on ice —(coll.) 1. in reserve; in readiness: She’s never been able to find a man good enough for her, and so she’s keeping herself on ice. 2. said of smth. which is a sure thing, a certainty: I haven’t signed on the dotted line yet, but it’s on ice. 3. in detention: Scotland Yard […]
Difference between On hand and On one’s hands
on hand— 1. (also: in hand) available; in one’s possession: The college had $117,000 on hand for the stadium building fund. 2. (also: at hand) within easy reach; close by: Always have your dictionary on hand when you study. 3. present; in attendance: All his old friends will be on hand to see Jack receive […]
Difference between On guard and On one’s guard
on guard— 1. doing duty as a guard: There are soldiers on guard at the gate, to prevent anyone getting in or out. 2. on the alert: The designers of the Sky-rocket had to be on guard against not only the sonic barrier. on one’s guard— = on guard 2: No one can be on […]
Difference between On fire and On the fire
on fire— 1. (of a house, etc.) aflame; burning: Never disturb the senior resident when he’s on his rounds, unless the place is on fire. 2. (of a part of the body) feeling very painful or sore: When I woke up the next morning my throat was on fire. I could barely swallow. 3. enthusiastic […]
Difference between On end and On the end
on end— 1. in an upright position; standing erect: The houses gave to the outskirts of Paris an odd affinity to a city built of dominoes set on end. 2. (of time) continually; without intermission: For hours on end we were subjected to continuous attacks from bombers. on the end —(also: at the end) in […]
Difference between On either hand and On every hand
on either hand— 1. on either one of the hands: There is no need to move your wedding ring. You can wear an anniversary ring on either hand. 2. positioned to right and left; on both sides: See these mountains, standing on either hand, one in the shade and the other in the light. on […]
Difference between On edge and On the edge
on edge—in an irritable state; very nervous or agitated: I was on edge all the time and the smallest thing would make me cry. on the edge— 1. on the point of smth.: We are on the edge of losing many fundamental rights and at the top of the list is the right to privacy. […]
Difference between On deck and On the deck
on deck —(coll.) 1. available and ready for action: Behind and off stage, a large stage crew are on deck to change scenes and regulate the lighting and sound. 2. alive: Don’t tell me old Bill’s still on deck. I thought he died years ago. on the deck—(RAF) on the ground; on the landing-ground: I […]
Difference between On commission and On the commission
on commission—receiving a percentage of the proceeds of goods sold: These jobs are all on commission only. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase in commission— 1. in the exercise of delegated authority: When the treasury was in commission, the junior lords had sixteen hundred a year each. 2. (of a […]
Difference between On board and On the board
on board— 1. on a ship, aircraft, or public vehicle: The life of a boy on board a ship isn’t one to be envied, he is at every one’s beck and call. 2. said of smb. working with an organization or a group of people: We are in the process of interviewing applicants and hope […]
Difference between On at someone and On to someone
on at someone—(coll.) nagging smb. persistently; trying to persuade a person to do smth.: His wife’s forever on at him to do something about the fence. on to someone— 1. = on at someone: She’s been on to me to buy her a new coat for a year. 2. aware of smb.’s true nature: You […]
Difference between “On again, off again“ and ”On and off“
on again, off again—(also: off again, on again) subject to frequent change: The plans for the fireworks display were on again, off again because of the rainy and windy weather. on and off—(also: off and on) from time to time; not regularly: I tried a variety of diets on and off. Finally, with my wedding […]