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| Babe, a | A pretty young woman (Alisa is a real babe!) |
| Babe in the woods | Naive person (Alice is just a babe in the woods.) |
| Baby | Term of affection, especially for a woman |
| Babysit | To monitor closely (Dan must babysit the experimental equipment today.) |
| Back burner, on the | An issue of minor concern (Let us keep this on the back burner.) |
| Back in a jif | To return soon (I will be back in a jif.) |
| Back in a jiffy | To return soon |
| Back off | 1. To be distant from (They had to back off from the idea.) 2. Keep away! [an imperative] |
| Back off, homesteader! | Do not bother me! |
| Back talk | Speak rudely and argumentatively (Don't give me any back talk!) |
| Back the wrong horse | To support the wrong person |
| Back to | To return (Let's get back to the purpose of this meeting.) |
| Back to the wall | To be trapped (His back was to the wall.) |
| Back up | 1. On again (The electricity is back up.) 2. To go backwards (Back up the truck so we can load it.) |
| Backbite | To criticize behind someone's back (I hate backbiting and backbiters. They're cowards.) |
| Backed up | Blocked; crowded (Los Angeles freeways are backed up this morning.) |
| Backfire | To fail (Joel's elaborate plan backfied.) |
| Back-seat driver | Someone who tells another how to drive a car |
| Backup | Assistance (The policeman called for backup.) |
| Bad!, that's | That is very good! [Slang term with an inconsistent meaning.] |
| Bad apple | Bad person (Josiah is bad apple.) |
| Bad blood | 1. To be angry (There is a lot of bad blood between them.) 2. A relative who is a bad person (John is bad blood.) |
| Bad egg | Bad person (Joseph actually is not a bad egg.) |
| Bad news | Disagreeable thing or person (He is bad news.) |
| Bad off | In a difficult/poor condition (You look bad off today.) |
| Bad scene, a | A disagreeable activity (They had a bad scene yesterday.) |
| Bad trip, a | A disagreeable experience with narcotics |
| Badmouth | To belittle or berate someone (Sally badmouthed her mother.) |
| Bag | 1. A disagreeable woman (I don't like that old bag!) 2. To catch (Police bagged the thief.) |
| Bag, not (my) | Not (someone's) profession/activity (That is not my bag.) |
| Bag of tricks | Options; capabilities (The agency has a diverse bag of tricks.) |
| Bagman | Person who brings bribe money (Police caught the bagman.) |
| Bag of wind | A boastful person (You are such a bag of wind!) |
| Bail out | To abandon; leave (He will bail out when trouble starts.) |
| Bail (him) out | To help (someone) (We should bail him out of that trouble.) |
| Bake a cake | Expression that indicates a need to be prepared (If I had known that you were coming, I would have baked a cake.) |
| Baker's dozen, a | 13 |
| Ball, a | Much fun; enjoyable (Everyone had a ball at the party.) |
| Ball bounces, that's the way the | That is reality. Life is as it happens. |
| Ball game, a different | An unexpected change of planned action |
| Ball hog, a | Someone who insists on shooting the ball often in a game |
| Baloney | Nonsense |
| Bang, to | To copulate [rude] (Suneo banged Hitomi.) |
| Bang-up job | To perform very well (He did a bang-up job with the car.) |
| Bank on it | To be confident that something will happen |
| Bargain for | To expect (She never bargained for his lazy attitude.) |
| Bargain on | To expect (I can always bargain on her punctuality.) |
| Barge in | To intrude (You always barge in at the wrong time!) |
| Bark up the wrong tree | To seek in the wrong area |
| Barrel of laughs | Fun (Anna thinks William is a barrel of laughs.) |
| barrel of monkeys, More fun than a | Very fun |
| Bash, a | A party (John is having a bash tonight.) |
| Basket case, a | To be extremely nervous or afraid (She is a basket case.) |
| Bat an eye, didn't | To be unafraid; not nervous |
| Bat, old | An old, obnoxious woman (Stay away from that old bat!) |
| Bats in the belfry | Crazy (She has bats in the belfry.) |
| Batty | Crazy (That idea is batty.) |
| Bawl out | To chastise (Mother bawled out her son.) |
| Be about | 1. To do (Be about your work.) 2. The main idea or purpose was (It was about finishing the job.) |
