by order of someone—according to directions given by a proper authority: By order of the Minister a special operation of police is being carried out. under the orders of someone— 1. (Military) commanded by a person; being smb.’s subordinate: At the battle of Waterloo he was under the orders of Marshal Grouchy. 2. = by […]
Difference between By one’s own account and On one’s own account
by one’s own account—according to one’s own story: She says she thought she saw him, but by her own account she could have been mistaken. on one’s own account—acting independently; without help from others: He left the company last year, and went into business on his own account.
Difference between By occasion of something and On the occasion of something
by occasion of something—(formal) because of smth.: The debate has to be postponed by occasion of the illness of one of the principle speakers. on the occasion of something—in connection with some formal event or celebration: This was given us as a present on the occasion of our silver wedding.
Difference between By installments and In installments
by installments—paid in part payments spread over a period of time: Students may pay their tuition fees in a single payment or by instalments. in installments—(of publicatiions) come out in parts published over a period of time: The biography will appear in installments in the April and September issues of the magazine.
Difference between By inches and Inch by inch
by inches— 1. very gradually or slowly: The ship was sinking by inches; she might remain above water an hour or more. 2. miss by a very small margin: We scrambled to get out of the way, the car missing us by inches. inch by inch— 1. by small degrees or stages: When life falls […]
Difference between By half and By halves
by half— 1. increase or reduce smth. by fifty percent of the original amount: This move cuts by half the religious programming on ITV on Sunday. 2. far more than is satisfactory or desirable: Of course, he is a very clever politician. Too clever by half, in my opinion. by halves—do smth. imperfectly or not […]
Difference between By day and By the day
by day—during the day; in the day-time: Eurostar trains only travel by day and require a reservation. by the day— 1. on a daily basis: Clients who rent by the day can be billed for phone service the day they leave. 2. with every passing day: Protests on campuses were becoming uglier by the day, […]
Difference between By choice and Of choice
by choice—voluntary; not forced or compelled: The grasp of the church never relaxed unless freely and by choice. of choice —(of drugs, treatment, etc.) preferred; recommended: Chloromycetin has been the drug of choice for treating typhoid fever.
Difference between By any chance and By chance
by any chance—perhaps; possibly: I was wondering if by any chance you could lend me five pounds. by chance—accidentally; unpredictably: Karma is a belief that nothing happens by chance.
Difference between “By and by” and “By the by”
by and by—soon; before long: They could see the smoke, and by and by a shell would explode in their midst. by the by —(introductory or parenthetical) in passing; incidentally (also: by the way): By-the-by, Martin—any message from my lady mother?
Difference between By all means and By any means
by all means—certainly; without fail: You should by all means utilize the placement office at least a year before you actually start job hunting. by any means—in any way possible: We are trying to remake Vietnamese society, a task which probably cannot be accomplished by any means.
Difference between By air and Over the air
by air—using aircraft as a means of transport: Sending goods by air is fast but can be expensive. over the air—over the radio: Listeners will be able to “grill” leading public figures over the air.