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

Happy Families • happy family
Happy Families —a game played with a pack of special cards:
The well-known game of Happy Families is nothing but a
variation of Spade the Gardener.
happy family—
1
. said of a group of people living together
in harmony: All the Ashkenazic tribes lived very much like a
happy family. 2. (Austral.) a popular name of the grey-crowned
babbler: From their habit of associating in flocks, they are
known as the “Twelve Apostles,” a name also shared in some
parts with that of “Happy Family.”
hard at it • hard put to it
hard at it—very busy; working industriously: When we got
to the field, the farmer and his son were already hard at it.
hard put to it—find it very difficult to do smth.: Developing
countries are hard put to it to raise the capital even for cheaper,
though more pollutive, technologies.
hard at something • hard on something
hard at something —working diligently on smth.: She was
hard at her lessons when we entered the room.
hard on something —treating smth. severely or harshly: These
rough roads are hard on your shoes.
hard cash • hard coin
hard cash —(also: hard money) money in its proper form, as
distinguished from checks, etc.: Not enough pilots seem ready
to lay out hard cash for weather and flight-planning informa-
tion.
hard coin —(U.S. sl.) lots of money: Old Freddie is earning
some hard coin these days.
hard drink • hard drinking
hard drink —(of liquor) intoxicating; strong: With a hard
drink in the hand the day lengthens and softens. Cf.: soft
drink — a nonalcoholic, flavored, carbonated beverage: Sugary
soft drinks have been given much of the blame for overweight
children.
hard drinking —indulging in alcohol to excess: It seemed as
though no student’s education was complete without a spell
of hard drinking in the Montparnasse cafes.