English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.
Here’s a list of “Idioms beginning with B” in English:
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Babe In Arms
Meaning: A baby being carried
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Babe In The Woods
Meaning: An innocent, naive person
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Babe Magnet
Meaning: A man to whom women are attracted
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Baby Blues
Meaning: Blue eyes.
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Baby Boomer
Meaning: A person born in the years following World War II, when there was a temporary marked increase in the birth rate
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Babysitter Test
Meaning: An evaluation of the ease of use of household appliances, especially remote control devices
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Back And Forth
Meaning: Dialogue, negotiations
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Back At You
Meaning: Same to you (used to return a greeting or insult)
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Back Burner (On The)
Meaning: Not urgent; set aside until later
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Back Forty
Meaning: Remote, inaccessible land
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Back in the Day
Meaning: Formerly, when I was younger, in earlier times
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Back Of Beyond
Meaning: A remote location
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Back Office
Meaning: Support services for a business
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Back on One’s Feet
Meaning: Physically healthy again
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Back to Square One
Meaning: Back to the start
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Back to Square One
Meaning: Forced to begin something again
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Back to the Drawing Board
Meaning: Forced to begin something again
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Back to the Salt Mine(s)
Meaning: We have to go back to work.
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Back to the Salt Mines
Meaning: It’s time for me (us) to go back to work
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Back the Wrong Horse
Meaning: To support the losing side
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Backing and Filling
Meaning: Delaying a decision by making small changes or arguing about small details
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Backseat Driver
Meaning: A passenger in a car who gives unwanted advice to the driver is called a backseat driver.
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Backseat Driver
Meaning: Someone who likes to give (often annoying) advice to the driver of a car, or the leader of some other enterprise
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Bad Apple
Meaning: A discontented, trouble making, or dishonest person
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Bad Blood
Meaning: Enmity or hatred that stems from something in the past
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Bad Egg
Meaning: Someone who is not to be trusted
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Bad Taste In One’s Mouth
Meaning: Unease, a feeling that something unspecified is wrong in a situation
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Bag of Tricks
Meaning: A set of methods or resources
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Bail Out
Meaning: To rescue someone from a bad situation, to shield someone from the consequences of his or her actions
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Ball and Chain
Meaning: 1. One’s spouse (derogatory but often affectionate); 2. an ongoing burden
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Ballpark Figure
Meaning: A rough estimate
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Banner Year
Meaning: A year marked by strong successes
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Bang for Your Buck
Meaning: Value for money
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Bang for Your Buck
Meaning: Value for your money
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Bang One’s Head Against the Wall
Meaning: Try repeatedly to do something without making progress
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Baptism by Fire
Meaning: A difficult task given right after one has assumed new responsibilities
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Bar Fly (or Barfly)
Meaning: Someone who spends much of his or her time in bars
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Bare One’s Heart (Soul)
Meaning: To confess one’s deepest secrets
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Bark Up the Wrong Tree
Meaning: Pursue a mistaken approach or belief; be wrong in a course of action
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Basket Case
Meaning: So upset or stunned that one is unable to function; in a hopeless condition
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Bat/Play for Both Teams
Meaning: To be bisexual.
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Bat/Play for the Other Team
Meaning: To be homosexual.
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Batten Down the Hatches
Meaning: Prepare for a storm
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Batten Down the Hatches
Meaning: Prepare for a storm
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Be A Barrel of Laughs
Meaning: To be fun, funny, and pleasant.
