have life/reality or some quality; breathe, exist, live, subsist

the most important part of sth, the final aim of sb's life or of a situation: "Don�t worry too much; good exam results aren't the be-all and end-all of education."; "In spite of what our society believes, shared interests are not the be-all and end-all of a relationship."

part of the shore that is covered by sand, pebbles or rocks; the shore between the high and low tide marks; the edge of the sea or lake

signaling/guiding device, lighthouse; a warning or signal light or fire

a small piece of wood, glass or other material with a hole through it. "Beads are used to thread on string to make necklaces and other jewellery.'

take careful aim at

small hound used in hunting hares

the hard outer part of a bird's mouth

a cup with no handle; a glass vessel used in chemistry

a big heavy bar used as a support in a building or in a ship; a ray of light, like the beam of a torch; smile widely

having large hips: "It's a pretty dress, but I'm too broad in the beam for that style."

wrong or unsuitable: "If you don't listen carefully, your responses may be off beam and people may think you are stupid."

the fruit or seed of certain plants, eaten as food, and related to peas

(have) no money at all with: "I can't buy anything now - I haven't got a bean until payday."

let the cat out of the bag, give the game away, to tell sb/people a secret, finally tell them sth that you have been keeping to yourself: "'Come on, spill the beans. What's this all about?' 'It's something Mum said.'"; "We're organizing a surprise party for him so don't spill the beans."

lively and cheerful, having a lot of energy, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed: "'You're full of beans this morning.' 'I know; I think it must be the sun.'"; "He's been on holiday and he's come back full of beans and bursting with ideas."; badly mistaken about sth: "You think the Yankees will win the World Series? Boy, are you full of beans."

not amount to a row of beans, to be worth very little: "I've been working so hard, and what for? It won't amount to a hill of beans after tax."

a large kind of furry mamal; tolerate, support or put up with sth : "I can't bear the thought of it." ; give birth to

withstand, sustain what is difficult, painful to undergo: endure, stand, abide, suffer, tolerate; carry; support, pay; have, show; produce; move slightly in a direction

to be in a bad mood, to be angry about everything, and rude to people: "'You're looking thinner.' 'Must be a bug; Luke's got it, too, not to mention behaving like a bear with a sore head when I asked to take an early lunch.'"; "You know how he is when he's had too much whisky - he'll be like a bear with a sore head in the morning."

come to a satisfactory conclusion/fruition

defeat, overcome, overwhelm

move quickly, threateningly near, towards

show connection with

confirm, support

withstand stress, difficult, attrition; remain cheerful, show courage, strength by continuing in spite of difficulties, problems

show patience towards; put up with

use sth to control/influence sb/sth

manner, demeanor, mien, presence; way a person acts or moves; relative position; part of a machine that supports moving parts and reduces friction

influence; have relevance, significant effect on

hair that grows on the lower part of a man's face

an animal

hit heavily, repeatedly with violent blows: (lam)baste, batter, belabor, buffet, hammer, pound, pummel, thrash; "The cruel man beat the boy"; throb, pulse, rhythm; conquer or defeat: "John beat me at table tennis."

on duty, walking around an area

persuade to reduce a price, force to accept a lower price for sth

beat black and blue; wound severely by hitting/kicking

beat about the bush, "Stop beating about the bush and tell me the truth."

rush away, usually to avoid trouble; go away!: "Now beat it, before I call the police."; "Just beat it, will you - I'm tired of your whining."

beat sb hands down,defeat (sb) easily, beat sb completely: "I'd been beaten hollow all year on the squash court, and I was determined to get a bit fitter."; "Each night we had a game of chess, and he beat me hollow every time."

do it before sb else does; narrowly defeat a competitor

if you can't persuade people to change their opinions, then the most sensible thing to do is to change your own opinion; if you cannot stop other people from doing sth that you do not like, you are going to start doing it yourself: "Melanie Simmonite says she started racing 20 years ago - her husband did it so it was a case of if you can't beat'em join'em."; "'If you can't beat'em, join'em,' I thought, and poured myself another drink."

without showing any surprise or shock, or without pausing: "'I'm going to marry Mark.' she announced. 'I'm delighted to hear it.' he said, without missing a beat.'"

sth is the best of its kind: "You can't beat our colour printers for speed, quality, and reliability."

