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

forget doing something • forget to do something
forget doing something —fail to keep in mind smth. that one
has done: I guess she forgot talking to me yesterday and did
not recognize me earlier. She is so busy after all.
forget to do something —fail to bear in mind smth. that one
has to do: I’m not used to asking permission to do what I
need to do, so it seems I forgot to talk to the manager.
four kings, the • three kings, the
four kings, the —the playing-cards bearing the representation
of a king: Just turn over the cards, one by one, until the four
kings turn up, all together. Cf.: history of the Four Kings, the —
(arch., also: books of the Four Kings, the) a pack of playing cards:
Freddy is up at Oxford, but Uncle says … all he seems to be
studying is the History of the Four Kings.
three kings, the —(the Bible) the Wise Men who came from
the East to worship the new-born Christ: The angel may be
the one who helped the Three Kings to return home.
foxy lady • foxy man
foxy lady —(U.S. sl.) a sexually attractive woman: My strictly
platonic friend Mei is a foxy lady even when she is just moving
around the house in her sweatpants.
foxy man —
1
. a man who is sly and tricky: Herod was a foxy
man and always tried to win power, but in the end he was
recalled by the Roman emperor in disgrace. 2. a man resem-
bling a fox in appearance: We found him waiting to receive
us — a small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable
expression.
free in something • free with something
free in something —(of one’s manners, speech, etc.) informal;
unceremonious: I have always been frank and free in my talks.
free with something —generous with one’s money, praise,
etc.: In the woman’s opinion, the gentleman was wonderfully
free with his money.