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

cut the knot • tie the knot
cut the knot—find the solution to a problem by a single de-
cisive action: He had cut the knot, by-passing all preliminar-
ies.
tie the knot—(coll.) 
1
. get married: Diane and Bill tied the
knot yesterday in front of family and friends. 2. perform a
wedding ceremony: It only took a few minutes for the ship’s
captain to tie the knot.
Czech Republic, the • Czechoslovakia
Czech Republic, the —the country that made up the greater
part of Czechoslovakia dissolved in 
1
992, with Slovakia having
become another independent republic: Political dialogue be-
tween Slovenia and the Czech Republic is marked by intense
political contacts.
Czechoslovakia —the country dissolved in 
1
992 (now used
only in historical contexts): Essentially, the Dubcek regime in
Czechoslovakia has been trying to do there what Gomulka
had to do in Poland in 
1
956.
D
daddy-long-legs • long-legs
daddy-long-legs —a long-legged flying insect (Pholcus pha-
langioides): On breezy days, the daddy long-legs get blown
onto rivers in big enough numbers to cause quite a stir in the
trout world.
long-legs —a wading bird (Himantopus himantopus): Long-
legs is a long-legged three-toed black-and-white wading bird
of inland ponds and marshes or brackish lagoons.
damn all • damn it all
damn all —(coll., emphatic) not a thing; nothing at all: What
is the State doing for the Theater? Damn all.
damn it all —(exclam.) is used to express anger or impa-
tience: Damn it all, am I to stand here all day cooling my
heels on your pleasure!
dare I say • I dare say
dare I say —said when one knows that what he is going to
state may raise objections: Dare I say that many of Desai’s
films have been like that. Making use of the current fa-
vorites — actors, plots, stories and turning them into a movie.
I dare say —said when one assumes smth. to be likely or
possible: I dare say that we are the best example of East-West
fusion in Asia (though the Hong Kongers and Japanese will
have something to say about that).