be whole of mind—(arch., formal) be mentally normal; be of sound mind (used in wills and trusts): I Richard Ballard of Orbye being whole of mind and perfect of remembrance make my last will and testament. Note: a) The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase whole of mind and body—safe and sound; […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Be well connected and Have a good connection
be well connected—have relatives who hold important positions: He learnt from other sources that the Ernscliffes were well connected. have a good connection—have many customers, clients, etc.: He set up in business and soon had a good connection.
Difference between Be well away and Be well off
be well away— 1. be a long way off (from a place): We truly were well away from civilization, wild Africa at its very best! 2. (coll.) be very drunk: Bristow had a bottle of whisky and I had one of gin so we were well away. be well off—be financially comfortable: By central European […]
Be welcome vs Be welcomed
be welcomed—be warmly greeted:
Difference between Be used to doing something and Used to do something
be used to doing something—be accustomed to doing smth.: He is quite used to working hard. used to do something—said of a constant or frequent practice in the past: He used to come every Friday and order a pint of bitter.
Difference between Be up for something and Be up to something
be up for something— 1. (of a house, car, etc.) intended for sale or repairs: How long has this house been up for sale? 2. be considered for a position, a job, etc.: I believe he’s up for re-admission to the society at the next committee meeting. 3. facing criminal charges: I hear the gardener […]
Difference between Be under the delusion and Be under the illusion
be under the delusion— 1. hold a false opinion or belief: Anyone who is under the delusion that corrupt governments are only in the Third World has better think again. 2. hold a belief that may be a symptom of madness: He was charged with shoplifting but the man was under the delusion that the […]
Difference between Be under the cat’s paw and Make a cat’s paw of someone
be under the cat’s paw—live under the control of some domineering person: She might claim adulthood in every sense of the word…. She would no longer be under the cat’s paw of her stepmother. make a cat’s paw of someone—make another person a tool or instrument to accomplish one’s own purpose: She simply made a […]
Difference between Be too far gone and Go too far
be too far gone—be in an advanced stage of a particular condition (suffering from illness, etc.): We tried to make him understand, but he was too far gone to take in what we were saying. Note: The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase be a bit gone—(sl.) be crazy or insane: The […]
Difference between Be too big for one’s boots and Fill one’s boots
be too big for one’s boots—(also: be too big for one’s shoes) be too proud and conceited: That showed … his arrogance in acting like a puffed up politician who is too big for his boots. fill one’s boots—(UK coll.) 1. have or acquire as much of smth. as one wants: Come on everybody, fill […]
Difference between Be titanic and Go titanic
be titanic—said of smth. gigantic: Zana’s efforts are titanic. Whatever be her motivation, no one can deny the importance of what she has done. go titanic—(sl.) not succeed; fail: An incident that happened recently involved a joint project that nearly went titanic.
Difference between Be through something and Be through with something
be through something—endure smth.; live through a particular experience: These were experienced fishermen. They had been through many storms on this sea before. be through with something— 1. eventually accomplish smth.: When she was through with this aria, she asked the audience to be silent, and then she spoke. 2. (coll.) have had enough of […]