|
Idiom |
Definition |
Usage |
| back on one's
feet |
recovered |
He is back on
his feet after his company went out of business. |
| back out |
withdraw from |
The company tried to
back out of the agreement. |
| back to the
drawing board |
back to the beginning
and start over |
Since the project was
unsuccessful, the company had to go back to the
drawing board. |
| bail out |
provide assistance to |
The government has
decided to bail out the troubled bank. |
| bank on |
trust |
You can bank on
anything the company promises. |
| bark is worse
than one's bite |
attitude is worse than
his actions |
Even when he is angry,
his bark is worse than his bite. |
| barking up the
wrong tree |
making incorrect
assumptions |
The police are
barking up the wrong tree in their investigation. |
| beat someone to
the draw |
was faster than him |
She beat him to
the draw and arrived at the interview first. |
| beat someone to
the punch |
was faster than him |
She beat him to
the punch and arrived at the interview first. |
| beating around
the bush |
speaking indirectly |
Stop beating
around the bush and give us your final decision. |
| bent out of
shape |
become upset |
Don't get so
bent out of shape.
|
| bite to eat |
some food |
After the show, let's
get a bite to eat. |
| black and white |
writing |
When making a deal you
should get everything in black and white.
|
| blow a fuse |
lose your temper |
Hey, don't blow
a fuse. |
| blow one's cool |
become angry |
Calm down. Don't
blow your cool. |
| blown away |
really impressed |
I was blown away
by his donation of a million dollars. |
| breaking a sweat |
tired |
I'm not even
breaking a sweat. |
| break it up |
Stop |
Break it up,
or I will call the police. |
| bring down |
depressing |
The news of the tsunami
was a bring down. |
| buy it |
die |
If you don't slow down,
you're going to buy it in a car accident. |
In
this lesson you will learn American English idioms beginning with
the letter B. You will learn the definition and study the usage of
each idiom.