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

man of nerve • nervous man
man of nerve —a bold and courageous man: The study of
his life would have told them that this was a man of nerve,
character, and old-fashioned common sense. Cf.: have the
nerve — have the necessary courage or audacity to do smth.:
They’ve got a stressful and dangerous job and I wouldn’t have
the nerve to do what they do.
nervous man —a man of excitable temperament; smb. who
is easily worried or irritated: He was a nervous man, one who
was literally looking over his left shoulder all the time.
man of property • property man
man of property —a wealthy individual: They are all men of
property and always entertained a respect for property.
property man —(Theater) a man in charge of stage properties
(also: property master): The property man, needing assistance,
hired clearers to help move and shift properties between
scenes.
man of service • serviceman
man of service —(dated) a veteran soldier: The parallel be -
tween Cincinnatus and Washington as men of service is strik-
ing.
serviceman —
1
. a man serving in the armed forces: Some
servicemen had prewar business experience which was being
amplified by their military duties. 2. a man providing service
or maintenance: The knowledge that the course provides will
enable the television serviceman to expand his business into
the radio field.
Man of Steel • steel man
Man of Steel —
1
. a nickname for the movie superhero Super-
man: There will never be another Man of Steel, on film or in
real life, like Chris. 2. is used of the name Stalin adopted by
the Russian dictator Joseph Dzhugashvili (
1
879–
1
953): It
seems more than ever the world needs another Stalin, another
Man of Steel.
steel man —a person who has to do with steel as a product:
From the steel-man’s point of view, this was ideal, for it put
all steel mills on an equal competitive footing.
See also: iron man / man of iron.