keep one’s name on the books—retain one’s membership in a club, etc.: He said he was not much of a Mason—he scarcely ever went; just kept his name on the books by paying up his dues. see one’s name in print— 1. be a published author: “Pray, Anne,” said he, “did you ever experience the […]
Difference between Keep one’s mouth shut and Not open one’s mouth
keep one’s mouth shut—not talk about smth.; not reveal a secret: Keep your eyes skinned, there’s a good girl, and, incidentally, keep your mouth shut. not open one’s mouth—say nothing; remain silent: By the fact that she did not open her mouth, she acknowledged her guilt.
Difference between Keep one’s lid on and Keep the lid on someone
keep one’s lid on—(coll.) keep one’s temper; be patient: Keep your lids on, folks; we’ll have this matter sorted out in just a few seconds. keep the lid on someone—suppress or “clamp down” on rebels, dissenters, etc.: You have the root problem of all colonials—the natives are restless and you can’t keep the lid on […]
Difference between Keep one’s head and Keep one’s head up
keep one’s head—retain self-control; remain sensible and practical: You can depend on him to keep his head no matter what happens. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase keep one’s head above water—make a living; manage to survive financially: In spite of all the reverses, he still manages to keep his […]
Difference between Keep one’s hand in and Keep one’s hands off
keep one’s hand in—exercise repeatedly in order to be in practice: Write a line or two of it every day to keep your hand in. keep one’s hands off—stop touching or interfering with smth.: She knew she had to keep her hands off so he could learn to tie his shoes by himself.
Difference between Keep one’s hair and Keep one’s hair on
keep one’s hair—not become bald: He considers himself to have been lucky during the early stages of the disease: no sickness, and he kept his hair until quite recently. keep one’s hair on—(coll.) not lose one’s temper; remain calm: His annoyance evaporated in a grin. “You’re right. She’s got a tough job. I’ll try to […]
Difference between Keep one’s feet and Keep one’s feet on the ground
keep one’s feet—keep one’s balance; remain standing: As he was leaving, he stumbled on the stairs but was able to keep his feet. keep one’s feet on the ground —(also: have one’s feet on the ground) have a sensible and realistic attitude to life: When the other band members tend to lose touch with reality, […]
Difference between Keep one’s face and Lose one’s face
keep one’s face—(also: keep a straight face) refrain from showing one’s feelings by one’s facial expression: The performance was so absurd that I could hardly keep my face. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase save one’s face—(also: save face) avoid being disgraced or humiliated: If he represented a first-class paper […]
Difference between Keep one’s eyes open and Open someone’s eyes
keep one’s eyes open—be watchful and alert: During the three weeks I stayed in Dar-es-Salaam, keeping my eyes open, I was hard put to find evidence of Chinese influence. open someone’s eyes—make a person acutely aware of the truth of a situation: Attending Harvard only served to open her eyes to a whole new range […]
Difference between Keep one’s balance and Keep the balance
keep one’s balance— 1. keep from falling; remain standing: He slipped on the grass and as he stumbled forward, desperately trying to keep his balance, he ran into a tree. 2. retain one’s ability to exercise control: Now that a reaction is setting in, Mr. Gorbachev is leaning back towards the conservatives to keep his […]
Difference between Keep on with something and Keep up with something
keep on with something—continue doing smth., especially in spite of danger, difficulties, etc.: For months he has been talking of giving up smoking, but he still keeps on with it. keep up with something—remain level with smth.; keep pace with smth.: Even professional politicians have a struggle to keep up with the changes in public […]
Difference between Keep off something and Keep something off
keep off something— 1. remain at a distance from smth.: In an election which seems to have been fair, the Spanish police kept off the streets. 2. prevent smth. from coming near or happening: The ships were wintered by dismantling the riggings and covering the hulls with planks to keep off the snow. 3. avoid […]