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

from nose to tail • nose to tail
from nose to tail —(usually of animals) as measured from one
extremity to the other: A full grown mule deer measures about
sixty five inches from nose to tail.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase from head to foot—(also: from top to toe) 
1
. all over a
person’s body: Women covered from head to foot can be seen
shopping next to the mini-skirted Russian women. 2. in every
way; in all respects: A gentleman? … That he is, from head to
foot.
nose to tail —(of motor vehicles) traveling or placed very close
behind one another: Traffic stood nose to tail right the way
down the Strand.
from out to out • from space to space
from out to out—in total external length or breadth: The
extreme length of the building, from out to out, is 96 feet,
and the extreme width 5
1
feet.
from space to space —at (regular) intervals: A heavy balustrade
is ornamented from space to space with huge grotesque figures
of animals.
from the bottom up • from the ground up
from the bottom up —from the very beginning; from start to
finish: I started out sweeping the floors and learned everything
from the bottom up.
from the ground up —completely; entirely: Let me tell you
right here that whatever I may or may not be, I am an Amer-
ican from the ground up.
from the floor • from the top
from the floor—(of questions, remarks, etc.) delivered by rank
and file members, as opposed to a governing body: The
amendments from the floor were sufficiently substantial to
make the final version a fair representation of majority opin-
ion.
from the top —(of a piece of music) played from the earliest
– 127 –
from the floor

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