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

more cry than wool • more kicks than halfpence
more cry than wool —much clamor or fuss with insignificant
results: Her diary was much more cry than wool and Mary
MacLane was a startling figure only because the times were so
colorless and mild.
more kicks than halfpence —(also: more kicks than half-pen-
nies) more harshness than kindness: The life of a boy on board
a ship isn’t one to be envied, he is at every one’s beck and call,
and gets more kicks than halfpence.
more than one bargains for • more than one can
shake a stick at
more than one bargains for —
1
. said of an unpleasant surprise
at the negative consequences of one’s action: A crook got more
than he bargained for when he tried to rob a 77-year-old
woman. That woman was a former deputy sheriff … and
fought back. 2. said when the outcome of one’s action is even
better or more favorable than one had expected: I found myself
leafing through the book…. To say the least, I got more than
I bargained for — an emotional connection with a brave and
inspirational author.
more than one can shake a stick at—said of a large number or
quantity of smth.: Don’t worry about seeing islands. On the
ferry to Sweden you’ll see more than you can shake a stick at.
Mother of Southwestern Statesmen, the • Mother
State, the
Mother of Southwestern Statesmen, the —(U.S.) a nickname
of the state of Tennessee: Other nicknames include… “The
Mother of Southwestern Statesmen,” because Tennessee fur-
nished the United States three presidents and a number of
other leaders.
Mother State, the —(U.S.) a nickname of the state of Vir-
ginia: Such estates were the special pride of the Mother State,
aristocratic old Virginia. These ancient homesteads were
owned by the most prominent families.