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

gold balls • golden balls
gold balls —
1
. a plant “marsh marigold” (Caltha palustris)
bearing yellow cup-shaped flowers: Gold Cups and Gold Balls
are names now almost forgotten. 2. the three gilt balls used as
a pawnbroker’s sign: The three gold balls still used as a sign
of the pawnbroker’s shop are supposed to have originated from
St. Nicholas’s three bags of gold.
golden balls — = gold balls 2: Isaak, with a happy cry, pointed
to the three golden balls. Mendel smiled but was exhausted
when they got to the pawnshop.
gold digger • gold hunter
gold digger —(sl.) a woman who uses her attractions to
extract money from men: I never believed she was in love with
him. I always said she was a gold digger.
gold hunter —a fine precision watch of expert craftsmanship:
He looked pointedly at his watch, a fine gold hunter which
he pulled out of his pocket.
goldcrest • golden crest
goldcrest—a tiny European bird (Regulus regulus) having a
bright yellow crown patch bordered with black: I raised my
binoculars and there was a goldcrest flitting around in its quest
for insects.
golden crest—a wooly bog herb (Lophiola aurea) of eastern
North America with yellowish flowers: Golden crest is native
to Florida. It is frequent in the bogs and flatwoods of the
Florida panhandle.
golden age • golden years
golden age —
1
. a period of ideal prosperity and happiness:
The reign of Charles IV was a Golden Age in Czech history.
The end of this period, however, brought economic and polit-
ical strife to the area. 2. said of a period in which smth. specific
is at its highest state of excellence: The beginning of the jet
age in aircraft was a “golden age” in aviation. I did not realize
it at the time. 3. (euph.) old age: This lover of children cer-
tainly has a story to tell about the ups and downs of her life
as she attains the golden age of 60.
golden years — = golden age 3: They are addressed as “senior
citizens” and congratulated on their attainment of the “golden
years.”