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

gain credit • get credit
gain credit—
1
. receive recognition, praise, or approval: It
was Alberto Santos-Dumont who gained credit for building
the first dirigible that could be maneuvered through the air.
2. complete a part of the higher education course (passing a
test, etc.): Students may seek approval to use previously gained
credit toward a new program of study. 3. (of rumors, etc.)
acquire credence; be generally believed: An accusation so
improbable gained but little credit.
from the wood
– 128 –

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get credit—
1
. = gain credit 
1
: The governor, who has the low-
est approval rating of any California governor, doesn’t even
get credit for what he has accomplished. 2. = gain credit 2:
Students may not get credit for more than one writing inten-
sive course in a semester. 3. be allowed a period of time before
one has to pay for goods and services: In many cases rural
households get credit for the goods they purchase from traders.
gain ground on someone • gain ground with
someone
gain ground on someone —get closer to a person pursued:
Each minute did their enemy gain ground perceptibly upon
them.
gain ground with someone —win smb.’s favor: I had been
gaining ground with Mr. Rankeillor, and in proportion as I
gained ground, gaining confidence.
gain in something • gain on something
gain in something —acquire more of a particular quality:
The Leader of the Opposition gained significantly in stature
as a result of his speech.
gain on something —
1
. get closer to a vehicle pursued: The
police-launch was quickly gaining on the boat. 2. move further
ahead of a vehicle: The leading group of three continued to
gain on the rest of the boats. 3. (of the sea) encroach upon the
coast: The sea was gradually gaining on the buildings, which
at length almost entirely disappeared.