Showing 50 of 1,235 (page 6).
blow hot and cold
Shift one's level of enthusiasm repeatedly
“She BLOWS HOT AND COLD”
blow off steam
To release pent-up energy or stress
“I need to BLOW OFF SOME STEAM”
blow one's top
Lose one's temper
“He BLEW HIS TOP”
blow your own trumpet
To boast about yourself
“He loves to BLOW HIS OWN TRUMPET”
blue around the gills
Looking sick or pale
“You look BLUE AROUND THE GILLS”
blue blood
Person of aristocratic background
“He has BLUE BLOOD”
blue book
An official government report or manual
“Check the BLUE BOOK for the car's value”
blue chip
High-quality or valuable; especially stocks
“Invest in BLUE CHIP companies for stability”
blue-collar workers
People who do work needing strength or physical skill rather than office work
“Many BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS work in factories”
blue-eyed boy
A person who is liked very much and is treated well by someone, especially someone in authority
“He's THE MANAGER'S BLUE-EYED BOY”
blueprint for success
A detailed plan for achieving success
“They're calling this THE BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS, apparently.”
bob's your uncle
It means finished or everything is settled
“Just add the ingredients and BOB'S YOUR UNCLE”
body and soul
Completely; with all one's energy
“She devoted herself BODY AND SOUL to the cause”
bone to pick
A subject or issue that you want to discuss with someone because you are angry about it
“I have A BONE TO PICK with you”
born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
To have a high social position and be rich from birth
“He was BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN HIS MOUTH”
bosom friend
A very close or intimate friend
“She's been my BOSOM FRIEND since we were at school together.”
boys in blue
A humorous name for the police
“Here come THE BOYS IN BLUE”
bread and butter
The main source of income
“Freelance design is her BREAD AND BUTTER”
break a leg
Good luck (usually said to performers before they go on stage)
“BREAK A LEG, I suppose.”
break new ground
To do something innovative or pioneering
“The study BREAKS NEW GROUND in cancer research”
break the bank
To cost too much or spend more than you can afford
“That car will BREAK THE BANK”
break the ice
To start a conversation in a social situation to make people feel more comfortable
“I told a joke to BREAK THE ICE”
bright and early
Very early in the morning
“We'll leave BRIGHT AND EARLY”
bring home the bacon
To earn a living
“She BRINGS HOME THE BACON”
bring someone to book
To punish someone or make them accountable
“They must be BROUGHT TO BOOK for this.”
bring someone to heel
To make someone obey you
“Management's determined to BRING US TO HEEL.”
brouhaha
A noisy and overexcited reaction
“The announcement caused A BROUHAHA”
brown-nose
To try too hard to please someone, especially someone in authority, in a way that other people find unpleasant
“Stop BROWN-NOSING the boss”
brush aside
To dismiss or ignore something
“She BRUSHED ASIDE my concerns”
brush off
To reject or ignore someone rudely
“He BRUSHED ME OFF when I asked for help”
brush under the rug
To hide something; to ignore a problem
“Don't BRUSH IT UNDER THE RUG”
budget for something
To plan to spend money on something
“We BUDGETED FOR a new car next year”
buffet something
To hit something repeatedly; to strike
“The ship was BUFFETED BY waves”
bug-eyed
With eyes bulging; staring widely
“He was BUG-EYED with surprise”
build up
To increase or accumulate gradually
“You need to BUILD UP your stamina”
bulge out
To swell or stick outward
“His eyes BULGED OUT in fear”
bulk large
To be very important or significant
“The environment BULKS LARGE in the election”
bull by the horns
To deal with a problem directly
“I suppose someone has to TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS.”
bull in a china shop
A clumsy or tactless person
“He's A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP”
bulldoze someone into something
To force someone to do something
“She BULLDOZED HIM INTO accepting the deal.”
bump in the road
A temporary problem, a small setback
“Just A BUMP IN THE ROAD”
bump into someone
To meet someone unexpectedly
“I BUMPED INTO HIM at the shops, unfortunately.”
bumper crop
An unusually large harvest
“This year's BUMPER CROP surprised farmers”
bunch of fives
A fist; to punch someone
“He gave him A BUNCH OF FIVES”
bundle up
To dress warmly in layers
“BUNDLE UP - it's freezing outside.”
bung up
To damage or injure something
“He BUNGED UP his knee playing soccer”
bunk off
To skip school or work without permission
“The students BUNKED OFF class”
bunker down
To take shelter or prepare for difficulty
“We BUNKERED DOWN during the storm”
buoy up
To encourage or cheer someone
“The good news BUOYED US UP”
burn bridges
Leave a job or a relationship on such bad terms that one does not stay in contact
“Don't BURN BRIDGES”