back the wrong horse
to support someone or something that later cannot be successful.
Don't back the wrong horse! You know he cannot win the elections.
backseat driver
1. A passenger in a car who insists on giving the driver directions.
2. Anybody offering unsolicited or unwelcome advice.
My brother is such a backseat driver. I hate traveling with him.
bad blood
unpleasant feeling between different people.
There is bad blood between Nancy and Leila. They are rarely in good terms with each other.
bad egg
bad person
Just ignore him. He's a bad egg.
bag of bones
an extremely thin person.
He's turning into a bag of bones. He lost so much weight.
bag of tricks
a set of techniques and methods.
Why don't you use your bag of tricks to help us solve this problem?
ball of fire
a person who is especially hard-working, high-achieving, ambitious, or active.
They say he is a real ball of fire. He has already demonstrated his wish to climb higher.
ball someone or something up
1. To make a mess of, destroy or ruin; to interfere with someone or something.
2. To roll something up into a ball.
1. Someone has balled my car up.
2. She balled the paper up in anger.
ball-breaker
(Also a ball-buster.) This refers either to a job or situation that is demanding and arduous and punishing or to a demanding woman who destroys men's confidence.
My job is such a ball-breaker! My boss expects me to work over the weekend again.
Men try to avoid her because she is a real ball-breaker.
banana repulic
A small country, especially one in Central America, that is dependent on a single export commodity (traditionally bananas) and that has a corrupt, dictatorial government.
Banana republic countries need democratization.
bank on
to expect something or rely on.
Can I bank on your friend's predictions about the stock market?
baptim of fire
said about a very difficult first experience someone undergoes.
My first day as the manager of the restaurant was a real baptism of fire.
be a barrel of laughs
be enjoyable or entertaining.
This movie is a real barrel of laughs.
be a chicken
be a coward.
Don't be a chicken. Talk to her about your love for her.
be a cold fish
be a person who is distant and unfeeling
He rarely talks to his colleagues. He's a cold fish.
be an item
said about a couple when they are having a romantic relationship.
I heard that Leila and Joe are an item.
be better than sex
said about something which is very enjoyable or exciting.
Riding a horse is a real fun. It's better than sex.
be dead in the water
said when something has no chance of succeeding or of making any progress.
Our projects will be dead in the water if we don't have a good plan.
be dead to the world
to be sleeping.
I think she has woken up. She was dead to the world ten minutes ago.
be full of beans
said about someone who is active, lively, healthy and has a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
He's always full of beans when he goes to work.
be glad to see the back of someone
To be happy to get rid of someone; to be happy because someone has left.
The youg man was glad to see the back of his father-in-law after he had stayed for a month.
be in black and white
(also be down in black and white) to be written down.
My conditions to accept the job were in black and white in the contract.
be in deep water
to be in serious trouble.
The government is in deep water because of its plans for tax increases.
be in hot water
to be in a difficult situation
He was in hot water because of his speech about racism.
be in somebody's shoes
to be in the situation that another person is in.
I wouldn't like to be in Nancy's shoes. She'll have a lot of problems with her boss.
be in the land of the living
be awake or to be alive.
He was working all night long. I don't think he'll be in the land of the living before noon.
I haven't seen him for ages. I'm surprised to find him stil in the land of the living
be like a fish out of water
to feel uncomfortable in a situation
After her divorce, she was like a fish out of water.
be on cloud nine
feel extreme happiness or elation
She was on cloud nine when he proposed to marry her.
be on the ball
to be well-informed and respond promptly.
We need someone who's on the ball to help us implement our plan.
bean counter
An accountant.
The company is hiring a new accountant.
beat a dead horse
(Also flog a dead horse.) To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
If you continue talking about something that cannot be changed, you are beating a dead horse.
beat a retreat
to leave hastily in the face of opposition.
When they saw the police coming, they beat a retreat.
beat around the bush
To treat a topic, without mentioning its main points, often intentionally, because the topic is difficult or unpleasant.
Stop beating around the bush and tell me what the the problem is!
beat the clock
To do something before a deadline.
They managed to beat the clock and arrive a few minutes before the conference started.
beats me
(Aso it beats me) I don't know; I have no idea.
Mickeal: What's the longest river in the world?
Alan: Beats me!
beef up
To strengthen or make something more effective.
They beefed up their offer with anther million dollar.
before you can say Jack Robinson
very quickliy.
He can do difficult mathemaical operations before you can say Jack Robinson.
behind bars
in jail or prison.
