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

Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase finish off something—
1
. (of food) finish completely: The
children have finished off all the fruit. 2. bring smth. to an
end: I finally said we must finish off the war in Italy quickly.
3. totally destroy smth.: A long drive like that could finish the
car off.
finish with something —
1
. = finish off with something 
1
: We
have some nice cake to finish with. 2. = finish off with something
2: I should like to finish with reminding members of the pur-
pose of this club. 3. (of a period of time) come to an end (on
a certain date): Please send your accounts for the period finish-
ing with 3
1
March. 4. have no further use for smth.: Have
you finished with the newspaper?
finish school • leave school
finish school —
1
. complete one’s school education: When he
finished school he went to college in the United States. 2.
finish classes for the day: When he finished school at noon,
the taxi would first drop off the other kids and then Ahmad.
leave school —
1
. = finish school 
1
: About a year after she left
school, Doreen headed to Manitoba with her boyfriend. 2.
leave the school building after dismissal: The kids went to
school with their ski equipment and left school at noon for
an afternoon of skiing. 3. drop out of school: He left school
at about 
1
4 to work in a grocery store but continued his edu-
cation through night classes.
fire department • fire office
fire department—(U.S.) a fire brigade: You may establish a
direct connection with the fire department, or the police and
call them immediately.
fire office —a fire-insurance company: An even more elusive
foe of the fire office than petrol is “the cold-blooded fire-bug”
who trades in arson.