BLT
- Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato - a type of sandwich
eg. We went into the restaurant and ordered a BLT sandwich.
BO
- Body Odor - smell of sweat from the human body
eg. The BO from the man in the elevator was very bad.
BS
- Bullshit - lies or other information that is false
eg. We heard a lot of BS at the meeting last night which nobody believed.
BSc
- Bachelor of Science - from a university
eg. My cousin has just received a BSc in computer science from his university.
BYOB
- Bring Your Own Bottle - used for a party or dinner where each person must bring something to drink
eg. I decided to have a dinner party at my house next week and told everyone that it was BYOB.
B&B
- Bed and Breakfast - a small inn or hotel that serves breakfast
eg. My sister wants to open a small B&B when she quits her job.
B&E
- Break and Enter - a criminal act of breaking into a house or building to steal something
eg. When I was going to university there was a B&E in my apartment.
back on one`s feet
- return to good financial or physical health
eg. He is finally back on his feet after his company went out of business.
back out
- withdraw from an agreement or promise
eg. The company backed out of the deal with the foreign firm.
back to the drawing board
- go back to start a project or idea from the beginning
eg. The boss doesn`t like our idea so I guess we must go back to the drawing board.
back to the salt mines
- back to work, humorous expression to express going back to unpleasant work
eg. Well, lunch is over so let`s go back to the salt mines for the afternoon.
back on one's feet
- physically healthy again
eg. My mother is back on her feet again after being sick with the flu for two weeks.
back on one`s feet
- return to good financial health
eg. My sister is back on her feet after losing her job last year.
back to square one
- back to where one started
eg. We were forced to go back to square one in our efforts to change the name of the company.
bad blood
- anger or a bad relationship due to past problems with someone
eg. There has always been a lot of bad blood between the two supervisors.
bad egg
- a bad person, bum
eg. That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can.
badger someone
- get someone to do something by repeated questions or by bothering them
eg. I always have to badger my friend in order to make him return my computer game software.
bad-mouth
- say bad things about someone
eg. The football players are always bad-mouthing their coach.
bail someone or something out
- help or rescue
eg. The government has decided to bail out the troubled bank.
bail a company out
- help or rescue a company with financial problems
eg. The government decided to bail out the failing bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.
ball park figure/estimate
- a rough estimate or figure
eg. The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.
bang for the buck
- value for the money spent
eg. We were able to get a big bang for our buck when we advertised on the Internet.
bank on
- be sure of, count on
eg. You can bank on them to come and help the company.
banker's hours
- short work hours
eg. My sister's husband owns his own company and is able to work banker's hours with his large staff.
bark is worse than one`s bite
- someone isn`t as bad as they sound
eg. Don`t worry if he gets angry - his bark is worse than his bite.
bark up the wrong tree
- make a wrong assumption about something
eg. The police are barking up the wrong tree in their investigation of that person.
bat an eye/eyelash
- show surprise, fear or interest; show one`s feelings (neg.)
eg. Our boss didn`t bat an eyelash when we told him that we were going to go home early today.
bats in the belfry
- crazy, eccentric
eg. I think that he has bats in the belfry. His ideas are absolutely crazy.
be to blame
- be responsible for something bad or unfortunate
eg. He`s not to blame for breaking the computer.
bean-counter
- accountant
eg. We asked the bean-counters to look over the figures in the new budget.
beat around the bush
- speak indirectly or evasively
eg. Stop beating around the bush and give us your final decision.
beat someone to the punch (draw)
- do something before others
eg. He beat me to the punch and arrived at the interview first.
beat into one`s head
- teach by telling again and again, drill
eg. I have been trying to beat the history material into the student's head.
beat one`s brains out
- tire oneself out by thinking
eg. I have been beating my brains out all day trying to remember who we should invite to the party.
beat one`s head against a wall
- struggle uselessly against something, not succeed after trying very hard
eg. You are beating your head against the wall trying to figure out what the new boss wants.
bee in one`s bonnet
- an idea that seems strange or crazy
eg. She has a bee in her bonnet about going to live on an island and starting a herb farm.
behind the times
- old fashioned
eg. My aunt is a little behind the times.
behind one`s back
- when one is absent or without one's knowledge, secretly
eg. He doesn't like people who talk behind his back.
believe one`s ears
- believe what one hears, become sure of (something)
eg. I couldn`t believe my ears when I heard that I had won a holiday in Mexico.
believe one`s eyes
- believe what one sees, become sure of seeing something
eg. We couldn`t believe our eyes when we saw the three bears on the highway.
below the belt
- in an unfair or cowardly way
eg. I think that he was hitting below the belt when he began to criticize me after I told him my true feelings on the matter.
bend over backwards to do something
- try very hard
eg. If I can, I will bend over backwards to help you get a promotion in the company.
