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

bark at the moon • cry for the moon
bark at the moon —do smth. which has no effect: If other
nations don’t adopt similar measures to protect blue sharks,
we’re just barking at the moon.
cry for the moon —demand smth. impossible: To ask for the
matter to be settled by a General Council is to cry for the
moon.
base light • basic light
base light—(Photography) diffuse, uniform studio illumina-
tion approaching a shadowless condition: In some cases you
may want to use a low-level base light.
basic light—(Photography) illumination using the concept
of one main light: In addition to the basic light with a simple
on/off button, there are also the dimmer switch lights.
Basic English • basic English
Basic English —an essential English vocabulary used for
teaching purposes: Basic English is a system in which 850 En-
glish words do all the work of over 20,000.
basic English —
1
. English using few and simple words: I’d
picked up a touch of “la tourism” or in basic English, the runs,
from the unwashed fruit. 2. (sl.) English using vulgar and ob-
scene words: He, Happy, himself no slouch at basic English,
was revolted by George’s language.
Note: 
Neither expression correlates in meaning with the
acronym BASIC—(Beginners’ All-purpose Symbolic Instruction
C
ode) a computer language using simple English: When you re-
ceived your computer a language called BASIC was possibly
supplied on a disk.
batman • batsman
batman —a British military officer’s personal servant: He
told of how his batman mended his clothes; prepared his food;
seemed always able to provide him with small comforts.
batsman —a baseball or cricket player who bats: In front of
the opposite wicket, there’s a player from the opposing team
(the “batsman”).