take some beating, sth is better than almost anything else of the same type: "For styling and comfort, this car takes a lot of beating."

take a hammering, to be strongly attacked or defeated completely: "She had taken a beating in the press as result of her decision."

not well-known

(it) beats the hell out of me; can not understand, explain; I don't know: "'What was she talking about?' 'Beats me.'"

good looks, loveliness: "She was famous for her beauty."

what is considered to be beautiful by one person is not necessarily considered to be so by another, people have different opinions about what is beautiful: "In the final analysis, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and essentially a personal matter. What pleases me may not please you, and my recommendation may disappoint you."; "Jeff doesn't like it, but I say beauty is in the eye of the beholder - to me it's the loveliest carpet I've ever seen."

being physically attractive is not necessarily a good guide to a person's character: "Sometimes when you meet a beautiful woman, you know their beauty is more than skin deep, and so it was with Rachel."; "...that skin-deep quality."

a furry, flat-tailed animal that lives on land and in the water.

to work very hard at sth: "There, beavering away in their individual boxes, were other Eurocrats surrounded by shelves full of files."

person who is too keen or excited about doing sth, enthusiastic about sth, very hard-working (in rather a childlike way): "The company takes on a new set of young, ambitious eager beavers in September every year."; "All the eager beavers were at the meeting, but Jay and I skipped it."; "There were several eager-beaver young reporters on the case."

render motionless for lack of wind

as a result of; for the reason that: "Do it because I say so."

to be always ready to carry out their orders or wishes, or to do whatever sb else wants any time they want it: "I had to be at his beck and call, night and day. He often got me out of bed at night to run an errand."; "It'a good job, but you're at the beck and call of the customers at all times of the day."

call by signs, make a silent signal

grow to be: "He has become a strong athlete."

sth to sleep on; a place where flowers are planted; bottom of the sea or river

you've made your bed, now you'll have to lie in it; you will have to suffer the unpleasant side of a situation which you have created yourself; sb has chosen to be in a particular situation, and must accept it even though things have gone wrong: "I'm sorry to sound unsympathetic, but you've made your bed, now you'll have to lie in it."; "Everyone told her not to marry him, but she's made her bed and now she must lie on it."

get up on the wrong side of the bed; not be sb's day; one of those days; sb is angry or annoyed without any reason; little things keep going wrong for sb; to be in a bad mood: "I must've got out of bed on the wrong side today - that's the second cup of coffee I've spilt"; "What's the matter with Alan today? Did he get out of bed on the wrong side?"; "Look out for Luke - he got out of bed on the wrong side this morning."

things in life are not always pleasant and we have to accept the unpleasant moments too; unpleasant and/or difficult situation: "It's no bed of roses teaching in a secondary school."; "Life is no bed of roses for the trainee teacher."

to have the same opinions or help each other without openly admit it: "It's supposed to be a self-governing body, but everyone knows they're in bed with the Government."

to finish dealing with sth: "US officials said that the problems regarding compensation had not been put to bed."

sheets, blankets etc; straw etc, for cattle to lie on

decorate, adorn

two very different people or things are grouped together: "Football and love seem to be strange bedfellows, but they are combined to good effect in this film."

a wandering desert tribe of Arabs

a room with a bed or beds

an insect that makes honey. People keep bees in a beehive.

to have an idea or belief that has become an obsession; sb thinks sth is more important than it really is: "She has a bee in her bonnet about dieting."; "'Is she still worrying about my diet?' 'You know her - once she gets a bee in her bonnet she won't let the matter rest.'"; "Many psychologists have had a bee in their bonnets about sex."

sb who works hard and is always cheerful: "Tanya's our office busy bee."

think you are the cat's whiskers; to have too high an opinion of himself/herself: "And he thought he was the bee's knees, you see; he thought he knew everything."

a smooth, silvery-barked, glossy-leaved tree

the meat of cattle: "The EU banned all British beef exports in March 1996."; "A beef-raising country."

thick set, strong

a small box where bees are kepy

to go towards a particular place or person quickly and directly: "He made a beeline for the bar."; "Victoria made a beeline for the sandwiches."; "As soon as we got to the hotel we made a beeline for the bar."

