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

gamble on something • take a gamble on
 something
gamble on something —
1
. risk money on the unknown result
of a race, etc.: Cockfighting is a fight between male chickens
(roosters), in which people gamble on the outcome of the
fight. 2. act in the hope of smth. being successful, true, etc.:
I wouldn’t gamble on the weather being fine. Cf.: you can gam-
ble on that—(coll.) you may be sure of that: There will be trouble
for someone. You can gamble on that.
take a gamble on something — = gamble on something 2: The
firm took a gamble on an emerging market with a multi-mil-
lion dollar investment.
game is over, the • party is over, the
game is over, the —(also: game is up, the) 
1
. the situation is
lost beyond rescue: He knew the game was over and began to
seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict. 2. said when the
wrong one has done or smb.’s guilty secret has been discovered:
Okay, sweetheart, game’s over. What’s up?
party is over, the —(also: honeymoon is over) the first happy
period or easy time has come to an end: Local government is
coming to realize that, for the time being, the party is over.
game time • playtime
game time —(coll.) crucial moment for doing business; time
to do what has to be done: Will this report be ready by game
time?
playtime —a time for play or recreation (between lessons at
school, etc.): Do the children in your class run around or
stand around a lot at playtime?
garden house • orchard house
garden house —a summer house; a house situated in a gar-
den: The bakery, tin shop and garden house look as if they
were still open for business.
orchard house —a greenhouse for the fruit too delicate to be
grown in the open air: By dwarfing them [fruit trees] you can
have a great variety in a small space in the orchard house and
get fine fruit.