Oxford Dictionary of Idoms

The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms Idioms Edited by Judith Siefring OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Great Clarendon Street, Oxford 0x2 6DP Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sào Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Oxford University Press 1999, 2004 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 1999 Second edition 2004 All rights reserved. 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Contents Preface Dictionary of Idioms Index vii 1 323 Preface The aim of the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms is to provide clear definitions of phrases and sayings for those who do not know what they mean, but also to offer the curious reader interesting facts about the origins of phrases and examples of their use. This second edition of the Oxford Dictionary ofIdioms is based on the first edition, edited by Jennifer Speake. It maintains the first edition's focus on contemporary and historical phrases, sayings, and proverbs, and uses a combination of definition and (where required) explanatory note and illustrative quotation to provide a rounded picture of idiomatic usage. The coverage of the previous edition has been extended by the inclusion of more than 350 new idioms, and a great many contemporary illustrative quotations have also been added. These quotations have been taken from a variety of sources: from novels to travel guides, broadsheet newspapers to teenage magazines. They help to give the reader a better understanding of how an idiom is used: a typical context, a certain tone, or a particular resonance. The formation of new phrases and sayings is one of the most colourful aspects of language development, and by adding idioms such as chew the scenery, be in like Flynn, and give someone the hairy eyeball, and quotations from the likes of Anthony Bourdain, Arundhati Roy, Melvin Burgess, and Tom Clancy, the new edition hopes to reflect this colour. A new index section at the end of the book groups together idioms which share a common theme or subject, so giving readers a vivid snapshot of those areas and aspects of life that have generated a particularly rich variety offigurativeexpressions. My thanks must go to Richard Jones for his work on sourcing quotations, to Georgia Hole for proofreading, and above all to Sara Hawker for her help and insight throughout the project. JUDITH SIEFRING Aa A abdabs A 1 excellent; first-rate. give someone the screaming abdabs induce an attack of extreme anxiety or irritation in someone. i ! j I ! ; O The full form of this expression is >47 at Lloyd's. In Lloyd's Register of Shipping, the phrase was used of ships in first-class condition as to the hull (A) and stores (1). The US equivalent is A No. 7; both have been in figurative use since the mid 19th century. j ! j j O Abdabs (or habdabs) is mid 20th-century ! slang whose origin is unknown. The word is sometimes also used to mean an attack of delirium tremens. from A to B from your starting point to your destination; from one place to another. abet 1987 K. Rushforth Tree Planting & Managementaid and abet: see AID. The purpose of street tree planting is to... make the roads and thoroughfares pleasant in their own right, not just as places about used to travel from A to B. know what you are about be aware of the implications of your actions or of a from A to Z over the entire range; in every situation, and of how best to deal with particular. 1998 Salmon, Trout & Sea-Trout In order to have them, informal seen Scotland's gamefishingin its entirety, 1993 Ski Survey He ran a 3-star guest house from A to Z, visiting 30 stretches ofriverand before this, so knows what he is about. 350 lochs a year, you would have to be travelling for a hundred years. above aback take someone aback shock, surprise, or disconcert someone. ! i ; i i i ! | O The phrase is frequently used in the passive form (be taken aback): this was adopted in the mid 19th century from earlier (mid 18th-century) nautical terminology, to describe the situation of a ship with its sails pressed back against the mast by a headwind, preventing forward movement. above yourself conceited; arrogant. 1999 Frank McCourt 'Tis Many a man made his way in America by the sweat of his brow and his strong back and it's a good thing to learn your station in life and not be getting above yourself. not be above — be capable of stooping to an unworthy act. 1991 Maureen Duffy Illuminations The copyist was not above turning author or forger and several MS S from this period must be viewed as highly suspect. 1991 Kathleen Jones Learning Not To Be First Abraham They were taken aback by the shabbiness of the hotel and lack of cleanliness in the city in Abraham's bosom in heaven, the place of generally. rest for the souls of the blessed, dated ABC as easy (or simple) as ABC extremely easy or straightforward. I I ! j | O From the 15th to the 17th century, a child's first spelling and reading book was commonly called an ABC, and this led to the j development of its metaphorical use, 'the basic elements or rudiments of something'. j i j j i I O The phrase is taken from Luke 16:22: 'And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom', In the Bible, Abraham was the Hebrew patriarch from whom all Jews traced their descent. acceptable the acceptable face of the tolerable or attractive manifestation or aspect of. ! I j j accident 1996 New York Review of Books He presents himself as the acceptable face of gambling... the man who, almost singlehandedly, has turned a huckster's paradise into a gangster-free zone. accident 2 i I I j I j O The a c e i s t n e highest playing card in its suit in many card games, so a cheating player j mightwellhideonetouseagainstan unwary ; opponent. A North American variant is an ace \ in the hole. The next two idioms are also based on this meaning of ace. an accident waiting to happen Q a potentially disastrous situation, usually caused by negligent or faulty procedures. © a person certain to cause trouble. 01997 Times Accidents are often said to be 'waiting to happen'. It does not take much imagination to see that the chaotic start to the Whitbread round-the-world race... could easily have ended in tragedy. hold all the aces have all the advantages. play your ace use your best resource. within an ace of very close to. accidents will happen however careful you try to be, it is inevitable that some unfortunate or unforeseen events will occur. an Achilles heel a person's only vulnerable spot; a serious or fatal weakness. ! O This phrase is a shortened form of the i early 19th-century proverb'accidents will i happen in the best regulated families'. a chapter of accidents: see CHAPTER. i j i ; O Ace here has the figurative meaning of 'a j tiny amount' and is used with reference to thesinglespotontheplayingcard.Thephrase i was first recorded in the early 18th century. Achilles j j i ! | j i O In Greek mythology, the nymph Thetis dipped her infant son Achilles in the water of j the River Styx to make him immortal, but the i heel by which she held him was not touched j by the water; he was ultimately killed in battle by an arrow wound in this one vulnerable spot. 1998 Times The inclination to outlaw that of which it disapproves... is, if not the cloven hoof beneath the hem of Tony Blair's Government, certainly its Achilles heel. accord of your own accord voluntarily or without outside intervention. account acid give a good (or bad) account of yourself make a favourable (or unfavourable) impression through your performance or actions. settle {or square) accounts with someone 0 pay money owed to someone. Q have revenge on someone. the acid test a situation or event which finally proves whether something is good or bad, true or false, etc. accounting 1990 Which? These deals are designed to encourage impulse buying, so the acid test is whether you would have bought anyway. come the acid be unpleasant or offensive; speak in a caustic or sarcastic manner. put the acid on someone try to extract a loan or favour from someone. Australian & New there's no accounting for tastes it's impossible to explain why different people like different things, especially those things which the speaker considers unappealing, proverb 1 | ! | O Since the late 18th century, this has been j the usual English form of the Latin expression I de gustibus non est disputandum 'there is no ! disputing about tastes'. ace have an ace up your sleeve have an effective resource or piece of information kept hidden until it is necessary to use it; have a secret advantage. i I i i O The original use of the phrase was to describe a method of testing for gold with nitric acid (gold being resistant to the effects j of nitric acid). Zealand informal acquaintance have a nodding acquaintance with someone or something: see NODDING. scrape acquaintance with: see SCRAPE. acre God's acre: see GOD. admirable 3 across across the board applying to all. ! j i I O , n the USA, this expression refers to a horse-racing bet in which equal amounts are j staked on the same horse to win, place, or show in a race. 1999 Wall Street Journal The decline for the euro across the board was mainly attributed to the further erosion of global investors' confidence toward the euro-zone economy. be across something fully understand the details or complexity of an issue or situation. Australian I O Originally, this was an order to naval ; personnel to go to their allocated positions j ready to engage the enemy. man of action a man whose life is characterized by physical activity or deeds rather than by words or intellectual matters. a piece of the action: see PIECE. where the action is where important or interesting things are happening, informal 1971 Gourmet You can dine outside, weather permitting, or in the bar where the action is. act actual act your age behave in a manner appropriate to your age and not to someone much younger. your actual — the real, genuine, or important thing specified, informal 1968 Kenneth Williams Diary There's no doubt about it, on a good day, I look quite lovely in your actual gamin fashion. act the goat: see GOAT. act of God an instance of uncontrollable natural forces in operation. I O This phrase is often used in insurance j contracts to refer to incidents such as j lightning strikes or floods. a class act: see CLASS. clean up your act: see CLEAN. do a disappearing act: see DISAPPEARING. get your act together organize yourself in the manner required in order to achieve something, informal 2002 New York Times There are still many who think all that the dirty, homeless man on the corner talking to himself needs is just to get his act together. a hard (or tough) act to follow an achievement or performance which sets a standard difficult for others to measure up to. 1996 Independent Her determination and championing of tourism will be a tough act to follow. in on the act involved in a particular activity in order to gain profit or advantage, informal 1997 What Cellphone Conference calls are becoming big business for the fixed-line operators, and now there are signs that the mobile networks are getting in on the act. read someone the riot act: see R E A D . action action stations an order or warning to prepare for action. Adam not know someone from Adam not know or be completely unable to recognize the person in question, informal the old Adam unregenerate human nature. ! O In Christian symbolism, the old Adam ! represents fallen man as contrasted with the \ \ second Adam, Jesus Christ. 1993 Outdoor Canada It is the Old Adam in us. We are descendants of a long line of dirt farmers, sheepherders... and so forth. add add fuel to the fire: see FUEL. add insult to injury: see INSULT. adder deaf as an adder: see DEAF. admirable an admirable Crichton a person who excels in all kinds of studies and pursuits, or who is noted for supreme competence. | j j i ! i j i O This expression originally referred to James Crichton of Clunie (1560-85?), a Scottish nobleman renowned for his intellectual and physical prowess. In J. M. Barrie's play The Admirable Crichton (1902), the eponymous hero is a butler who takes charge when his master's family is shipwrecked on a desert island. i adrift adrift cast (or cut) someone adrift ©leave someone in a boat or other craft which has nothing to secure or guide it. © abandon or isolate someone. 01998 Oldie The various dissenting movements ... should be cut adrift and left to their own devices. advance any advance on —? any higher bid than —? j I j I O This phrase is said by an auctioneer to elicit a higher bid, and so is used figuratively i as a query about general progress in a particular matter. 4 something because neither party will compromise or be persuaded. agreement a gentleman's agreement: see GENTLEMAN. ahead ahead of the game ahead of your competitors or peers in the same sphere of activity. 1996 Daily Telegraph The smart money headed for Chinatown, where you can pick up all those Eastern looks the designers are promoting for next spring ahead of the game. ahead of your (or its) time innovative and radical by the standards of the time. advocate streets ahead: see STREET. play devil's advocate: see DEVIL. aid afraid aid and abet help and encourage someone to do something wrong, especially to commit a crime. afraid of your own shadow: see SHADOW. Africa j O Abet comes from an Old French term j meaning 'to encourage a hound to bite'. for Africa in abundance; in large numbers. South African informal 1986 Frank Peretti This Present Darkness She strained to think of... any friend who would 1980 C. Hope A Separate Development An entire still aid and abet a fugitive from the law, museum of vintage stuff including... without questions. Bentleys for Africa. in aid of in support of; for the purpose of after raising money for. chiefly British be after doing something be on the point of 1999 Teesdale Mercury A wine and savoury doing something or have just done it. Irish evening in aid of cancer research will be 1988 Roddy Doyle The Commitments I'm after held... on Friday. rememberin'. I forgot to bring mine back. It's under me bed. age what's all this in aid of? what is the purpose of this? British informal act your age: see ACT. air the awkward age: see AWKWARD. airs and graces an affected manner of behaving, designed to attract or impress. British give yourself airs act pretentiously or snobbishly. 