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

suspicion 
(above suspicion; on suspi-
cion; under suspicion)
swan 
(black swan)
sweat 
(don’t sweat it; don’t sweat the
small stuff; no sweat)
sweep 
(make a clean sweep of some-
thing)
swim 
(be in the swim)
swing 
(get into full swing; get into the
swing of things)
syndrome 
(china syndrome; chinese
restaurant syndrome; vietnam syn-
drome)
system 
(all systems go; economic sys-
tem; economical system; star route
system; star system)
table 
(dressing table; lay something on
the table; on the table; under the
table)
tack 
(on the tack; on the right tack)
tail 
(horse tail; mare’s tail ; nose to tail;
twist someone’s tail)
take 
(give and take; give or take; one’s
take on something)
tale 
(live to tell the tale; tell tales; tell
tales out of school; tell the same tale;
tell the tale; twice-told tale)
talk 
(be talked out; be talked out of
something; big talk; don’t talk to me
about it; little talk; money talks;
short talk; small talk; talk small talk;
talk the talk; tall talk; walk the talk;
you should talk; you shouldn’t talk)
tall 
(ride tall)
tan 
(black and tan; black and tans,
the)
tap 
(on tap; on the tap)
tape 
(on tape; on the tape; red tape)
target 
(beat the target; hit the target)
tartar 
(young tartar)
taste 
(add to taste; add to the taste;
have a taste for something; have a
taste in something; have a taste of
something; out of taste; to taste; to
the taste; without taste)
tea 
(beef-tea; cup of tea, a; different
cup of tea, a; high tea; low tea; meat
tea; not someone’s cup of tea; thick
tea; thin tea)