drop off— 1. become detached: The handle of the door has dropped off. 2. become abruptly much lower: The cliff drops off suddenly here, be careful. 3. (coll.) leave a vehicle; get off: Thanks for the ride, I’ll drop off here. 4. become less; deteriorate: The quality of performance has dropped off since last year. […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Drop into someone’s lap and Land in someone’s lap
drop into someone’s lap —(also: fall into someone’s lap) be achieved or obtained without any effort: It would not be safe to assume that victory will drop into our lap at the next election. land in someone’s lap—become an unwelcome responsibility: These problems have landed in the lap of Donald Jackson, an unassuming manager with […]
Difference between Drop in on someone and Drop on someone
drop in on someone—(coll.) visit a person, usually without having arranged it before: I dropped in on her for coffee the other morning. drop on someone—(coll.) reprimand or punish a person: You’ll have to mind your p’s and q’s or else you’ll be dropped Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase […]
Difference between Drop in and Fall in
drop in— 1. collapse inwards; give way: The roof of the tunnel hasn’t been properly supported; it shows signs of dropping 2. (coll.) visit a person casually: He usually drops in at my place on his way home. fall in— 1. fall accidentally into smth.: The child was near the river and I was frightened […]
Difference between Drop from the skies and Fall to the ground
drop from the skies —(also: drop from heaven) appear unexpectedly as if by magic: “Good gracious, miss,” I said, still doubting my senses, “have you dropped from the skies?” fall to the ground—(of plans, etc.) fail; come to nothing: The whole scheme fell to the ground, although all the details were thought out. See also: […]
Difference between Drop down and Fall down
drop down— 1. come down suddenly: I heard a noise from the well and saw that the cat had dropped down. 2. bend downwards; sink down: When they saw the pursuers they dropped down to take cover. 3. (coll.) pay an unexpected visit: Let’s drop down to his summer home and see if he’s there. […]
Difference between Drop dead and Drop-dead
drop dead—(sl.) is used as an exclamation of annoyance directed at a person: When Tim’s wife heard this she said: “Tell him to just drop dead!” drop-dead —(sl.) extremely; in a spectacular way: Thank you so much Garcelle for being so drop-dead beautiful, lovely, and talented.
Difference between Drop back and Drop behind
drop back— 1. fail to maintain one’s position; be outstripped: The early leaders drop back and allow others to make the running. 2. go down; decrease: The unemployment figures dropped back last month. drop behind— 1. = drop back 1: Don’t drop behind now, just when you’re doing so well. 2. fail to maintain a schedule […]
Difference between Drop a hint and Give a hint
drop a hint—give a slight or indirect indication or suggestion: I’ll just drop her a hint not to be surprised at anything she sees. give a hint— 1. = drop a hint: She gave him a hint that she would like him to leave. 2. (of things) foretell the coming of smth.; be the harbinger: […]
Difference between Drop a dime and Penny drops
drop a dime—(U.S. sl.) give information about a person or a situation discreetly (making a phone call): You’d better tell her the truth—someone’s bound to drop a dime if you lie. penny drops, the—(UK coll.) said when a person finally understands smth.: I sat and thought for a moment and then the penny dropped.
Difference between Drop a bundle and Drop one’s bundle
drop a bundle —(sl.) lose or spend a large amount of money: Over the years, I’ve dropped a bundle on clients at that restaurant. Cf.: make a bundle —(sl.) make a lot of money: If someone had helped you get started like that, you’d have made a bundle on the stock market too. drop one’s […]
Difference between Drop a bomb and Drop bombs
drop a bomb—(also: drop the bomb) create a sensation: Macintosh users have been waiting for a fast, stable, operating system. Apple has really dropped the bomb in this area. drop bombs—( Jazz drummers) place accents in music using the foot pedal of a bass drum: Joe Jones? He was the first drummer to drop bombs.