1) a family of large snakes, mainly from South America, which kill their prey by crushing it to death; "A second boa constrictor has been discovered on a Lancashire golf course."
2) a long, tube-shaped scarf, made of fur or feathers, once worn by women.

a male pig; wild pig.

1) a long flat piece of wood, a plank;
2) a flat piece of wood or card used for a special purpose: "A chess board in used for the game of chess"; table: "Bed and board";
3) an authorized group of people: the board of directors; board meeting
4) get on to a ship, train or aircraft: "We must board the plane now."

to disappear or to be stopped; to be ignored or abandoned (an arrangement): "Some of our services, which we offer to minority groups, will have to go by the board."; "The Government's 'spend less, earn more' policy meant that health, education and other welfare spending went by the board."

completely honest and legal: "The union's relationship with the government is completely open and above board."

in a way that affects everyone or everything: "In those days, companies were cutting jobs across the board."

abandon sth you are working on and start again from the beginning or at the planning stage: "He's gone back to the drawing board to revise his strategy for next week's tournament."; "Radical change can be achieved only by going back to the drawing board, throwing away the previous design and starting again."

to win easily against all the opposition; in a series of competitions to win all the prizes: "He swept the board with six wins, winning overall by 26 points."; "If the rebels emerge as a united party, they will sweep the board."

1) make yourself responsible for sth; accept: "Try not to take too much on board this year." ; "We can't take on board any new commitments.";
2) take into consideration or accept an idea; to listen to, understand, and accept (sth): "Thank you for your suggestions; we'll definitely take them on board when we start our next project."; "I don't think the committee have taken on board the seriousness of this assertion.";

to work as an actor: "yet another star of Australian soap is treading the boards in London this winter."

talk about how good you think you are, brag

a small or medium-sized vessel used for travelling on water. The term 'ship' is used for larger vessels such as liners and warships.

go to great lengths, go to town on sth, go out of your way; to spend more money than you usually do, for sth special; sb is going to to spend as much money as is necessary, and work as hard as he/she can to make a particular occasion successful: "When Andy Saville broke his arm after signing two weeks ago, a lot of people thought we would give up, but we pushed the boat out and bought John Thomas."; "When Barry brought his fianc�e to stay, we really pushed the boat out."

to be in the same situation; people having similar experiences or problems: "By meeting others who are in the same boat, they begin to feel less alone and different."; "It wasn't hard being poor as students, since we were all in the same boat."

miss the bus; to fail to take an opportunity; do not get a chance to do or have sth because being too late in arriving or asking for it: "Even if we had celebrated in a small way we would have attracted tourists from all over the world. The council has really missed the boat."; "Investors may miss the boat if they are still waiting for prices to fall."

make waves; to spoil a comfortable situation, usually by criticizing it or trying to change it; disturb the balance or calmness of a situation, or cause trouble: "I don't want to rock the boat, but don't you think someone should bring this to the attention of the authorities?"; "Some of the new members want to change the rules of membership, but we advised them not to rock the boat."

what/whatever interests or excites you: "This island has noisy nitht clubs and quiet countryside - it all depends what floats your boat."

hard, falt straw hat

a senior seaman who controls the work of other seamen

(after that) it will be simple and provide the result you want: "Just put the disk in, click on the icon and Bob's your uncle."

1) the visible part of a person or animal. 2) a group of people. 3) the main part of something. 4) an astronomical object. A star is sometimes called a heavenly body.

with all your energy and attention: "Matthew threw himself body and soul into the game."

to earn just enough money to be able to live: "Although I had a university education, I was working as a waitress just to keep body and soul together."

a person: "We're so used to e-mail and voice mail that we're lucky to be able to speak to a warm body."

I will not let it happen if I can avoid it; to be completely opposed to some suggested future event, and will try every means of preventing it: "'Looks like the takeover will be going ahead.' 'Over my dead body.'"; "'Is Matt going to move in with us?' 'Over my dead body.'"

person employed to protect someone

a spongy ground, a marsh

overwhelm with work; to have too much work to do, to be unable to make progress because paying too much attention to detail: "I'm not getting anywhere with this essay; I think I'm getting too bogged down in the theoretical side of things."

false, sham

1) heat a liquid until it bubbles and steams. 2) painful swelling on the body

to become less interested in doing sth, so that you are less successful: "It's easy to go off the boil during a long exam, so do the hardest questions first."

happening: "He's got several multimedia projects on the boil at the moment."

it all comes down to; the most important point is: "There are all sorts of tips for successful management, but basically it comes down to good organization."

noisy, lively

showing no fear

1) a metal fastening on a door or window. 2) a metal pin with a screw at one end that goes into a nut to fasten things. 3) run away quickly.

