English idioms - Alphabetical list-B

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ENGLISH IDIOMS & IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

ALPHABETICAL LIST - B

	Idiom	Meaning
B	Leave somebody holding the baby	If someone is left holding the baby, they are made responsible for a problem that others don't want to deal with. "When the angry customer started to complain, my colleague disappeared and left me holding the baby."
	Back or bet on the wrong horse	If you back or bet on the wrong horse, for example the loser in a contest, match or election, you support the wrong person. "When I voted for him, I was convinced he would win, but I backed the wrong horse!"
	Get off my back!	If you tell somebody to get off your back, you ask them to stop finding faults or criticizing you.
	In the back of beyond	This expression is used to describe an isolated place located far from any town. "It took us hours to find Jack's house. He lives in the back of beyond!"
	On the back burner	If you put a project or issue on the back burner, you decide to deal with it at a later date because you do not consider it to be that urgent or important. "When Julie was offered a promotion, she put her MBA plans on the back burner."
	Back to square one	To say that someone is back to square one, means that they have not succeeded in what they were trying to do, and so they have to start again. "When the plans were refused, it was back to square one for the architect."
	Backhanded compliment	A remark that appears to express admiration but could also be interpreted as an insult is called a backhanded compliment. "He said my presentation was 'surprisingly clear' - how's that for a backhanded compliment!"
	Back-of-the-envelope calculation	This expression refers to quick approximate calculation done informally, as on the back of an envelope. "I don't need the exact amount. Just give me a back-of-the-envelope calculation."
	Back-room boys	This term refers to people who do important work but have no contact with the public. "Back-room boys don't always receive the credit they deserve for their work."
	Backseat driver	A backseat driver is a passenger in a car who gives unwanted advice to the driver. "I can't stand backseat drivers like my mother-in-law!"
	A bad egg	To refer to someone as a bad egg means that they cannot be trusted. "I don't want my son to be friends with Bobby Smith. Bobby's a bad egg."
	Badger someone into doing something	If you badger someone into doing something, you persistently nag or pester them until you obtain what you want. "Sophie badgered her parents into buying her a new computer."
	In the bag	If you think something is in the bag, you are almost certain it will be achieved. "An hour before the polling stations closed, victory seemed in the bag for the Conservative candidate."
	In the balance	If something is in the balance, it means the situation is uncertain and it is not clear what is going to happen. "The future of the company is in the balance while the takeover bid is being examined."
	Be on the ball	If you are on the ball, you are aware of what is happening and are able to react to the situation quickly.
	Have a ball	If you have a ball, you enjoy yourself. "The party was great. We had a ball."
	On the ball	If you are on the ball, you are aware of what is happening and are able to deal with things quickly and intelligently. "We need someone who's really on the ball to head the fund-raising campaign."
	Start the ball rolling	If you start the ball rolling, you start an activity in which other people will join. "Let's start the ball rolling by calling on our first speaker."
	The ball is in your court	If the ball is in your court, it is your turn to speak or act next. "We gave the manager a list of complaints, so the ball is in his court now."
	Jump on the bandwagon	If a person or organization jumps on the bandwagon, they decide to do something when it is already successful or fashionable. "When organic food became popular, certain stores were quick to jump on the bandwagon and promote it."
	Bang your head against a brick wall	If you bang your head against a brick wall, you continue vainly to try and achieve something in spite of several unsuccessful attempts. "I've been banging my head against a brick wall trying to explain the internet to my grandmother."
	Bar fly	A bar fly refers to someone who spends a lot of time drinking in bars and pubs. "You'll find Johnny down at the pub - he's a real bar fly!"
	Bare one's heart (or soul)	If you bare your heart or soul to someone, you reveal your innermost thoughts and feelings to them. "John couldn't keep things to himself any longer. He decided to bare his soul to his best friend."
	His bark is worse than his bite	This expression is used to refer to a person who sounds much more severe or angry than they really are. "Don't be afraid of him - his bark is worse than his bite."