beside one`s self
- very upset or excited about something
eg. He was beside himself with joy at winning the contest.
beside the point
- not relevant to the subject that you are considering or discussing
eg. "What you are saying is beside the point. We are not talking about salary now."
bet on the wrong horse
- misjudge a coming event, misread the future
eg. I think that he bet on the wrong horse by putting all of his money into that new stock.
bet one`s boots
- bet everything that one has
eg. I will bet my boots that he is not able to save up enough money to come with us to Greece this winter.
bet one`s bottom dollar
- bet all one has on something
eg. I would bet my bottom dollar that the accounting manager will be late again today.
bet on the wrong horse
- base one`s plans on a wrong guess about the results of something
eg. He is betting on the wrong horse if he continues to support the other candidate for mayor.
better off
- be in a better situation than before
eg. He would be better off if he sold his old car and bought a new one.
beyond the pale
- outside the bounds of acceptable behavior
eg. What they are doing is totally unacceptable and beyond the pale.
bide one`s time
- patiently wait for an opportunity to occur.
eg. He is biding his time as he waits to become president of the company.
big cheese
- an important person, a leader
eg. He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him.
big fish in a small pond
- an important person in a small place
eg. He wasn`t so important in the big city but in the small town he is a big fish in a small pond.
big gun/cheese/wheel/wig
- an important person, a leader
eg. The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but is not so important now.
big head
- too high an opinion of one's own ability or importance, conceit
eg. He has a big head since he won the speech contest at university.
big shot
- an important and powerful person
eg. He is a big shot in the oil and gas industry.
bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
- one shouldn`t risk losing something certain by trying to get something that is not certain
eg. You should keep the prize and not try and win another one. Remember a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
birds and bees
- the facts about sex and birth
eg. He learned about the birds and bees in his health education class at school.
birds-eye view
- a general view from above
eg. Let`s go up onto the roof and get a birds-eye view of the surrounding area.
birds of a feather flock together
- people who are similar become friends or join together
eg. Don`t complain about your friends. Remember birds of a feather flock together. They are just like you.
birds and bees
- facts about sex and birth
eg. The girl`s mother told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays.
birthday suit
- completely naked, no clothes on
eg. The little boy was running down the street in his birthday suit.
bite off more than one can chew
- try to do more than one is able to do
eg. I think I bit off more than I can chew by taking on the new assignment.
bite the bullet
- endure in a difficult situation, face a difficult situation bravely
eg. I have decided to bite the bullet and begin studying for my Master`s degree.
bite the dust
- be killed, break down, be defeated
eg. I think that my car has finally bitten the dust.
bite the hand that feeds you
- turn against a friend or supporter, repay kindness with wrong
eg. He is biting the hand that feeds him if he continues to criticize and fight against his boss.
bite the hand that feeds one
- turn against or hurt a helper or supporter, repay kindness with wrong
eg. My niece is biting the hand that feeds her if she keeps abusing the help that her parents are giving her.
black and white
- thinking of everything or judging everything as either good or bad
eg. He tries to see everything in black and white although he knows this is impossible.
black out
- darken by putting out or dimming electric lights
eg. During the war people in the cities were forced to black out their windows so that the enemy aircraft could not see them.
black out information
- prevent or silence information or communication
eg. The government decided to black out all of the information related to the political prisoner.
black sheep (of the family)
- a person who is a disgrace to a family or group
eg. The man is the black sheep in his family and is the only member who has not made a success of his life.
black out
- lose consciousness, faint
eg. The football player blacked out after being hit by the other player.
blind leading the blind
- someone who doesn`t understand something trying to explain it to others
eg. It is like the blind leading the blind watching him try and explain how to operate the new computer.
blood is thicker than water
- family members are closer to one another than to others
eg. Blood is thicker than water and people usually support their family rather than their friends in times of trouble.
blood runs cold
- one is terrified or horrified
eg. My blood ran cold when I saw the man fall off the ladder.
blow it (something)
- fail at something
eg. I tried hard but I am sure that I blew the final math exam last week.
blow one`s own horn
- praise oneself
eg. He is always blowing his own horn and is very annoying at times.
blow over
- die down or calm down
eg. The problem with the lost invoices has finally blown over and everyone is working hard again.
blow one`s mind
- become wildly enthusiastic over something as if understanding it for the first time in an entirely new light
eg. My friend told me that if I read the new book it would blow my mind.
blue in the face
- endlessly, fruitlessly
eg. You can argue with him until you are blue in the face but you will never change his mind.
boggle the mind
- stop the normal thinking process by being fantastic or incredible, unbelievable
eg. It really boggles the mind when you think how quickly the Internet began to have a major impact on people's lives.
