by occasion of something—(formal) because of smth.: The debate has to be postponed by occasion of the illness of one of the principle speakers. on the occasion of something—in connection with some formal event or celebration: This was given us as a present on the occasion of our silver wedding.
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between By installments and In installments
by installments—paid in part payments spread over a period of time: Students may pay their tuition fees in a single payment or by instalments. in installments—(of publicatiions) come out in parts published over a period of time: The biography will appear in installments in the April and September issues of the magazine.
Difference between By inches and Inch by inch
by inches— 1. very gradually or slowly: The ship was sinking by inches; she might remain above water an hour or more. 2. miss by a very small margin: We scrambled to get out of the way, the car missing us by inches. inch by inch— 1. by small degrees or stages: When life falls […]
Difference between By half and By halves
by half— 1. increase or reduce smth. by fifty percent of the original amount: This move cuts by half the religious programming on ITV on Sunday. 2. far more than is satisfactory or desirable: Of course, he is a very clever politician. Too clever by half, in my opinion. by halves—do smth. imperfectly or not […]
Difference between By day and By the day
by day—during the day; in the day-time: Eurostar trains only travel by day and require a reservation. by the day— 1. on a daily basis: Clients who rent by the day can be billed for phone service the day they leave. 2. with every passing day: Protests on campuses were becoming uglier by the day, […]
Difference between By choice and Of choice
by choice—voluntary; not forced or compelled: The grasp of the church never relaxed unless freely and by choice. of choice —(of drugs, treatment, etc.) preferred; recommended: Chloromycetin has been the drug of choice for treating typhoid fever.
Difference between By any chance and By chance
by any chance—perhaps; possibly: I was wondering if by any chance you could lend me five pounds. by chance—accidentally; unpredictably: Karma is a belief that nothing happens by chance.
Difference between “By and by” and “By the by”
by and by—soon; before long: They could see the smoke, and by and by a shell would explode in their midst. by the by —(introductory or parenthetical) in passing; incidentally (also: by the way): By-the-by, Martin—any message from my lady mother?
Difference between By all means and By any means
by all means—certainly; without fail: You should by all means utilize the placement office at least a year before you actually start job hunting. by any means—in any way possible: We are trying to remake Vietnamese society, a task which probably cannot be accomplished by any means.
Difference between By air and Over the air
by air—using aircraft as a means of transport: Sending goods by air is fast but can be expensive. over the air—over the radio: Listeners will be able to “grill” leading public figures over the air.
Difference between By a hair’s breadth and To a hair’s breadth
by a hair’s breadth —(also: by a fraction) by a very small degree or amount: If I swerve by a hair’s breadth from the straight line of the most rigid respectability, I’m done for. to a hair’s breadth —(also: to a fraction) with great accuracy: You had plenty of time to put your heads together […]
Difference between By a fraction and To a fraction
by a fraction—(also: by a hair’s breadth) by a very small degree or amount: Hester does not change by a fraction her intention to run away with Arthur. to a fraction—(also: to a hair’s breadth) with great accuracy: Escudero supposed that two hundred Mexican ounces would compensate him to a fraction.