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

clasp hands • clasp one’s hands
clasp hands —shake hands showing more emotion than in
the usual handshake : At half-past three my friend and I
clasped hands upon the mountain top.
clasp one’s hands —press hands together with the fingers in-
terlaced: Setting aside her glass, Sandra crossed her feet, clasp-
ing her hands behind her head.
classic play • classical play
classic play —a play that serves as a standard; one that has
come to be regarded as one of the best: Molly has a dream of
acting in a classic play, but all the parts she likes are written
for men.
classical play —a play which is Roman or ancient Greek: A
classical play (ancient Greek drama or work of a classical
writer) is presented during the summer in cultural events held
by municipalities.
– 71 –
classic play

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clean animals • cleanly animals
clean animals —
1
. animals that are habitually clean: Rats are
obsessively clean animals that spend a good 20 percent of their
day cleaning themselves. 2. animals considered fit for food by
religious custom: God tells us that the clean animals were to
be used for food and the unclean animals were not to be used
as food.
cleanly animals — = clean animals 
1
: You need to spend only
little time on the personal hygiene of the guinea-pigs because
they are very cleanly animals.
clean as a new pin • clean as a whistle
clean as a new pin —spotlessly clean; very tidy: He was al-
ways glad to see me in the galley which he kept as clean as a
new pin.
clean as a whistle —
1
. = clean as a new pin: It was not long
before the dismal little boarded-up house was as clean as a
whistle. 2. said of smth. neatly and skillfully done: The dog
jumped through the hoop as clean as a whistle.