[babe in the woods] {n. phr.} A person who is inexperienced or innocent in certain things. * /He is a good driver, but as a mechanic he is just a babe in the woods./ Compare: OVER ONE'S HEAD, BEYOND ONE'S DEPTH.
[baby kisser] {n.}, {slang} A person campaigning for votes in his quest for elected political office; such persons often kiss little children in public. * /Nixon was a baby kisser when he ran for Vice President with Eisenhower./
[back away] {v.} To act to avoid or lessen one's involvement in something; draw or turn back; retreat. * The townspeople backed away from the building plan when they found out how much it would cost.
[back down] or [back off] {v.}, {informal} To give up a claim; not follow up a threat. * /Will said he could beat Tony, but when Tony put up his fists Will backed down./ * /Larry claimed Moe had taken his book, but backed down when the teacher talked with him./ Syn.: BEAT A RETREAT.
[backfire] {v.} To misfire; to have a reverse effect from what was intended. * /Molly's gossip about the Head of the Department backfired wizen people began to mistrust her./
[back of] or [in back of] {prep.} 1. In or at the rear of; to the back of; behind. * /The garage is hack of the house./ * /Our car was in hack of theirs at the traffic light./ 2. {informal} Being a cause or reason for; causing. * /Hard work was back of his success./ * /The principal tried to find out what was back of the trouble on the bus./ 3. {informal} In support or encouragement of; helping, clones will be elected because many powerful men are back of him. * /Get in back of your team by cheering them at the game./
[back-to-back] {adv.} 1. Immediately following. * /The health clinic had back-to-back appointments for the new students during the first week of school./ 2. Very close to, as if touching. * /Sardines are always packed in the can back-to-back./ * /The bus was so full that people had to stand back-to-back./
[bad egg] {n.}, {slang} A never-do-well; good-for nothing; a habitual offender. * /The judge sent the bad egg to prison at last./
[bad mouth (someone)] {v.}, {slang} To say uncomplimentary or libelous things about someone; deliberately to damage another's reputation. * /It's not nice to had mouth people./
[bail out(1)] {v.} 1. To secure release from prison until trial by leaving or promising money or property for a while. * /When college students got into trouble with the police, the college president would always bail them out./ 2. {informal} To free from trouble by giving or lending money. * /He started a small business, which prospered after his father had to bail him out a couple of times./
[bail out(2)] {v.} To jump from an airplane and drop with a parachute. * /When the second engine failed, the pilot told everyone to bail out./
[bail out(3)] {v.} To dip water from a filling or leaking boat; throw water out of a boat to prevent its sinking. * /Both men were kept busy bailing out the rowboat after it began to leak./
[ball of fire] {n.}, {informal} A person with great energy and ability; a person who can do something very well. * /He did poorly in school but as a salesman he is a ball of fire./
[baloney] {n.}, {informal} Nonsense, unbelievable, trite, or trivial. * /Jason brags that he's won the $10 million lottery, and I think it's just a lot of baloney./ * /"Will you marry Moe?" mother asked. "Baloney," Sally answered with a disgusted look./
[bargain for] or [bargain on] {v.} To be ready for; expect. * /When John started a fight with the smaller boy he got more than he bargained for./ * /The final cost of building the house was much more than they had bargained on./
[beach bunny] {n.}, {slang} An attractive girl seen on beaches - mostly to show off her figure; one who doesn't get into the water and swim. * /What kind of a girl is Susie? - She's a beach bunny; she always comes to the Queen's Surf on Waikiki but I've never seen her swim./
[bear down] {v.} 1. To press or push harder; work hard at; give full strength and attention. * /She is bearing down in her studies to win a scholarship./ * /The baseball pitcher is bearing down./ * /The pitcher bore down on the star batter./ * /Teachers of the deaf bear down on English./ * /The sergeant bears down on lazy soldiers./ 2. To move toward in an impressive or threatening way. - Often used with "on". * /While he was crossing the street a big truck bore down on him./ * /The little ship tried to escape when the big pirate ship bore down./ * /After the boys threw the snowballs they saw a large lady bearing down upon them from across the street./