	Bark up the wrong tree	A person who barks up the wrong tree is doing the wrong thing, because their beliefs or ideas are incorrect or mistaken.
	Have bats in the belfry	If you say that somebody has bats in the belfry, you are saying that their ideas are completely mad.
	The battle lines are drawn	This expression is used to say that opposing groups are ready to defend the reason behind the conflict. "The battle lines have been drawn between those who accept the changes and those who are against the proposed reforms."
	Battle of wills	A conflict, argument or struggle where both sides are determined to win is described as a battle of wills. "When they separated, neither party would make concessions - it was a battle of wills."
	(Not the) be-all and end-all	To say that something is not the be-all and end-all means that it is not what matters most. "Good school results are not the be-all and end-all of educating a child."
	Be full of beans	A person who is full of beans is lively, active and healthy.
	Bear the brunt (of something)	A person who bears the brunt of something is the one who suffers the most when something bad or unpleasant happens. "When things go wrong, his assistant always has to bear the brunt of his anger."
	Bear something in mind	If someone asks you to bear something in mind, they are telling you to remember it because it is important. "You must bear in mind that the cost of living is higher in New York."
	Like a bear with a sore head	If someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, they are very irritable and bad-tempered. "When his team lost the match, Brad was like a bear with a sore head."
	Beat/knock the living daylights out of someone	If someone beats the daylights out of another, they hit them very hard and repeatedly. "If I catch you stealing again, I'll beat the daylights out of you!"
	It beats me!	This expression is used to express surprise at something that you find difficult to understand, "It beats me how he can live in that horrible apartment!"
	At someone's beck and call	If a person is at somebody's beck and call, they are always ready to do things for them or obey orders to please them. "Parents should not be at the beck and call of their children."
	Have a bee in one's bonnet	A person who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which constantly occupies their thoughts. "She's got a bee in her bonnet about moving to New York."
	The bee's knees	If you say that someone/something is the bee's knees, you think they are exceptionally good. If you say "Julie thinks she's the bee's knees", it means that Julie has a high opinion of herself!
	Been there, done that	This expression is used to indicate that the speaker is familiar with the situation mentioned. It can also refer to an attitude which reflects a certain boredom at the idea of repeating an experience that has lost its novelty. "His suggestions produced a 'been there, done that' attitude which undermined his enthusiasm."
	Beggars can't be choosers.	This expression means that you should not reject an offer if it is the only possibility you have. You have no choice. "Beggars can't be choosers"!
	Ring a bell.	If something rings a bell, it is vaguely familiar to you, but you can't remember the exact details . "John Bentley? The name rings a bell but I don't remember him."
	Below the belt	An action or remark described as below the belt means that it is considered unfair or cruel. "Politicians sometimes use personal information to hit their rivals below the belt.'
	Tighten your belt	If you need to tighten your belt, you must spend your money carefully. "Another bill? I'll have to tighten my belt this month!"
	Bend over backwards	If you bend over backwards, you try very hard to do something, especially to please somebody. "The manager bent over backwards to try to make Jack stay, but Jack wouldn't change his mind."
	Bend the truth	If you bend the truth, you say something that is not entirely true. "OK, I bent the truth a bit; I told him it was my natural colour, but I didn't say that my hairdresser helped me to keep it natural!"
	The benefit of the doubt	If you give somebody the benefit of the doubt, you choose to believe that that person is innocent, honest or telling the truth, because there is no evidence to the contrary. "Although he found it hard to believe Tom's explanation, the teacher decided to give him the benefit of the doubt."
	Beside yourself (with something)	If you are beside yourself (with an emotion), you lose your self-control because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling. "He was beside himself with grief when he lost his son."
	The best of both worlds	If a person has the best of both worlds, they have the benefits and advantages of two different things. "We live in the centre of town, but only 5 minutes from the beach. We have the best of both worlds."
	Bet your bottom dollar	If you bet your bottom dollar on something, you are absolutely certain of it. "Jack is very punctual. You can bet your bottom dollar he'll be here at 9 o'clock on the dot."
