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

give someone five • give someone high five
give someone five —(coll.) 
1
. (also: give someone a hand) help
a person: Hey, give me five over here for a minute, will ya? 2.
slap smb.’s raised palm in greeting or as a congratulation: Reno
put out his hand for me to give him five.
give someone high five — = give someone five 2: The guy at
the door said goodnight and Billy turned around and gave
him high five.
See also: take five / take the fifth.
give someone freedom • give someone his freedom
give someone freedom —
1
. allow a person to do what he wants:
They gave him freedom to go anywhere on his scooter pro-
vided he informed them first. 2. (of a prisoner or slave) make
free: Augustus in a dearth, gave freedom to twenty thousand
slaves.
give someone his freedom —
1
.= give someone freedom 2: They
were in favor of arming the negroes, putting them in the
Southern army, and at the same time giving them their free-
dom. 2. agree to a divorce: It seems foolish not to give John
his freedom; if that’s what he really wants.
give someone lip • give someone lip service
give someone lip —(sl.) talk in a rude or disrespectful way to
a person: “I was doing a practical session in a hospital,” he
said, “and one of the patients was giving me lip.”
give someone lip service —give smb. verbal expression of sup-
port, etc. not backed up by action: Each time they are very
sympathetic but nothing happens. I got the idea they were
just giving me lip service.
give someone one’s word • give someone the word
give someone one’s word —
1
. give one’s promise to a person:
I’ll help you in any way I can — I give you my word. 2. express
one’s assurance to a person: I give you my word that my
brother did not leave a shilling to his son.
give someone the word —
1
. indicate one’s intentions to smb.:
Any time you need any additional help just give us the word.
2. command a person to do smth.: The man stood bolt upright
before me until I gave him the word to stand at ease. 3. = give