That guy over there has been behind bars for five years.
behind closed doors
in private; in one's private life.
What you do with your partners behind closed doors is none of my business.
behind one's back
In one's absence
He was talking nonsense on my back when I arrived.
Benjamin of the family
This regers to the youngest child of the family.
Bill is the benjamin of the family.
better the devil you know
(also better the devil you know than the devil you don't) it is sometimes better to deal with someone or thing you know than to deal with a new person or thing who could be even worse.
Nancy is such a difficult girl to work with, but better the devil you know.
between life and death
A situation involving the danger of dying or being killed.
The little kid lay all night long between life and death.
big bucks
Lots of money.
The new managing director must be making big bucks after his promotion.
big deal
Something very important, difficult, or of concern.
It's no big deal if you don't finish.
big fish in a small pond
One who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.
Dr. Jones could get a professorship at an Ivy League university, but he enjoys being a big fish in a small pond too much to ever leave Hannover College.
big mouth
said about someone who tend to say things which are meant to be kept secret.
He is such a big mouth.He told them every thing.
big wheel
A person with a great deal of power or influence, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
She's a big wheel at IBM.
bite me
An expression of discontent, aggravation or anger.
Why are you shouting like that? Oh, bite me!
bite the dust
to die.
The soldier bit the dust in the battle field.
bite your lip
to make an effort not to react to something.
He didn't like the management of the business but he had to bite his lip.
bitter pill to swallow
(Also swallow a bitter pill) Said about something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.
After the disappointment and defeat, to declare bankruptcy was a bitter pill to swallow for him.
black and blue
covered in bruises
He was black and blue the day after the accident
black out
to lose consciousness.
He blacked out when he fell.
black sheep
A disreputable member of a family or a group.
They say he's the black sheep of the Bakers.
black-and-white
said when you have a simplistic opinion about situations while they are in fact more complicated.
I think terrorism isn't a black-and-white issue.
blessing in desguise
a blessing in disguise is said when a misfortune has some unexpected benefits
His failure to pass the exam was a blessing in disguise. This made him realize the importance of hard work.
blind date
A social meeting where the two people have never met before.
I went on a blind date yesterday but it was a total fiasco.
blood is thicker than water
family relations are more important than all other relationships.
Even if Nancy and her brother often argue, they always forgive each other. Blood is thicker than water.
blow a fuse
become uncontrolably angry; lose your temper.
Hey, don't blow a fuse.
blow a kiss
To kiss one's hand, then blow on the hand in a direction towards the recipient.
We haven't yet kissed, but she blew me a kiss as the train pulled out of the station. That meant a lot to me
blow one's own horn
(also toot one's own horn) to brag; to talk boastfully.
Nancy likes to blow her own horn.
blue-eyed boy
(also fair-haired boy) a person highly regarded by someone and treated with special favor
He was the blue-eyed boy of the boss.
Bob’s your uncle
Said to mean "No problem", "the solution is simple", "there you have it" (appended to the end of a description of how to achieve something).
You want to go to the stadium? Go straight on until you reach the park, take the first left and Bob’s your uncle!
boots on the ground
The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict at the time of speaking, rather than troops not engaged or being transported to the fighting.
The Pentagon may say we have enough, but that's not what I'm hearing from the boots on the ground.
bright as a button
intelligent.
He has a daughter who is as bight as a button.
bring home the bacon
get a job and bring home money earned from this job.
When her husband got fired, she decided to look for a job because someone's got to bring home the bacon.
bring to knees
to destroy or defeat someone or something.
Sanctions were imposed in an attempt to bring the country to its knees.
The strikes brought the economy to its knees.
browned off
annoyed, upset, angry, bored, fed up, disgusted.
He was browned off when he was ill treated.
build bridges
to improve relationships between people.
They wanted to build bridges between Nancy and Alan to settle the conflict once for all.
burn the midnight oil
Work hard, especially late into the night.
She was burning the midnight oil preparing for her daughter's wedding when she had a heart attack.
butter up
To praise or flatter excessively.
Why are you buttering up the boss?
button (up) one's lip
to stop talking.
Please, button up your lip and keep the news secret till tomorrow.
by the grace of God
Through the kindness and help of God.
By the grace of God, his son managed to pass the exam.
by the name of
called.
I met a doctor by the name of John.
________________________________________
View the original article here
See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom
http://www.idiomsite.com
to support someone or something that later cannot be successful.