	Bet on the wrong horse	If you back or bet on the wrong horse, for example the loser in a contest, match or election, you support the wrong person. "When I voted for him, I was convinced he would win, but I backed the wrong horse!"
	Better safe than sorry	It's better to be too cautious than to be careless and have regrets later. "Let's book tickets in advance - better safe than sorry!"
	Think better of something	If you think better of something, you decide not to do something that you intended doing. "I wanted to go shopping, but when I saw the crowded car park, I thought better of it."
	Between the devil and the deep blue sea	If you are between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a situation where there are two equally unpleasant alternatives. "When the new product didn't take off, the management was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea: develop a new marketing campaign or drop the product."
	It's beyond me	The expression "it's beyond me" means: "it's impossible for me to understand" "It's beyond me why Mary wants to marry John."
	Beyond any reasonable doubt	This is a legal expression which means that something is certain. "The court established, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the man was innocent."
	Beyond one's wildest dreams	If something is beyond your wildest dreams, it is better than you imagined or hoped for. "The research team received a grant from the government that was beyond their wildest dreams."
	Bide your time	If you bide your time, you wait for a good opportunity to do something. "He's not hesitating, he's just biding his time. He's waiting for the price to drop."
	Clean bill of health	If a person has a clean bill of health, they have a report or certificate declaring that their health is satisfactory.
	Kill two birds with one stone.	If you kill two birds with one stone, you succeed in doing two things at the same time.
	Birds of a feather.	To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they are very similar in many ways.
	In/wearing one's birthday suit	This humorous expression means that you are wearing nothing! "The bathroom door blew open, and there I was in my birthday suit!"
	Bite off more than you can chew	If you bite off more than you can chew, you try to do something that is too difficult for you, or more than you can manage. "As soon as I started to translate the report, I realized that I had bitten off more than I could chew."
	Bite someone's head off	If you bite someone's head off, you criticize them strongly (and perhaps unfairly). "I worked 10 hours a day all week and my boss bit my head off for not doing my share of the work!"
	Bite the hand that feeds you	If you bite the hand that feeds you, you are unfriendly or do harm to someone who is kind to you.
	Bite your tongue	If you bite your tongue, you try not to say what you really think or feel. "It was difficult for me not to react; I had to bite my tongue."
	Once bitten, twice shy.	This is said by a person who has had an unpleasant experience which has made them cautious. "I'm never going to get married again. Once bitten, twice shy."
	A bitter pill to swallow	A bitter pill to swallow is something very difficult or unpleasant to accept. "Losing his job after organizing the merger was a bitter pill to swallow."
	Black mood	To be in a black mood means to be irritable, angry or even depressed. Also : to be in a bad mood.
	Black tie event	This expression refers to a formal event at which men are required to wear a dinner jacket, or tuxedo, and a black bow tie. "I need to know if it's going to be a casual get-together or a black tie event."
	In black and white	To say that something is in black and white means that there is written proof of it. "It's an obligation. It's written in black and white in your contract."
	In the black	To say that a person or organization is in the black means that they are financially sound, have a positive balance on their account, and that they owe no money.
	Black gold	Black gold refers to the black colour and high value of oil.
	Black market	The black market refers to the illegal buying and selling of goods or currencies.
	Black out	If you black out, you lose consciousness.
	Black sheep	The black sheep of the family is one who is very different from the others, and least respected by the other members of the family,
	Blamestorming	A discussion among a group of people, who try to determine who or what is to blame for a particular mistake, failure or wrongdoing, is called 'blamestorming'. "A blamestorming session took place following the unfavourable reviews in the press."
	A blank cheque	If you give someone a blank cheque, you authorize them to do what they think is best in a difficult situation. "Tom was given a blank cheque and told to negotiate the best deal possible."
	A wet blanket	To refer to someone as a wet blanket means that they spoil other people's fun, or make an event less enjoyable that it could have been "Come on, Mike! Don't be such a wet blanket. You're spoiling the party!"