| Be around | Near (People don't want to be around that jerk.) |
| Be big about | To accept responsibilty (Dave was big about the mistake and tried to correct it.) |
| Beach bum | Person who frequents a beach; often does not have a job |
| Beak | A person's nose (He punched Bob in the beak.) |
| Bean | To hit someone on the head (He got beaned in the head.) |
| Bean, the | The head (The ball hit him on the bean.) |
| Bean ball | A thrown baseball that hits someone in the head |
| Bean brain | Stupid person |
| Beanbag, a | A stupid, fat person |
| Beaner | An illegal Mexican [rude] |
| Beans! | 1. I don't believe that/you! 2. That's crazy! |
| Beans, don't know | To be ignorant (John doesn't know beans!) |
| Beans from donuts | To be ignorant (You don't know beans from donuts!) |
| Bear down on | To pressure someone/something (The company bore down on Jack.) |
| Bear in mind | To remember (You should bear that in mind.) |
| Beat a drum | To advocate something (Jill often beats that drum.) |
| Beat a hasty retreat | To retreat quickly |
| Beat about the bush | To hesitate; to talk around an issue (Stop beating about the bush!) |
| Beat all | To surprise [also "beats (someone or something) all hollow"] (If that doesn't beat all!) |
| Beat down | To weaken something (I feel like they often beat me down.) |
| Beat it | Go away (Julia told her old boyfriend to beat it.) |
| Beat (my) brains out | To study hard; to think deeply |
| Beat (my) head against the wall | To attempt an unsuccessful action |
| Beat time with | To date; spend time with someone (Jack is trying to beat time with my girl.) |
| Beat to the draw | 1. To shoot someone before he can use his pistol 2. To act before another does (John beat him to the draw.) |
| Beat to the punch | To act before another does |
| Beat up | To fight with someone (Jack beat up the other boy.) |
| Beats me. | I don't know. (Beats me, I never heard that before.) |
| Bed of roses | Easy; convenient (Emily expected marriage life to be a bed of roses.) |
| Bee in the bonnet | To be bothered (It was a bee in her bonnet.) |
| Beef up | To strengthen (The army beefed up its defense.) |
| Been had | To be deceived (Victoria thought she had been had.) |
| Beer bash, a | A riotous party with beer served |
| Beetle brain | Stupid person (Henry is a beetle brain.) |
| Bells on, be there with | To arrive well-dressed |
| Belly-crawler | A coward (Bill always was a belly-crawler.) |
| Belly up | To be dead (The dog was belly up in the road.) |
| Belly up to | To stand next to something (He was belly up to the table.) |
| Bent on | To be determined (Aldolpho is bent on studying late tonight.) |
| Best bet | The most appropriate action (Your best bet is to quit now.) |
| Bet your boots | Statement of positive belief |
| Bet your life | Statement of positive belief |
| Bet your money | Statement of positive belief |
| Betcha | Certainty (You betcha, I can win.) [Same as Bet you] |
| Better believe (it) | It will happen (You better believe that I'll come on time.) |
| Better luck next time | Wish good fortune in the future. [Expression of sympathy] |
| Big boy | 1. Grownup (Bill must accept responsibilty; he's a big boy now.) 2. Term of endearment (Hey big boy, why don't we go for a walk together?) |
| Big cheese | Head person; boss (The big cheese himself spoke with us today.) |
| Big deal | Something important (He has a big deal going.) |
| Big fish | Important person (Police hope to catch the big fish and not just small fry.) |
| Big hand | Applause (Let's give him a big hand.) |
| Big lug | Large, stupid person (Bud has always been a big lug.) |
| Big mouth | Loud; opinionated (Danny has a big mouth and a pea brain.) |
| Big-mouth | Obnoxious blowhard; boaster (None of us likes a big-mouth jerk.) |
| Big-time | Very much (Thieves broke into the home big-time.) |
| Big wig | Important person (Another big wig is expected to inspect us today.) |
| Bimbo | A stupid young woman (She is another California bimbo.) |
| Binge, a | Drunk (Looks as though Phil went on a binge last night.) |
| Bird, a | Strange person (I have no intention of speaking with that old bird.) |