1948 Christopher Bush The Case of the Second Chance It was said she gave herself airs, and it was also hinted that she was no better—as they say—than she might be. come of age Q (of a person) reach adult status, ©(of a movement or activity) become fully established. feel your age: see FEEL. a golden age: see GOLDEN. under age: see UNDER. agenda a hidden agenda: see HIDDEN. agony pile on the agony: see PILE. prolong the agony: see PROLONG. agree agree to differ cease to argue about : j I i j O Air in the sense of 'an affected manner' has been current since the mid 17th century; j from the early 18th century the plural form has been more usual in this derogatory i sense. hot air: see HOT. up in the air (of a plan or issue) still to be settled; unresolved. all 5 1990 Times Thatcherism may be dying on its 1995 Scientific American Prospects for federal feet in Britain, but it is alive and well in foreign research and development are up in the air as parts. Republicans looking for budget cuts take control on Capitol Hill. on (or off) the air being {or not being) all broadcast on radio or television. all and sundry everyone. take the air go out of doors. 1991 Sunday Times In the manner of an Oscarwalk on air feel elated. winner, she thanks all and sundry for their help. 1977 Bernard MacLaverty Secrets 'I'm sure you're walking on air,' my mother said to Paul all comers anyone who chooses to take at his wedding. part in an activity, typically a competition. aisle 1992 AI Gore Earth in the Balance He has have people rolling in the aisles ©make an traveled to conferences and symposia in every audience laugh uncontrollably, ©be very part of the world, argued his case, and amusing, informal patiently taken on all comers. O1940 P. G. Wodehouse Quick Service I made all-in ©with everything included. the speech of a lifetime. I had them tearing up ©exhausted. British informal the seats and rolling in the aisles. all my eye and Betty Martin: see EYE. all of as much as (often used ironically of an aitch amount considered very small by the drop your aitches: see DROP. speaker or writer). 1995 Bill Bryson Notesfroma Small Island In Aladdin 1992, a development company... tore down an Aladdin's cave a place full of valuable five listed buildings, in a conservation area, objects. was taken to court and fined all of £675. an Aladdin's lamp a talisman that enables its be all one to make no difference to owner to fulfil every desire. someone. i O , n t r , e Arabian Nights tale of Aladdin, all out using all your strength or resources. i the hero finds a magic lamp in a cave. He all over the place in a state of confusion or i discoversthatrubbingitsummonsapowerful j j genie who is able to carry out all his wishes. disorganization, informal alarm alarms and excursions confused activity and uproar, humorous ! I I j ; j O Alarm was formerly spelled alarum, representing a pronunciation with a rolling of the 'r'; the phrase was originally a call summoning soldiers to arms. The whole phrase is used in stage directions in Shakespeare to indicate a battle scene. alight set the world alight: see SET. alive alive and kicking prevalent and very active. informal 1991 Mark Tully No Full Stops in India You deliberately choose unknown actors, although India is a country where the star system is very much alive and kicking. alive and well still existing or active (often used to deny rumours or beliefs that something has disappeared or declined). ! ! ! j O Other variants of this phrase include a// over the map and all over the lot which are North American, and all over the shop which i is mainly British. 1997 Spectator The government... proposed equalising standards and making them comparable... there could be no clearer admission that standards are all over the place. all the rage: see RAGE. all round ©in all respects, ©for or by each person. all-singing, all-dancing with every possible attribute; able to perform any necessary function. British informal O This phrase is used particularly in the area of computer technology, but it was originally used to describe show-business acts. Ultimately, it may come from a series of 1929 posters which advertised the addition of sound to motion pictures. The first Hollywood musical, MGM's Broadway Melody, was promoted with the slogan All Talking All Singing All Dancing. all-clear 1991 Computing Each of the major independents launched an all-singing all-dancing graphics-oriented version last year. all systems go: see SYSTEM. be all that be very attractive or good. US informal 2002 Guardian I can't believe how she throws herself at guys, she thinks she's all that. not all there not in full possession of your mental faculties, informal 6 ! i i j i j O Alpha and omega are respectively thefirst j and last letters of the Greek alphabet, Christians use the phrase as a title for Jesus Christ, taking it from Revelation 1:8: 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord'. 0 1 9 9 4 BBC Holidays At Cambridge... you'll find the alpha and omega of American academic life: historic Harvard and space-age MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). be all things to all men: see THING. altar — and all used to emphasize something additional that is being referred to. sacrifice someone or something on the altar of make someone or something suffer in the interests of someone or something else. 1994 Post (Denver) The cherished goal of a color-blind society... has been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. informal 1992 Kenichi Ohmae The Borderless World You can whip up nationalist passions and stagemanage protectionist rallies, bonfires and all. be all go: see G O . be all up with: see U P . for all — in spite of—. 1989 Independent For all their cruel, corrupt and reckless vices, the Maharajahs were worshipped as gods by tens of thousands of their subjects. altogether in the altogether without any clothes on; naked, informal 1991 Today The mothers... have agreed to pose in the altogether. all of a sudden: see SUDDEN. on all fours: see FOUR. all-clear give (or get) the all-clear indicate {or get a sign) that a dangerous situation is now safe. i O In wartime a signal or siren is often j sounded to indicate that a bombing raid is i over. American as American as apple pie typically American in character. 1995 New York Times Magazine To reward people for something beyond merit is American as apple pie. the American dream the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. alley amok a blind alley: see BLIND. run amok behave uncontrollably and disruptively. up your alley: see up your street at STREET. ally pass in your ally: see P A S S . along along about round about a specified time or date. North American informal or dialect 1989 Motor Trend Along about this time, it had started raining, so they red-flagged the race for a change to rain tires. alpha alpha and omega Othe beginning and the end. ©the essence or most important features. j I j ! ! O Amok, formerly also spelt amuck, comes from the Malay word amuk, meaning 'in a homicidal frenzy', in which sense it was first introduced into English in the early 16th century. j i 1990 New York Review of Books Hersh's article is sensationalism run amok. It does no credit to him or to The New York Times Magazine. analysis in the final analysis when everything has been considered (used to suggest that the following statement expresses the basic truth about a complex situation). appeal 7 ancient ant ancient as the hills: see HILL. the ancient of Days a biblical title for God, taken from Daniel 7:9. have ants in your pants be fidgety or restless. informal any angel not be having any of it be absolutely unwilling to cooperate, informal the angel in the house a woman who is completely devoted to her husband and family. I i : j anyone O This was the title of a collection of poems ! on married love by Coventry Patmore (1823-96), and it is now mainly used ironically. j on the side of the angels on the side of what is right. j i i ! j j j \ O In a speech in Oxford in November 1864 the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli alluded to the controversy over the origins of humankind then raging in the wake of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859): 'Is man an ape or an angel? Now I am on the side of the angels' (The Times 26 Nov. 1864). be poles apart: see POLE. ! i j \ angry young man a young man who feels and expresses anger at the conventional values of the society around him. O Originally, this term referred to a member of a group of socially conscious writers in Britain in the 1950s, in particular the playwright John Osborne. The phrase, the title of a book (1951) by Leslie Paul, was used of Osborne in the publicity material for his play Look Back in Anger (1956), in which the characteristic views of the angry young men were articulated by the anti-hero Jimmy Porter. answer the answer's a lemon: see LEMON. a dusty answer: see DUSTY. ante up (or raise) the ante increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute. i i ! i ; anything anything goes: see GOES. apart angry ! j ! I ! j ! I I j anyone's game an evenly balanced contest. be anyone's (of a person) be open to sexual advances from anyone, informal O Ante comes from Latin, in which it means j 'before'. As an English noun it was originally j (in the early 19th century) a term in poker and j similar gambling games, meaning'a stake put up by a player before drawing cards'. 1998 New Scientist This report ups the ante on the pace at which these cases need to be identified and treated. come apart at the seams: see SEAM. ape go ape go wild; become violently excited. informal i ! i | O Originally mid 20th-century North American slang, this expression possibly refers to the 1933 movie King Kong, which stars a giant ape-like monster. apology an apology for a very poor example of. 1998 Imogen de la Bere The Last Deception of Palliser Wentwood It's an apology for a bridge, built of left-over stones. with apologies to used before the name of an author or artist to indicate that something is a parody or adaptation of their work. 2001 This Old House With apologies to Robert Frost, boundary expert Walter Robillard says, 'Good fences on the proper line make good neighbours'. appeal appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober ask someone to reconsider, with the suggestion that an earlier opinion or decision represented only a passing mood. j j j i j j j O This phrase comes from an anecdote told by the Roman historian and moralist Valerius Maximus concerning an unjust judgement given by King Philip of Macedon: the woman condemned by Philip declared that she would appeal to him once again, but this time when he was sober. j j | i ! 8 appearance appeal to Caesar appeal to the highest possible authority. ! i ! ; apple pie as American as apple pie: see AMERICAN. O The allusion is to the claim made by the apostle Paul to have his case heard in Rome, which was his right as a Roman citizen: 'I appeal unto Caesar' (Acts 25:11). apropos apropos of nothing having no relevance to any previous discussion or situation. approval appearance seal (or stamp) of approval an indication or keep up appearances maintain an statement that something is accepted or impression of wealth or well-being. regarded favourably. to (or by) all appearances as far as can be I O This expression stems from the practice of j seen. 1991 Eric Lax Woody Allen To all appearances, | putting a stamp (or formerly a seal) on official j I documents. theirs was a unique case of sibling amity. apple apron apple of discord a subject of dissension. I j ! j O This expression refers to the Greek myth in which a golden apple inscribed'for the fairest'was contended for by the goddesses Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite. j the apple of your eye a person or thing of whom you are extremely fond and proud. i j I ; i O | n Old English, the phrase referred to the pupil of the eye, considered to be a globular solid body; it came to be used as a symbol of something cherished and watched j over. apples and oranges (of two people or things) irreconcilably or fundamentally different. North American a rotten (or bad) apple a bad person in a group, typically one whose behaviour is likely to have a corrupting influence on the rest, informal she's apples used to indicate that everything is in good order and there is nothing to worry about. Australian informal i O Apples and spice or apples and rice is ! Australian rhyming slang for nice. apple cart upset the apple cart wreck an advantageous project or disturb the status quo. i j i ! i O The use of a cart piled high with apples as i a metaphor for a satisfactory but possibly precarious state of affairs is recorded in various expressions from the late 18th century onwards. 1996 Business Age The real test will be instability in China... Another Tiananmen Square could really upset the apple cart. tied to someone's apron strings too much under the influence and control of someone (especially used to suggest that a man is too much influenced by his mother). area a grey area: see GREY. a no-go area: see NO-GO. argue argue the toss dispute a decision or choice already made, informal, chiefly British i I j ; O The toss in this phrase is the tossing of a coin to decide an issue in a simple and unambiguous way according to the side of the coin visible when it lands. ark out of the ark extremely old-fashioned. j j j i O The ark referred to is the biblical Noah's ark (Genesis 6-7), in which Noah endeavoured to save his family and two of every kind of animal from the Flood. arm a call to arms a call to make ready for confrontation. cost an arm and a leg be extremely expensive, informal give an arm and a leg for pay a high price for. keep someone or something at arm's length avoid intimacy or close contact with someone or something. the long arm of coincidence the far-reaching power of coincidence. 