seen the movie, bought the T-shirt, I no longer want to do sth because I've already done it: "'It would be great to live in London.' 'Been there, done that. I'm never going to live in a big, smelly city again.'"

a strong drink made from malted barley, flavoured with hops: "Ale and lager are both kinds of beer."

to be relatively unimportant to sb: "Doing up an old house is small beer to the Stuarts, who have just rebuilt a ruined castle."

a plant with an edible root, a variety of which is used to make sugar.

an insect with hard wing covers.

in front of: "Age before beauty."; at an earlier time, previous to: "They ran away before I could stop them."

ask sb for help, especially for money

disagree in a very formal way: "I'm afraid I must beg to differ on this point."

to do everything needed to get sth: "You've got to have a hat for the wedding so beg, borrow, or steal one."

sb who begs

people who have a great need for sth have to accept whatever is offered; if you really need sth, you have to accept whatever is offered, even if you don't like it: "I didn't reallywant to take a job like this again, but I suppose now that I'm unemployed - beggars can't be choosers."; "'I can't bear that house!' 'Beggars can't be choosers."

to be available, because no one else has taken it; sth does not belong to anyone and is therefore being offered to any person who wants it: "There are a few sandwiches going begging here; has anybody still not had one?"; "There's more cake going begging - anyone want some?"

start doing sth; commence

unexpected success at an early stage of learning sth: "Congratulations to our new Assistant Editor, who (thanks to a large slice of beginner's luck!) made accurate predictions for all the World Cup matches."

a time when sth starts to get worse or to end: "In this generation, the children understand Navajo but don't speak it, and that's the beginning of the end."

act in a particular way: "She behaved very badly at the party."; act well: "Try to behave."

cut sb's head off; execute sb in this way.

somewhere else; at the rear: "I left my book behind." on the other side of sth: "The burglar was hiding behind the curtain."

fully support sb: "Don't listen to them - we're right behind you on this."

a light brown colour

a person: "A human being."; in a certain state or situation: "Stop being so difficult."

let out wind from the stomach through the mouth; throw out smoke from a volcano

bell tower

feel sure about the truth of sth

a hollow object whick makes a musical sound when struck

to telephone sb: "It might be worth giving Peter a bell to make sure he's coming."

to be exactly what is needed: "Lower interest rates will ring the bell for new home-buyers."

saved from a difficult or embarrassing situation at the last moment; to be rescued from an unpleasant or difficult situation by sth which brings the situation suddenly to an end: "I was saved by the bell when Harding answered the question instead."

to be familiar or remind sb of sth; sth sounds familiar although you don't remember everything about it: "His name rings a bell."; "No, the name doesn't ring a bell - are you sure the call was for me?"

extra features added to a product that are not necessary but will make people think that it is special: "If you pay more than that, all you get is extra bells and whistles."; "It costs a basic $2000, and $2700 for the bells-and-whistles version."

completely or in the best way: "'Eating is a celebration,' he said. 'Enjoy yourself with bells on.'"

it suddenly becomes clear that there is a problem with sth: "The news that oil prices had shot above $40 a barrel set alarm bells ringing in Brussels."

shout or roar; the noise made by a bull

hand instrument for pumping air into a fire etc

the stomach

I have heard about or dealt with sth so much that I feel bored or annoyed: "I've had a bellyful of her complaints."

(of a company) to fail: "Travel firms that go belly-up are protected by law."

be sb's property; be owned by sb: "Does this watch belong to you?"

possessions, one's property

underneath; lower than; beneath

to do or say sth unfair, unkind or unacceptable, such as a remark or comment: "'Perhaps, Mr. Prentice, as you're obviously out of work, you should take a course in housekeeping.' That was below the belt, but she went on."; I think asking about his ex-wife in front of his girlfriend is a bit below the belt."

a strap of leather or other material worn around the waist; strap connecting wheels of machinery; thrash, beat with a belt

two or more ways of dealing with a problem, to make sure that nothing goes wrong: "The doctors adopted a belt and braces approach to treatment, using both radiotherapy and chemotherapy."

to have done or achieved sth, and to be able to use it to one's advantage in the future; to have done sth useful or clever: "If you have followed our training schedules you will not just turn up on the day, unprepared and with no training under your belt."; "With over 70 films and an Oscar under his belt, he was able to make the films he liked."