Don't back the wrong horse! You know he cannot win the elections.
backseat driver
1. A passenger in a car who insists on giving the driver directions.
2. Anybody offering unsolicited or unwelcome advice.
My brother is such a backseat driver. I hate traveling with him.
bad blood
unpleasant feeling between different people.
There is bad blood between Nancy and Leila. They are rarely in good terms with each other.
bad egg
bad person
Just ignore him. He's a bad egg.
bag of bones
an extremely thin person.
He's turning into a bag of bones. He lost so much weight.
bag of tricks
a set of techniques and methods.
Why don't you use your bag of tricks to help us solve this problem?
ball of fire
a person who is especially hard-working, high-achieving, ambitious, or active.
They say he is a real ball of fire. He has already demonstrated his wish to climb higher.
ball someone or something up
1. To make a mess of, destroy or ruin; to interfere with someone or something.
2. To roll something up into a ball.
1. Someone has balled my car up.
2. She balled the paper up in anger.
ball-breaker
(Also a ball-buster.) This refers either to a job or situation that is demanding and arduous and punishing or to a demanding woman who destroys men's confidence.
My job is such a ball-breaker! My boss expects me to work over the weekend again.
Men try to avoid her because she is a real ball-breaker.
banana repulic
A small country, especially one in Central America, that is dependent on a single export commodity (traditionally bananas) and that has a corrupt, dictatorial government.
Banana republic countries need democratization.
bank on
to expect something or rely on.
Can I bank on your friend's predictions about the stock market?
baptim of fire
said about a very difficult first experience someone undergoes.
My first day as the manager of the restaurant was a real baptism of fire.
be a barrel of laughs
be enjoyable or entertaining.
This movie is a real barrel of laughs.
be a chicken
be a coward.
Don't be a chicken. Talk to her about your love for her.
be a cold fish
be a person who is distant and unfeeling
He rarely talks to his colleagues. He's a cold fish.
be an item
said about a couple when they are having a romantic relationship.
I heard that Leila and Joe are an item.
be better than sex
said about something which is very enjoyable or exciting.
Riding a horse is a real fun. It's better than sex.
be dead in the water
said when something has no chance of succeeding or of making any progress.
Our projects will be dead in the water if we don't have a good plan.
be dead to the world
to be sleeping.
I think she has woken up. She was dead to the world ten minutes ago.
be full of beans
said about someone who is active, lively, healthy and has a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
He's always full of beans when he goes to work.
be glad to see the back of someone
To be happy to get rid of someone; to be happy because someone has left.
The youg man was glad to see the back of his father-in-law after he had stayed for a month.
be in black and white
(also be down in black and white) to be written down.
My conditions to accept the job were in black and white in the contract.
be in deep water
to be in serious trouble.
The government is in deep water because of its plans for tax increases.
be in hot water
to be in a difficult situation
He was in hot water because of his speech about racism.
be in somebody's shoes
to be in the situation that another person is in.
I wouldn't like to be in Nancy's shoes. She'll have a lot of problems with her boss.
be in the land of the living
be awake or to be alive.
He was working all night long. I don't think he'll be in the land of the living before noon.
I haven't seen him for ages. I'm surprised to find him stil in the land of the living
be like a fish out of water
to feel uncomfortable in a situation
After her divorce, she was like a fish out of water.
be on cloud nine
feel extreme happiness or elation
She was on cloud nine when he proposed to marry her.
be on the ball
to be well-informed and respond promptly.
We need someone who's on the ball to help us implement our plan.
bean counter
An accountant.
The company is hiring a new accountant.
beat a dead horse
(Also flog a dead horse.) To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
If you continue talking about something that cannot be changed, you are beating a dead horse.
beat a retreat
to leave hastily in the face of opposition.
When they saw the police coming, they beat a retreat.
beat around the bush
To treat a topic, without mentioning its main points, often intentionally, because the topic is difficult or unpleasant.
Stop beating around the bush and tell me what the the problem is!
beat the clock
To do something before a deadline.
They managed to beat the clock and arrive a few minutes before the conference started.
beats me
(Aso it beats me) I don't know; I have no idea.
Mickeal: What's the longest river in the world?
Alan: Beats me!
beef up
To strengthen or make something more effective.
They beefed up their offer with anther million dollar.
before you can say Jack Robinson
very quickliy.
He can do difficult mathemaical operations before you can say Jack Robinson.
behind bars
in jail or prison.
That guy over there has been behind bars for five years.
behind closed doors
in private; in one's private life.
