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

bound up in something • bound up with some-
thing
bound up in something —very busy with smth.; deeply de-
voted to smth.: He is so bound up in his work and the details
of craftsmanship that he seems unreasonable to his siblings.
bound up with something —closely connected or associated
with smth.: His artistic career is bound up with the develop-
ments of New Ink Painting in Hong Kong.
bow oneself out • bow out
bow oneself out—bow (to a superior) as one leaves the place:
The maids turned as one, saw their emperor and swiftly bowed
themselves out of the room.
bow out—
1
. leave a party, a group of people, etc.: Waving
a hand absently, her mother dismissed Miss Jones, who quickly
bowed out of the room. 2. give up a prominent position in
politics, on the stage, etc.: So Sir Harold bows out, at the end
of a distinguished career in broadcasting.
Box Day • Boxing Day
Box Day —
1
. (Scot.) one of the days during vacation ap-
pointed in the Court of Session on which pleading may be
filed: Box day is a day when the courts of law being closed,
lawyers and litigants can hand in papers. 2. (UK) first weekday
after Christmas Day observed as a holiday: I’ll see Jean and
her family on Box Day, but I promised Wylie next year we
would have Christmas with him.
Boxing Day — = Box Day 2: On Christmas Day and Boxing
Day all inland telegram deliveries will be suspended.
boy, oh boy • boys will be boys
boy, oh boy —an exclamation used as an expression of a range
of emotions such as excitement, surprise, etc.: So my friend,
Krista, came for a visit last week and boy-oh-boy was I ready
for a vacation!
boys will be boys —is used to say that boys or even grown-
up men are expected to act noisy or misbehave: Well, boys
will be boys, you know; we were just the same ourselves when
we were young.