| Bird, the | A rude finger gesture (You should never give someone the bird.) |
| Bird in hand, a | A sure thing (You're so happy; you must have a bird in hand.) |
| Birdbrain | Stupid person (Matt actually is not a birdbrain; he just puts on an act.) |
| Birds-eye view | To see clearly (We had a birds-eye view of their fight.) |
| Birds of a feather | Similar associates (The boys are birds of a feather.) |
| Bitch | Disagreeable female [very rude] |
| Bite | To take interest; accept (OK, I'll bite. Where's is she?) |
| Bite head off | To reprimand (The boss bit off heads off due to poor performance.) |
| Bite out of the apple | To show interest (I expect Joanne to take a bite out of the apple.) |
| Bite the bullet | To accept the inevitable (Jim bit the bullet and went with the team.) |
| Bite the dust | To die (Villains bite the dust in a John Wayne movie.) |
| Bite tongue | Do not speak (Bite your tongue. We don't want Jane to know about the surprise.) |
| Black and blue | Hurt everywhere (Steve is black and blue all over.) |
| Black and white | To be clear (You better write it down in black and white.) |
| Black in the face | Vary angry (He'll swear till he's black in the face.) |
| Black out | To faint; not remember (Molly blacked out bad memories of her boyfriend.) |
| Black sheep | Wayward person (Roberto is the black sheep in our family.) |
| Blackout | No light (Our city ordered a blackout before the battle.) |
| Blamed | Mild expression of disgust (I won't drive that blamed truck until it's repaired!) |
| Blammo | Sound of an explosion (It was a big sound--blammo!) |
| Blast, a | Very fun; enjoyable (We had a blast visiting with you.) |
| Blast, to | Yell at; criticize (Marilyn blasted Otto for being insensitive.) |
| Blast it! | Expression of anger or irritation. |
| Blind alley | No chance of success (You're just pursuing a blind alley.) |
| Blind as a bat | Cannot see (The old lady is blind as a bat without glasses.) |
| Blind date | Date with a stranger (Evita was pleased with her blind date.) |
| Blind spot | Cannot see clearly (He does have a blind spot.) |
| Blindside | To surprise (Johnny blindsided his opposition.) |
| Bloke | British term for a person (Pleased to meet you blokes.) |
| Blood boil | To be very angry (That makes my blood boil.) |
| Blot out | To ignore; remove (Blot it out of your memory.) |
| Blow (it) | To fail (The actor blew his lines.) |
| Blow!, now | Get out of here now! Don't bother me! |
| Blow off | To ignore (Billy blew off today's test.) |
| Blow off steam | To release pressure or angry (Don't worry; they're just blowing off steam.) |
| Blow out | 1. To extinguish (You can blow out the candles.) 2. To explode (Oh, the vehicle's tire just blew out.) |
| Blow over | To end; pass (The storm will blow over soon.) |
| Blow own horn | To boast (She likes to blow her own horn.) |
| Blow smoke | To lie; obfuscate (I think the company is just blowing smoke.) |
| Blow stack | To be angry (Mother blew her stack because we did not help.) |
| Blow top | To be angry (Belinda will blow her top when the truth comes out.) |
| Blow the whistle | To expose (Dan is determined to blow the whistle on corruption.) |
| Blow up | To explode; be angry (Watch out before I blow up!) |
| Blow with the wind | Indecisive (Nathaniel is the type who blows with the wind.) |
| Blowback | Adverse reaction (We can expect blowback from the agency's foolish action.) |
| Blue | To be discouraged; despondent (Jack is feeling blue today.) |
| Blue blood | Royalty; elitist (Roger doesn't have a drop of blue blood in him.) |
| Blue in the face | Very upset (The baby can yell till he is blue in the face.) |
| Bobby-soxer | Teenager (Samuel won't date a bobby-soxer.) |
| Bog down | To be stuck (Our army is bogged down in a no-win war.) |
| Boil over | To become dangerous or angry (Jill might boil over if we don't help.) |
| Bolt out of the blue | Suddenly (It came like a bolt out of the blue.) |
| Bomb | 1. To explode a bomb (Terrorists plan to bomb a priority target.) 2. To fail (Many students bombed on the test.) 3. Old car (I bought my bomb from a junk yard for only $200.) |