	A blessing in disguise	This expression is used to refer to something which is unpleasant at first but later turns out to have advantages. "Missing the plane was a blessing in disguise - that's how he met his wife. She was a hostess on the next flight!"
	The blind leading the blind	This expression refers to a person with very little ability trying to help or guide a person with no ability. "Don't ask Sofia to translate it. She hardly speaks a word of English herself. It would be the blind leading the blind".
	Blind you with science	If someone tries to blind you with science, they confuse you with their knowledge by using difficult or technical words. "If you ask Tim for a simple explanation, he tries to blind you with science."
	Make your blood boil	If something makes your blood boil, it makes you really angry. "His condescending attitude made my blood boil!"
	Make your blood run cold	If something makes your blood run cold, it shocks or scares you a lot. "The look in the prisoner's eyes made my blood run cold."
	Blood, sweat and tears	A project or action which involves blood, sweat and tears requires a lot of effort and hard work. "His success wasn't due to luck; it was blood, sweat and tears all the way."
	Blow a fuse	If you blow a fuse, you suddenly lose your temper and become very angry. "Charlie blew a fuse yesterday when he discovered that his ipod had been stolen."
	Blow hot and cold	If you blow hot and cold about something, you constantly change your opinion about it. "The boss keeps blowing hot and cold about the marketing campaign - one day he finds it excellent, the next day he wants to make changes."
	Blow up in someone's face	When working on a plan or project, if it suddenly goes wrong or fails, it blows up in your face. "The trip was difficult to organize, but it blew up in his face when the airline company went on strike."
	Blue chip company	This term refers to a company with a solid reputation for the quality of its products and the stability of its growth and earnings. "It's usually safe to invest in a blue-chip company.
	Blue in the face	If you do something until you're blue in the face, you try unsuccessfully to do something for a very long time. "I explained the situation until I was blue in the face but she wouldn't change her mind."
	Feel blue	To feel blue means to have feelings of deep sadness or depression.
	A bolt from the blue	To refer to something as a bolt from the blue means that it happened completely unexpectedly. "The chairman's resignation came as a bolt from the blue!"
	Blue-eyed boy	A blue-eyed boy is somebody's favourite. "He's the director's blue-eyed boy!"
	Out of the blue	If something happens out of the blue, it happens unexpectedly.
	Above board	If a situation or business is described as above board, it is open, honest and legal. "There are no secret negotiations. Our dealings have always been above board."
	The mind boggles	The expression "the mind boggles" is used as a reaction to something you find amazing or difficult to understand.
	Bold as brass	Someone who is bold as brass behaves without shame or embarrassment. "Bold as brass, he refused the gift and handed it back to his mother-in-law."
	Bone of contention	A bone of contention is a matter or subject about which there is a lot of disagreement. "The salaries have been agreed on, but opening on Sundays remains a bone of contention."
	Have a bone to pick with someone	To say that you have a bone to pick with somebody means that you are annoyed with them and want to talk to them about it.
	Make no bones about something	If you make no bones about something, you do not hesitate to express your thoughts or feelings about it, even if it is embarrassing.
	In somebody's good/bad books	If you are in somebody's good or bad books, you have their approval or disapproval. "I'm in my wife's bad books at the moment because I forgot our wedding anniversary!"
	Lick someone's boots	To say that one person licks another person's boots means that they are trying to please that person, often in order to obtain something.
	Get too big for your boots (or britches)	To say that a person is getting too big for their boots means that you think they are behaving as if they were more important that they really are. "Tom's really getting too big for his boots since he got a promotion - he hardly says hello any more!"
	I wasn't born yesterday	This expression is used to indicate that you are not as foolish or as easily deceived as some people seem to think. "Stop inventing silly excuses. I wasn't born yesterday you know!"
	Bow and scrape	To say that someone is bowing and scraping means that they are being excessively polite or servile. "The President was greeted with much bowing and scraping."