[bear down on] or [upon] {v. phr.} To draw constantly nearer with great speed and force. * /The police cars were bearing down on the bank robbers' get-away car./
[bear out] {v.} To show to be right; prove; support. * /Modern findings do not bear out the old belief that the earth is flat./
[beat down] {v.} 1. To crush or break the spirit of; win over; conquer. * /All their defenses were beaten down by the tanks./ 2. {informal} a. To try to get reduced; force down by discussing. * /Can we beat down the price?/ b. To persuade or force (someone) to accept a lower price or easier payments. * /He tried to beat us down, so we did not sell the house./ 3. To shine brightly or hotly. * /At noon the sun beat down on our heads as we walked home./
[beat one's brains out] or [beat one's brains] {v. phr.}, {slang} To try very hard to understand or think out something difficult; tire yourself out by thinking. * /It was too hard for him and he beat his brains out trying to get the answer./ * /Some students are lazy, but others beat their brains and succeed./
[beat the --- out of] or [lick the --- out of] or [whale the --- out of] {v. phr.}, {informal} To beat hard; give a bad beating to. - Used with several words after "the", as "daylights", "living daylights", "tar". * /The big kid told Charlie that he would beat the daylights out of him if Charlie came in his yard again./
[believe one's eyes] {v. phr.} 1. To believe what one sees; trust one's eyesight. - Used with a negative or limiter or in an interrogative or conditional sentence. * /Is that a plane? Can I believe my eyes?/ 2. To be made sure of seeing something. * /She saw him there but she could hardly believe her eyes./
[bend over backward] or [lean over backward] {v. phr.}, {informal} To try so hard to avoid a mistake that you make the opposite mistake instead; do the opposite of something that you know you should not do; do too much to avoid doing the wrong thing; also, make a great effort; try very hard. * /Instead of punishing the boys for breaking a new rule, the principal bent over backward to explain why the rule was important./ * /Mary was afraid the girls at her new school would be stuck up, but they leaned over backward to make her feel at home./
[be out] {v. phr.} 1. To not be at home or at one's place of work. * /I tried to call but they told me that Al was out./ 2. To be unacceptable; not be considered; impossible. * /I suggested that we hire more salespeople but the boss replied that such a move was positively out./ 3. To be poorer by; suffer a loss of. * /Unless more people came to the church picnic, we realized we would be out $500 at least./ 4. To be in circulation, in print, published. * /Jane said that her new novel won't be out for at least another month./ 5. A baseball term indicating that a player has been declared either unfit to continue or punished by withdrawing him. * /The spectators thought that John was safe at third base, but the umpire said he was out./
[between the devil and the deep blue sea] or {literary} [between two fires] or [between a rock and a hard place] {adv. phr.} Between two dangers or difficulties, not knowing what to do. * /The pirates had to fight and be killed or give up and be hanged; they were between the devil and the deep blue sea./ * /The boy was between a rock and a hard place; he had to go home and be whipped or stay in town all night and be picked up by the police./ * /When the man's wife and her mother got together, he was between two fires./
[big time] {n.}, {informal} 1. A very enjoyable time at a party or other pleasurable gathering. * /I certainly had a big time at the club last night./ 2. The top group; the leading class; the best or most important company. * /After his graduation from college, he soon made the big time in baseball./ * /Many young actors go to Hollywood, but few of them reach the big time./
[big-time] {adj.} Belonging to the top group; of the leading class; important. * /Jean won a talent contest in her home town, and only a year later she began dancing on big-time television./ * - Often used in the phrase "big-time operator". * /Just because Bill has a new football uniform he thinks he is a big-time operator./
