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

Note: 
Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase
at sea
—
1
. (of a ship) far away from land: If he knows Morse
code, he may listen to messages from ships at sea. 2. (also: all
at sea) perplexed; confused: The job was new to me, and for a
few days I was quite at sea.
in the stocks • on the stocks
in the stocks —
1
. (of money) invested in shares in return for
interest: Sir William had a fair estate in land, a large sum of
money in the stocks…. 2. is used of an old instrument of pun-
ishment (the person punished sitting with his ankles confined
between two planks): I have seen a man in the stocks as a pun-
ishment for drunkenness.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase in stock—used of a supply of goods for sale, etc.: We will
have more bicycles in stock in a few weeks.
on the stocks —
1
. (of ships) in the process of being built: The
Mariner’s Girl is on the stocks and should be ready for sea in
about six months. 2. in process of preparation or completion:
This is one of his latest productions, but he has another musi-
cal on the stocks.
in the sun • under the sun
in the sun —exposed to light and warmth from the sun: Peo-
ple with paler skin may need just a few minutes in the sun at
the beginning of the season.
under the sun —anywhere in the world: There’s no nation
under the sun that doesn’t try to protect its military secrets.
in the track of someone • on the track of someone
in the track of someone —following the actual route taken by
a person: From here I rushed straight to the Senate, right in
the track of this man.
on the track of someone —in pursuit of smb. (in order to cap-
ture): The law commands that the police should always be on
the track of criminals.