	Brain like a sieve	Someone who has a brain like a sieve has a very bad memory and forgets things easily. "Oh, I forgot to buy bread - I've got a brain like a sieve these days!"
	Have something on the brain	If you have something on the brain, you think or talk about it constantly. "Stop talking about golf. You've got golf on the brain!"
	Get down to brass tacks	People who get down to brass tacks start to discuss and deal with the practical details of something "It was decided to get down to brass tacks and discuss the cost of the project."
	Take the bread out of somebody's mouth	If you take the bread out of somebody's mouth, you take away their means of earning a living. "The decision to ban street vendors took the bread out of the mouths of many people."
	Break a leg!	This is a humorous way of wishing somebody good luck, especially among stage performers. "So tonight's the opening night? Break a leg!"
	Break the mould	If you change what people expect from a situation, especially by doing something original, you break the mould. "After generations of doctors in the family, he broke the mould by becoming a fashion designer."
	Break every rule in the book.	If you behave in a completely unacceptable way, you break every rule in the book. "Our competitors obtained the contract by breaking every rule in the book."
	Breathe down someone's neck	If somebody is breathing down your neck, they are watching you too closely and making you feel uncomfortable. "The atmosphere at work isn't great; the boss keeps breathing down our necks all the time."
	Bricks and mortar/ bricks and clicks	An established trading company (office/shop) is referred to as a 'brick-and-mortar' business. 'Click companies' refer to Internet-based operations. Companies which do both are called 'bricks and clicks'. "Click businesses are usually more flexible than brick-and-mortar operations."
	Bring the house down	If you bring the house down, you give a very successful performance. "If he sings like that on Saturday, he'll bring the house down."
	Bring nothing to the table	If you participate in negotiations and bring nothing to the table, you have nothing of interest to offer the other side. "We'll never reach an agreement if we don't all bring something to the table."
	It's as broad as it's long	This expression means that it makes no real difference which alternative is chosen. "Take the high-speed train or fly and take a taxi? It's as broad as it's long."
	Brown as a berry	To say that someone is brown as a berry means that they are very tanned.
	Browned-off	To be browned off means to be bored, fed up or disheartened. "Tom is browned off with his job."
	The bubble has burst	To say that the bubble has burst means that the success of an idea, a product or a situation has suddenly stopped. "The video game was a phenomenal success but the bubble has burst."
	Pass the buck	If you say that someone is passing the buck, you are accusing them of not taking responsibility for a problem and expecting someone else to handle it.
	Kick the bucket.	To kick the bucket is a light-hearted way of talking about death. "He will inherit when his grandfather kicks the bucket."
	To nip something in the bud	If you nip a problem or a bad situation in the bud, you stop it at an early stage, before it becomes worse. "He wanted to be a clown, but his parents soon nipped that idea in the bud."
	Build bridges	If a person builds bridges between opposing groups, they help them to cooperate and understand each other better.
	Take the bull by the horns	To take the bull by the horns means that a person decides to act decisively in order to deal with a difficult situation or problem.
	Bundle of nerves	If you describe somebody as a bundle of nerves, you mean that they are very nervous, tense or worried. "My son is doing his driving test today. Needless to say he's a bundle of nerves!"
	Burden of proof	The burden of proof is the necessity imposed by law to prove that what one says is true. "The burden of proof lies with the claimant."
	Burn the candle at both ends	If you burn the candle at both ends, you exhaust yourself by doing too much, especially going to bed late and getting up early. "Scott looks exhausted - I'll bet he's been burning the candle at both ends lately."
	Burn your fingers	If you burn your fingers (or get your fingers burnt), you suffer financially as a result of foolish behaviour. "Jack got his fingers burnt playing on the stock market."
	Don't beat around the bush	This expression is used to tell somebody to say what they have to say, clearly and directly, even if it's unpleasant.
	Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth	If you say that somebody looks as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouth, you are saying that they look completely innocent, but that they are capable of doing unpleasant things.

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