boat man— 1. a man who lends out small boats or rows one for pay: There he found a solitary boatman, whom he hailed, and was soon seated in his kayak. 2. a water-bug (Notonecta glauca), whose body resembles a boat: The boatman dives under the water, occasionally coming to the surface for a supply […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Boarding home and Boarding house
boarding home— 1. a home for foster children: Jacqueline was placed in a boarding home and then adopted by a couple from Plymouth. 2. a private house that provides board and lodging: Two women take up residence at a boarding home that had previously been an all-male residence. boarding house— = boarding home 2: She […]
Difference between Board school and Boarding school
board school—(UK hist.) free elementary school run by local education authority and supported by a parliamentary grant: What guarantee is there that they would not turn the school into a “provided” or Board School? boarding school—a school where some or all of the pupils live during term time: At the Hanover boarding school the young […]
Difference between Blue sky and Sky blue
blue sky —(also: blue skies) 1. said of impractical or unfeasible plans and ideas: The rocket was dismissed as just another bluesky project when the concept was unveiled. 2. (U.S. stock market) is used of fake or worthless bonds and stocks: They were what I would term “blue sky and hot air” securities. sky blue—a […]
Difference between Blue million and Blue money
blue million—(coll.) lots of money: West Virginia taxpayers have spent a blue million to provide computers to thousands of offices in state government. blue money—(U.S.) 1. money from the states whose residents predominantly vote for the Democratic Party, as contrasted with “red money” associated with the Republican Party: Urban areas subsidize rural areas, and the […]
Difference between Blue laws and Blue-sky laws
blue laws—(U.S.) laws characterized by extreme strictness in matters of morals: Even the religious fanatics of Boston and the mad zealots of Hertford christened them the “Blue Laws.” blue-sky laws—(U.S.) laws designed to prevent fraud in the sale of stocks: The “Blue Sky” law of Kansas prohibits the sale of stock or bonds of any […]
Difference between Blue heavens and Blue skies
blue heavens—(Drug users) blue capsules or tablets containing barbiturate: Amobarbital tablets and capsules are called “blue birds,” “blue devils,” or “blue heavens.” blue skies —(also: blue sky) 1. said of impractical or unfeasible plans and ideas: The research amounted to a “blue skies” project because it involved going beyond the present capacity of the reactor […]
Difference between Blue devil and Blue devils
blue devil— 1. (also: blueweed) a coarse prickly weed with spikes of blue flowers: Blue devil is a coarse biennial Old World herb introduced as a weed in eastern North America. 2. (Drug users) a blue capsule or tablet containing barbiturate (also: bluebird): I am spending far less than I was while taking those little […]
Difference between Blue coats and Bluecoat boys
blue coats— 1. (coll.) the police: One of the blue coats would attempt to put back the crowd. 2. blue-coated seamen: These were blue coats—French—who were on shore for a visit. 3. (U.S. hist.) a soldier in the Federal army during the Civil War: Wait until the States are restored and the “Blue Coats” are […]
Difference between Blue boys and Boys in blue
blue boys— 1. (coll.) the police: Four blue boys held me while a fifth slipped the cuffs on me. 2. (UK hist.) schoolboys of a charity school who wear blue coats (also: bluecoat boys): The school whose boys were known as “blue boys,” was dissolved in the nineteenth century. boys in blue — = blue […]
Difference between Blue Book and Project Blue Book
Blue Book— 1. a government publication providing information on some topic: The U.S. Department of State issued a heavily documented 40,000-word Blue Book. 2. a directory of persons of prominence, etc.: The Blue Book of British Broadcasting is a standard reference book of TV and radio stations. 3. a list of rules or requirements: When […]
Difference between Blue Bird and Bluebird
Blue Bird—is used as a symbolical expression of happiness: All these ladies have tried to catch this same Blue Bird. bluebird— 1. any of several birds that have blue feathers: We were fortunate to see such birds as a sky-blue mountain bluebird. 2. (Drug users) a depressant; a blue capsule or tablet containing barbiturate: Here, […]