planetarium theater—a building housing an instrument for projecting the positions of the stars and planets onto a domed ceiling: See stars and constellations on the dome of our planetarium theater; use a star chart to find stars in the sky. planetary house —(Astrolog y) one of 12 equal areas (constellations) into which the zodiac is […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Plane man and Plane people
plane man—(Mining ) a worker who controls cars on a selfacting incline (loaded car going down one track pulls empty cars up on other): A laborer who controls the movement of cars is also called drum runner, monitor operator, plane man. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the compound planesman—a person who […]
Difference between Plain to someone and Plain with someone
plain to someone—(of things) easy to understand and clear to a person: It was made quite plain to me that my career would be a very short one in the police service. plain with someone—(of people) frank and honest in dealing with another person: To be plain with you, there is no hope of your […]
Difference between Plain sailing and Plane sailing
plain sailing— 1. (Nautical) sailing in open unrestricted waters: He can take an observation and is acquainted with that part of navigation called plain sailing. 2. an easy, straightforward task, procedure, etc.: Once we’ve fixed the computer it will be plain sailing. plane sailing—(Nautical) calculation of a ship’s position as if the earth were flat […]
Difference between Plain people and Plains people
plain people— 1. (also: plain men) ordinary or average men; people not given to complex reasoning or speculation: The plain people of Northern Ireland are surprised by nothing and shocked by very little. 2. (Plain People) members of religious groups who practice a simple way of life: The Plain People, as they are known, won’t […]
Difference between Plain men and Plainsmen
plain men—(also: plain people) ordinary or average men; people not given to complex reasoning or speculation: The first people to listen to Jesus’ words and to become his disciples were plain men, fishermen of Galilee. plainsmen—(also: plains people) inhabitants of the wide open plains of a particular region: Experienced ranchmen never turn a bunch of […]
Difference between “Plain and simple” and “Pure and simple”
plain and simple—(of language, instructions, etc.) clear; not complicated: He can explain matters in plain and simple terms that are easy for a mainstream American to grasp. pure and simple—nothing but…; nothing besides… (used in post-position for emphasis): This is envy, pure and simple, and a tax policy based on envy is the worst kind.
Difference between Place of work and Working place
place of work—the office, factory, etc. where a person works: An employee wishing to leave his place of work must give his employer a similar prior notice as described above. working place—a specific location at which a worker executes his work: Shift-man—a man who prepares the working places at night in a colliery for the […]
Difference between Pivot man and Pivotal man
pivot man—(Basketball) a player guarding second base: The pivot man is facing mid-court, back to the basket, and with feet spread for good balance. He must be extremely protective of the ball. pivotal man— 1. a prominent person; a key figure: He was the pivotal man in my life who taught me the value of […]
Difference between Pink money and Red money
pink money—money spent by people who are homosexual, especially on entertainment: With the rise of the gay rights movement, pink money has gone from being a fringe or marginalized market to a thriving industry in many parts of the Western world. Cf.: grey pound —(UK) used of the economic power of elderly people: The battle […]
Pink elephant vs White elephant
pink elephant— 1. (usually in the phrase “see a pink elephant”) said of a visionary hallucination caused by over-indulgence in alcohol: Ben had been extremely (to the pink elephant sighting stage) drunk after he had been forced to take command. 2. a problem that everyone knows well but no one talks about because it is […]
Difference between Pin someone on the ropes and Put someone up to the ropes
pin someone on the ropes—(Boxing ) force an opponent back on to the ropes: Referee Brimmell stepped in to save Scot after the challenger had pinned him on the ropes for fully a minute. put someone up to the ropes—make a person understand the way to do smth.: Our pilot allowed me to spend part […]