brass hat—(coll.) 1. a senior officer in the armed forces: For two hours in late January, the brass hats of the Pentagon cloistered themselves with President Clinton. 2. any important or influential person: The trouble was that he was a curate, and the brass hats of the Church look askance at curates who swat parishioners. […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Brand-iron and Branding iron
brand-iron— 1. framework of metal bars used to support burning wood: What are usually called dog-irons on the hearth are called brand-irons, having to support the brand or burning log. 2. (dated) a tool used red-hot for branding cattle or implements: In one farm, the brand iron did not correspond to the brand registered on […]
Difference between Brand-name dropping and Name-dropping
brand-name dropping—attempting to impress others by mentioning the brand names of goods that one owns: We just lay there on my Thermarest Ultra-Light listening to my tiny Grundig shortwave and had a great old time. Sorry about all the brand-name-dropping… name-dropping—attempting to impress others by familiarly mentioning the names of distinguished people in order to […]
Difference between Branch off and Branch out
branch off—deviate from an original direction: At the bridge a little road branches off from the highway and follows the river. branch out— 1. (of a tree) spread out into branches: The tree branched out in every direction, casting a vast shadow over the house. 2. = branch off: After a pair of bends in […]
Difference between “Boys on the bus, the” and “Man on the bus, the”
boys on the bus, the—(U.S. coll.) members of the press who travel with campaigning politicians (also: boys and girls on the bus, the): Columnist Jules Witcover, one of “the boys on the bus” concluded that the candidates’ entourage was about the last place to be these days. man on the bus, the—the ordinary person of […]
Difference between Boy toy and Boy’s toy
boy toy— 1. said of smth. that provides enjoyable pastime to grown-up men: Dive propulsion vehicles or underwater scooters have traditionally been a boy toy. 2. (sl., also: toy boy) a woman’s very young lover: So what if your man is a boy toy? Enjoy it while you need it to last! boy’s toy— = […]
Difference between “Boy, oh boy” and “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 grownup men are expected to act noisy or […]
Difference between Box Day and Boxing Day
Box Day— 1. (Scot.) one of the days during vacation appointed 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 […]
Difference between Bow oneself out and 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. […]
Difference between Bound up in something and Bound up with something
bound up in something—very busy with smth.; deeply devoted 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 developments of New Ink Painting in Hong […]
Difference between Bottom up and Bottoms up
bottom up—upside down: A yawl-boat was landed bottom up from the hurricane-deck upon the heads of those below. bottoms up—(usually used as a toast) finish one’s drink to the last drop: The old priest drank his highball almost bottoms up.
Difference between Bottom line and Bottom of the line
bottom line—the final determining factor; the essence of the argument: George Murphy and Ronald Reagan certainly qualified because they have gotten elected. I think that’s the bottom line. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase down line—(Railroad) a single track of rails in a double line of railway (for trains traveling […]