| Bomb out | To sleep (I'm so tired that I just want to bomb out.) |
| Bone of contention | Point of argument (The border is another bone of contention.) |
| Bone to pick | Point of argument (I have a bone to pick with you.) |
| Bone up on | To study (I better bone up on the subject now.) |
| Bonehead | 1. Stupid (That's a bonehead idea.) 2. Stupid person (That bonehead better not come back here again!) |
| Boner | Mistake (Billy made another boner in the game.) |
| Boo! | Expression to indicate or cause fear. |
| Boob | Ignorant person (I don't want to be around a boob like Bobby.) |
| Booboo | 1. Mistake (Johnny made a booboo.) 2. Hurt [Child's term] (Markie got a booboo when he fell down.) |
| Boobs | Breasts (Ralph likes a girl with big boobs.) |
| Boobyhatch | Mental hospital (I wonder if Marie was put in the boobyhatch.) |
| Boogie | To depart (Let's boogie out of here.) |
| Book | To schedule; reserve (We can book passage on this cruise ship.) |
| Booked solid | Fully scheduled (My doctor is booked solid for the next month.) |
| Boondocks | Underdeveloped countryside area (My cousin lives in the boondocks.) |
| Boonies | Underdeveloped countryside area (I won't live in the boonies much longer.) |
| Boot, a | New recruit [Military term] (The drill instructor ordered the boots into line.) |
| Boot, the | To force out (I finally gave that bad tenant the boot.) |
| Boot, to | In addition; for free (I'll give you a set of dishes to boot.) |
| Bootleg | 1. Illegal (I won't buy any bootleg movies or music.) 2. Run with the ball [Football term] (The quarterback made a bootleg play.) |
| Bootlegger | Person who sells illegal alcohol (Bootleggers were notorious during Prohibition.) |
| Bootlick | A sycophant (A bad boss prefers having bootlicks who suck up to him.) |
| Booze | Alcohol (David will bring some booze to the party.) |
| Booze up | Drink alcohol (That old man probably will booze up again tonight.) |
| Bop | 1. To hit (A two-year-old boy tends to bop other children.) 2. Popular dance of the 1950s-1960s (People danced the bop at a school reunion.) |
| Bop on out | To depart (Jill and George expect to bop on out soon.) |
| Borders on | Nearly (The soldier's bad conduct borders on insubordination.) |
| Bored out of gourd | Very bored (Theresa looks bored out of her gourd.) |
| Born with a silver spoon | Spoiled and rich (Veronica was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.) |
| Born yesterday | Naive (I don't believe you. I wasn't born yesterday!) |
| Borrow trouble | To have trouble unnecessarily (It looks like she's borrowing trouble.) |
| Bosom buddy | Close friend (We've been bosom buddies since grade school.) |
| Boss around | To give orders (Jane love to boss others around.) |
| Bossy | To be authoritative (Don't ever marry a bossy, old woman.) |
| Both ends against the middle | To play opponents against each other for personal gain |
| Both sides | Two viewpoints (That diplomat can see both sides of the issue.) |
| Bottle up | To trap (Their troops are bottled up in a fort.) |
| Bottleneck | 1. Narrow, congested area (Condor Pass is a natural bottleneck.) 2. To be stuck in traffic (Our friends are bottlenecked on Main Street.) |
| Bottom dollar | Lowest (OK, I'll give you my bottom dollar price.) |
| Bottom line | Ultimate result (The bottom line is that his company must change its policy.) |
| Bottom of, get to the | To learn the truth (We must get to the bottom of this matter.) |
| Bottom of the barrel | Lowest; worst (They scraped the bottom of the barrel in selecting Bubba.) |
| Bottom out | To lose; have nothing (My luck bottomed out.) |
| Bottom, touch | To reach the lowest level (Your school grades have touched bottom.) |
| Bounce | To be thrown out (Bobby was bounced from the club.) |
| Bound for | Travel to (Pioneers were bound for many locations in the west.) |
| Bound to | Connected (We are bound to the law and to each other.) |
| Bound to be | Likely (There's bound to be trouble in town tonight.) |
| Bounce back | To recover (Bruce bounced back quickly from the flu.) |
| Bow out | Not be involved (I'm bowing out of your life.) |
| Bow, take a | To accept praise (Roberto will take a bow for the idea.) |