9 as the long (or strong) arm of the law the police seen as a far-reaching or intimidating power. as long as your arm very long, informal put the arm on attempt to force or coerce someone to do something. North American informal up in arms about protesting angrily about something. 1994 Asian Times A lack of checks and balances... or legal redress for workers have trade unions up in arms. with open arms with great affection or enthusiasm. would give your right arm for be willing to pay a high price for; greatly desire to have or do. informal armchair an armchair critic a person who knows about a subject only by reading or hearing about it and criticizes without active experience or first-hand knowledge. I i ! i ! ! j O The phrase armchair critic is first recorded ; in 1896, but the concept was around at least a i decade earlier: in 1886 Joseph Chamberlain sneered at opponents as 'arm-chair politicians'. Another common variant is armchair traveller, meaning 'someone who travels in their imagination only'. armed armed at all points prepared in every particular. armed to the teeth Q carrying a lot of weapons, ©heavily equipped. armpit up to your armpits deeply involved in a particular unpleasant situation or enterprise, chiefly US resources or strategies that can be drawn on or followed. arrow of time (ortime's arrow) the direction of travel from past to future in time considered as a physical dimension. a straight arrow an honest or genuine person. North American a r s e vulgar slang go arse over tit fall over in a sudden or dramatic way. kiss my arse: see KISS. kiss someone's arse: see KISS. lick someone's arse: see LICK. not know your arse from your elbow be totally ignorant or incompetent. a pain in the arse: see PAIN. art art for art's sake the idea that a work of art has no purpose beyond itself. I j : : be art and part of be an accessory or participant in; be deeply involved in. ! I i ! O Be art and part of was originally a Scottish legal expression: art referred to the bringing about of an action and part to participation in it. I j j j have something down to a fine art: see F I N E ART. state of the art: see STATE. article an article of faith afirmlyheld belief. I O Article is here used in the sense of 'a I statement or item in a summary of religious j belief. ! 1994 Paul Ormerod The Death of Economics It is an article of faith in orthodox economics that free trade between nations is wholly desirable. army you and whose army? used to express disbelief in someone's ability to carry out a threat, informal © This phrase is the slogan of artists who hold that the chief oronlyaimof aworkof art i is the self-expression of the individual artist who creates it. the finished article: see F I N I S H E D . the genuine article: see GENUINE. around have been around have a lot of varied experience of the world, especially a lot of sexual experience, informal arrow an arrow in the quiver one of a number of as as and when used to refer to an uncertain future event. 1996 She The single most important strategy you can adopt to boost your energy levels is to learn to deal with an issue as and when it rears its head. ascendant as if! used to express the speaker's belief that something is very doubtful or unlikely. informal as it were in a way (used to be less precise). 1991 Atlantic jazz audiences permit older musicians to go on suiting up, as it were, until they drop. 10 behave in a way that is likely to result in difficulty for yourself, informal for the asking used to indicate that someone can easily have something if they want it. 1991 Mark Tully No Full Stops in India Second helpings come automatically, and third helpings are there for the asking. ascendant asleep in the ascendant rising in power or influence. asleep at the wheel not attentive or alert; inactive, informal i j ! ! : O This expression has been in figurative use I since the late 16th century. Literally, in technical astrological use, an ascendant is the j sign of the zodiac that is just rising above the j eastern horizon at a particular moment. I | I I 2003 Guardian Rowling has not been asleep at the wheel in the three years since the last Potter novel, and I am pleased to report that she has not confused sheer length with inspiration. ash dust and ashes: see DUST. rake over the ashes: see RAKE. rise from the ashes: see RISE. turn to ashes in your mouth become bitterly disappointing or worthless. ! ! j j ! ; O This phrase alludes to the Dead Sea fruit, I a legendary fruit which looked appetizing but turned to smoke and ashes when someone tried to eat it. The fruit are described in the Travels attributed to the 14th-century writer John de Mandeville. 1995 Guardian Those who marvelled at the phenomenal climbing feats of Pedro Delgado in the 1988 Tour found words such as 'heroic' and 'Herculean' turn to ashes in their mouths during the probenecid (a masking agent) scandal. ask ask for the moon: see MOON. ask me another! used to say emphatically that you do not know the answer to a question, informal ask no odds: see ODDS. a big ask a difficult demand to fulfil. informal don't ask me! used to indicate that you do not know the answer to a question and that you are surprised or irritated to be questioned, informal I ask you! an exclamation of shock or disapproval intended to elicit agreement from your listener, informal asking be asking for trouble (or be asking for it) © The image here is of falling asleep while j driving a car. A North American variant is asleep at the switch, which refers to the points lever or switch on a railway. a S S North American vulgar slang bust your ass try very hard to do something. chew someone's ass reprimand someone severely. cover your ass take steps to protect yourself. drag (or haul) ass hurry or move fast. get your ass in gear hurry. kick (some) ass (or kick someone's ass): see KICK. kiss ass:see KISS. kiss someone's ass: see KISS. no skin off your ass: see S K I N . not give a rat's ass not care at all about something. a pain in the ass: see PAIN. a piece of ass: see PIECE. put someone's ass in a sling get someone in trouble. whip (or bust) someone's ass use physical force to beat someone in a fight. at at it engaged in some activity, typically a reprehensible one. 1993 G. F. Newman Law b Order Oh, don't take me for a complete idiot, Jack. I know you're at it. at that in addition; furthermore (used for emphasis at the end of a statement). 1994 Sunday Times The sensitivity to social change may play its part, but in reality fashion is a business, and a hard-nosed one at that. 11 aye where it's at the most fashionable place, get away with you! used to express possession, or activity, informal scepticism. Scottish 1990 Ellen Feldman Lookingfor Love New York is far and away: see FAR. where it's at, stylewise. out and away: see OUT. atmosphere an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife a general feeling of great tension or malevolence. attendance dance attendance on: see DANCE. auld for auld lang syne for old times' sake. i © The phrase literally means'for old long ; since', and is the title and refrain of a song by j ! Robert Burns (1788). auspice under the auspices of with the help, support, or protection of. ; ! ! ! j j | ! ! O Auspice (since the late 18th century almost always used in the plural), comes from the Latin word auspicium, which means the act of divination carried out by an auspex in ancient Rome. The auspex observed the flight of birds in order to foretell future events. If the omens were favourable he was seen as the protector of the particular enterprise foretold. authority have something on good authority have ascertained something from a reliable source. away away with something used as an exhortation to overcome or be rid of something. awkward the awkward age adolescence. the awkward squad a squad composed of recruits and soldiers who need further training. i I ! j ! i O Shortly before his death Robert Burns is reported to have said, 'Don't let the awkward squad fire over me'. Nowadays, the expression is often used to refer to a group of people who are regarded as tiresome or difficult to deal with. axe have an axe to grind have a private, sometimes malign, motive for doing or being involved in something. j j j j O T n e expression originated in a story told ! by Benjamin Franklin and was used first in the j USA, especially with reference to politics, but j it is now in general use. 1997 Times I am a non-smoker, and have no personal axe to grind. aye the ayes have it the affirmative votes are in the majority. j ! j j O /Aye is an archaic or dialect word meaning j 'yes', now used in standard speech only when j voting. Compare with the noes have it (at NO). 2000 Guardian The arguments will continue. But we think the 'ayes' have it. Bb B plan B an alternative strategy. 1999 8 Days And if that doesn't work, well, there's always Plan B. babe babes in the wood inexperienced people in a situation calling for experience. i ! \ j i j i | i O The babes in the wood are characters in an old ballad The Children in the Wood, which dates from the 16th century, The two children are abandoned in the wood by their wicked uncle who wishes to steal their inheritance. The children die of starvation and robins cover their bodies with leaves; the uncle and his accomplice are subsequently brought to justice. baby be someone's baby (of a project) be instigated and developed by one particular person; be someone's creation or special concern, informal be left holding the baby: see HOLDING. throw the baby out with the bathwater discard something valuable along with other things that are inessential or undesirable. ! | j ! j j j O This phrase is based on a German saying recorded from the early 16th century but not ! introduced into English until the mid 19th century, by Thomas Carlyle. He identified it as I German and gave it in the form, 'You must empty out the bathing-tub, but not the baby i along with it.' date and who is no longer relevant or useful. back o'Bourke the outback. Australian informal j O Bourke is the name of a town in northi west New South Wales. the back of beyond a very remote or inaccessible place. 1998 Sanjida O'Connell Angel Bird This is London, Niall, not some poky wee place in the back of beyond. back to the drawing board used to indicate that an idea or scheme has been unsuccessful and a new one must be devised. ; O An architectural or engineering project is j : at its earliest phase when it exists only as a j plan on a drawing board. 1991 Discover Even as Humphries fine-tunes his system, however, he realizes that NASA could send him back to the drawing board. back to square one back to the starting point, with no progress made. j i : : j O Square one may be a reference to a board j game such as Snakes and Ladders, or may come from the notional division of a football j pitch into eight numbered sections for the purpose of early radio commentaries. back the wrong horse make a wrong or inappropriate choice. be on (or get off) someone's back nag (or stop nagging) someone, informal by the back door using indirect or dishonest 1998 New Scientist It is easy to throw out the means to achieve an objective. baby with the bathwater when it comes to UFO books—there are some seriously bad get someone's back up make someone titles out there. annoyed or angry. back at the back of your mind not consciously or specifically thought of or remembered but still part of your general awareness. back in the day in the past; some time ago. a back number Qan issue of a periodical before the current one. © a person whose ideas or methods are out of I O This phrase developed as an allusion to i the way a cat arches its back when it is angry i ! or threatened. get your own back: see GET. know something like the back of your hand be entirely familiar with something. not in my back yard: see NOT. on your back in bed recovering from an injury or illness. balance 13 0 1 9 9 7 Spectator Mr Montgomery was able to sack Mr Hargreaves, who had evidently not brought home the bacon. put your back Into approach a task with vigour. see the back of be rid of an unwanted person or thing. British informal someone's back is turned someone's attention is elsewhere. 1989 Orson Scott Card Prentice Alvin That prentice of yours look strong enough to dig it hisself, if he doesn't lazy off and sleep when your back is turned. take a back seat take or be given a less important position or role. Compare with in the driver's seat (at DRIVER). bad bad blood: see BLOOD. a bad quarter of an hour a short but very unpleasant period of time; an unnerving experience. ! ! i ! O A bad quarter of an hour is a translation of the French phrase un mauvais quart d'heure, which has also been current in English since the mid 19th century. with your back to {or up against) the wall in a desperate situation. a bad workman blames his tools: see backbone be bad news: see N E W S . put backbone into someone encourage someone to behave resolutely. my bad used to acknowledge responsibility for a mistake. North American informal j O A s a metaphor for 'firmness of character', ! | backbone dates from the mid 19th century. 1998 Spectator There is a widespread belief that if only Mrs Thatcher had still been in No. 10, she would have put backbone into Bush and got rid of Saddam. back-seat a back-seat driver Q a passenger in a vehicle who constantly gives the driver unwanted advice on how to drive. 0 someone who lectures and criticizes the person actually in control of something. backwards bend over backwards to do something make every effort, especially to be fair or helpful, informal know something backwards be entirely familiar with something. 