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

Blue Book • Project Blue Book
Blue Book —
1
. a government publication providing infor-
mation on some topic: The U.S. Department of State issued
a heavily documented 40,000-word Blue Book. 2. a directory
of persons of prominence, etc.: The Blue Book of British
Broadcasting is a standard reference book of TV and radio
stations. 3. a list of rules or requirements: When the document
is sent to the Panel a charge is payable according to the scales
set out in the Blue Book.
Project Blue Book —the dossier that the U.S. Air Force main-
tains on unidentified flying objects: “Project Blue Book?
Wasn’t that about UFOs?” Nick could hardly believe what he
was hearing.
blue boys • boys in blue
blue boys —
1
. (coll.) the police: Four blue boys held me while
a fifth slipped the cuffs on me. 2. (UK hist.) schoolboys of a
charity school who wear blue coats (also: bluecoat boys): The
school whose boys were known as “blue boys,” was dissolved
in the nineteenth century.
boys in blue — = blue boys 
1
: How do you manage between
clients who call the police “pigs” and your professional peers
who regard them as upright boys in blue.
blue coats • bluecoat boys
blue coats —
1
. (coll.) the police: One of the blue coats would
attempt to put back the crowd. 2. blue-coated seamen: These
were blue coats — French — who were on shore for a visit. 3.
(U.S. hist.) a soldier in the Federal army during the Civil War:
Wait until the States are restored and the “Blue Coats” are out
of the way.
bluecoat boys —(UK hist.) schoolboys of a charity school who
wear blue coats (also: blue boys): The day after Christmas Day
was a high day with us as Bluecoat boys. We then received our
yearly new coat and cap…