| Bowl over | To be stunned (Winning the lottery bowled me over.) |
| Box ears | To punish (someone) (Watch out or Suzie will box your ears.) |
| Bozo | A strange or undesired person (Who is that Bozo?) |
| Brainless | Stupid (Don't you think that was a brainless thing to do?) |
| Brainless lummox | Stupid fellow (Nate acts like a brainless lummox when he's around Jane.) |
| Branch out | To expand (This pizza company expects to branch out more.) |
| Brass | 1. Leadership (Do you think the brass supports this?) 2. Nerve; daring (You have a lot of brass to ask me that.) |
| Brat | Obnoxious child (Linda's little brat is spoiled rotten.) |
| Bread | Money (Man, I'm out of bread.) |
| Bread is buttered, know which side | Understand reality (I know which side my bread is buttered.) |
| Bread out of the mouth, Take the | To refuse something (He'd take the bread out of a baby's mouth.) |
| Break, a | Moment to relax (Dad worked four hours and took a short break.) |
| Break, bad/good | Luck; opportunity (Looks like you got a good break.) |
| Break, clean | 1. To break without complications (The accident caused a clean break.) 2. To disassociate; to escape (Bob and Jane made a clean break.) |
| Break even | Not gain a profit (At best, we'll break even on the deal.) |
| Break ground | To start building (We'll break ground for the new store next week.) |
| Break heart | To cause (someone) heartache (Jose broke Maria's heart.) |
| Break (his) promise | To lie (Willy broke his promise to mother.) |
| Break (his) word | To lie (You better not break your word!) |
| Break it up | Stop a negative action (Break it up or everyone will have to leave.) |
| Break rice bowl | To take someone's job (Looks like Chen just broke Steve's rice bowl.) |
| Break the bank | To bankrupt; small amount (My allowance sure won't break the bank.) |
| Break the ice | To become acquainted (This party is intended to break the ice.) |
| Break up with | To stop dating someone (Marilyn decided to break up with Bobby.) |
| Break wind | To fart (Eating beans makes Buddy break wind.) |
| Break with | Stop an association (I'll probably break with my company.) |
| Breathe freely | To be relaxed (You can breathe freely now. There is no more danger.) |
| Breather | Moment to relax (I need a breather. I've been working too hard.) |
| Breathing spell | Moment to relax (Coach gave the team a breathing spell.) |
| Breed like rabbits | To have many children (Some people breed like rabbits.) |
| Breeze, a | Easy (That test was a breeze.) |
| Breeze in | To intrude (Jill thinks she can breeze in and boss us around.) |
| Bring a hornet's nest around (his) ears | To be in trouble |
| Bring down the house | Very successful (His play was so good it brought down the house.) |
| Bring home to | To remind (Your words brought it home to me.) |
| Bring it on | Start the action; I'm ready for it. |
| Bring off | To succeed (I think we can bring it off today.) |
| Bring to light | To reveal (Your research can bring the truth to light.) |
| Bring to mind | To remind; remember (John's action brings my boyhood to mind.) |
| Bring up the rear | To be last (Jennifer brought up the rear again.) |
| Broad, a | Girl; woman (Sammy is looking for a new, classy broad.) |
| Broke | No money (I'm broke today. Can you loan me a few dollars?) |
| Bronx cheer | Rude hand gesture to show displeasure (A crowd gave Bill the Bronx cheer.) |
| Brush, the | To dismiss (Sophia gave Emilio the brush.) |
| Brush off | To remove with a hand (You should brush off that dust.) |
| Brush up on | Study again (I must brush up on math before the test.) |
| BS | Nonsense [rude] (I think that's a load of BS.) |
| Bubble-gummer | Young teenage girl (Suzie is still a bubble-gummer.) |
| Bubblehead | Stupid person (Don't invite that bubblehead to my party!) |
| Buck | 1. To fight against (George takes pleasure in bucking the system.) 2. Dollar (I only have about 25 bucks in my pocket.) |
| Buck for | To seek (John is bucking for a promotion.) |
| Buck up! | Don't be discouraged! [Exhortation] |
| Buckle down | To be diligent (Buckle down and do your work.) |
