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

window 
(go out the window)
wine 
(red wine)
wing 
(clip someone’s wings; give some-
one wings; on a wing and a prayer;
on the wing; on wings; take wing;
try one’s wings; with wings)
wire 
(be on the wire; be on wires; be
wired; beat someone to the wire;
come down to the wire; come under
the wire; dead wire; go down to the
wire; go under the wire; hot wire;
live wire; over the wire; pull one’s
wire; pull wires; under the wire;
under wire)
wish 
(death-wish; dying wish)
wit 
(have one’s wits about one; have
the wit to do something)
with 
(do with something; what with;
what’s with)
without 
(do without something)
wizard 
(wonderful wizard of oz, the)
wolf 
(keep the wolf at bay; sea wolf;
water-wolf )
woman 
(career woman; common
woman; first woman, the; floor
woman; little woman; old woman;
scarlet woman; scarlet woman, the;
sporting woman; street woman)
wonder 
(for a wonder; nine-day won-
der; ninety-day wonder; to a won-
der)
wood 
(be out of the woods; from the
wood; man of the woods; out of the
wood; take to the woods)
woodwork 
(come out of the wood-
work)
wool 
(goats’ wool; more cry than wool)
word 
(archaic word; archaistic word; at
a word; big word; book of words; by
word of mouth; clip one’s words;
exchange a few words with someone;
exchange words with someone;
famous last words; fiery words; get a
word in; get in a word; give one’s
word; give someone one’s word; give
someone the word; give the word;
Key Word Index
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396 –

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good word; have a word with some-
one; have a word in someone’s ear;
have no words; have the last word;
have word; have words; have words
with someone; high words; high-
sounding words; hot words; in a few
well-chosen words; in a few words;
in a word; in so many words; last
word, the; last words; little word;
mark my words; mouth words; no
word; not a word; not a word to
bessie; not in so many words; one
final word; pass one’s word; pass the
word; person of few words; play of
words; play on words; put a word in;
put in a word; put words into some-
one’s mouth; say one’s last word;
send word; so many words; take
someone at his word; take someone’s
word; take the words out of some-
one’s mouth; without many words;
word by word; word for word)
work 
(art work; at work; body work;
dirty work; dirty work at the cross-
roads; do a work; hard work; hardly
work; in the works; in work; it’s all
in a day’s work; job of work; job
work; leg work; make a work; make
light work of something; off work;
one’s work is cut out for one; out of
work; part-time work; piece of work;
place of work)