give someone a heads-up—(coll.) give a person an early warning about smth. that requires alert attention: Could anyone give me a heads-up on what I need to have with me when I go see the lawyer. hold one’s head up—(also: keep one’s head up) stay proud; not feel ashamed of oneself: He is a man […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Give someone a head start and Give someone a start
give someone a head start—put smb. in an advantageous position allowing to start smth. earlier: If we give them a head start they’re going to do as well as other children. give someone a start— 1. startle a person: I have to say that the sirens went off at noon today and gave me a […]
Difference between Give someone a head and Give someone his head
give someone a head—(of alcohol) cause headache: He goes on to tell us that, “It won’t give you a head in the morning.” He speaks with the authority of a man that knows his drink. give someone his head— 1. (of a horse) not to check or hold in with the bridle: He has always […]
Difference between Give someone a hand and Give someone one’s hand
give someone a hand— 1. help smb. with a task, etc.: Give me a hand with this case, will you? 2. applaud a person: Come on, give them a hand. They did very well. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase give someone a free hand—give smb. freedom of action in […]
Difference between Give someone a glad hand and Give someone a good hand
give someone a glad hand—(also: glad-hand someone) give a person a cordial handshake or greeting: Crude economic reasons do not explain why he should have been given the glad hand. give someone a good hand—(also: give someone a big hand) give a person a large round of applause: The club enjoyed her talk and gave […]
Difference between Give someone a foot up and Give someone a leg up
give someone a foot up—help a person in time of need: If we can’t help them, we try to recommend them to another agency. Our motto is to give a foot up and not a handout. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase give someone a foot in the door—let smb. […]
Difference between Give someone a break and Give someone an even break
give someone a break—(coll.) give smb. a chance or special consideration: Roush gave him a break two decades ago when he gave a kid from Batesville a chance to achieve his dreams. Note: a) The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase give me a break— 1. (sl.) stop trying to fool […]
Difference between Give someone a black eye and Give someone a black look
give someone a black eye— 1. bruise or discolor smb.’s eye by a blow: He grew angry and we mixed it. I gave him a black eye. 2. harm a person’s character or reputation: The constant complaining gave the whole group a black eye. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase […]
Difference between Give points to someone and Make points with someone
give points to someone— 1. offer an advantage to a contender: Does the system give more “points” to an applicant who has a higher level degree? 2. be considerably better than another person: She could give points to many younger women and beat them. Cf.: give point to something—make smth. more effective: His clever illustrations […]
Difference between Give oneself airs and Give someone the air
give oneself airs—act conceited or superior: Sally is always giving herself airs. You’d think she had royal blood. give someone the air—(coll.) reject or dismiss a person: I couldn’t change her views … nor could she convert me to hers, even when she threatened to give me the air. Cf.: get the air—be rejected (as […]
Difference between Give oneself a shot in the arm and Shoot oneself in the foot
give oneself a shot in the arm—inject oneself with a drug: The next day I got enough courage to do it myself and I gave myself a shot in the arm. The needle did not hurt going in… shoot onself in the foot—act against one’s own interest: You’re shooting yourself in the foot if you […]
Difference between Give one’s word and Give the word
give one’s word— 1. give one’s promise: He gave his word as a scholar not to publish works that were made available to him. 2. express one’s assurance: I’m positive he’s capable of carrying out the mission. I give my word that he is fine. 3. give expression to smth.; put smth. into words: He […]