a bolt out of the blue; a sudden, surprising, unexpected event: "Now, was this forty thousand pounds a bolt from the blue or did you know it was coming to you?"; "We hadn't worked for the store before, and their order came like a bolt from the blue."

someone has done as much as they can and has no more energy or ideas: "The man who'd been shouting at me appeared to have shot his bolt and lapsed into silence."

a container filled with explosive; attack with bombs.

to do sth extreme, so as to force sb to change: "Someone should put a bomb under the committee; they are so slow."

to be extremely good or exciting: "Some skinny girls just think they're the bomb, but I like it when girls have more shape."

to be very expensive: "You'll have to buy plane tickets, food - it's going to cost a bomb."

to go very fast, or very well: "The car doesn't look like much, but it goes like a bomb."

to make a lot of money: "Thank you for all your calls - the phone company must have made a bomb last week!"

to shock people by unexpected news: "Just before Christmas the company dropped its bombshell: they would be cutting 400 jobs in the Next Year."

attack with gunfire; abuse

aircraft-using bombs

1) something that links or connects: The close bond of friendship; He feared the divorce would eventually break the emotional bond between him and his children; 2) a written promise to pay a sum or carry out a contract: "The company could obtain some funds by periodically issuing bonds"; "A sluggish economy has sent many investors in search of safe investments, such as Treasury bonds."

the hard framework that supports the flesh and organs of all vertebrates (animals with backbones); remove bones from: She boned the fish

a subject that people disagree about, especially for a long time: "The cost of the house was still a bone of contention between Richard and Jenny."

have it out with sb; to want to talk to someone about a subject you don't agree on; to want to confront them about sth they have done which has annoyed you: "I've got a bone to pick with you. Why did you go off and leave me on my own?" "I have a bone to pick with you - what have you been telling Bill about me?"

near to the bone; shocking, embarrassing, or personal; a remark which makes you feel uncomfortable, perhaps because it contains some truth that you would prefer people did not mention: "'Would I be right in saying that we haven't provided you with what you were looking for when you came here?' He was getting a little too close to the bone for my liking."; "Some of the book's themes were perhaps too near the bone to be included in a Hollywood movie."

pare sth to the bone; to reduce sth as much as possible: "Companies have cut costs to the bone in order to remain competitive."

very dry or completely dry: "The river was now as dry as a bone."

to make a silly mistake: "Ned pulled a boner when he called his girlfriend Sue instead of Alice."

the basic structure or elements with no unnecessary parts; the basic or essential parts of sth: "The company has worked out the bare bones of the agreement and needs to work on the details now."; "Concentrate on the bare bones of the story - a news report shouldn't have too much detail."; "Even this bare-bones approach will cost $12 million a year."

to admit openly; to be willing to say it or do it openly: "She made no bones about telling me to take my business elsewhere."; "The service is expensive, we make no bones about it, but it's very good."

know sth in your bones; to feel very sure of sth: "I felt in my bones that something was very wrong."

a big fire made in the open air: "We built a huge bonfire for November 5th."

1) a woman's or baby's head-dress tied on by strings. "My grandmother would then put on her bonnet and go to church."; 2) cover over engine of a car: "A policeman was injured after he was run down by a car and carried for more than 500 metres on the bonnet."

pleasant, healthy-looking

something extra; money paid in addition to wages or dividends

1) pages of usually printed paper bound together in a cover. 2) reserve a ticket or place

to give someone the worst possible punishment for something they have done wrong; reprimand or punish sb severely, especially for breaking the rules: "We can't do that; they'll just throw the book at us."; "He was tired of her attitude and the moment she made a mistake, he threw the book at her."

you can't know a person just by looking at them: "I think she looks sweet, but you can't judge a book by its cover."

to accept that a difficult situation is over, and to stop thinking about it: "The company will be happy to close the book on the software piracy case."

someone has special skills or special knowledge about something: "Sam's great - I mean, he wrote the book on how to be a supportive husband."

to follow all the rules, or use the accepted methods; to do exactly according to the rules, or in the way you are supposed to do: "They make us do everything by the book, which doesn't give us much space for creativity."; "His lawyers don't always play by the book."

something that you know nothing about: "What happens inside computers is a closed book to most people who use them every day."

a person or thing that is open and honest: "The minister said he had nothing to hide. 'My life is an open book,' he declared."

to force someone to accept punishment for a bad action: "Companies that pollute the environment should be brought to book and made to pay compensation."

in my opinion: "She's devoting her whole life to her job - in my book nothing is that important."

it gives someone a convenient advantage: "He did not cooperate with the union, but he asked them for help when it suited his book."

to understand what someone is thinking or feeling: "I know Bob was upset - I can read him like a book."

fiddle the books; to change (an organization's) records and details dishonestly; change the numbers in their, or their company's, accounts in order to gain money for themselves or the company: "They are now saying that everyone is cooking the books. If it's true, it's a very serious allegation."; "The hospitals were cooking the books by recording simple enquiries as if they were full consultations."

hit the books; study very hard: "If you want a scholarship, you'd better start hitting the books now."

supported or approved of by someone: "She's attending every meeting, hoping to get back in my good books."

a turn-up for the books; something amazing or (very) unusual and surprising: "That sunflower is the tallest I've seen. One for the books, I'd say."; "He's started working for his exam - well, that's a turn-up for the books!"

a person who looks after business accounts and keeps them in order

someone who makes a living by taking bets on horse races etc.

