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

Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
consonant compound longhand— ordinary handwriting, as dis-
tinguished from shorthand or typing: The clerk had to write all
the evidence down in longhand.
long bill • longbill
long bill —
1
. a written statement containing a great number
of items: She listed a long bill of particulars from James’s legal
response to the court. 2. a bill in which the charges are exces-
– 221 –
long bill

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sive: We had to wait a long time for a poor dinner, and pay
a long bill for it when it came. 3. (Finance) a bill of exchange
that runs for more than 30 and often more than 60 days: The
fluctuations in long bills are co-extensive with the fluctuations
in the value of money. 4. a bird with a long bill (such as a
snipe or a woodcock): We always had flushed a few “long bills”
from the wet swales.
longbill — = long bill 4: The bird footprints seem to be from
a distant ancestor of modern birds such as ducks, plovers, and
longbills.
long clothes • long robes
long clothes —long dress for a baby’s body: But before he
was out of long clothes, the cloven foot began to show; he
developed a taste for low pleasures.
long robes —long, loose garment worn as a sign of rank or
office by judges, priests, etc.: In most nations judges wear long
robes, usually black or red, and sit on an elevated platform
during trials.
long head • short head
long head —(coll.) capacity for calculation and foresight: He
has always had luck, and he has a long head too.
short head —a narrow margin in victory (originally of horse
races): A photo finish was predicted by polls. The final one
showed M. Mitered winning by a short head.