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

soup 
(be in the soup; chicken soup;
duck soup; see you in the soup; thick
as pea soup)
south 
(go south)
space 
(from space to space)
spate 
(in full spate; in spate)
spectacle 
(look a spectacle)
spin 
(go for a spin; go into a flat spin)
spirit 
(be out of spirits)
spirit 
(high spirit; high spirits; in
spirit; in spirits; lose all spirit)
spoke 
(put in one’s spoke; put a spoke
in someone’s wheel)
spoon 
(be born with a silver spoon in
one’s mouth; get the wooden spoon)
sport 
(make sport for someone; make
sport of someone)
spot 
(grease spot; greasy spot; hit the
high spots; hit the spot; in a spot; in
spots; oil spot strategy; oil-spot
someone; on the spot)
spotlight 
(hold the spotlight; in the
spotlight of something)
spur 
(on the spur; on the spur of the
moment)
squad 
(flying squad)
squadron 
(flying squadron)
stage 
(go on stage; go on the stage)
stake 
(burn someone at the stake; pick
up stakes; raise the stakes)
stand 
(die standing up; make a stand
against something; take a stand
against something; take a stand on
something; take one’s stand; take the
stand; take the stand on something)
standing 
(of long standing; of stand-
ing)
standoff 
(be a standoff )
star 
(get stars in one’s eyes; lone star;
lonely star; see stars; shoot a star;
shoot for the stars; shooting star)
start 
(at the start; get a head start; get
a start; get one’s start; get someone
started; give someone a start; to start
with)
state 
(be in one’s natural state; bullion
state, the; corncracker state, the;
cracker state, the; diamond state,
the; empire state of the south, the;
empire state, the; garden state, the;
gem state, the; golden state, the;
great lakes state, the; green mountain
state, the; gulf state; in a state; in
state; lake state, the; lone star state,
the; mother state, the; mountain
state, the; north star state, the; peace
garden state, the; purple state; red
state; salt lake state, the; treasure
state, the)