short hours— 1. hours that seem to pass very quickly: Young or old, guy or girl, thick or thin, we’ll teach you to windsurf in a few short hours. 2. the early hours of the morning after midnight: The monks prayed in the minster till the long hours passed into the short. small hours —(also: […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Short change and Small change
short change—a less than the correct amount of money given back to a customer: After several rounds of drinks had been served, Sullivan accused Cook of giving him short change. small change—coins or bills of low denomination: It is always best to have some small change on you, locals often have no change of larger […]
Difference between Short arm and Short hand
short arm—a small inlet of a river: There are overnight mooring available in the short arm on east bank immediately above Diglis Lock. short hand— 1. a quick way of writing which uses signs instead of letters or words: I was confronted with an old copy of the Academy, with some shorthand notes on the […]
Difference between Shoot-up and Upshot
shoot-up— 1. a furious exchange of shooting; a gun battle: Munn was nearly killed in a shoot-up in the streets of Montreal on the very day of his landing. 2. (of prices, etc.) a quick or sudden rise: We haven’t seen the shoot-up in prices like other areas have, and that’s helped quite a bit. […]
Difference between Shoot the crow and Stone the crows
shoot the crow—(sl.) 1. depart hurriedly; make off: There’ll only be his mother in the house. His father shot the crow years ago. 2. sneak off without paying: A canny Scot was sentenced to ten days’ hard for shooting the crow—ordering whiskey and neglecting to pay. stone the crows—(sl., also: stone me) is used as […]
Difference between Shoot the cat and Shoot the sitting duck
shoot the cat—(UK sl.) be sick; vomit, especially as a result of excessive drinking: I’m cursedly inclined to shoot the cat. shoot the sitting duck—do smth. with guaranteed success; defeat smb. who is an easy prey: I don’t like enemies who aren’t formidable. There’s no fun in shooting sitting ducks.
Difference between Shoot someone down and Shoot someone down in flames
shoot someone down— 1. kill a person by a shot (usually implying merciless cruelty): I have witnessed several of their battles, and it appears to be the first object to shoot down, or otherwise kill a man. 2. bring down an aircraft (hence a pilot) by shooting: His father believes he is still alive fifteen […]
Difference between Shoot for the moon and Shoot the moon
shoot for the moon—(also: shoot for the stars) be extremely ambitious; try to do smth. very difficult or impossible: It is better to succeed in changing your diet gradually, than to shoot for the moon and then give up. shoot the moon—(sl.) leave rented accommodation by night without paying the rent: I told him who […]
Difference between Shoot a star and Shoot for the stars
shoot a star—(Nautical) take the star’s meridional altitude so as to get the position of the ship: It takes several minutes to find and shoot a star. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase shooting star—(also: falling-star) a meteor that darts across the sky: Another gale-warning often is given by shooting […]
Difference between Shoot a goal and Shoot at the goal
shoot a goal—(Sport) score a goal: The ball had come in from the right, and McLuckie killed it, and shot a goal. shoot at the goal— 1. (Sport) kick the ball, etc. in an attempt to score a goal: In the last hockey game, Mike Modano shot at the goal several times. 2. have smth. […]
Difference between Shoot a bolt and Shoot one’s bolt
shoot a bolt—send a bolt of a door, etc. into its fastening: The frame into which the bolts shoot is made of great strength. shoot one’s bolt—(coll.) do all that one is capable of; exhaust all of one’s resources: The home players had shot their bolt, and in thirty minutes the Birmingham team added two […]
Difference between Ship’s mate and Shipmate
ship’s mate—an officer on a merchant ship ranking immediately below the captain: Big Jim was the ship’s mate on the Bloody Moon, a ship owned by Captain Morgan. shipmate—a person belonging to the same crew: Before Pete experienced any kamikaze attacks, he and his shipmates used to discuss the safest place on a ship.