[bird of a different feather] {n. phr.} A person who is free thinking and independent. * /Syd won't go along with recent trends in grammar; he created his own. He is a bird of a different feather./
[birds of a feather flock together] People who are alike often become friends or are together; if you are often with certain people, you may be their friends or like them. - A proverb. * /Don't be friends with bad boys. People think that birds of a feather flock together./
[birds and the bees (the)] {n. phr.}, {informal} The facts we should know about our birth. * /At various ages, in response to questions, a child can be told about the birds and the bees./
[black day] {n.} A day of great unhappiness; a disaster. * /It was a black day when our business venture collapsed./
[blood runs cold] also [blood freezes] or [blood turns to ice] You are chilled or shivering from great fright or horror; you are terrified or horrified. - Usually used with a possessive. * /The horror movie made the children's blood run cold./ * /Mary's blood froze when she had to walk through the cemetery at night./ * /Oscar's blood turned to ice when he saw the shadow pass by outside the window./
[blow one's mind] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal}; {originally from the drug culture} 1. To become wildly enthusiastic over something as if understanding it for the first time in an entirely new light. * /Read Lyall Watson's book "Supernature", it will simply blow your mind!/ 2. To lose one's ability to function, as if due to an overdose of drugs * /Joe is entirely incoherent - he seems to have blown his mind./
[blow up] {v.} 1a. To break or destroy or to be destroyed by explosion. * /He blew up the plane by means of a concealed bomb./ * /The fireworks factory blew up when something went wrong in an electric switch./ 1b. {informal} To explode with anger or strong feeling; lose control of yourself. * /When Father bent the nail for the third time, he blew up. 1c. To stop playing well in a game or contest, usually because you are in danger of losing or are tired; {especially}: To lose skill or control in pitching baseball. * /The champion blew up and lost the tennis match./ * /Our team was behind but the pitcher on the other team blew up and we got the winning runs./ 2. {informal} To be ruined as if by explosion; be ended suddenly. * /The whole scheme for a big party suddenly blew up./ 3a. To pump full of air; inflate. * /He blew his tires up at a filling station./ 3b. To make (something) seem bigger or important. * /It was a small thing to happen but the newspapers had blown it up until it seemed important./ 4. To bring on bad weather; also, to come on as bad weather. * /The wind had blown up a storm./ * /A storm had blown up./ 5. To copy in bigger form; enlarge. * /He blew up the snapshot to a larger size./
[blow up in one's face] {v. phr.}, {informal} To fail completely and with unexpected force. * /The thief's plan to rob the bank blew up in his face when a policeman stopped him./
[boiling point] {n.} 1. The temperature at which a liquid boils. * /The boiling point of water is 100o C ./ 2. The time when you become very angry. * /He has a low boiling point./ * /After being teased for a long time, Gerald reached the boiling point./ * /When John made the same mistake for the fourth time, his teacher reached the boiling point./
[born with a silver spoon in one's mouth] {adj. phr.} Born to wealth and comfort; provided from birth with everything wanted; born rich. * /The stranger's conduct was that of a man who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth./
[born yesterday] {adj. phr.} Inexperienced and easily fooled; not alert to trickery; easily deceived or cheated. - Usually used in negative sentences. * /When Bob started the new job, the other workers teased him a little, but he soon proved to everyone that he wasn't born yesterday./ * /I won't give you the money till I see the bicycle you want to sell me. Do you think I was born yesterday?/
[bread and butter (1)] {n. phr.} The usual needs of life; food, shelter, and clothing. * /Ed earned his bread and butter as a bookkeeper, but added a little jam by working with a dance band on weekends./
[bread and butter (2)] {adj.} Thanking someone for entertainment or a nice visit; thank-you. * /After spending the weekend as a guest in the Jones' home, Alice wrote the Joneses the usual bread-and-butter letter./ See: BREAD AND BUTTER LETTER.
