take a good part of something—(of an activity) extend over much of the period: We went to the art gallery and explored it thoroughly, which took a good part of the day. take something in good part—show that one is not offended; accept smth. good-naturedly: We had a good laugh at her expense, poor girl, […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Take a flight vs Take flight
take a flight—make a journey by air: She had to drive home alone, while he took a shuttle flight in the opposite direction. take flight—(also: take to flight) 1. run away (from danger, etc.): Fear and panic gripped people and many took flight into fields and woods at the air-raid warning. 2. (of birds) rise […]
Take a fancy to someone vs Take the fancy of someone
take a fancy to someone—become fond of a person: What could have made Miss Crowther take such a fancy to the boy? take the fancy of someone—appeal to a person; win smb.’s favor: She became very active in the church group and soon took the fancy of Jeffrey Lundgren.
Take a fall vs Take the fall
take a fall— 1. lose one’s balance and drop to the ground: When I took a fall and hurt my arm, Michele called me at home to see how I was. 2. (U.S. Underworld) be arrested (also: take a dive): Jack had taken a fall on a safe job and was in the Bronx County […]
Take a dive vs Take a nose-dive
take a dive— 1. (of a plane) make a sudden precipitate descent: The plane took a dive and disappeared underneath a mushroom-shaped cloud. 2. go into a rapid decline: By 10:30 the company’s stock had taken a dive from more than $110 dollars a share to just over $40. 3. (Boxing ) fake being knocked […]
Take a count vs Take the count
take a count—estimate how many there are of smth.: By taking a count we established that catering units were covering their seats 250 per cent at lunch time. take the count— 1. = take a count: Deborah took the count of members who plan to attend and asked them to refer to her any special […]
Take a chair vs Take the chair
take a chair—(also: have a chair) take a seat; be seated: When he came back to the house he refused to take a chair or a drink. take the chair— 1. preside over a meeting, committee, etc.: At my third meeting I was asked to take the chair. I consented as offhandedly as if I […]
Take a beating and Take some beating
take a beating— 1. (of one’s pride, reputation, etc.) suffer badly: My confidence and courage took a beating when I got calls threatening dire consequences. 2. (Sport) be defeated: This was the second time the Dutch team took a beating from Spain at this championship. 3. lose a lot of money: Not surprisingly, the company […]
Take a bath vs Take an early bath
take a bath—(coll.) have large financial losses on an investment, etc.: The broker warned me that I might take a bath if I bought this stuff. take an early bath— 1. (be forced to) stop doing smth. before one had a chance to finish: He was all set to take an early bath from his […]
Table a motion (UK) vs Table a motion (U.S.)
table a motion (UK)—place a proposal on the agenda: At last night’s meeting the Board of Trustees voted to table a motion to approve our contract extension. table a motion (U.S.)—remove a proposal from consideration; suspend debate until another time: When we had only five minutes left before we had to adjourn, Matt moved to […]
Difference between Symbol for something and Symbol of something
symbol for something—a sign or letter used in place of an item in writing: CS is an Army chemical symbol for an agent that causes burning and watering of the eyes. symbol of something—an object used to represent smth. not by exact resemblance, but because it is very typical of the latter: Picasso painted a […]
Difference between Swiss mountain pine and Swiss pine
Swiss mountain pine—a low pyramidal tree of central Europe: The Swiss mountain pine (Pinus mugo) is best known to many Americans in its dwarf variety, the mugho pine (Pinus mugo mughus). Swiss pine —(also: Swiss stone pine) a tall Eurasian pine (Pinus cembra): A pine tree is estimated to live for 1200 years, and the […]