run after girls—continually approach girls in the hope of a romantic relationship: “I don’t care about politics,” he said. “I just listen to music and run after girls.” run the girls —(sl., of a pimp) be in charge of prostitutes: The police try to break up illegal brothels when they can, using intelligence to track […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Rule something off and Rule something out
rule something off—draw a straight line with a ruler after a piece of work: Rule off each exercise as you finish it. rule something out— 1. cancel an item on a list, etc. by drawing a line through it: Rule out that entry in the ledger, the transaction was cancelled. 2. make smth. impossible; prevent […]
Difference between Rub noses with someone and Rub someone’s nose in something
rub noses with someone—(coll.) associate or mix with people (also: rub elbows with someone): I might actually learn something, here. After all, this was my chance to rub noses with people who cared. rub someone’s nose in something—(coll.) remind a person humiliatingly of smth. such as an error, fault, oversight, etc.: There’s no need to […]
Difference between Row someone up Salt River and Send someone up the river
row someone up Salt River—(U.S.) defeat political opponents in an election, etc.: The distance to which a party is rowed up Salt River depends entirely upon the magnitude of the majority against its candidates. send someone up the river —(coll., also: send someone up) send a person to prison: The same judge sent him up […]
Difference between Round the bend and Round the corner
round the bend —(also: around the bend) 1. said of smth. about to happen very soon: The Harpoon Brewery’s annual two-day St. Patrick’s Festival is “round the bend”! 2. (coll.) crazy; insane: People’s initial reaction is to think that you must be round the bend. round the corner—(also: around the corner) = round the bend […]
Difference between Round about and Roundabout
round about— 1. approximately; around: When I had my boy in day care, it used to cost me round about fifty dollars. 2. in the neighborhood: We would go off to collect mushrooms, there were plenty in the fields round about. roundabout— 1. (UK) merry-go-round (a revolving structure for children to ride on): The photo […]
Difference between Rough it out and Rough it up
rough it out—withstand to the end difficult conditions or adverse circumstances without flinching: We have no other course for it but to rough it out as well as we can. Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase rough it—(also: rough it in the bush) live for a short period of time […]
Difference between Rough customer and Tough customer
rough customer—a disagreeable person who may turn violent: Lord Carmarthen, besides being an amateur sailor, was, like his guest, a most immoderate brandy drinker and altogether a rough customer. tough customer—an unyielding person who is difficult to deal with: I started designing our garden, but Dave is a tough customer and rejected all my plans. See […]
Difference between Rotten apple and Rotten egg
rotten apple —(coll.) a single bad person in a group (also: bad apple): Today, the company, a shadow of its former self, is the rotten apple of the highly competitive supermarket sector. rotten egg —(coll.) a bad or despised individual (also: bad egg): But even if he was a rotten egg, what could he actually […]
Difference between Rot away and Rot off
rot away—decay slowly and completely: The soil in the forest is rich with dead leaves and branches that have been rotting away for centuries. rot off—fall off because of decay: The ground is covered with stiff, dry branches which have rotted off as the trees die.
Difference between Roses, roses all the way and Roses round the door
roses, roses all the way—said of comfort, favorable circumstances, success, etc.: I should have thought you would be so glad to get back from Brazil that life would have been roses, roses all the way. Cf.: not all roses —(of a situation, job, etc.) there are unpleasant things to deal with as well as the […]
Difference between Root about for something and Root for something
root about for something— 1. (of pigs, etc.) turn up the ground with the snout in search of food: A wild boar has been spotted rooting about for food scraps left behind by tourists. 2. search for smth. (by turning things over): He has been in the habit of taking more or less prolonged trips […]