bone of contention
- a reason for quarrels, the subject of a fight
eg. The family cottage was a major bone of contention when their father died.
bonehead
- an unusually dense or stupid person
eg. He is such a bonehead. He never understands what other people are trying to tell him.
boot out
- make someone go or leave, get rid of someone, dismiss
eg. He was booted out of high school for smoking on the school grounds.
born with a silver spoon in one`s mouth
- born rich, provided from birth with everything you need
eg. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life.
bottom fall out/drop out
- to fall below an earlier lowest price
eg. When the bottom fell out of the coffee market many companies had to stop doing business.
bottom line
- the total, the final figure on a balance sheet
eg. When they examined the bottom line of the company they decided not to invest in it.
bottom out
- reach the lowest or worst point of something
eg. The value of the stock has begun to bottom out and should soon begin to increase in value.
bottom dollar
- one`s last dollar
eg. He spent his bottom dollar on some new clothes to wear for his job interview.
bottom line
- last price, minimum
eg. The bottom line in the company's financial statement was much worse than expected.
boys in the backroom
- a group of men making decisions behind the scenes
eg. The boys in the backroom told us that we must close down the factory as soon as possible.
brain drain
- the loss of talented and educated people of a country to other countries where conditions are better
eg. There is a brain drain from many countries to the United States where some conditions are very good.
brand new
- absolutely new
eg. He was finally able to buy a brand-new car.
bread and butter
- basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing)
eg. The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes.
break down
- analyze
eg. We must break down these figures for further study.
break fresh ground
- deal with something in a new way
eg. The researchers were able to break fresh ground in their search for a cancer cure.
break the bank
- win all the money at a casino gambling table
eg. He didn`t really break the bank but he did win a lot of money.
break the ice
- relax and start a conversation in a formal situation
eg. Nobody was enjoying the party until the host finally was able to break the ice.
break the news
- tell some information first
eg. He is planning to break the news to her about his transfer tomorrow.
break up (with someone)
- stop a relationship
eg. She broke up with her boyfriend last June.
break one`s neck
- do all one possibly can, try one's hardest
eg. I broke my neck to try and get the report finished on time.
break even
- have expenses equal to profits
eg. After only three months the company was able to break even and start making profits.
break one`s heart
- make very sad or hopeless
eg. It broke my heart to see the woman fall down during the race after she had tried so hard.
break out
- begin showing a rash or other skin disorder
eg. I broke out in a terrible rash after eating the raw shrimp at the restaurant.
break even
- have expenses equal to profits
eg. Our company was able to break even after only six months of operation.
break the bank
- win all the money at a casino gambling table
eg. He broke the bank at the casino and walked away with a lot of money.
breathe down one`s neck
- follow closely, threaten from behind
eg. My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to try and get me to work harder.
breathe one's last
- to die
eg. The man finally breathed his last after a long illness.
bring home the bacon
- work and earn money for your family
eg. He is out bringing home the bacon and is very busy.
bring home the importance of something to someone
- make someone fully realize something
eg. He was unable to bring home the importance of arriving early for the meeting.
bring some new facts to light
- discover some new facts, make some new facts known
eg. The lawyers were able to bring some new facts to light in the trial of the killer.
bring someone into line
- persuade someone to agree with you
eg. He was finally able to bring the other members of the committee into line.
bring something on
- cause to develop rapidly
eg. I don`t know what brought on his anger but you should avoid him until he calms down.
bring the house down
- cause much laughter in the audience
eg. The comedian brought the house down with his jokes about the lost dog.
bring to mind
- recall something
eg. Her perfect acting brought to mind some of the great actresses of the past.
bring up
- introduce a subject into a discussion
eg. They brought up the subject at the meeting but nobody wanted to talk about it.
bring up someone
- raise or care for a child
eg. My grandmother brought up ten children.
bring up the rear
- be at the end of the line or in the last position
eg. The runner from the other school was bringing up the rear in the school relay race.
bring home the bacon
- earn your family`s living
eg. Recently he has been working very hard trying to bring home the bacon. He has no time to do anything else.
bring around/round
- restore to health or consciousness, cure
eg. The medical workers were able to bring the man around after the accident.
bring to
- restore to consciousness, wake from sleep/anesthesia/hypnosis/fainting etc
eg. The woman was brought to soon after the car accident.
bring home the bacon
- earn the family living
eg. I have been working hard all month bringing home the bacon for my family.
broke
- have no money
eg. I spent all of my money on my holiday and I am now broke.
broke down
- stop working because of mechanical failure
eg. The car broke down on the lonely road so nobody knew about it.
brown bag it
- take a lunch to work
eg. I have had to brown bag it every day this week as the company cafeteria is closed for repair work.
brush up on something
- review something one has already learned
eg. I`m going to brush up on my English before my trip to New York.
