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

evening dress • evening gown
evening dress —(also: evening clothes) clothing worn by men
and women for evening social events: When he appeared at
the door to meet a correspondent he was in evening dress.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase night dress— a loose light garment worn by women in
bed: She slipped a housecoat over her night-dress and made
her way downstairs.
evening gown —a woman’s elegant formal dress: Anna May
came out, in a cerise strapless satin evening gown.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase night gown— = night dress: Apparently, she had fallen
asleep while smoking. The cigarette had dropped on her night-
gown, which promptly burst into flame.
everlasting life • life everlasting
everlasting life —life after death: To make this everlasting
life as comfortable as possible, the spirit called upon the mag-
ical aids and implements provided in its earthly tomb.
life everlasting —
1
. an American plant (Anaphalis margari-
tacea) grown for ornament: Life everlasting grows under the
table, and blackberry vines run round its legs. 2. American
cudweed (Antennaria margaritacea): Life everlasting is used in
many folk remedies for catarrh; also chewed and smoked by
boys. 3. = everlasting life: I want to believe in life everlasting.
At death none of us has exhausted all our possibilities, and I
want to go on.
every cloud has a silver lining • every dog has its
day
every cloud has a silver lining —(saying ) every sad or unpleas-
ant situation has a positive side to it: When all else fails, use
humor to help you see that every cloud has a silver lining.
every dog has its day —(saying ) everyone will get a period of
success or satisfaction during his lifetime: Every dog has its
day, however, and it’s often the case that last year’s loser be-
comes this year’s winner. Cf.: into each life some rain must
fall —(saying ) bad or unfortunate things will happen to everyone
at some time (originally a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfel-
low): We should be glad that “into each life some rain must
fall,” for if it weren’t for the rain, our joys of the sunny days
would wither and die.