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

charge something down to someone • charge
something up to someone
charge something down to someone—(also: put something down
to someone) record a sum of money as a person’s debt for later
payment: Please charge these goods down to my account.
charge something up to someone —(also: charge something upon
someone) = charge something down to someone: Why were the
expenses of the reception charged up to me?
Charlie’s dead • Queen Ann’s dead
Charlie’s dead —(UK) is used to discreetly tell a woman that
her slip or panties are showing: “Charlie est mort.” “What did
you say?” Marie lapsed suddenly into English…. “Charlie’s
dead,” he translated. “Means your petticoat’s showing.”
Queen Ann’s dead —(UK) an ironical response to smb. who
refers to old news or says smth. very obvious: To any boy who
tendered a particularly obvious bit of information, his classic
reply was, “Oh yes, and Queen Anne’s dead.”
chase two rabbits • kill two birds with one stone
chase two rabbits —(also: run after two hares) try to fulfill
two goals at the same time (with the implication that a person
will not succeed in either one): Japanese managers are forced
to “chase two rabbits,” that is, Western governance and Japa-
nese honor.
Note:
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase make two bites of a cherry—(also: take two bites of a
cherry) take two turns to accomplish smth. which could be per-
formed in one operation: To announce then all I am announcing
now seemed unwise and we remembered the adage against
making two bites of a cherry.
kill two birds with one stone —accomplish two objectives
with a single action: If we can get gas and have lunch at the
next rest stop, we will be killing two birds with one stone.
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