brush with the law
- a brief encounter or experience with the police because of a crime
eg. He had a brush with the law when he was young but now he is totally honest.
buckle down
- give complete attention or effort to do something
eg. I told her that it was time that she buckled down and began to work harder than before.
budget squeeze/crunch
- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
eg. We have been going through a severe budget squeeze at our company and must begin to stop spending money in a wasteful manner.
bug someone
- annoy or irritate someone
eg. My friend is beginning to bug me with his constant questions.
bug-eyed
- wide-eyed with surprise
eg. The little boy was bug-eyed when he got a new bicycle for a birthday present.
bull in a china shop
- someone who is clumsy and upsets other people or plans
eg. He was like a bull in a china shop when I saw him at the meeting last week.
bundle up
- put on warm clothes, dress warmly
eg. We bundled up and went for a walk in the park.
burn a hole in one`s pocket
- money that you want to spend quickly
eg. I just got paid today and this money is burning a hole in my pocket.
burn down
- burn completely (usually used for buildings)
eg. The neighbor`s house burnt down completely during the night.
burn one`s bridges behind one
- do something that makes going back impossible
eg. He burned his bridges behind him and is unable to work in the same industry again.
burn the candle at both ends
- work or play too hard without enough rest
eg. He has been burning the candle at both ends with his work and his studies. That is why he became sick.
burn the midnight oil
- study until very late at night
eg. We burned the midnight oil for three nights in a row in order to study for the exam.
burn up
- burn completely (usually things not buildings)
eg. The uniforms burned up in the fire.
burn one`s fingers
- learn caution through an umpleasant experience
eg. My father burned his fingers on the stock market and doesn't want to invest money there again.
burst at the seams
- too full or too crowded
eg. The train station was bursting at the seams as everyone was waiting to go away for their holidays.
bury (hide) one`s head in the sand
- refuse to see or face something, keep from seeing or knowing something unpleasant
eg. He always buries his head in the sand and never wants to deal with his family problems at all.
bury the hatchet
- stop quarreling and become friendly with someone
eg. He decided to bury the hatchet with his brother and they are now on friendly terms again.
butter someone up
- flatter someone
eg. He is trying to butter up his boss so that he can leave early on Friday.
butterflies in one`s stomach
- a feeling of fear or anxiety in the stomach
eg. The little boy had butterflies in his stomach when he had to give the speech in front of the class.
butter up
- flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship
eg. He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won`t have to work so hard.
button one`s lip
- stop talking, keep a secret, be quiet
eg. Please button your lip so that we can hear what the speaker is saying.
buy a pig in a poke
- buy something without seeing it or knowing if it will be satisfactory
eg. You shouldn`t buy that car without first inspecting it. It is like buying a pig in a poke.
buy off
- use a gift or money to divert someone from their duty or purpose
eg. The land developer tried to buy off the politician but he was not successful.
buy out
- buy the ownership or a decisive share of something
eg. The company was bought out by another large company in the textile industry.
buy off
- give money to someone to stop them from doing their duty
eg. They tried to buy off the politician but he refused to go along with their plan.
by a long shot
- by a big difference, by far
eg. The soap company was able to beat out the bids of the other companies by a long shot.
by and large
- on the whole, considering everything
eg. By and large we had a good meeting even though it was a little short.
by and by
- before long
eg. By and by they will come and we can go out for dinner.
by far
- greatly, by a great margin
eg. He is by far the smartest person in the company.
by fits and starts
- irregularly, with many stops and starts
eg. By fits and starts the company was finally able to begin business.
by hook or by crook
- in any way necessary
eg. She says that she will go to Italy this year by hook or by crook.
by the way
- incidentally
eg. By the way, could you please bring your computer tomorrow.
by the skin of one`s teeth
- by a very small margin, barely
eg. I made the application date for the job by the skin of my teeth.
by the sweat of one`s brow
- by hard work
eg. He managed to make enough money to buy the farm by the sweat of his brow.
by the skin of one`s teeth
- by a narrow margin, barely
eg. We were able to catch the train by the skin of our teeth.
by the sweat of one`s brow
- by hard work
eg. He built up the business by the sweat of his brow.
by word of mouth
- orally, from person to person by the spoken word
eg. I learned that there would be a holiday next week by word of mouth.
(do something) behind someone`s back
- without someone`s knowledge
eg. He is very angry because they borrowed the car behind his back.
(have a) bee in one`s bonnet
- have an idea that continually occupies one`s thoughts.
eg. He has a bee in his bonnet over whether or not to build a new house or not.
(like a) bat out of hell
- very fast
eg. He left here like a bat out of hell. I don`t know why he was in such a hurry.
(on the) back burner
- the condition of being out of active consideration or development
Last Update: 2005/12/18