1991 William Trevor Reading Turgenev People who lived in the town knew it backwards. WORKMAN. turn up like a bad penny: see PENNY. bag bag and baggage with all your belongings. a bag of bones an emaciated person or animal. Compare with be skin and bone (at S K I N ) . a bag {or bundle) of nerves a person who is extremely t i m i d or tense, informal a bag {or whole bag) of tricks a set of ingenious plans, techniques, or resources. informal be left holding the bag: see be left holding the baby at HOLDING. in the bag Q (of something desirable) as good as secured, © d r u n k . US informal pack your bag: see PACK. bait fish or cut bait: see F I S H . rise to the bait: see RISE. bacon baker save someone's bacon: see save someone's a baker's dozen thirteen. skin at SAVE. bring home the bacon Q supply material provision or support, ©achieve success. informal i i j j ; O This phrase probably derives from the much earlier save your bacon, recorded from i the mid 17th century. In early use bacon also j referred to fresh pork, the meat most readily \ available to rural people. ! \ I j i I O This expression arose from the former bakers' practice of adding an extra loaf to a dozen sold to a retailer, this representing the j latter's profit. balance turn the balance: see turn the scales at SCALE. weigh something in the balance carefully bald 14 ponder or assess the merits and demerits of something. ! ! ! i i j ! ! i ! O The image is of a pair of old-fashioned scales with two pans in which the positive and negative aspects of something can be set against each other. The expanded phrase weighed in the balance and found wanting meaning'having failed to meet the test of a particular situation'is also found, and is an allusion to the biblical book of Daniel, where such a process formed part of the judgement made on King Belshazzar. j j j j bald as bald as a coot completely bald. j ! j I i | i O The coot {Fulica atra) has a broad white shield extending up from the base of its bill, The history of the word bald is somewhat obscure, but analogies with other northern European languages suggest a connection with the idea of 'having a white patch or streak'. ball a ball and chain a severe hindrance. I j j j O Originally, a ball and chain referred to a heavy metal ball attached by a chain to the leg of a prisoner or convict to prevent their escape. the ball is in someone's court it is that particular person's turn to act next. j O This expression is a metaphor from tennis i j or a similar ball game where different players j j use particular areas of a marked court. a ball of fire a person who is full of energy and enthusiasm. j O In the early 19th century this phrase was j j also used to mean 'a glass of brandy'. behind the eight ball: see E I G H T . have a ball enjoy yourself greatly; have fun. 1998 Romesh Gunesekera Sandglass It's big business now, you know. You have to be on the ball: go, go, go all the time. play ball work willingly with others; cooperate, informal ! O The literal sense is of play ball is 'play a ! team ball game such as baseball or cricket'. start the ball rolling set an activity in motion; make a start. the whole ball of wax everything. North American informal a whole new ball game a completely new set of circumstances, informal i O The phrase originated in North America, j i where a ball game is a baseball match. 1989 Looks Making the film was a whole new ball game... for Kylie. ballistic go ballistic fly into a rage, informal 1998 New Scientist The French nuclear industry, local authorities around La Hague and some government agencies went ballistic. Viel wasfiercelycondemned for his findings. balloon go down like a lead balloon: see LEAD. when (or before) the balloon goes up when (or before) the action or trouble starts. informal ! O The balloon alluded to is probably one j released to mark the start of an event. 1959 Punch The international rules of war are apt to be waived when the balloon goes up. ballpark in the ballpark in a particular area or range. informal i O The phrase originated in the USA, where a j ! ballpark is a baseball ground. informal have the ball at your feet have your best opportunity of succeeding. have a lot on the ball have a lot of ability. US keep the ball rolling maintain the momentum of an activity. keep your eye on (or take your eye off) the ball keep (or fail to keep) your attention focused on the matter in hand. on the ball alert to new ideas, methods, and trends, informal bamboo the bamboo curtain an impenetrable political, economic, and cultural barrier between China and non-Communist countries. j O Formed on the pattern of the iron curtain j j (see at IRON), this phrase dates back to the j 1940s. banana banana republic a small tropical state, bark 15 especially one in central America, whose economy is regarded as wholly dependent on its fruit-exporting trade. derogatory go bananas ©become extremely angry or excited, ©go mad. informal 0 1 9 9 2 Jim Lehrer A Bus of My Own I predicted John Erlichman would probably go bananas when he testified the next day. second banana the second most important person in an organization or activity, informal, chiefly North American top banana the most important person in an organization or activity, informal, chiefly North American I i j I i O The two expressions above originated in i US theatrical slang. The top banana was originally the comedian who topped the bill ! in a show, while the second banana was the j supporting comedian. banana skin slip on a banana skin: see SLIP. band when the band begins to play when matters become serious. bandwagon jump on the bandwagon join others in doing something or supporting a cause that is fashionable or likely to be successful. j © Bandwagon was originally the US term I for a large wagon able to carry a band of I musicians in a procession. bang get a bang out of derive excitement or pleasure from. North American informal 1931 Damon Runyon Guys and Dolls He seems to be getting a great bang out of the doings. go with a bang happen with obvious success. bank break the bank Q(in gambling) win more money than is held by the bank. Q cost more than you can afford, informal banner under the banner of Q claiming to support a particular cause or set of ideas. © as part of a particular group or organization. baptism a baptism of fire a difficult introduction to a new job or activity. j O A baptism of fire was originally a soldier's ! j initiation into battle. 1998 Times Opposition spokesmen do not normally face a baptism offire,but the Bank of England's unexpected decision... provided the Shadow Chancellor with an opportunity to make an early mark. bar bar none with no exceptions. 1866 M.E. Braddon Lady's Mile Your 'Aspasia' is the greatest picture that ever was painted— 'bar none'. bare the bare bones the basic facts about something, without any detail. bargepole would not touch someone or something with a bargepole used to express an emphatic refusal to have anything to do with someone or something, informal bang for your (or the) buck value for money; performance for cost. US informal 1995 Desktop Publishing Journal These additions j O A bargepole is used to propel a barge and i to RunShare... will surely give you the most I to fend off obstacles. The equivalent US productive network, the most 'bang for your i expression substitutes a ten-foot pole. buck'. bang goes — used to express the sudden or bark complete destruction of something, bark at the moon: see MOON. especially a plan or ambition. bark up the wrong tree pursue a mistaken or 1895 George Bernard Shaw Letter Somebody misguided line of thought or course of will give a surreptitious performance of it: and action, informal then bang goes my copyright. bang on exactly right. British informal j O The metaphor is of a dog that has ! mistaken the tree in which its quarry has bang people's heads together reprimand j taken refuge and is barking at the foot of the j people severely, especially in the attempt i wrong one. to make them stop arguing. barn 1969 Arnold Bennett Forty Years On For sovereign states to conclude agreements on the basis of a mutual fondness for dogs seems to me to be barking up the wrong tree. someone's bark is worse than their bite someone is not as ferocious as they appear or sound. ! I \ j i i i | O A similar association between barking and biting occurs in the proverb a barking dog never bites, which can be traced back through 13th-century French (chascuns chiens qui abaie ne mort pas, dogs that bark i don't bite) to Latin (canem timidum vehementius latrarequam mordere, a timid dog barks more furiously than it bites). barn round Robin Hood's barn: see R O B I N HOOD. barred no holds barred: see HOLD. barrel a barrel of laughs a source of fun or amusement, informal 1996 Mail on Sunday Seeing so many old people gathered all in one place was hardly a barrel of laughs. get someone over a barrel get someone in a helpless position; have someone at your mercy, informal 16 off base mistaken. North American informal 1947 Time Your Latin American department was off base in its comparison of the Portillo Hotel in Chile with our famous Sun Valley. touch base briefly make or renew contact with someone or something, informal 1984 Armistead Maupin Babycakes In search of a routine, he touched base with his launderette, his post office, his nearest market. j j j j O Base in these three phrases refers to each i of the four points in the angles of the 'diamond' in baseball, which a player has to reach in order to score a run. basic back to basics abandoning complication and sophistication to concentrate on the most essential aspects of something. j I j | ! i i O Back to basics is often used to suggest the i moral superiority of the plain and simple, as i in a speech made in 1993 by the British Conservative leader John Major, who spearheaded the government's campaign for j the regeneration of basic family and educational values in the 1990s. bat blind as a bat: see BLIND. i ! i i O This phrase perhaps refers to the condition of a person who has been rescued i from drowning and is placed over a barrel to i clear their lungs of water. scrape the barrel: see SCRAPE. with both barrels with unrestrained force or emotion, informal I O The barrels in question are the two barrels j j of a firearm. barrelhead on the barrelhead: see on the nail at NAIL. barricade man (or go to) the barricades strongly protest against a government or other institution or its policy. base get to first base achieve the first step towards your objective, informal, chiefly North American 1962 P. G. Wodehouse Service with a Smile She gives you the feeling that you'll never get to first base with her. have bats in the (or your) belfry be eccentric or crazy, informal j O This expression refers to the way in which I j bats in an enclosed space fly about wildly if j they are disturbed. c-1901 G. W. Peck Peck's Red-Headed Boy They all thought a crazy man with bats in his belfry had got loose. like a bat out of hell very fast and wildly. informal 1995 Patrick McCabe The Dead School Like a bat out of hell that Joe Buck gets on out of the apartment and doesn't stop running till he reaches Times Square. not bat an eyelid (or eye) show no emotional or other reaction, informal ! I j j O Satin this sense is perhaps a dialect and USvariantoftheverbbatemeaning'loweror j let down'. The variant not blink an eye is also ! found. 1997 James Ryan Dismantling Mr Doyle She did not bat an eyelid when Eve spelled out the unorthodox details of the accommodation they required. be 17 1998 Oldie They endured the hard pounding of the Seventies, when Labour battened down the hatches, and soldiered through the follies of the early Eighties. off your own bat at your own instigation; spontaneously. British | O The bat referred to in this phrase is a ; cricket bat. battery 1995 Colin Bateman Cycle of Violence She doesn't have me doing anything, Marty. It's alloffmyownbat. right off the bat at the very beginning; straight away. North American recharge your batteries: see RECHARGE. battle battle of the giants a contest between two pre-eminent parties. bated | O This expression may be a reference to the j ! battle between the giants and gods in Greek j ; mythology. with bated breath in great suspense; very anxiously or excitedly. i i i : ! battle royal a fiercely contested fight or dispute. 1997 Fred Chappell Farewell, I'm Bound to Leave You The boys told no one about the fight... it was a battle royal and went on from two o'clock in the afternoon until sundown. O Baited, which is sometimes seen, is a misspelling, since bated in this sense is a shortened form of abated, the idea being that your breathing is lessened under the influence of extreme suspense. bath an early bath the sending off of a sports player during a game. British informal i © The allusion is to the bath or shower | taken by players at the end of a match. take a bath suffer a heavy financial loss. informal 1997 Bookseller When the yen drops in value, as it is doingrightnow, we take a bath. There is no way to change the prices fast enough. baton pass (or hand) on the baton hand over a particular duty or responsibility. i ! I \ j I O In athletics, the baton is the short stick or i rod passed from one runner to the next in a i relay race. The related phrases pick up or take \ up the baton mean 'accept a duty or responsibility'. Compare with hand on the torch (at TORCH). under the baton of (of an orchestra or choir) conducted by. battle stations used as a command or signal to military personnel to take up their positions in preparation for battle. chiefly US half the battle an important step towards achieving something. a losing battle: see LOSING. a pitched battle: see PITCHED. a running battle: see RUNNING. bay bay for blood demand punishment or retribution. bring someone or something to bay trap or corner a person or animal being hunted or chased. | j j i i O This phrase was originally a medieval hunting term, referring to the position of the j quarry when it is cornered by the baying hounds.Ananimalcorneredinthiswayissaid ! to stand at bay. hold (or keep) someone or something at bay prevent someone or something from approaching or having an effect. ! O The baton here is the rod used by the ; conductor. be batten batten down the hatches prepare for a difficulty or crisis. i j i i O Batten down the hatches was originally a nautical term meaning 'make a ship's hatches secure with gratings and tarpaulins' in expectation of stormy weather. j -to-be of the future. 