English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List of Idioms - B, page 8
from: 'beyond wildest dreams'
to: 'bite the bullet'
- 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."
- If something is beyond your wildest dreams,
it is better than you imagined or hoped for.
- beyond recall
- Something which is beyond recall is impossible to retrieve, cancel or reverse.
"I'm afraid we can't recover the pictures - your camera is so damaged that the photographs are beyond recall."
- Something which is beyond recall is impossible to retrieve, cancel or reverse.
- beyond redemption
- If something is beyond redemption, it is in such
a poor state that there is no hope of improvement or recovery.
"With the latest scandal, his reputation is now beyond redemption."
- If something is beyond redemption, it is in such
a poor state that there is no hope of improvement or recovery.
- beyond repair
- Something that is beyond repair cannot be repaired.
"The technician announced that the computer was beyond repair."
- Something that is beyond repair cannot be repaired.
- beyond the call of duty
- An action or intervention that is beyond the call of duty is more than what is
expected in a job.
"Emergency workers who go beyond the call of duty should be rewarded."
- An action or intervention that is beyond the call of duty is more than what is
expected in a job.
- bide your time
- If you bide your time, you wait patiently for a good opportunity or the right moment to do something.
"He's not hesitating, he's just biding his time, waiting for the price to drop."
- If you bide your time, you wait patiently for a good opportunity or the right moment to do something.
- big cheese
- The expression 'big cheese' refers to a person who
has a lot of power and influence in an organisation.
"Tom's father is a big cheese in the oil industry."
- The expression 'big cheese' refers to a person who
has a lot of power and influence in an organisation.
- big fish in a small pond
- A big fish in a small pond is an important or
highly-ranked person in a small group or organisation.
"He could get a job with a big company but he enjoys being a big fish in a small pond."
- A big fish in a small pond is an important or
highly-ranked person in a small group or organisation.
- (the) big picture
- If you talk about the big picture, you refer to the
overall situation, or the project as a whole rather than the details.
"While each aspect is important, try not to forget the big picture."
- If you talk about the big picture, you refer to the
overall situation, or the project as a whole rather than the details.
- (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.
"All candidates for the position must produce a 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.
- binge drinking
- The term 'binge drinking' refers to heavy drinking where large quantities of alcohol are consumed
in a short space of time, often among young people in rowdy groups.
"Binge drinking is becoming a major problem in some European countries."
- The term 'binge drinking' refers to heavy drinking where large quantities of alcohol are consumed
in a short space of time, often among young people in rowdy groups.
- early bird
- An early bird is someone who likes to get up and start the day early.
Early bird can also refer to things available early in the day.
"I’ve always been an early bird – up at 6 am at the latest!"
"Jason caught the early-bird flight to New York."
- An early bird is someone who likes to get up and start the day early.
- eat like a bird
- A person who eats very little or only small portions of food is said
to eat like a bird.
"No wonder she's so thin. She eats like a bird!"
- A person who eats very little or only small portions of food is said
to eat like a bird.
- birds of a feather
- To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they are very similar in many ways.
"No wonder they get on well. They're birds of a feather!"
- To say that two people are birds of a feather means that they are very similar in many ways.
- for the birds
- If you think something is for the birds, you
consider it to be uninteresting, useless or not to be taken seriously.
"As far as I'm concerned, his theory is for the birds."
- If you think something is for the birds, you
consider it to be uninteresting, useless or not to be taken seriously.
- birthday suit
- This humorous expression means that you are wearing nothing.
"The bathroom door blew open, and there I was in my birthday suit!"
- This humorous expression means that you are wearing nothing.
- take the biscuit
- If something takes the biscuit, it is very irritating, annoying or exasperating.
"After waiting for an hour, we were told that there were no seats left. That really took the biscuit!"
- If something takes the biscuit, it is very irritating, annoying or exasperating.
- bite the bullet
- If you bite the bullet, you accept something unpleasant because you cannot avoid it.
"If you don't have health insurance, you have to bite the bullet and pay the hospital fees."
- If you bite the bullet, you accept something unpleasant because you cannot avoid it.
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