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

Long John • long johns
Long John —
1
. a nickname of a tall, thin man: As I had
warned Long John, there comes a time when you begin to
think that you know it all. 2. is used of a long coffee table:
Some of his most famous pieces from this period are the 
1
946
“Long John” table and the simple 
1
948 chaise lounge. 3. a
timber tree (Triplaris surinamensis) found along the lower
Amazon and in the Guianas: An unusual tree which is flow-
ering at the moment is the Long John tree.
long johns —(sl.) long woolen underwear: We stripped down
to our long johns so that the technicians could plaster us all
over with strips of wet paper.
long line • long-distance line
long line —a deep-sea fishing-line: Every third hook on the
long lines is baited with crabs.
long-distance line —(U.S.) a telephone line connecting two
exchanges in different telephone areas: The lines between
exchanges in this country [Britain] are known as trunks. For
these the American terms toll line or long-distance line is used.
long shillings • short money
long shillings —(UK coll.) good wages: There are “long
shillings” to be earned at the docks, but no easy ones; and the
work is not only hard but dangerous.
short money —
1
. money to borrow or to lend upon short-
time loans: Long-term money market interest rates fell,
whereas short money market rates remained unchanged. 2. a
small amount of money: The weaknesses in his game were
magnified by the fact that he was playing on short money.
long ship • long-boat
long ship —(hist.) a galley accommodating a large number
of rowers: It was the perfection of the sailing long ship that
heralded the beginning of the Viking Age.
long-boat—the largest boat belonging to a sailing vessel:
The vessel is going to pieces, and it is full time to get into the
long-boat and leave her.