1993 Mother 8 Baby Many mums-to-be report that smallfrequentsnacks are easier to keep down than three large meals a day. be there for someone be available to support or comfort someone who is experiencing difficulties or adversities. bead 18 the be-all and end-all a feature of an activity or a way of life that is of greater importance than any other, informal bead know how many beans make five be intelligent; have your wits about you. British informal not have a bean be penniless, informal j O Bean was an early 19th-century slang draw (or get) a bead on take aim at with a i term for a golden guinea or sovereign. In the i gun. chiefly North American i sense of 'a coin', it now survives only in this 1994 Ontario Out of Doors Few moose will pose j phrase. majestically right at the water's edge while spill the beans: see SPILL. you draw a bead on them. beam bear a beam in your eye a fault that is greater in yourself than in the person you are finding fault with. bear the brunt of: see BRUNT. grin and bear it: see GRIN. have your cross to bear: see CROSS. like a bear with a sore head (of a person) very irritable. British informal loaded for bear fully prepared for any eventuality, typically a confrontation or challenge. North American informal ! i i i i O This phrase comes from Matthew 7:3: 'Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thy own eye?' For a mote in someone's eye, see MOTE. ! broad in the beam: see BROAD. off (or way off) beam on the wrong track; mistaken, informal ! O Originally, this phrase referred to the i radio beam or signal used to guide aircraft. 1997 Anthony Barnett This Time I sample the press coverage to illustrate how large sections of the Fourth Estate were way off beam in their conviction that voters want the country steered back towards 'Great Englishness'. on your beam ends near the end of your resources; desperate. i ! i ! : ! j O The beam referred to here is one of the main horizontal transverse timbers of a wooden ship; compare with broad in the j beam (at BROAD). The phrase originated as the nautical term on her beam ends, and was j used of a ship that had heeled over on its side j and was almost capsizing. bean full of beans lively; in high spirits, informal i O This phrase was originally used by people j ! who work with horses, and referred to the i good condition of a horse fed on beans. give someone beans scold or deal severely with a person, informal a hill (or row) of beans something of little importance or value, informal 1999 SL (Cape Town) I think that what your friends and family think shouldn't amount to a hill of beans. i O The image here may be of a hunting gun i i loaded and ready to shoot a bear. beard beard the lion in his den (or lair) confront or challenge someone on their own ground. ; ! j j j O T h i s phrase developed partly from the idea of being daring enough to take a lion by the beard and partly from the use of beard \ as a verb to mean'face', i.e. to face a lion in his den. beat beat a hasty retreat withdraw, typically in order to avoid something unpleasant. j O In former times, a drumbeat could be j used to keep soldiers in step while they were j I retreating. beat about the bush discuss a matter without coming to the point; be ineffectual and waste time. ! O This phrase is a metaphor which I originated in the shooting or netting of birds; j j compare with beat the bushes below. 1992 Barry Unsworth Sacred Hunger I don't want to beat about the bush. Mr Adams is threatening to leave us. beat someone at their own game use someone's own methods to outdo them in their chosen activity. beat your breast: see BREAST. bed 19 beat the bushes search thoroughly. North American informal beautiful beat the daylights out of: see DAYLIGHT. beat the drum for: see DRUM. the beautiful people Qfashionable, glamorous, and privileged people, ©(in the 1960s) hippies. 01995 Singapore: Rough Guide The coolest address in town, and a magnet for the beautiful people. the body beautiful an ideal of physical beauty. 1992 Mother Jones About 75,000 women a year elect to have cosmetic surgery, spurred on by ubiquitous images of the body beautiful. beat your (or the) meat (of a man) masturbate, vulgar slang beaver ! : I I ; O This expression originates from the way in \ which hunters walkthrough undergrowth wielding long sticks which are used to force birdsoranimalsoutintotheopenwherethey j can be shot or netted. beat the clock perform a task quickly or within a fixed time limit. beat the pants off prove to be vastly superior work like a beaver work steadily and industriously, informal to. informal 1990 Paul Auster The Music of Chance 'Not bad,i O The beaver is referred to here because kid,' Nashe said. 'You beat the pants off me.' j of the industriousness with which it j constructs the dams necessary for its aquatic beat a path to someone's door (of a large j dwellings. The image is similarly conjured number of people) hasten to make contact j up by the phrase beaver away meaning with someone regarded as interesting or j 'work hard'. inspiring. i ; I ; © This phrase developed from the idea of a j large number of people trampling down vegetation to make a path: compare with off j the beaten track (at BEATEN). beat the system succeed in finding a means of getting round rules, regulations, or other means of control. beat someone to it succeed in doing something or getting somewhere before someone else, to their annoyance. if you can't beat them, join them if you are j j beck at someone's beck and call always having to be ready to obey someone's orders immediately. j j j j O Beck in the sense of 'a significant gesture i of command' comes from the verb beck, a shortened form of beckon. It is now found mainly in this phrase. bed bed and breakfast O overnight accommodation and breakfast next morning as offered by hotels etc. © designatingfinancialtransactions in which shares are sold and then bought miss a beat: see MISS. back the next morning. to beat the band in such a way as to surpass a bed of nails a problematic or uncomfortall competition. North American informal able situation. 1995 Patrick McCabe The Dead School He was j O A bed of nails was originally a board with ! polishing away to beat the band. unable to outdorivalsin some endeavour, you might as well cooperate with them and gain whatever advantage possible by doing so. humorous. beaten i nails pointing out of it, lain on by Eastern j fakirs and ascetics. a bed of roses a situation or activity that is comfortable or easy. get out of bed on the wrong side be badi O The post alluded to here is the marker at i tempered all day long. j the end of a race. in bed with ©having sexual intercourse with, ©in undesirably close association off the beaten track (or path) Qui or into with, informal an isolated place, ©unusual. © 1992 lain Banks The Crow Road 'Your Uncle 02000 Snowboard UK Jackson lies like an oasis of culture and good coffee in a state that Hamish... ' She looked troubled. 'He's a bit off the beaten track, that boy.' is otherwisefirmlyin bed with gun culture. beaten (or pipped) at the post defeated at the last moment. bedpost you have made your bed and must lie in it you must accept the consequences of your own actions. bedpost between you and me and the bedpost (or the gatepost or the wall) in strict confidence, informal ! O The bedpost, gatepost, or wall is seen as ! I marking the boundary beyond which the j confidence must not go. bedside 20 beg beg the question Q raise a point that has not been dealt with; invite an obvious question, ©assume the truth of an argument or of a proposition to be proved, without arguing it. ! \ ! I j j ! I ! j O The original meaning of the phrase beg the question belongs to the field of logic and ; is a translation of Latin petitio principii, literally meaning Maying claim to a principle', j i.e. assume the truth of something that ought to be proved first. For many traditionalists this remains the only correct meaning, but far commoner in English today ; is the first sense here, 'invite an obvious question'. ! ! | j O Compare with the mid 17th-century proverb set a beggar on horseback and he'll \ ride to the devil, meaning that a person not j used to power will use it unwisely. bedside manner a doctor's approach or attitude to a patient. 1993 Bill Moyers Healing & the Mind Are you just talking about the old-fashioned bedside manner of a doctor who comes around and beggar visits you when you need him? beggar belief (or description) be too extraordinary to be believed (or described). bee beggar on horseback a formerly poor person the bee's knees something or someone made arrogant or corrupt through outstandingly good, informal achieving wealth and luxury. i ! j ! O The bee's knees was first used to refer to ! something small and insignificant, but it quickly developed its current, completely opposite meaning. have a bee in your bonnet have an obsessive preoccupation with something, informal j i j I O This expression, along with have bees in the head or bees in the brain, was first used to j refer to someone who was regarded as crazy j or eccentric. beeline make a beeline for go rapidly and directly towards. ; O The phrase refers to the straight line j supposedly taken instinctively by a bee j returning to its hive. beggars can't be choosers people with no other options must be content with what is offered, proverb begging go begging Q(of an article) be available. 0 (of an opportunity) not be taken. beginner beginner's luck good luck supposedly experienced by a beginner at a particular game or activity. beginning 1997 Bookseller And when he heard that people the beginning of the end the event or might like him to sign copies of his new development to which the conclusion or novel... he cut the small talk and made a failure of something can be traced. beeline for the stall. 1992 H. Norman Schwartzkopf It Doesn't Take a Hero I heard about D-Day on the radio. The been announcer quoted Ohio governor John been there, done that: see THERE. Bricker's now-famous line that this was 'the beginning of the end of the forces of evil'. beer beer and skittles amusement. British j ! j j O This phrase comes from the proverb life isn't all beer and skittles. The game of skittles i is used as a prime example of a form of light- j hearted entertainment. bejeSUS informal beat the bejesus out of someone hit someone very hard or for a long time. scare the bejesus out of someone frighten someone very much. bend 21 2001 GQThis place is going to scare the bejesus out of the fuddy-duddy Sloaney-Pony set. belly go belly up go bankrupt, informal | O Bejesus is an alteration of the exclamation ! j by Jesus! It is often found in its Anglo-Irish I form bejasus or bejabers. bell bell, book, and candle a formula for laying a curse on someone. j ! j ! | j j O This expression alludes to the closing words of the rite of excommunication, 'Do to the book, quench the candle, ring the bell', meaning that the service book is closed, the candle put out, and the passing bell rung, as a sign of spiritual death. bellyful below i © Bell the cat alludes to the fable in which mice or rats have the idea of hanging a bell aroundthecat'snecksoastohavewarningof ! its approach, the only difficulty being to find I oneof their number willing to undertake the j task. bells and whistles attractive additional features or trimmings, informal i : j ! j 1998 Times: Weekend The single currency could well go belly-up within two or three years. have a bellyful of become impatient after prolonged experience of someone or something, informal bell the cat take the danger of a shared enterprise upon yourself. ! i I ! ! | j O The implied comparison is with a dead i fish or other animal floating upside down in ! j the water. © The bells and whistles originally referred i to were those found on old fairground organs. Nowadays, the phrase is often used in ! computing jargon to mean 'attractive but superfluous facilities'. below stairs in the basement of a house, in particular as the part occupied by servants. British dated belt below the belt unfair or unfairly; not in keeping with the rules. i O ' n boxing a blow below the belt is a low, j i and therefore unlawful, blow. belt and braces (of a policy or action) providing double security by using two means to achieve the same end. British I O This meaning developed from the idea of i ! a literal belt and braces holding up a pair of j j loose-fitting trousers. 2002 Digital Photography Made Easy Oddly, the manual is also on CD, which seems a bit belt as clear (or sound) as a bell perfectly clear {or and braces (though useful if you lose the sound). original). 1993 Independent We spent a few thousand on tighten your belt cut your expenditure; live redecoration, but basically the place was more frugally. sound as a bell. under your belt Q (of food or drink) give someone a bell telephone someone. consumed. © safely or satisfactorily British informal achieved, experienced, or acquired. ring a bell revive a distant recollection; sound familiar, informal bend with bells on enthusiastically. North American bend someone's ear talk to someone, informal especially with great eagerness or in order 1989 Mary Gordon The Other Side So, to ask a favour, informal everybody's waiting for you with bells on. bend your elbow drink alcohol. North saved by the bell: see S A V E D . belle belle of the ball the most admired and successful woman on a particular occasion. i O Thebe//eoftheba//wasoriginallythegirl i j or woman regarded as the most beautiful j and popular at a dance. American bend over backwards: see BACKWARDS. round the bend (or twist) crazy; mad. informal 1998 Spectator She combines a fondness for holidays in Switzerland with an amiable husband... who saves herfromgoing completely round the bend. bended 22 bended besetting on bended knee kneeling, especially when pleading or showing great respect. besetting sin a fault to which a person or institution is especially prone; a characteristic weakness. I j j j O Bended was the original past participle of j bend, but in Middle English it was superseded i in general use by bent. It is now archaic and survives only in this phrase. i O The verb beset literally means 'surround j with hostile intent', so the image is of a sin ; besieging or pressing in upon a person. 