New England—a part of the United States comprising six north-eastern States (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut): The ships which were bound for New England were crowded. New England of the West, the—(U.S.) a nickname of the State of Minnesota: Because of the large number of New England emigrants, Minnesota was sometimes referred […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between New boy and Old boy
new boy— 1. a schoolboy during his first term at a school: Roach was a new boy … Thursgood’s was his second prep school. 2. a person who is new to a position of employment: When a new boy showed up, I was the one to show him around. Cf.: new kid on the block—a […]
Difference between Never-Never Land and Never-never world
Never-Never Land, the— 1. in Australia, the unpopulated northern part of Queensland; the desert country of the interior: The European emigrant’s view of the “Never-Never Land” was very different from that of the locals. 2. an imaginary, illusory, or Utopian place: It was no longer the real India they wanted to escape to; it was the […]
Difference between Never mind and Never you mind
never mind—it does not matter; don’t be troubled about it: “We’ve missed the train!” “Never mind, there’ll be another in ten minutes.” never you mind—it is not your business and you are not going to be told: Never you mind what your father and I were talking about.
Difference between Never fear and No fear
never fear —(coll.) there is no cause to worry: Dear child, the solution will come to you, never fear. no fear—(exclam.) not a chance; certainly not: I invite him to dinner! And in his own hotel! No fear!
Difference between Never ever and Never-never
never ever—(emphatic) absolutely never: Keep background noise to a minimum when speaking on the telephone—and never, ever let your children answer your business line! never-never, the— 1. (UK coll.) the hire-purchase system: Some people bought on the never-never with no idea as to how they would meet their repayments should things turn sour. 2. (Never-Never, […]
Difference between Neither fish nor fowl and Neither man nor mouse
neither fish nor fowl—(also: neither fish nor flesh) neither one thing nor the other (said of smth. difficult to identify): He’s neither fish nor fowl right now … he is not a child, yet he is not a teenager. Cf.: make fish of one and fowl of the other—treat people, organizations, etc. differently: Why make […]
Difference between Negro head and Nigger head
negro head— 1. (dated) a nest of tree-ants: The color of these nests is black, from which, and their irregular surface and orbicular shape, they have been called Negro Heads. 2. strong black plug tobacco: He thrust a prodigious quid of negro head tobacco into his left cheek. 3. india-rubber of an inferior quality: The […]
Difference between Neglect in something and Neglect of something
neglect in something—lack of proper care or oversight with respect to smth.: If we discover neglect in Ralf ’s treatment at the hospital we will bring forward charges. neglect of something—(also: neglect for something ) treatment of smth. as of no importance: There has been a neglect of the interests of farmers in recent years.
Difference between Needle someone and Put someone on the needle
needle someone—(coll.) 1. make smb. angry or annoyed by teasing or provoking the person: We kept needling Bill about his new girl friend, but apparently we went too far. 2. prod or goad a person to a specified action: A few annoying experiences that have probably happened to many, have needled me into expressing these […]
Difference between Need doing and Need to do
need doing—said of things that require fixing, improving, etc.: Nice land with a small brook running through it. Fence needs painting, and barns need repairing. need to do—is used to indicate that a course of action is desirable or necessary: I am sorry about the absence, but I need to go and will not be […]
Difference between Neck and crop and Neck and neck
neck and crop—completely; altogether: An unexpected episode caused me to be ejected neck and crop from my club. neck and neck—keeping level in a race, competition, etc.: The Soviet World and the Free World were running neck and neck in the training of scientists.