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

at the outside • on the outside
at the outside —as the highest possible figure: This woman
is young, I suppose at the outside not thirty.
on the outside —
1
. on the outer surface: Make sure the con-
tents are clearly labeled on the outside. 2. (sl.) out of prison:
The funny thing is — on the outside, I was an honest man. I
had to come to prison to be a crook.
at the ready • in readiness
at the ready —(of a weapon) in readiness for immediate use:
He stalked along, one hand swinging free, the other with his
machete held at the ready.
in readiness —
1
. in a ready or prepared state: Stacks of “no
parking” cones were dotted in readiness round the village.
2. ready or prepared to do smth.: The admiral gave orders for
the troops to be in readiness to land.
at the rise • on the rise
at the rise— at the start of smth.; at an early stage in smth.:
The book portrays American cities at the rise of industrialism.
Note:
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase at rise—(Theater) when the rising curtain discloses a
scene: At rise we see an interview room with a desk and simple
furnishings.
on the rise—
1
. on the increase: The stealing of intellectual
property is on the rise. 2. (of prices) going up: Now, with an
improving economy, gas prices are on the rise.
at the same time • in the same time
at the same time —
1
. in addition; as well: The method re-
duced the cost of processing information and at the same time
accelerated the speed of producing data. 2. at the same mo-
ment; simultaneously: The same stock may be quoted at the
same time in the exchange markets of distant places. 3. nev-
ertheless (is used to express reservation): That’s all fine and well,
but at the same time it seems increasingly unlikely that we
will achieve these goals.
in the same time —taking the same amount of time: This
explains why a planet travels from point A to point B in the
same time that it takes to cover the much shorter span between
C and D.