1974 Donal Scannell Mother Knew Best Mother said vanity was a besetting sin which Amy resented, to say the least of it. benefit give someone the benefit of — explain or recount to someone at length (often used ironically when someone pompously or impertinently assumes that their knowledge or experience is superior to that of the person to whom they are talking). 1999 Stage Our courses are delivered by 2 current TV personalities who will give you the benefit of their 6 years experience. the benefit of the doubt a concession that someone or something must be regarded as correct or justified, if the contrary has not been proved. Benjamin a Benjamin's portion (or mess) the largest share or portion. O In the Bible, Benjamin was the youngest son of the Jewish patriarch Jacob. When Jacob's sons encountered their long-lost brother Joseph in Egypt, where he had become a high official, they failed to recognize him, but Joseph generously entertained them: 'And he took and sent messes [servings of food] unto them from before him: but Benjamin'smesswasfivetimes so much as any of their's' (Genesis 43:34). bent beside beside yourself overcome with worry, grief, or anger; distraught. best best bib and tucker: see BIB. the best thing since sliced bread: see BREAD. put your best foot forward: see FOOT. with the best will in the world: see WILL. the best of both worlds: see WORLD. the best of British used to wish someone well in an enterprise, especially when you are almost sure it will be unsuccessful, informal i O This phrase is an abbreviation of the best I j of British luck to you. give someone or something best admit the superiority of; give way to. British 1990 Birds Magazine Hefinallydecided to give us best and took himself off. make the best of it Q derive what limited advantage you can from something unsatisfactory or unwelcome, ©use resources as well as possible. ! O The first sense is often found in the form j j make the best of a bad job, meaning 'do i bent out of shape angry or agitated. North | something as well as you can under difficult American informal : circumstances'. 1994 David Spencer Alien Nation 6: Passing Fancy Max Corigliano was there... and bent your best bet the most favourable option out of shape about having been made to wait available in particular circumstances. so long. six of the best a caning as a punishment, traditionally with six strokes of the cane. berth give someone or something a wide berth stay away from someone or something. j i j i j i j O Berth is a nautical term which originally referred to the distance that ships should keep away from each other or from the shore, j rocks, etc., in order to avoid a collision. Therefore, the literal meaning of the expression is'steer a ship well clear of something while passing it'. I ! ! i I O Six of the best was formerly a common punishment in boys' schools, but it is now chiefly historical in its literal sense and tends to be used figuratively or humorously. bet all bets are off the outcome of a particular situation is unpredictable, informal ! bicky 23 don't bet on it used to express doubt about an assertion or situation, informal you can bet your boots (or bottom dollar or life) you may be absolutely certain, informal bet the farm risk everything that you own on a bet, investment, or enterprise. North American informal a safe bet a certainty. I O >A safe bet originally referred to a horse j that was confidently expected to win a race. 2002 Observer It is a safe bet that as the Western world gets fatter, the people on its television screens will continue to get thinner. better against your better judgement: see JUDGEMENT. go one better O narrowly surpass a previous effort or achievement. © narrowly outdo another person. no better than y o u should (or o u g h t to) be regarded as sexually promiscuous or of doubtful moral character. i O This phrase dates back to the early 17th ! century. Used typically of a woman, it is now j j rather dated. 1998 Spectator 'She's no better than she ought to be'. (British mothers of my generation... often used that enigmatic phrase. They would use it about female neighbours of whom they disapproved, or women in low-cut dresses on television.) your better half your husband or wife. humorous seen better days: see DAY. the — the better used to emphasize the importance or desirability of the quality or so much the better: see M U C H . thing specified. 1986 Patrick Leigh Fermor Between the Woods & betting the Water He had a passion for limericks, the the betting is that it is likely that, informal racier the better. better the devil you know it's wiser to deal with an undesirable but familiar person or situation than to risk a change that might lead to a situation with worse difficulties or a person whose faults you have yet to discover. ! 0 This phrase is a shortened form of the i proverb better the devil you know than the | devil you don't know. better late than never it's preferable for something to happen or be done belatedly than not at all. better safe than sorry it's wiser to be cautious and careful than to be hasty or rash and so do something that you may later regret. i j \ ; O Apparently the expression is quite recent j in this form (mid 20th century); better be sure \ than sorry is recorded from the mid 19th century. 1998 New Scientist The meeting is to be commended for taking a 'better safe than sorry' attitude, and drawing up a baseline list of measures to be put in place when disease breaks out. between between the devil a n d the deep blue sea: see DEVIL. between a rock a n d a hard place: see R O C K . betwixt betwixt and between neither one thing nor the other, informal i O Betwixt is now poetic or archaic and is j seldom found outside this phrase. beyond the back of beyond: see B A C K . it's beyond me it's too astonishing, puzzling, etc. for me to understand or explain, informal bib your best bib and tucker your best clothes. informal i i ! : i j O Bib and tucker originally referred to certain items of women's clothing. A bib is a garment worn over the upper front part of the body (e.g. the bib of an apron), and a tucker was a decorative piece of lace formerly worn on a woman's bodice. the better to — so as to — better. 1986 Peter Mathiessen Men's lives Francis ran both motors with their housings off, the better to tinker with them. stick (or poke) your bib in interfere. Australian & New Zealand informal get the better of win an advantage over someone; defeat or outwit someone. big bickies a large sum of money Australian informal bicky bide j O 24 1981 Canberra Times Appearance money is another claim which we think will succeed.. .Just showing up is worth big bickies. bide bide your time wait quietly for a good opportunity. i ! | i O Bide in the sense of await is now only found in this expression. It has been superseded by abide in most of its other senses. big white chief: see CHIEF. give someone the big e reject someone, typically in an insensitive or dismissive way. British informal ! O The e in the phrase is from elbow: give I someone the big elbow has the same j meaning. make it big become very successful or famous, informal 1991 Gillian Slovo The Betrayal And so he bided talk big talk confidently or boastfully, informal his time, waiting, plotting, planning, looking think big be ambitious, informal for the signs that would be good for him. too big for your boots conceited, informal big Big brother: see BROTHER. the big C: see C. a big cheese an important and influential person, informal ; i ; i ; j ; ! | i ! j ! ! j j 1998 Sunday Telegraph The notion that someone outside the so-called 'Big Four'—the ministerial group which meets before Cabinet —might be given such status is uplifting. Bickies is an abbreviation of biscuits. O Other versions of this phrase substitute fish, gun, noise, shot, or wheel for cheese. These are mainly self-explanatory, with the exception of cheese itself, which is of doubtful origin but may be from Persian and Urdu chTz meaning 'thing'. As a phrase, big cheese seems to have originated in early 20th-century US slang, as did big noise. Big wheel in this metaphorical sense (as opposed to the fairground ride known as a Ferris wheel) and big shot are similarly US in origin (mid 20th century). Big fish may have connotations either of something it is desirable for you to catch or of the metaphorical expression a big fish in a small pond. big deal Q an important or impressive event. © used as an ironic exclamation to indicate that you do not think something is as important or impressive as another person has suggested, informal the big five a name given by hunters to the five largest and most dangerous African mammals: rhinoceros, elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard. the big lie a gross distortion or misrepresentation of the facts, especially when used as a propaganda device by a politician or official body. the big smoke QLondon. British informal ©any large town, chiefly Australian the big Three, Four, etc. the dominant group of three, four, etc. informal bike get off your bike become annoyed. Australian & New Zealand informal 1939 Xavier Herbert Capricornia 'I tell you I saw no-one.' 'Don't get off your bike, son.—I know you're tellin' lies.' on your bike! © g o away! © t a k e action! British informal j | | ! j | j | O Sense 2 became a catchphrase in 1980s Britain, when it was used as an exhortation to j the unemployed to show initiative in their attempt to find work. It was taken from a speech by the Conservative politician Norman Tebbit in which he said of his unemployed father: 'He did not riot, he got on his bike and looked for work.' bill bill and coo exchange caresses or affectionate words; behave or talk in a very loving or sentimental way. informal, dated i O The image is of two doves, a long; established symbol of mutual love. a clean bill of health a declaration or confirmation that someone is healthy or something is in good condition. I I j j ! O | n the mid 18th century, a bill of health was an official certificate given to the master i of a ship on leaving port; if clean, it certified i that there was no infection either in the port j or on board the vessel. fit (or fill) the bill be suitable for a particular purpose. i O fl/7/in this context is a printed list of items j I on a theatrical programme or advertisement, j bit 25 foot the bill be responsible for paying for something. sell someone a bill of goods deceive or swindle someone, usually by persuading them to accept something untrue or undesirable. I © A bill of goods is a consignment of j merchandise. 1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) There was no production bonus... We were sold a bill of goods. top (or head) the bill be the main performer or act in a show, play, etc. billy-o like billy-o very much, hard, or strongly. British informal 1995 John Banville Athena This skin tone is the effect of cigarettes, I suspect, for she is a great smoker... going at the fags like billy-o. bird the bird has flown the person you are looking for has escaped or gone away. a bird in hand something that you have securely or are sure of. ! O This phrase refers to the proverb a bird in \ I hand is worth two in the bush, current in i English since the mid 15th century. a bird of passage someone who is always moving on. I O Literally, a bird of passage is a migrant j bird. a bird's-eye view a general view from above. the birds and the bees basic facts about sex and reproduction as told to a child, informal birds of a feather people with similar tastes, interests, etc. ! i i i j i O This phrase comes from the proverb birds I of a feather flock together, which has been current in this form since the late 16th century. Its origins may ultimately lie in the Apocrypha:'the birds will resort unto their like'(Ecclesiasticus 27:9). do bird serve a prison sentence. British informal j O In this phrase b/rd comes from rhyming i slang birdlime 'time'. early bird: see EARLY. flip someone the bird stick your middle finger up at someone as a sign of contempt or anger. US informal 1994 Washington Post Magazine We could simultaneously honour America, break the law and flip the bird to all the do-gooders. give someone (or get) the bird boo or jeer at someone (orbe booed or jeered at). British informal j ! I j i ! O This phrase first appeared in early 19thcentury theatrical slang as the big bird, meaning'a goose'. This was because the hissing of geese could be compared to the audience's hissing at an act or actor of which i it disapproved. have a bird be very shocked or agitated. North American informal 1992 Globe & Mail (Toronto) The Washington press corps would have a bird if the presidentto-be appointed his wife to a real job. kill two birds with one stone: see KILL. a little bird told me used as a teasing way of saying that you do not intend to divulge how you came to know something. strictly for the birds not worth consideration; unimportant, informal ! O This expression was originally US army ! slang. Itmaybeanallusiontotheway in which I I birds eat the droppings of horses and cattle. birthday in your birthday suit naked, humorous biscuit have had the biscuit be no longer good for anything; be done for. Canadian informal 1994 Equinox I thought I'd had the biscuit. I was more than 12 kilometres from camp, I didn't have a coat... and it was about 40 below. take the biscuit: see TAKE. bit a bit much somewhat excessive or unreasonable. a bit of all right a pleasing person or thing, especially a woman regarded sexually. British informal bit of fluff (or skirt or stuff) a woman regarded in sexual terms. British informal 1937 W. Somerset Maugham Theatre It was strangely flattering for a woman to be treated as a little bit of fluff that you just tumbled on to abed. bit of rough: see ROUGH. bite bit on the side Q a person with whom you are unfaithful to your partner. © a relationship involving being unfaithful to your partner. © money earned outside your normal job. informal bits and pieces (or bobs) an assortment of small or unspecified items. do your bit make a useful contribution to an effort or cause, informal ! O The exhortation to do your bit was much j ! used during World War 1, but the expression j j was current in the late 19th century. get the bit between your teeth begin to tackle a problem or task in a determined or independent way. : j i i O The metal bit in a horse's mouth should lie i on the fleshy part of its gums; if a headstrong i horse grasps the bit between its teeth it can evade the control of the reins and its rider. to bits very much, informal 1998 Times A succession of elderly ladies explained how, as young women, they had fancied him to bits. bite 26 bite off more than you can chew take on a commitment you cannot fulfil. bite your tongue make a desperate effort to avoid saying something. put the bite on blackmail; extort money from. North American & Australian informal 1955 Ray Lawler Summer of the Seventeenth Dol Your money's runnin' out you know you can't put the bite on me any more. take a bite out of reduce by a significant amount, informal biter the biter bit (or bitten) a person who has done harm has been harmed in a similar way. ! O Biter was a late 17th-century term for a I fraudster or trickster. In this sense it now I survives only in this phrase. 