on
the brain; pick someone’s brains;
turn someone’s brain)
brass 
(bold as brass)
bread 
(dried bread; dry bread)
break 
(coffee break; get a break; get an
even break; give me a break; give
someone a break; give someone an
even break; have a break; heart-
breaking; heart-broken; make a bad
break; make a clean break; take a
break; wind-break)
breaker 
(wind-breaker)
breakfast 
(dingo’s breakfast; dog’s
breakfast; donkey’s breakfast)
breast 
(make a clean breast of some-
thing)
breath 
(catch one’s breath; get one’s
breath again; hold one’s breath; save
one’s breath; stop someone’s breath;
take breath; take in breath; take
someone’s breath away)