to have to get used to having less money to spend than usual; to spend less money: "We have to do our best to pull ourselves out of this recession and tighten our belts."; "It was wartime and we all had to tighten our belts."

a long wooden seat, often without a back

a curve; not straight; curve over; lean over from upright

lean over backwards, to do everything you can to help sb, to do as much as you possibly can: "They bent over backwards to make sure we were comfortable."; "For years we have been leaning over backwards to avoid using sexist language in our textbooks.";

to annoy sb intensely/a lot, get sb's goat, get on sb's nerves, get up sb's nose, rub sb up the wrong way, get on sb's wick: "That noise outside is driving me round the bend."; "Anyone would agree that a roomful of excited three-year-olds can drive you round the twist."

to be mad: "I think if she hadn't had a break from work she would have gone round the bend."

sb is completely determined to do sth: "She tried to interrupt, but he was hell-bent on giving his version of events."

to feel insulted or angry: "Sam has been bent out of shape since we left him off the guest list."

advantage"Cost-benefit"; "She speaks perfect French but she has the benefit of living in France.; profit; pension, allowance; do good to

to accept that what sb says is true, even though there is no evidence to support it; to accept that sb is telling the truth, even though you have doubts about it: "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time, but you must bring your identification with you."; "'Dou you think she took it?' 'I'm not sure, but I'm prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt for now."

leave in a will

a round flat hat, common in France and Spain

a small fruit with lots of seeds

in a violent frenzy: "My boss will go berserk when he finds out I lost the contract." ; "The supporters went berserk when Brazil won the match."

a bunk or bed in a ship or train; the place where a ship docks: "The ship was tied up at her berth."

to avoid sb or sth: "Directors tend to give 'difficult' actors like him a wide berth."

at the side of, close to

to have an emotion like worry or anger so strong that one cannot think and behave as one normally does: "He was beside himself with anxiety."

as well; in addition

lay siege to a castle or fortress; to surround

of the finest quality; very good; excellent; defeat, outwit

make the best of a bad job; to try to accept difficult or unpleasant circumstances as cheerfully as possible; to accept sth, and do what you can to make it better: "We were allowed one blanket apiece and had to make the best of it."; "You have to make the best of the body you were born with."

the most optimistic or favourable way you can regard sth insatisfactory: "It would be a setback at best if we were denied use of their software."

to try as hard as you can: "Health authorities are doing their level best to get information out to the public."

like a beast; rude; cruel

wager; put money on (a horse); assume sth to be the case: "I bet you can't climb that wall."

you can bet your boots , you can bet your balls; "You can bet your bottom dolar Jane and Bob will get married."; "I'll bet my bottom dollar he forgets my birthday!"

to be likely or reasonable: "They asked me where to find Steve, and I said the pub was a safe bet."

sth is the best thing to do or use: "If you are looking for something low in calories and animal fat, grilled or steamed fish is the best bet."

yes, certainly: "'Are you going to take that job in Oslo?' 'You bet!'"

(if a situation changes) no one knows what will happen: "."

to do sth to protect yourself from losing sth, being criticized, etc; to reduce your chances of failure or loss by being sure that you have several choices or possibilities available to you: "I suggest you hedge your bets by applying for a university flat, whether you think you want one or not."; "Most art dealers are hedging their bets by trading with more than one auction house."

the second letter of the Greek alphabet

give sb up, or let them down; deceive: "The spy was betrayed to the enemy."

improved; more suitable, recovering or having recovered health; make better

it's definite! "'Are you really going to break up with Jane?' 'You'd better believe it!'"

to be not very pleased that sb is late; to be preferable that sth should happen late than not at all; I'm glad that sth is finally being done, although it should have been done before: "You will have to accept that some permanent damage may already have occurred. Better late than never, though."; "'Better late than never,' she commented, when told of the proposal to allow women into the club.'"

to defeat; sb defeats you, often because he/she is able to think faster than you; you fail to control sth, like an emotion: "Curiosity eventually got the better of him, and he approached to see what was happening."; "He finally got the better of his opponent, after almost being defeated in the second round."; "By nine o'clock, my fears had got the better of me, and I left the house to look for my daughter."

to have more money: "A situation where those who do not work are better off than those who do."; to be in more satisfactory circumstances: "There are disturbed people in prison who'd be better off in hospital."