2000 Locus The most common plot device in Lee's stories is the classic 'biter bitten' resolution. bitten be bitten by the bug: see BUG. I could have bitten my tongue off used to convey that you profoundly and immediately regret having said something. once bitten, twice shy: see ONCE. bite someone's head off respond curtly or angrily. a bite at the cherry: see CHERRY. bitter a bitter pill: see PILL. bite the big one die. North American informal 1996 Tom Clancy Executive Orders The Premier to the bitter end persevering to the end, of Turkmenistan bit the big one, supposedly whatever the outcome. an automobile accident. black bite the bullet face up to doing something beat someone black and blue hit someone difficult or unpleasant; stoically avoid so severely that they are covered in bruises. showing fear or distress. be in someone's black books be in disfavour ! O This phrase dates from the days before with someone. j anaesthetics, when wounded soldiers were | given a bullet or similar solid object to clench j ; between their teeth when undergoing ! surgery. 1998 Joyce Holms Bad Vibes Once he accepted it as inevitable he usually bit the bullet and did what was required of him with a good grace. bite the dust Qbe killed, ©fail, informal bite the hand that feeds you deliberately hurt or offend a benefactor; act ungratefully. 1994 Warren Farrell The Myth of Male Power When this is combined with the fact that women watch more TV in every time slot, shows can't afford to bite the hand that feeds them. ! ! i ! i j ; I O Although a black book was generally an official book in which misdemeanours and their perpetrators were noted down, this phrase perhaps originated in the blackbound book in which evidence of monastic scandals and abuses was recorded by Henry VIH's commissioners in the 1530s, before the suppression of the monasteries. j j beyond the black stump: see STUMP. black box an automatic apparatus, the internal operations of which are mysterious to non-experts. i O Black does not refer to the colour of the ! device but to the arcane nature of its ; functions. Originally Royal Air Force slang for ; bleeds 27 i a navigational instrument in an aircraft, the I phrase is now used in aviation specifically to ! i refer to the flight recorder. a black mark against someone something that someone has done that is disliked or disapproved of by other people. i O T h e literal meaning of the phrase is a ! black cross or spot marked against the name j j of a person who has done something wrong, j the black sheep a person considered to have brought discredit upon a family or other group; a bad character. a black spot a place that is notorious for something, especially a high crime or accident rate. 1992 Radio Times Jonathon Porritt meets the 'green warriors' who are spearheading campaigns to clean up some of the world's worst pollution black spots. in the black not owing any money; solvent. in black and white Qin writing or in print, and regarded as more reliable than by word of mouth, ©in terms of clearly defined opposing principles or issues. not as black as you are painted not as bad as you are said to be. informal i j j i I O The proverb the devil is not as black as he \ is painted, first recorded in English in the mid j 16th century, was used as a warning not to base your fears of something on exaggerated j reports. ! ! j i ; O A stone at Blarney Castle near Cork in Ireland is said to give the gift of persuasive speech to anyone who kisses it; from this comes the verb blarney, meaning 'talk in a flattering way'. blast a blast from the past something powerfully nostalgic, especially an old pop song. informal 1997 Time Out N.Y. Tonight's act is a tribute to Curtis Mayfield, featuring three blasts from the past: The Impressions... The Stylistics and The Dramatics. blaze blaze a trail be the first to do something and so set an example for others to follow. ; ! | \ i j i O Blaze in this sense comes ultimately from j an Old Norse noun meaning'a white mark on j a horse's face'. In its literal sense, blazing a tra/7 refers to the practice of making white marks on trees by chipping off bits of their bark, thereby indicating your route to those : who are following you. like blazes very fast or forcefully, informal j O Blazes in this context refers to the flames i j of hell; go to blazes! is a dated equivalent of j j go to hell! blazing with guns blazing: see GUN. blank a blank cheque unlimited scope, especially to spend money. i 0 A blank cheque is literally one in which ! the amount of money to be paid has not been ; ! filled in by the payer. draw a blank elicit no response; be unsuccessful. bleed bleed someone dry (or white) drain someone of all their money or resources. | I j i O Since the late 17th century bleeding has been a metaphor for extorting money from someone. White refers to the physiological effect of losing blood. 1982 William Haggard The Mischief-Makers Her husband had been a wealthy man, the lady's solicitors sharp and ruthless, and her husband had been bled white to get rid of her. j O Ab/an/cwas originally a lottery ticket that i | did not win a prize. firing blanks (of a man) infertile, informal bleeds blanket my heart bleeds for you I sympathize very deeply with you. born on the wrong side of the blanket illegitimate, dated a wet blanket: see WET. blarney have kissed the blarney stone be eloquent and persuasive. j ! ! j ! i O This image was used by Chaucer and Shakespeare to express sincere anguish. Nowadays, the phrase most often indicates the speaker's belief that the person referred I to does not deserve the sympathy they are seeking. bless bless not have a penny to bless yourself with: see PENNY. 28 blind someone with science use special or technical knowledge and vocabulary to confuse someone. go it blind act recklessly. blessing rob s o m e o n e blind: see R O B . a blessing in disguise an apparent misfortune that eventually has good results. turn a blind eye pretend not to notice. count your blessings: see C O U N T . a mixed blessing: see M I X E D . blind a blind alley a course of action that does not deliver any positive results. 1997 New Scientist The next person looking for the same information has to go through the process all over again—even if 1000 people have already been up the same blind alleys. as blind as a bat having v e r y bad eyesight. informal ; ! i i I i O This expression probably arose from the bat's nocturnal habits and its disorientated flutterings if disturbed by day. The poor eyesight of bats (and less frequently, moles) has been proverbial since the late 16th century. ; i i j i ! i ; O This phrase is said to be a reference to Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), who lifted a telescope to his blind eye at the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), thereby ensuring that he failed to see his superior's signal to discontinue the action. A less usual j version, referring directly to this story, is turn \ a Nelson eye. blinder play a blinder: see PLAY. blinding effing and blinding: see E F F I N G . blink in the blink of an eye very quickly, informal 1995 Daily Mail It also has an unnerving way of flipping overfromcomedy to tragedy, or from tragedy to comedy, in the blink of an eye. on the blink (of a machine) not working properly; out of order, informal a blind bit of — the smallest bit of—; no — at block all. informal 1995 Patrick McCabe The Dead School Not that it a chip off the old block: see C H I P . made a blind bit of difference what they a new kid on the block a newcomer to a thought, considering the way their lives were particular place or sphere of activity, informal about to go. a blind date a social meeting, usually with the object of starting a romance, between two people who have not met each other before. the blind leading the blind a situation in which the ignorant or inexperienced are instructed or guided by someone equally ignorant or inexperienced. ! © This phrase alludes to the proverb when ! the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into ! the ditch, quoting Matthew 15:14. a blind spot Q an area into which you cannot see. © an aspect of something that someone knows or cares little about. ! i i i | j O These general senses appear to have developed from a mid 19th-century cricketing term for the spot of ground in front of a batsman where a ball pitched by the bowler leaves the batsman undecided whether to play forward to it or back. : © This phrase was originally American: the j block referred to is a block of buildings j between streets. j 1998 Times Andrew Flintoff has displaced Ben Hollioake as the new kid on the block. have been around the block a few times (of a person) have a lot of experience. North American informal on the block for sale at auction, chiefly North American j O The block in this phrase was the platform j i on which, in former times, a slave stood to be j I auctioned. put the blocks on prevent from proceeding. I O A block of wood or other material placed i j in front of a wheel prevents forward j movement. put your head (or neck) on the block put your position or reputation at risk by blot 29 proceeding with a particular course of action, informal ! O This phrase alludes to the block of wood j i on which a condemned person was formerly j i beheaded. blood blood and guts violence and bloodshed, especially in fiction, informal blood and iron military force rather than diplomacy. j ! j i j © Blood and iron is a translation of German j Blut und Eisen, a phrase particularly associated with a speech made by the German statesman Bismarck (1815-98) in the j Prussian House of Deputies in 1886. j © A North American variant of this ! expression is///re geft/ng bloodoutofaturnip. \ make your blood boil infuriate you. make your blood curdle fill you with horror. make your blood run cold horrify you. ! | j ; ! ! j j ! j ; j © The previous three phrases all come from the medieval physiological scheme of the four humours in the human body (melancholy, phlegm, blood, and choler). Under this scheme blood was the hot, moist element, so the effect of horror or fear in making the blood run cold or curdling (solidifying) it was to make it unable to fulfil its proper function of supplying the body with vital heat or energy. The blood boiling was a supposedly dangerous overreaction to strong emotion. j i j I blood and thunder unrestrained and violent action or behaviour, especially in sport or fiction, informal new (or young) blood new (or younger) members of a group, especially those admitted as an invigorating force. ! O Blood and thunder is often used to someone's blood is up someone is in a : describe sensational literature, and in the late j fighting mood. ; 19th century gave rise to penny bloods as a | term for cheap sensational novels. sweat blood: see SWEAT. taste blood achieve an early success that blood is thicker than water family loyalties stimulates further efforts. are stronger than other relationships. there is bad blood between — there is longblood on the carpet used to refer in an standing hostility between the parties exaggerated way to a serious disagreement mentioned. or its aftermath. 2001 Hugh Collins No Smoke There are 1984 Times The last thing I want now is blood occasional square-gos sometimes, but there's on the boardroom carpet. no bad blood between rival gangs. blood, sweat, and tears extremely hard bloody work; unstinting effort. bloody (or bloodied) but unbowed proud of j O l n May 1940 Winston Churchill made a what you have achieved despite having ! speech in the House of Commons in which he j suffered great difficulties or losses. ! declared : 'I have nothing to offer but blood, ! i toil, tears, and sweat.' blood will tell family characteristics cannot be concealed, proverb first blood the first point or advantage gained in a contest. i O First blood is literally 'the first shedding of I | blood', especially in a boxing match or I formerly in duelling with swords. have blood on your hands be responsible for the death of someone. in cold blood: see COLD. in your blood ingrained in or fundamental to your character. like getting blood out of a stone extremely difficult and frustrating. bloom the bloom is off the rose something is no longer new, fresh, or exciting. North American blot blot your copybook tarnish your good reputation. British ; © A copybook was an exercise book with i examples of handwriting for children to copy j j as they practised their own writing. a blot on the escutcheon something that tarnishes your reputation. j © An escutcheon was a family's heraldic j shield, and so also a record and symbol of its i j honour. blouse a blot on the landscape something ugly that spoils the appearance of a place; an eyesore. 