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

ease 
(stand at ease)
easy 
(come easy to someone; go easy on
someone; let someone down easy;
stand easy)
eater 
(crow eater; meat eater)
edge 
(at the cutting edge of something;
have the edge over someone; on
edge; on the cutting edge of some-
thing; on the edge; on the edge of
one’s seat; on the knife-edge of
something; on the razor’s edge of
something)
editor 
(city editor)
eel 
(catch an eel by the tail; hold an eel
by the tail)
effect 
(for effect; for good effect; have
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Key Word Index

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an effect upon something; of no
effect; speak without effect; to no
effect)
egg 
(bad egg; get a goose egg; go lay an
egg; goose that lays the golden eggs;
have egg on one’s chin; have egg on
one’s face; lay an egg; like ham and
eggs; put all one’s eggs in one basket;
rotten egg; russian easter egg; russian
egg)
element 
(exposed to the elements; out
of one’s element)
elephant 
(kill an elephant; like an ele-
phant in the room; pink elephant;
see a pink elephant; see the elephant;
white elephant)
eleven 
(seven come eleven; seven
eleven)
else 
(something else)
empire 
(holy roman empire, the;
roman empire, the)
employment 
(in employment; in the
employment)
end 
(at an end; at the end; at the end
of something; be at loose ends; come
to a bad end; come to a dead end;
dead end; end for end; end to end;
from end to end; from land’s end to
john o’ groat’s; go in at the deep
end; go off at the deep end; go to the
end of the land; in the end; in the
end of something; land’s end; land’s
end, the; living end, the; make an
end of something; make both ends
meet; not know which end is up; on
end; on the end; put an end to
something; that’s the end of it; that’s
the end of the ball game; that’s the
end of the line; thick end of the
stick, the; thin end of the wedge,
the; tie up loose ends; world without
end; world’s end)