1) an avid reader. 2) a grub that eats holes in books.

1) deep moaning sound. 2) period of great commercial activity. 3) a spar or pole attached at one end to a mast to stretch the foot of a sail

to become more strict in dealing with a problem and punishing the people involved; severely scold or punish: "If my daughter stays out late again, I'm going to lower the boom on her."; "The government outlined tough measures to lower the boom on non-essential industries."

a period of years during which a greater number of babies are born than normal: "The post-war baby boom in Europe stretched from 1946 to the early 1960s."; "The president is a baby boomer, and it is his generation who are making policies now."

benefit, blessing

help on (by shoving); raise voltage; auxiliary motor in a rocket

1) a sort of shoe that also covers the ankle and sometimes the leg; kick. 2) where you put luggage in a car

turn the tables; the situation has changed dramatically, and probably sb or sth that was weak has gained power: "In the past, probably because she was four years older, Laura had always seemed the more dominant figure. But now the boot was on the other foot."

give sb the elbow/push/sack; to get rid of someone, from a job or a relationship; you are given, or get, the boot, when you are dismissed from your job: "'I thought you worked at the insurance company down the road?' 'Well I did, but I got the boot.'"; "He promptly gave her the boot when he found a younger girlfriend."

to attack someone when they are already in a weak position: "Walter criticized me for my behaviour and them Anna put the boot in by reminding everyone about what happened last year."

as well: "The bride was young, pretty, and from a wealthy family to boot."

to die while you are still working: "The thought of retirement scares the hell out of me. I'd rather die with my boots on."

to do your best to please someone in authority in order to get an advantage for yourself; flatter sb and do everything sb wants: "I've had enough of licking their boots every time I need something; it's demoralizing and humiliating."; "Luckily he's the sort of boss who hates people licking his boots."; "She was annoyed by all the boot-licking going on."; "He's surrounded by boot-lickers who never say no to him."

shake in your boots; to feel very afraid: "In spite of having a clear conscience, I was shaking in my boots."

1) someone is strong and can accept and deal with difficulties; very strong and not easily hurt, either physically or mentally: "Beneath her frail exterior, she's as tough as old boots."; "She's 74, five feet tall, and as tough as old boots."
2) food difficult to eat because you have to chew it for a long time before you can swallow it: "I'm not going back to that restaurant; the waiters are rude and the steak they serve is tough as old boots."

someone who is or is getting too proud: "She won't go out with media people - she finds they're too big for their boots."

to improve your situation by your own efforts: "His business collapsed in 1999 but he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and built up a better one."

plunder, spoils

1) the part near the edge of something. 2) the land near the line dividing two countries.

1) drill out; make a hoke in. 2) make someone weary with uninteresting conversation; a boring person; someone who does not know when they are not wanted. 3) a hole inside a gun barrel

bored to death, bored to tears, extremely bored: "We were bored stiff by the end of the lecture."

born under a lucky star.; "She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth."

do not believe what someone has told you, and you think that it is na�ve of them to expect you to believe them: "Empty your pockets. Come on. I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

get something from someone else which you use and then give back. The other person lends it to you.

breast

intimate friend

1) the chief person in an organization; the person you work for. "The boss is angry today."; "He's the boss of the company." 2)a stud or ornament in the centre of a shield.

to make another person realize that you have power and authority: "She fired Tom to show the staff who was boss."

the study of plants and how they grow.

patch badly, make a bungle of something

the two together: She invited both of us to her party.

1) worry, annoy; a nuisance. 2) take care: "Why should I bother to telephone?"

a container, usually made of glass, in which liquid is kept; put in bottles

lose your bottle; you bottle out of sth, or you lose your bottle, when you decide not to do it because you are afraid: "I was going to do this parachute jump, but I went and bottled out at the last minute."

take to the bottle, drown your sorrows; to start to drink too much alcohol, usually because of problems sb is experiencing in his/her life: "All the pressures she was facing caused her to hit the bottle again."; "He always liked a drink, but after losing his job he hit the bottle in a big way."