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Be A Cold Day In Hell
Meaning: (Something that) will never happen
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Be An Item
Meaning: Two people are an item when they are having a romantic relationship
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Be Footloose and Fancy-Free
Meaning: To be free of responsibilities, including romantic commitments
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Be Head Over Heels (In love)
Meaning: Be in love with somebody very much
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Be in Seventh Heaven
Meaning: Extremely happy
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Be in Two Minds (about something)
Meaning: To not be certain about something, or to have difficulty in making a decision
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Be Like Chalk and Cheese
Meaning: Things or people who are very different and have nothing in common
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Be Lovey – Dovey
Meaning: Expressing your love in public by constantly kissing and hugging
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Be on the Mend
Meaning: Be improving after an illness
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Be Snowed Under
Meaning: Be extremely busy with work or things to do
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Bean Counters
Meaning: Accountants, finance professionals in an organization
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Bean Counters
Meaning: Accountants, finance professionals in an organization
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Beat Around the Bush
Meaning: To speak in a roundabout way in order to avoid confronting an unpleasant topic
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Beat Someone To The Draw
Meaning: To accomplish or obtain something more quickly than someone else
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Beat Someone to the Punch
Meaning: Do something before or faster than someone else
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Beat the Drum for (Something)
Meaning: Speak in favor of something to try to generate support
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Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
Meaning: External appearance is a superficial basis for judging someone
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Bed of Roses
Meaning: A comfortable situation
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Bedroom Eyes
Meaning: An expression of the eyes that seems to invite sex
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Bee in One’s Bonnet
Meaning: Someone who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which constantly occupies their thoughts.
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Beggar Thy Neighbor
Meaning: To do something beneficial for oneself without worrying about how it affects others
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Behind the Eight (or 8) Ball
Meaning: At a serious disadvantage
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Behind the Scenes
Meaning: In a way not apparent to the public
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Behind the Times
Meaning: Old-fashioned
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Bell the Cat
Meaning: Take on a difficult or impossible task
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Bells And Whistles
Meaning: Attractive but unnecessary features of a product
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Belly Laugh
Meaning: Loud, hearty laughter
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Bend an Elbow
Meaning: Drink alcoholic beverages at a tavern
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Best (Greatest) Thing Since Sliced Bread
Meaning: An innovative development
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Best of Both Worlds
Meaning: Combining two qualities that are usually separate
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Bet One’s Bottom Dollar (On Something)
Meaning: Be certain that something will happen
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Bet the Farm
Meaning: Risk everything; spend all one’s money on something in hopes of success
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Better late Than Never
Meaning: It implies that a belated achievement is better than not reaching a goal at all.
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Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Meaning: Caught between two undesirable options
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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Meaning: In a difficult position
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Beyond the Pale
Meaning: Too morally or socially extreme to accept
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Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt
Meaning: Absolutely certain
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Big Apple
Meaning: An informal name for New York City
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Big Brother
Meaning: Government, viewed as an intrusive force in the lives of citizens; government spying
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Big Cheese
Meaning: An important person in a company or organization
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Big Deal
Meaning: An important event or accomplishment
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Big Fish
Meaning: An important person
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Big Picture
Meaning: A wide perspective; a broad view of something
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Big time
Meaning: If you do something big time, you do it to a great degree.
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Birds of a Feather
Meaning: People having similar characters, backgrounds, interests, or beliefs.
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Bird’s-Eye View
Meaning: A view from above; a broad perspective on something
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Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
Meaning: Try to do more than one is capable of doing
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Bite the Bullet
Meaning: To do something even though it involves pain, discomfort, or difficulty
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Bite the Hand That Feeds You
Meaning: Act badly toward someone who has helped you
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Bitter Pill to Swallow
Meaning: An unpleasant fact that one must accept
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Black and White
Meaning: A clear distinction between good and bad, positive and negative
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Black Eye
Meaning: A mark of shame
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Black Sheep
Meaning: A person who does not fit into a group, especially a family
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Black-and-Blue
Meaning: Bruised, showing signs of having been physically harmed
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Blank Check
Meaning: Permission to spend or do whatever one wishes; carte blanche
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Blind Date
Meaning: When two people who have never seen each other before go on a date
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Blinded by Love
Meaning: When a person is so madly in love with somebody that they can’t see the person’s faults or negative characteristics
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Blood and Thunder
Meaning: A dramatic, spectacular performance
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Blow Away the Cobwebs
Meaning: If something blows away the cobwebs, it makes you feel more lively and refreshes your ideas.
