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

bed head • sleepy head
bed head —(sl.) the way one’s hair looks after sleeping on it:
The only time my hair is curly is when I have a bed head.
sleepy head —(coll.) a sleepy or lethargic person: I will give
Laura a big hug as soon as she’s awake. She really is a sleepy
head.
bed of roses • rose bed
bed of roses —(usually negat.) said of a pleasant, easy condi-
tion of life: Post war Hungary was no bed of roses. Political
oppression permeated every facet of life…. Cf.: bed of thorns —
said of a situation of anxiety and apprehension: It was a bed of
thorns every hour of every day all through the making of the
film.
rose bed —a flowerbed of roses: Since I cannot separate
lavender from roses in my mind, I plant clumps of it around
my rose beds.
beef head (UK) • beef head (U.S.)
beef head (UK)—(sl.) a slow witted person: You may look
all hot and sexy, but with that attitude you’ll only end up with
a beef head of a partner.
beef head (U.S.)—(sl.) a resident of Texas: A resident of
Texas was called a “Beef-Head” by at least 
1
869. The name is
related to Texas’s famous cattle industry.
beef-tea • meat tea
beef-tea —juice of beef strained off after cooking in water
(given as stimulating food to people who are ill): Miss Lawson
tiptoed into the room, carrying a cup of beef-tea.
meat tea —(also: meat-tea) a meal taken between lunch and
supper with some kind of meat dish included: This high oc-
casion was to be celebrated by a “meat-tea.”
Beefeater • meat eater
Beefeater —(UK) 
1
. one of the Warders of the Tower of Lon-
don: The Beefeaters at the Tower wear the costume of Henry
VIIth’s body-guard. 2. an officer in the (ceremonial) body-
guard of the British monarch: In order to become a Beefeater,
you must have an unblemished conduct record.
meat eater —(U.S. sl.) a corrupt policeman: Meat eaters
spend a good deal of their working hours seeking out situations
they can exploit for financial gain.