1) the lowest part of something. 2) a person's seat or backside;
lowest, last; "Bottom drawer"

your main reason for living suddenly disappears: "The bottom dropped out of our lives when our son died."

people stop buying something: "On Thursday October 24th, 1929, the bottom fell out of the New York stock market."

feel sth very deeply and sincerely: "I thank you from the bottom of my heart."; "I would like to say, from the bottom of my heart, how much we all admire your for what you have done."

to be the real cause of something: "I think that lack of communication is at the bottom of many family problems."

to find the real cause of a problem; to find out a mistery's cause: "I'll talk to the member of staff concerned and get to the bottom of this."; "There is so much conflicting evidence, I don't suppose we'll ever get to the bottom of it."

to weaken seriously or destroy (a business or market): "Threats of a new factory have knocked the bottom out of the property market in this lovely old village."

reach rock bottom; to get into the worst possible situation, or the lowest level: "After six months of working without visible results, our morale and sense of purpose hit rock bottom." "He felt he'd been at rock bottom for months." "All CDs are at rock-bottom prices, for this week only."

the branch of a tree

a large rock rounded by action of water etc

spring up again like a ball that is dropped on the ground

to be forced to make a decision too quickly, without time to think: "I believe that Britain was bounced into a decision that she will regret later."

1) the border of frontier of a country; a line separating one place from another. 2) the edge of a cricket field

where someone is not allowed to go; a place people are not allowed to go there: "The playing fields are out of bounds to pupils during the lunch break."; "After the bomb scare, the town was declared out of bounds to soldiers and their families."

something seems to have no limit; to seem to be limitless: "His generosity knows no bounds"; "He had no family of his own and his generosity towards the neighbours' children knew no bounds."

gift, bonus

turn, attack, fit (of illness), round

oxlike; stupid: "Nothing seems to disturb her bovine attitude - even when she got the green light to thoroughly probe into the alleged corruption cases, which was supposed to cheer up any young district attorney"; "'I need your help. I'm being poisoned.' Her brown eyes had a bovine quality; sad, knowing, yet helpless."

rhyming with low:
1) a piece of wood curved by a tight string: "A bow is used for shooting arrows."; 2) a knot with loops; 3) a stick with long hairs attached to it, which is used for playing musical instruments like violins.
rhyming with cow:
4) the front of a ship. 5) bend at the waist to greet an important person

to show too much respect and politeness to someone important: "He hated everyone bowing and scraping, and missed having a normal conversation in the pub."

to accept praise and approval, and feel pleased with yourself: "The team can take a bow after this important victory."

the part of the body where solid wastes gather; intestines

1) a deep dish or basin; 2) throw a cricket ball or roll a ball in the game of bowls

an outdoor ball game played on a smooth, flat lawn called a bowling green. Balls (bowls) of about 12.5 cm (5 in) in diameter are rolled as close as possible to a small white ball called the jack.

1) person bowling in cricket; player at bowls. 2) hard hat with round crown

derby hat; "Few British businessmen wear bowler hats and carry umbrellas."

1) a hollow, square container, often made of wood or cardboard; put in a box. 2) fight with the fists. 3) a small evergreen tree or shrub, having hard yellowish wood.

to cause a lot of problems because of a lack of knowledge or careful thought: "When he decided to quit, it opened a Pandora's box of resentment and bitterness."

as soon as you start: "I didn't expect to write a hit single right out of the box."

to think in a way that shows imagination: "Computer experts who can think outside and come up with creative ideas deserve a good salary."

1) a person who fights with the fists; one who boxes; 2) a kind of dog related to the bulldog

sport of fighting with fists

a first weekday after Christmas Day, when boxes or presents are traditionally given

a young male person

men from the same school, club, etc who give each other jobs or other advantages: "After the spy scandals in the sixties, the head of British Intelligence tried to get rid of the old boy network."

someone or something that is usually blamed instead of the person or group really responsible: "Realizing that I could well end up the whipping boy if things went wrong, I acted very cautiously."

a man or boy whose mother controls or protects him too much: "She thought that, growing up without a father, I was bound to be a mother's boy."

the favourite person of someone in authority: "My brother was always the blue eyed boy of the family; I never could compete."

a nice, average person, not having much experience of life: "She was just the girl next door to millions of fans, and few people knew of her battle against drug addiction." ; "Boy bands tend to cultivate a boy-next-door image."

the police: "The documentary followed the boys in blue over nine months."

it is natural for boys to be thoughtless, noisy, or untidy: "You know how mothers are. They just say, 'Oh, well, boys will be boys', and clean up the mess for them."

to be accepted in a group of men who have typically male interests: "Steve was one of the boys - sport on Saturday afternoon and the pub in the evening."

time of being a boy

refuse to speak to someone; have nothing to do with them; send to Coventry; the act of boycotting someone or something