touch and go—said of a very uncertain or critical situation: The day after the operation was touch-and-go. The patient needed a tremendous amount of fluid… touch and goes—(RAF) landing and immediate take-off as part of the training for pilots: Touch and goes proved fairly simple; power on, flaps up produced almost spontaneous response with a […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Top ten vs Upper ten
top ten—the highest ranking music items, goods, etc. on a ten-point scale: Pet foods come sixth in the consumer top ten. Baby food lags way behind. upper ten—the upper social classes; the aristocrats: The upper ten still send their children to Eton or Harrow.
Top line vs Up line
top line— 1. the uppermost line of text: A special machine, an “interpreter,” can be used to read the cards and print their contents on the top line. 2. the head item on a bill of entertainment: His duets with Miss Muriel George have reached a top-line position on the halls. 3. headline of a […]
Too many chiefs and not enough Indians vs Too many cooks spoil the broth
too many chiefs and not enough Indians —(saying ) there are too many bosses and not enough people to do the work: “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.” In some cases that’s what we are seeing in high-tech industry today. too many cooks spoil the broth—(saying ) when too many people try to manage […]
Toad in a hole vs Toad in the hole
toad in a hole—meat or sausages baked in paste: It looks more like fish-in-a-pond than toad-in-a-hole: you forgot to turn the oven on. toad in the hole— 1. = toad in a hole: To serve, cut the toad in the hole into sections with one or two sausages in each. 2. a game in which […]
To the nines vs To the nth degree
to the nines—to perfection (mainly in matters of dress): This time, Mrs. Bassett was dressed to the nines in a fashionable frock of black chiffon and a black velvet picture hat. to the nth degree—to the utmost; to the highest degree: True, the situations Mrs. Connelly causes are frustrating to the nth degree, but I […]
To the day vs To this day
to the day— 1. (of time measured in days) exactly: “How long will you take to finish?” “I can’t tell you to the day, but between two and three weeks should be sufficient.” 2. up until the day: From the day we arrived in Italy to the day we left Athens, we had a tour […]
To the bone vs To the bone of one’s back
to the bone— 1. to the inmost part; completely: She was English to the bone and so naturally loved puzzles and intellectual entertainments. 2. (coll., of prices) reduce as much as possible: We’ve cut our prices to the bone, and still the public aren’t buying. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the […]
To taste vs To the taste
to taste —(in recipes) in the amount preferred: Combine the cottage cheese with the egg and season to taste with salt. to the taste— 1. said of the particular sensation in the tongue: The malt is decidedly sweeter to the taste then the original barley. 2. to a person’s liking: Her neck and all about […]
To someone’s teeth vs To the teeth
to someone’s teeth —(dated) directly to smb.’s face; in open defiance: The very men who had laughed the loudest at his jests, were now defying him to his teeth as a villain! to the teeth —(also: up to the teeth) fully; completely: A young farmer who is starting out and mortgaged to the teeth at […]
To some purpose vs To the purpose
to some purpose—effectively; with good result: The merchants could concert together for the saving of their credit: and they did it to some purpose. to the purpose—pertinent to the matter or subject in question: John never wastes time; he speaks plainly and to the purpose. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the […]
To death vs To the death
to death— 1. until death results: Four members of a bushwalking club were burnt to death when trapped by a bush fire. 2. said of smb. sentenced to be executed: The Russian Embassy’s source confirmed that a Russian citizen had been sentenced to death in China. 3. (hyperbolic) utterly; completely: But I see you are […]