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The B drawer
51 phrases beginning with B.
- Back to square one Back at the starting point after an attempt has failed or previous progress has been lost, requiring the work to begin again.
- Bag and baggage With all one's possessions, or completely and without leaving anything important behind. Often follows leave, depart, move or throw out. It can mean…
- Bandwidth The time, energy, or mental capacity available to take on a task, as when someone says they do or do not have room for more work. It began as an…
- Bark is worse than their bite Someone's threats or bluster outstrip their actions, loud but harmless.
- Bark up the wrong tree Pursue a mistaken lead, blame the wrong person or use an approach that cannot produce the result being sought.
- Barking mad Completely irrational, wildly unreasonable, or apparently out of touch with reality. A strong informal expression. It is less harmful when aimed at a…
- Bated breath Breathing held or subdued because of suspense, fear or intense expectation. Bated, not baited, is the standard spelling. It most often follows with…
- Batten down the hatches To prepare thoroughly for trouble or danger, securing everything tight.
- Beat a dead horse Keep pursuing, arguing or discussing something after further effort cannot change, revive or resolve it. 'Beat' is chiefly US; British English…
- Beat around the bush To avoid addressing a topic directly, often by speaking vaguely or focusing on irrelevant details instead of getting to the point. This phrase…
- Beat the bushes To search hard or hustle for something, digging deep.
- Beck and call Immediately available and ready to obey another person's requests, signals or slightest wishes. Usually appears as at someone's beck and call and…
- Before you can say Jack Robinson So quickly that there is scarcely time to notice, respond or prepare. Informal and mildly comic. Both 'can' and 'could' forms are established…
- Beggars can't be choosers Someone dependent on what is offered has limited grounds to demand a preferred alternative. Can be practical but also patronising, especially when…
- Bell the cat To bell the cat is to undertake or volunteer for a dangerous, near-impossible task on behalf of others, especially one that everyone agrees would be…
- Benching Keeping a romantic prospect in reserve by maintaining just enough sporadic contact to keep them interested, while never committing to dates or a…
- Better late than never Doing something after the ideal time is preferable to not doing it at all. Often said lightly after a delay. It can sound inadequate when the delay…
- Between the devil and the deep blue sea Facing a choice between two equally harmful or unwelcome options; caught in a dilemma with no good way out. The two dangers need not be physical; the…
- Between wind and water At the most exposed or vulnerable point, where an attack or criticism can do serious harm. Dated and often used with 'hit' or 'strike.' It means at a…
- Bigger than Dallas Enormous, spectacular, conspicuous, or so obvious that it should be impossible to overlook. Strongly regional and hyperbolic. Outside Texas it may…
- Bigwig An important or influential person, especially in an organization, profession or institution. Informal and faintly mocking rather than respectful…
- Binge-watch To view many or all episodes of a television series in rapid succession, typically in one long sitting or over a single weekend. The word is neutral…
- Birds of a feather flock together People with similar interests, habits or character tend to associate with one another. Often shortened to birds of a feather. It can neutrally…
- Bite off more than you can chew To take on a task or responsibility that's too big or difficult to handle, often due to overconfidence or poor planning. It's a cautionary idiom, used…
- Bite the bullet Accept and face a painful, difficult, or unpleasant course of action with resolve, especially after hesitation.
- Bite the dust Fall dead or defeated; more broadly, fail, break down, or come to an end.
- Bite your tongue To hold back from speaking, especially something harsh or unwise, clamping down on words.
- Black affronted Deeply embarrassed, ashamed or humiliated, especially after public exposure or rebuke. Regional. Here 'black' intensifies the emotion; the phrase has…
- Blow hot and cold Behave inconsistently by alternating between enthusiasm and reluctance, approval and disapproval, or other opposite attitudes, leaving your true…
- Blow off steam To vent pent-up energy or frustration, letting it burst out.
- Blow the cobwebs away To shake off rust or gloom, freshen up.
- Blow your own trumpet Talk proudly about your own abilities or achievements, often in a way that sounds boastful or self-promoting. This is the usual British form; North…
- Bob's your uncle There you have it; the task is complete or the result follows easily. Normally closes a short set of instructions or an account of an easy success…
- Boil the ocean To attempt something far too big, ambitious, or complex to be realistic, especially a project whose scope should be narrowed. Nearly always used in…
- Box of birds Very well, cheerful or full of energy. Informal and upbeat, commonly used after feel, be or look. Regional use: New Zealand.
- Brain rot The supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state from overconsuming trivial or unchallenging material, especially low-quality…
- Breadcrumbing Sending someone small, intermittent signals of romantic interest, such as occasional flirty messages, likes, or emojis, to keep them emotionally…
- Break the ice Make a beginning that overcomes initial difficulty, reserve, or social awkwardness.
- Bring home the bacon To earn money or achieve success, especially to support a household; to win a prize or secure the desired result. Common in sports and business talk…
- Bucket list A list of experiences, places, or achievements a person hopes to complete before dying, from the idiom 'to kick the bucket'; by extension, any…
- Buckley's chance Little or no chance of success. Informal. Buckley's can stand alone as a short answer meaning no chance. Regional use: Australia; also known in New…
- Burn the candle at both ends To overwork or exhaust yourself, pushing too hard.
- Burn the midnight oil To work late into the night, often implying diligence or effort beyond normal hours.
- Burn your bridges To cut off all retreat or ties, leaving no way back.
- Bury the hatchet To end a quarrel and make peace, at least temporarily. Usually framed as 'bury the hatchet with someone' or 'the hatchet is buried'. Neutral to…
- Bush party An outdoor party in a secluded place, often involving underage drinking. Current regional term, often in policing or community contexts Regional use…
- Buy the farm To die, especially in a military aircraft crash. Informal euphemism for death; potentially insensitive Regional use: United States military, later…
- By and large Generally, on the whole or after considering the main aspects. A sentence adverb usually set off by commas. 'By in large' is a mishearing, not a…
- By hook or by crook By any means that prove possible, whether straightforward or not. The means may be merely resourceful or may shade into unscrupulous behaviour…
- By the book Strictly according to prescribed rules, procedures or accepted methods. Can praise rigour or criticise inflexibility. The identity of 'the book' is…
- By the skin of your teeth Only just succeeding or escaping, with the smallest possible margin between success and failure. The possessive changes with the subject. It normally…