fair for someone—quite good for a person: She can type two pages an hour, which is fair for a beginner. fair of someone—just or honest on the part of a person: I don’t think it is fair of you to ask me that.
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Faint at something and Faint from something
faint at something—feel giddy or lose consciousness at the thought or sight of smth.: A person almost giantlike in strength and stature may faint at the thoughts of the operation. faint from something—feel giddy or lose consciousness because of fatigue, the heat, etc.: They don’t want to faint from hunger, so they scarf up what […]
Difference between Fact of life and Facts of life
fact of life—a thing, especially unpleasant, the existence of which cannot be ignored: The fact of someone’s presence on welfare rolls has sometimes been used against them. Cruel as that may seem it is a fact of life. facts of life—(euph.) details of the human sexual functions, especially as told to children: Telling a child […]
Difference between Face to face and Head to head
face to face— 1. addressing smb. directly: There are some students who are shy and will only talk to you online, but others would rather talk face to face. 2. in direct encounter with a person: She toadied to her superiors when she really came face to face with them. head to head— 1. in […]
Difference between Face someone down and Face up to someone
face someone down—confront smb. in an attempt to subdue or dominate the person: The project is too important to be placed in jeopardy by the vanity of one man, and those who are too cowardly to face him down. face up to someone—challenge a person boldly; refuse to be intimidated: Confrontation may not be your desired […]
Difference between Eyeball someone and Get an eyeball on someone
eyeball someone—(coll.) look hard at smb.; stare at a person: “God!” burst from the lips of the man as he eyeballed his attendant. get an eyeball on someone—(coll.) spot a person; catch sight of smb.: When Jane first got an eyeball on her blind date, she almost cringed in disappointment.
Difference between Eye shadow and Eye-shade
eye shadow—mascara (cosmetic preparation applied to the eyelids): A makeup artist tells you tricks, rules and guidelines for perfect eye shadow application. eye-shade— 1. a visor for shielding the eyes from strong light: The ladies this year wore half a flat hat as an eye-shade. 2. = eye shadow: Choose a base eye shade that […]
Difference between Eye dialect and Eye language
eye dialect—writing in which spellings are altered to represent a dialectal or colloquial pronunciation: Which of the elocutionists could object to the vocalized result of enuff, probably the oftenest repeated of eye-dialect usages? eye language—interpersonal communication by means of the expression of the eyes: Although Fran had a stern look on her face, her eye […]
Difference between Extravagant in and Extravagant with
extravagant in something—going beyond what is reasonable in smth. one does: Roger was a superb teacher of piano and his own students have frequently been extravagant in his praise. extravagant with something—going beyond what is reasonable in smth. one uses or spends: While unbelievably goodlooking and extravagant with his money, his accent takes away from […]
Difference between Exposed to the elements and Out of one’s element
exposed to the elements—unsheltered from bad weather: Often a huge wave crashed over the launch and half the sea washed over us as we were exposed to the elements. out of one’s element—in an environment or situation not naturally suited to a person: At first, I felt that I was out of my element because […]
Difference between Expert at something and Expert in something
expert at something—a person who is very skilled at doing smth.: Dave knows how to communicate with sales professionals. He is an expert at complex selling and knows exactly how to get his messages across. expert in something—a person who knows a lot about a particular subject: If he is an expert in the problems […]
Difference between Experiment on and Experiment with
experiment on something—use smth. in an experiment or test: Many people disapprove of scientists who experiment on animals. experiment with something—use smth. to test the effectiveness of new methods or ideas: Many composers are now experimenting with new forms of music.