| Buckle up | Fasten a seat belt; be prepared (Buckle up so you won't get hurt.) |
| Buddy/Buddies | A friend; friends (Jim is my best buddy.) |
| Bug | 1. To bother (Jack bugs me.) 2. To use a secret recording device (The government bugged his office.) |
| Bug house | Crazy (No, I think your idea is bug house.) |
| Bug off! | Go away; do not bother (me) (Bug off! I don't want to see you.) |
| Bug out | To depart (The troops bugged out late at night.) |
| Bull! | To be untrue; nonsense (You're full of bull!) |
| Bull in a china shop | To be careless (Sam is like a bull in a china shop.) |
| Bull session | A friendly, group discussion (The boys are having a bull session.) |
| Bull (your) way | To force (George bulled his way ahead.) |
| Bulls | Police (A pair of bulls arrived to make the arrest.) |
| Bum, a | 1. A mildly bad person/thing (That's a bum deal. He has a bum leg.) 2. A panhandler; freeloader (Bill is a freeloading bum.) |
| Bum, to | Ask something for nothing (Can I bum some a meal from you?) |
| Bum a ride | To hitchhike (We can bum a ride with Aldolfo.) |
| Bum around | To panhandle (Bill is so lazy that he just bums around.) |
| Bum deal | Undesirable situation (Rodrigo is getting a bum deal.) |
| Bum rap | Accused falsely (Police later admitted George got a bum rap.) |
| Bum steer | Bad advice (You better not give us a bum steer.) |
| Bum's rush, the | To be thrown out (School mates gave Peter the bum's rush.) |
| Bummer! | Something unpleasant [Expression of disgust or displeasure] |
| Bump into | Meet by chance (I was excited to bump into my old friend.) |
| Bump off | To kill (That criminal bumped off his victim.) |
| Bunch | Much; a lot (Thanks a bunch.) |
| Bunch of | Many (He has a bunch of money in the bank.) |
| Bunch up | To be close together (The patrol bunched up near a river.) |
| Burn a hole in the pocket | Desire to spend money quickly (That $5 burned a hole in his pocket.) |
| Burn bridges behind | To ignore consequences or the past (He burned all bridges behind him.) |
| Burn midnight oil | To stay up late (Tom burned the midnight oil trying to finish this project.) |
| Burn the candle at both ends | Do something without thinking (Jill tried to burn the candle a both ends.) |
| Burn up | 1. Very angry (Susan is burned up over Bob's actions.) 2. To burn completely (He burned up all the evidence.) |
| Burned out | Listless; too tired to continue (I feel all burned out.) |
| Bury (your) head in the sand | To be willfully ignorant (Many people prefer to bury their heads in the sand.) |
| Bush league | Lower level ability or activity (Your baseball playing is bush league.) |
| Bushwhack | Surprise attack (Cattle rustlers bushwhacked the cowboy.) |
| Business as usual | The same activity (It's business as usual for Betty.) |
| Bust | To catch (I heard that a store owner busted Davy in the act.) |
| Bust up | To break; destroy (Police finally busted up a notorious drug gang.) |
| Busybody | Interfere in other people's affairs (Mrs. Peel is a busybody.) |
| Butt in | To interfere (You shouldn't butt in.) |
| Butterfingers | Clumsy person or action (Butterfingers Matthew dropped a glass while eating lunch.) |
| Butterflies in the stomach | To be nervous (I had butterflies in the stomach before the test.) |
| Butthead | Rude person [rude] (Does anyone like that old butthead?) |
| Buttonhole | To take someone aside (The lobbyist buttonholed Senator Bob.) |
| Buy off | To offer or take a bribe (People think Congressmen have been bought off.) |
| Buy (something) | To accept; believe (No, I don't buy it that Jill left you.) |
| Buy the farm | To die (Sam bought the farm last night.) |
| Buzz off! | Expression of warning: Go away from me! [rude] |
| By a long shot | Impossible (You can't win, not even by a long shot.) |
| By gum | Mild expression of surprise (By gum, I never expected to see you so soon.) |
| By hook or crook | No matter how (I'll get what I want by hook or crook.) |
| By leaps and bounds | Quickly (The business is growing by leaps and bounds.) |
| By the skin of teeth | Barely; just in time (Jerry got to class by the skin of his teeth.) |
| Bye | Good-bye |
| Byword | Commonly known (His name has become a byword.) |