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Blow Hot and Cold
Meaning: Shift one’s level of enthusiasm repeatedly
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Blow Off Steam
Meaning: To express anger and frustration in a way that does no damage
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Blow One’s Top
Meaning: Lose one’s temper
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Blow One’s Stack
Meaning: To lose one’s temper and explode in anger
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Blow the Cobwebs Away (or Out of Something)
Meaning: Make space for fresh ideas, encourage something new
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Blow the Whistle
Meaning: Reporting an illegal or unacceptable activity to the authorities
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Blow Up
Meaning: Explode
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Blow Your Own Trumpet
Meaning: Brag; emphasize one’s own contributions
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Blue Blood (adj. blue-blooded)
Meaning: Person of aristocratic background
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Blue Eyed Boy
Meaning: A person who is a favorite of those in authority; someone whose mistakes are forgiven
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Blue Light Special
Meaning: 1. a temporary sale at a discount store. 2. a traffic stop by the police.
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Bob’s Your Uncle
Meaning: The rest is easy; you’re almost finished
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Bolt From the Blue
Meaning: Something completely unexpected
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Bone Dry
Meaning: Completely dry, totally without moisture
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Born on The Wrong Side of the Blanket
Meaning: Born to parents who were not married
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Borrow Trouble
Meaning: Take needless risks, invite problems
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Bottom of the Barrel
Meaning: Low-quality choices
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Boy Toy
Meaning: A young man who is the lover of an older, often wealthier woman (see toyboy)
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Boys will be Boys
Meaning: A phrase of resignation used when boys get into trouble or are stereotypically reckless or rowdy
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Brainstorm
Meaning: To generate many ideas quickly
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Break a Leg
Meaning: Good luck! This is used for a stage performer-or for anyone else who is about to give some kind of a performance, such as an important speech
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Break Out in A Cold Sweat
Meaning: To perspire from fever or anxiety
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Break the Bank
Meaning: Exhaust one’s financial resources
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Break The Ice
Meaning: To get something started, particularly by means of a social introduction or conversation
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Break up/ Split up (With Somebody)
Meaning: End the relationship
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Bring Home the Bacon
Meaning: Earn money for one’s family
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Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight
Meaning: Underequipped or unprepared
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Brush Under the Carpet
Meaning: Attempt to temporarily conceal a problem or error
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Bucket List
Meaning: Things you want to see or do before you die
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Bull in a China Shop
Meaning: A clumsy or tactless person
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Bump in the Road
Meaning: A temporary problem, a small setback
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Bundle Up
Meaning: Put on lots of warm clothing
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Burn One’s Bridges
Meaning: Leave a job or a relationship on such bad terms that one does not stay in contact
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Burn the Candle at Both Ends
Meaning: To work too hard, with possible bad consequences for one’s health
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Burn the Candle at Both Ends
Meaning: Work very long hours
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Burn the Midnight Oil
Meaning: To work late into the night
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Burn the Midnight Oil
Meaning: Working late into the night
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Bury (Hide) One’s Head In the Sand
Meaning: Ignoring something that’s obviously wrong, not facing reality
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Bury the Hatchet
Meaning: Make peace, agree to end a dispute
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Business as Usual
Meaning: A normal situation (whether related to business or not), typically restored after some change
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Busman’s Holiday (UK)
Meaning: A working vacation
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Busman’s Holiday
Meaning: A vacation where you do the same thing you do at work, a working vacation
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Busted Flush
Meaning: A failure, someone or something that seemed promising but did not develop well
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Butter Wouldn’t Melt in (Someone’s)
Meaning: Mouth This person is cool in manner, prim and proper
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Buy a Pig in a Poke
Meaning: To buy something with no prior inspection
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Buy Time
Meaning: Cause a delay in something with the aim of improving one’s position
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By a Whisker
Meaning: By a very short distance
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By All Means
Meaning: Of course, certainly
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By Hook or by Crook
Meaning: By some possibly dishonest means
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By the Skin of One’s Teeth
Meaning: Barely escaping disaster
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By Word of Mouth
Meaning: Via personal communications rather than written media