[bread and butter (3)] {interj.}, {informal} Spoken to prevent bad luck that you think might result from some action. * /We'd say "Bread and butter!" when we had passed on opposite sides of a tree./
[bread-and-butter letter] {n.} A written acknowledgment of hospitality received. * /Jane wrote the Browns a bread-and-butter letter when she returned home from her visit to them./
[break in] {v.} (stress on "in") 1a. To break from outside. * /The firemen broke in the door of the burning house./ 1b. To enter by force or unlawfully. * /Thieves broke in while the family was away./ 2. To enter suddenly or interrupt. * /A stranger broke in on the meeting without knocking./ * /The secretary broke in to say that a telegram had arrived./ 3. To make a start in a line of work or with a company or association; begin a new job. * /He broke in as a baseball player with a minor league./ 4. To teach the skills of a new job or activity to. * /An assistant foreman broke in the new man as a machine operator./ 5. To lessen the stiffness or newness of by use. * /He broke in a new pair of shoes./ * /Breaking in a new car requires careful driving at moderate speeds./
[break-in] {n.} (stress on "break") A robbery; a burglary. * /We lost our jewelry during a break-in./
[break the ice] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To conquer the first difficulties in starting a conversation, getting a party going, or making an acquaintance. * /To break the ice Ted spoke of his interest in mountain climbing, and they soon had a conversation going./ * /Some people use an unusual thing, such as an unusual piece of jewelry, to break the ice./ 2. To be the first person or team to score in a game. * /The Wolves broke the ice with a touchdown./
[break up] {v.} 1. To break into pieces. * /The workmen broke up the pavement to dig up the pipes under it./ * /River ice breaks up in the spring./ 2. {informal} To lose or destroy spirit or self-control. - Usually used in the passive. * /Mrs. Lawrence was all broken up after her daughter's death, and did not go out of the house for two months./ 3. To come or to put to an end, especially by separation; separate. * /Some men kept interrupting the speakers, and finally broke up the meeting./ * /The party broke up at midnight./ - Often used in the informal phrase "break it up". * /The boys were fighting, and a passing policeman ordered them to break it up./ 4. {informal} To stop being friends. * /Mary and June were good friends and did everything together, but then they had a quarrel and broke up/
[bring on] {v.} To result in; cause; produce. /Spinal meningitis brought on John's deafness when he was six years old./ * /Reading in a poor light may bring on a headache./
[bring out] {v.} 1. To cause to appear; make clear. * /His report brought out the foolishness of the plan./ * /Brushing will bring out the beauty of your hair./ 2. To help (an ability or skill) grow or develop. * /The teacher's coaching brought out a wonderful singing voice of great power and warmth./ 3. To offer to the public by producing, publishing, or selling. * /He brought out a new play./ * /The company brought out a line of light personal airplanes./
[build a fire under] {v. phr.} To urge or force (a slow or unwilling person) to action; get (someone) moving; arouse. * /The health department built a fire under the restaurant owner and got him to clean the place up by threatening to cancel his license./
[build castles in the air] or [build castles in Spain] {v. phr.} To make impossible or imaginary plans, dream about future successes that are unlikely. * /He liked to build castles in the air, but never succeeded in anything./ * /To build castles in Spain is natural for young people and they may work hard enough to get part of their wishes./[build on sand] {v. phr.} To lay a weak or insufficient foundation for a building, a business, or a relationship. * /"I don't want to build my business on sand," John said, "so please. Dad, give me that loan I requested."/
[burn a hole in one's pocket] {v. phr.} To make you want to buy something; be likely to be quickly spent. * /Money burns a hole in Linda's pocket./ * /The silver dollar that Don got for his birthday was burning a hole in his pocket, and Don hurried to a dime store./
[burn out] {v. phr.} 1. To destroy by fire or by overheating. * /Mr. Jones burned out the clutch on his car./ 2. To destroy someone's house or business by fire so that they have to move out. * /Three racists burned out the Black family's home./ 3a. To go out of order; cease to function because of long use or overheating. * /The light bulb in the bathroom burned out, and Father put in a new one./ * /The electric motor was too powerful, and it burned out a fuse./ 3b. To break, tire, or wear out by using up all the power, energy, or strength of. * /Bill burned himself out in the first part of the race and could not finish./ * /The farmer burned out his field by planting the same crop every year for many years./
[burn rubber] {v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To start up a car or a motorcycle from dead stop so fast that the tires leave a mark on the road. * /The neighborhood drag racers burned a lot of rubber - look at the marks on the road!/ 2. To leave in a hurry. * /I guess I am going to have to burn rubber./
[butterflies in one's stomach] {n. phr.} A queer feeling in the stomach caused by nervous fear or uncertainty; a feeling of fear or anxiety in the stomach. * /When Bob walked into the factory office to ask for a job, he had butterflies in his stomach./
[buy for a song] {v. phr.} To buy something very cheaply. * /Since the building on the corner was old and neglected, I was able to buy it for a song./
[buy off] {v.} To turn from duty or purpose by a gift. * /When the police threatened to stop the gambling business, the owner bought them off./ * /The Indians were going to burn the cabins, but the men bought them off with gifts./
[buy out] {v.} 1. To buy the ownership or a share of; purchase the stock of. * /He bought out several small stockholders. 2. To buy all the goods of; purchase the merchandise of./ * /Mr. Harper bought out a nearby hardware store./
[by word of mouth] {adv. phr.} From person to person by the spoken word; orally. * /The news got around by word of mouth./ * /The message reached him quietly by word of mouth./
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