fill in for someone—carry out the duties of a fellow employee, absent through sickness, etc.: My partner is on holiday so I’m filling in for him. fill someone in—give a person full details about smth.: Can you fill me in on what has been happening since I left here?
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Figurehead and Head figure
figurehead— 1. a carving, usually a bust or a full-length figure, decorating the prow of a ship: The adornment of ships with figureheads could be traced back to Phoenician times. 2. a person who holds an important office yet has little actual power: The constitution allots so much power to the board of governors that […]
Difference between Figure someone in and Figure someone out
figure someone in —(coll.) add or include a person into one’s plans, etc. (also: count someone in): Please figure Ann in when you plan the party. figure someone out—(also: make someone out) understand a person’s character: We are stuck with the guy for four years, so we’ll have plenty of time to figure him out.
Difference between Figure in something and Figure on something
figure in something—have a part in smth.; play a role in smth.: The ass has, since the time of the Greeks, figured in fables as the type of ignorance and stupidity. figure on something—(coll.) depend on smth.; plan on smth.: Don’t figure on going abroad this summer, we may not be able to afford it.
Difference between Fight for something and Fight over something
fight for something— 1. struggle to defend smth.: My Dad says we’ll all have to fight for our country when Der Tag comes. That’s German for the Day. 2. try in a determined way to get or achieve smth.: Having fought for the prize so long, Gordon is destined to find in it only disappointment. […]
Difference between Fifth wheel and Third wheel
fifth wheel—said of a person or thing that is superfluous or needless: Look guys, I don’t know what’s going on, but I feel like a fifth wheel here. I should go. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase fifth quarter— 1. the summer quarter of studies: In the fifth quarter the […]
Difference between Fiery words and Hot words
fiery words—said of an ardent, passionate address, speech, etc.: Bert really inspired the crowd into action with his fiery words at the rally. hot words—words spoken in anger; a heated argument: He accused Valenti of drinking on the job, and after some hot words he sent Valenti home.
Difference between Festival of Lanterns and Festival of Lights
Festival of Lanterns, the— 1. the concluding part of the newyear celebration according to the old Chinese calendar: The Festival of Lanterns takes place at the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration, on the fifteenth day of the first moon. 2. a great popular festival of Japan when the spirits of ancestors are supposed […]
Difference between Feel uneasy about something and Feel uneasy at something
feel uneasy about something—feel unsettled because one is not sure that smth. is correct or wise: Many managers feel uneasy about promoting women to higher jobs. feel uneasy at something—feel troubled or anxious at the thought or sight of smth.: I felt uneasy at the thought of their going home alone at that late hour.
Difference between Feel the pulse of something and Have a feel on the pulse of something
feel the pulse of something —(also: keep one’s finger on the pulse of something ) keep track of the current developments and trends in smth.: What consummate skill must be his who thus feels the pulse of fashion, recognizing in its beat the indications of this or that tendency… have a feel on the pulse […]
Difference between Feel strong and Feel strongly
feel strong— 1. be in good health: I had just celebrated my birthday and was feeling strong after a short vacation. 2. be in a strong position: Saddam makes war in only two sets of cases: when he feels weak and when he feels strong! feel strongly—be convinced; firmly believe: We all felt strongly that […]
Difference between Feel something on the pulse and Feel the pulse of something
feel something on the pulse—come to feel smth. deeply through one’s own experience: The appointment of Sir Robert as Deputy Speaker has made me feel “on the pulse” a frustrating anomaly of our parliamentary system. feel the pulse of something —(also: keep one’s finger on the pulse of something ) be aware of the current […]