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

plead for someone

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had thrown myself into his strong arms, pressed my face onto
his well-muscled chest, and sobbed. I pleaded for him to stay.
plead with someone — = plead for someone 3: They pleaded
with him to stay, insisting he was the outstanding person for
this difficult job.
plug at something • plug away at something
plug at something —(U.S. coll.) shoot at smth.: You can prac-
tice with your gun by plugging at the tree.
plug away at something —(coll.) work hard and steadily at
smth.: If I plug away at painting the room, I may get it finished
tonight.
point at something • point to something
point at something —show smth. by holding out one’s finger,
etc.: All the boys went down to the beach and pointed at the
great ship anchored there.
point to something —
1
. indicate the position or direction of
smth.: The needle of a compass points to the north. 2. = point
at something: Pembeh touched him on the shoulder and
pointed to a prayer rug spread at the threshold of the room.
3. be a sign of smth.; testify to smth.: Everything pointed to
the probability of a French protectorate being proclaimed over
Burma. 4. direct attention to smth.: Critics point to the con-
tinuing instability of the company.
point of no return • turning point
point of no return —the point beyond which one must con-
tinue on his current course of action, because turning back
would be too expensive or dangerous: We have finally reached
the point of no return where the drums for peace are now
louder than the drums for war.
turning point—a decisive moment at which a very significant
change for better or worse occurs: The Chernobyl disaster was
a turning point for the nuclear power worldwide. It demon-
strated that nuclear power in parts of the world was not safe
enough.