What you do with your partners behind closed doors is none of my business.
behind one's back
In one's absence
He was talking nonsense on my back when I arrived.
Benjamin of the family
This regers to the youngest child of the family.
Bill is the benjamin of the family.
better the devil you know
(also better the devil you know than the devil you don't) it is sometimes better to deal with someone or thing you know than to deal with a new person or thing who could be even worse.
Nancy is such a difficult girl to work with, but better the devil you know.
between life and death
A situation involving the danger of dying or being killed.
The little kid lay all night long between life and death.
big bucks
Lots of money.
The new managing director must be making big bucks after his promotion.
big deal
Something very important, difficult, or of concern.
It's no big deal if you don't finish.
big fish in a small pond
One who has achieved a high rank or is highly esteemed, but only in a small, relatively unimportant, or little known location or organization.
Dr. Jones could get a professorship at an Ivy League university, but he enjoys being a big fish in a small pond too much to ever leave Hannover College.
big mouth
said about someone who tend to say things which are meant to be kept secret.
He is such a big mouth.He told them every thing.
big wheel
A person with a great deal of power or influence, especially a high-ranking person in an organization.
She's a big wheel at IBM.
bite me
An expression of discontent, aggravation or anger.
Why are you shouting like that? Oh, bite me!
bite the dust
to die.
The soldier bit the dust in the battle field.
bite your lip
to make an effort not to react to something.
He didn't like the management of the business but he had to bite his lip.
bitter pill to swallow
(Also swallow a bitter pill) Said about something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured.
After the disappointment and defeat, to declare bankruptcy was a bitter pill to swallow for him.
black and blue
covered in bruises
He was black and blue the day after the accident
black out
to lose consciousness.
He blacked out when he fell.
black sheep
A disreputable member of a family or a group.
They say he's the black sheep of the Bakers.
black-and-white
said when you have a simplistic opinion about situations while they are in fact more complicated.
I think terrorism isn't a black-and-white issue.
blessing in desguise
a blessing in disguise is said when a misfortune has some unexpected benefits
His failure to pass the exam was a blessing in disguise. This made him realize the importance of hard work.
blind date
A social meeting where the two people have never met before.
I went on a blind date yesterday but it was a total fiasco.
blood is thicker than water
family relations are more important than all other relationships.
Even if Nancy and her brother often argue, they always forgive each other. Blood is thicker than water.
blow a fuse
become uncontrolably angry; lose your temper.
Hey, don't blow a fuse.
blow a kiss
To kiss one's hand, then blow on the hand in a direction towards the recipient.
We haven't yet kissed, but she blew me a kiss as the train pulled out of the station. That meant a lot to me
blow one's own horn
(also toot one's own horn) to brag; to talk boastfully.
Nancy likes to blow her own horn.
blue-eyed boy
(also fair-haired boy) a person highly regarded by someone and treated with special favor
He was the blue-eyed boy of the boss.
Bob’s your uncle
Said to mean "No problem", "the solution is simple", "there you have it" (appended to the end of a description of how to achieve something).
You want to go to the stadium? Go straight on until you reach the park, take the first left and Bob’s your uncle!
boots on the ground
The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict at the time of speaking, rather than troops not engaged or being transported to the fighting.
The Pentagon may say we have enough, but that's not what I'm hearing from the boots on the ground.
bright as a button
intelligent.
He has a daughter who is as bight as a button.
bring home the bacon
get a job and bring home money earned from this job.
When her husband got fired, she decided to look for a job because someone's got to bring home the bacon.
bring to knees
to destroy or defeat someone or something.
Sanctions were imposed in an attempt to bring the country to its knees.
The strikes brought the economy to its knees.
browned off
annoyed, upset, angry, bored, fed up, disgusted.
He was browned off when he was ill treated.
build bridges
to improve relationships between people.
They wanted to build bridges between Nancy and Alan to settle the conflict once for all.
burn the midnight oil
Work hard, especially late into the night.
She was burning the midnight oil preparing for her daughter's wedding when she had a heart attack.
butter up
To praise or flatter excessively.
Why are you buttering up the boss?
button (up) one's lip
to stop talking.
Please, button up your lip and keep the news secret till tomorrow.
by the grace of God
Through the kindness and help of God.
By the grace of God, his son managed to pass the exam.
by the name of
called.
I met a doctor by the name of John.
________________________________________
View the original article here
See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom
http://www.idiomsite.com
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