by the seat of one’s pants—do smth. using experience and intuition rather than theory: I don’t follow recipes, but prefer to cook by the seat of my pants, as it were. by the skin of one’s teeth—only just manage to get smth. accomplished: Making my train by the skin of my teeth, I haven’t had […]
Difference between By the name of and Under the name of
by the name of—is used of a person called by the name mentioned: Do you know a boy by the name of David? under the name of—is used of a person known by a name different from his own: Hector Munro wrote under the name of Saki.
Difference between By the clock and By the time
by the clock—do smth. paying a lot of attention to the time (so that one is not late): There are people who just hate to do anything by the clock. by the time—at the time that; as soon as: Eddie performed with various bands and by the time he was nineteen he left Fort Worth. […]
Difference between By the authority of someone and On the authority of someone
by the authority of someone—by reason of authority granted by the person named: The weapons were placed in the church by the authority of the governor in response to a threat the church received. on the authority of someone—having the person named as the authority for what one says: I have it on the authority […]
Difference between By succession and In succession
by succession—according to the legal principle by which one person succeeds another in an inheritance, office, etc.: It seems they did not like a king by deputation but desired one by succession. in succession—one after another in regular sequence: If one African country pulls out of the Commonwealth then there is a very real possibility […]
Difference between By rule and By rule and line
by rule—according to law, custom, or regulations: They speak by rule and by book, though they judge and determine by common-sense. by rule and line—(dated) with methodical accuracy (also: by rule and measure): Life isn’t cast in a mould—not cut out by rule and line, and that sort of thing.
Difference between By order of someone and Under the orders of someone
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 […]