1962 Listener Charabancs and monstrous hordes of hikers are blots upon the landscape. blouse big girl's blouse a weak, cowardly, or oversensitive man. British informal blow blow someone away ©kill, destroy, or defeat someone, ©have a very strong effect on someone, informal 01998 Times It blows me away the way she [a 13-year-old] is already moving through her life. blow away the cobwebs: see COBWEB. blow your cool lose your composure; become angry or agitated, informal blow the doors off be considerably better or more successful than. North American informal blow a fuse (or gasket) lose your temper. informal i © The metaphor is of the failure of an i electrical circuit or engine as a result of j overheating. blow the gaff: see G A F F . blow great guns: see G U N . blow hot and cold alternate inconsistently between two moods, attitudes, or courses of action; be sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes unenthusiastic about something. i i i | ! O This phrase refers to a fable involving a traveller who was offered hospitality by a satyr and offended his host by blowing on his j cold fingers to warm them and on his hot soup to cool it. blow the lid off: see LID. blow someone's mind affect someone very strongly, informal j O Blow someone's mind was originally a I mid 20th-century expression for the effect of j i hallucinatory drugs such as LSD. blow off steam: see STEAM. blow your own horn: see HORN. blow your own trumpet: see TRUMPET. blow a raspberry: see RASPBERRY. blow someone's socks off: see SOCK. 30 blow something sky-high destroy something completely in an explosion. informal blow your top lose your temper. I O Two, chiefly North American, variants are \ i blow your lid and blow your stack. blow up in your face (of an action, plan, or situation) go drastically wrong with damaging effects to yourself. blow the whistle on: see WHISTLE. blow with the wind act according to prevailing circumstances rather than a consistent plan. soften (or cushion) the blow make it easier to cope with a difficult change or upsetting news. which way the wind blows how a situation is likely to develop. blow-by-blow a blow-by-blow account a detailed narrative of events as they happened. blown be blown away be extremely impressed. informal be blown off course have your plans disrupted by some circumstance. I O This phrase is a nautical metaphor: i contrary winds turn a sailing ship away from j j its intended course. be blown out of the water (of a person, idea, or project) be shown to lack credibility or viability. 1997 Daily Mail Thingsfinallyseem to be looking up for Kelly—which is more than can be said for Biff, whose romantic plans are blown out of the water by Linda. blue between the devil and the deep blue sea see DEVIL. a bolt from the blue: see BOLT. do something until you are blue in the face persist in trying your hardest at an activity but without success, informal once in a blue moon very rarely; practically never, informal i I : I © The colour blue was an arbitrary choice in j this phrase. To say that the moon is blue is recorded in the 16th century as a way of indicating that something could not be true, j boat 31 out of the blue without warning; very unexpectedly, informal ! O This phrase refers to a blue (i.e. clear) sky, j i from which nothing unusual is expected. scream blue murder: see MURDER. talk a blue streak speak continuously and at great length. North American informal i O A blue streak refers to something like a j flash of lightning in its speed and vividness. true blue genuine. j j I j I i O The sense of someone being true blue may derive from the idea of someone being genuinely aristocratic, or having'blue blood', j In recent times, the term true blue has become particularly associated with loyal supporters of the British Conservative party. I the wide (or wild) blue yonder the sky or sea; the far or unknown distance. j ! j i O The phrase comes from 'Army Air Corps' (1939), a song by Robert Crawford:'Off we go j into the wild blue yonder, Climbing high into j the sun'. blue-eyed a blue-eyed boy the favourite of someone in authority. j I j | O The significance of blue eyes may be their j association with the innocence and charm of j a very young child. The term is first recorded j in a novel by P. G. Wodehouse in 1924. 1998 Spectator Of the three, the arrest of Osborne, one of the blue-eyed boys of British racing, was the most striking. blue-sky blue-sky research research that is not directed towards any immediate or definite commercial goal. 1997 New Scientist Bell Labs and IBM are well known for blue-sky research. They have people who are paid just to sit around and think—not about products. bluff call someone's bluff challenge someone to carry out a stated intention, in the expectation of being able to expose it as a false pretence. j j j i O In the game of poker (which was formerly j also known by the name of bluff), calling someone's b/ufY meant making an opponent j show their hand in order to reveal that its j value was weaker than their heavy betting I suggested. blush spare (or save) someone's blushes refrain from causing someone embarrassment. board above board honest; not secret. j O Above board was originally a gambling j term, indicating fair play by players who kept j i their hands above the board (i.e. the table). across the board: see ACROSS. go by the board (of something planned or previously upheld) be abandoned, rejected, or ignored. j i j j O In former times, go by the board was a nautical term meaning'fall overboard'and was used of a mast falling past the board (i.e. I the side of the ship). on board as a member of a team or group. informal i O On board literally means on or in a ship, j aircraft, or other vehicle, or (of a jockey) j j riding a horse. take something on board fully consider or assimilate a new idea or situation. informal tread (or walk) the boards appear on stage as an actor, informal boat be in the same boat be in the same unfortunate or difficult circumstances as others, informal burn your boats: see BURN. off the boat recently arrived from a foreign country, and by implication naive or an outsider, informal, often offensive push the boat out be lavish in your spending or celebrations. British informal j O Pusn the boat out apparently originated j ! as mid 20th-century naval slang meaning'pay i j for a round of drinks'. rock the boat say or do something to disturb an existing situation and upset other people, informal 1999 Times The six candidates are so determined not to rock the boat that they are in danger of saying nothing of interest. bob 32 bob bold bob and weave make rapid bodily movements up and down and from side to side. Bob's your uncle everything isfine;problem as bold as brass confident to the point of impudence. solved. British informal ! I I ! | i i ; I O Bob isa familiar form of the name Robert. \ The origin of the phrase is often said to be in ! the controversial appointment in 1887 of the young Arthur Balfour to the important post of Chief Secretary for Ireland by his uncle Lord Salisbury, whose first name was Robert. The problem with this explanation is i that the phrase is not recorded until the 1930s. ! j : \ O Brass is used in this phrase as a metaphorical representation of a lack of shame, as it was in the old expression a brass \ face, meaning 'an impudent person'. bolt a bolt from the blue a sudden and unexpected event or piece of news. ! O The phrase refers to the unlikelihood of a j j thunderbolt coming out of a clear blue sky. have shot your bolt have done all that is in 1996 Colin Bateman Of Wee Sweetie Mice and your power, informal Men I couldn't believe how easy it was to get. Just walked into a shop, signed a piece of ! O lnthisidiom,thebo/treferredtoisathick, j paper, and Bob's your uncle. j heavy arrow for a crossbow. bodkin ride bodkin travel squeezed between two other people, dated body body and soul involving every aspect of a person; completely. keep body and soul together manage to stay alive, especially in difficult circumstances. know where the bodies are buried have the security deriving from personal knowledge of an organization's confidential affairs and secrets. informal over my dead body: see DEAD. boil go off the boil pass the stage at which interest, excitement, activity, etc. is at its greatest. it all boils down to it amounts to or is in essence. i O Boiling down a liquid means reducing i its volume and concentrating it by i evaporation. 1998 Times And why are deals getting more complex? Unsurprisingly it all boils down to profit. make your blood boil: see BLOOD. boiling keep the pot boiling maintain the momentum or interest value of something. 1998 Spectator The Britpop boom has ended, the Spice Girls have shot their bolt. make a bolt for try to escape by moving suddenly towards something. i O A Do/t here is a sudden spring or start into j j rapid motion, typically that made by a horse j | breaking into an uncontrollable gallop. bomb go down a bomb be very well received. British informal i O This phrase is especially used of j entertainment and in this context is the ; opposite of go down like a lead balloon (see j : LEAD). go like a bomb ©be very successful, ©(of a vehicle or person) move very fast. British informal Bondi give someone Bondi attack someone savagely. Australian informal i O A bondi (also spelled boondie, bundi, or i i bundy) is a heavy Aboriginal club. bone a bag of bones: see BAG. the bare bones: see BARE. a bone of contention a subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement. j O The idea is of a bone thrown into the i midst of a number of dogs and causing a fight i j between them. boot 33 a bone in your leg (or head) a (feigned) reason for idleness, informal close to (or near) the bone Q (of a remark) penetrating and accurate to the point of causing hurt or discomfort. Q (of a joke or story) likely to cause offence because near the limit of decency. cut (or pare) something to the bone reduce something to the bare minimum. have a bone to pick with someone have reason to disagree or be annoyed with someone, informal j O A bone to pick (or gnaw) has been a I metaphor for a problem or difficulty to be I thought over since the mid 16th century. in your bones felt, understood, or believed very deeply or instinctively. make no bones about something have no hesitation in stating or dealing with something, however unpleasant, awkward, or distasteful it is. j i j ! j © This expression, which dates back to the 16th century, may originally have referred to I eating a bowl of soup in which no bones were found and which was therefore easily eaten. 1948 P. G. Wodehouse Uncle Dynamite She looks on you as a... poor, spineless sheep who can't say boo to a goose. booay up the booay completely wrong or astray. Australian & New Zealand j j i ! i O Literally, the booay are remote rural districts. The origin of the term is uncertain, though Puhoi, the name of a district in North j Auckland, New Zealand, has been suggested i as the source. book be in someone's black books: see BLACK. bring someone to book bring someone to justice; punish someone. by the book strictly according to the rules. close the books make no further entries at the end of an accounting period; cease trading. a closed book: see CLOSED. cook the books: see COOK. in s o m e o n e ' s bad (or good) books i n disfavour (or favour) with someone. make (or open) a book take bets and pay out winnings on the outcome of a race or other not a — bone in your body not the slightest contest or event. trace of the specified quality. 1999 Scott Turow Personal Injuries I mean, I like on the books contained in a list of members, employees, or clients. Betty. Not a mean bone in her body. point the bone at betray someone; cause someone's downfall. Australian I ! I I O The phrase comes from an Australian Aboriginal ritual, in which a bone is pointed i at a victim so as to curse them and cause their \ sickness or death. j to the bone 0(of a wound) so deep as to expose the victim's bone, ©affecting a person in a very penetrating way. to your bones (or to the bone) in a very fundamental way (used to emphasize that a person possesses a specified quality as an essential or innate aspect of their personality). 2003 Eve Gloria is known today to be a conservative to her bones—a true monarchist. work your fingers to the bone work very hard. read s o m e o n e like a book: see R E A D . suit someone's book be convenient or acceptable to someone. British take a leaf out of someone's book: see LEAF. throw the book at charge or punish someone as severely as possible or permitted, informal boot boots and all completely. Australian & New Zealand informal 1947 D. M. Davin The Rest of Our Lives The next thing he'll do is counter-attack, boots and all. the boot is on the other foot the situation has reversed. i O A North American variant is the shoe is on \ I the other foot. boo die with y o u r boots o n : see D I E . wouldn't say boo to a goose (of a person) very shy or reticent. get the boot be dismissed from your job or position, informal bootstrap I ! i ! 34 booty O Get the boot comes from the idea of being literally kicked out, as does give someone the boot. A facetious expansion of this idiom is get the Order of the Boot. shake your booty dance energetically. informal borak hang up your boots: see H A N G . put the boot in treat someone brutally, especially when they are vulnerable. British informal ; O The literal sense is 'kick someone hard : when they are already on the ground'. seven-league boots the ability to travel very fast on foot. ; I i j O This phrase comes from the fairy story of i Hop o'my Thumb, in which magic boots enable the wearer to travel seven leagues at j each stride. O Boot here has nothing to do with footwear but comes from an Old English word meaning 'good, profit, or advantage'. It j survives for the most part only in this phrase j and in bootless meaning 'unavailing or ! profitless'. 1998 New Scientist It's an ideal first-year programming book, covering both Java and programming concepts clearly, with humour to boot. tough as old boots: see T O U G H . you can bet your boots: see B E T . your heart sinks into your boots used to express a feeling of sudden sadness or dismay. ! ! ! i j j j I I j i O Borak was used in 19th-century Australian to mean 'nonsense or rubbish'. It was originally a pidgin term and was based on an Aboriginal word meaning 'no, not'. 1960 Eric North Nobody Stops Me I... subscribed to his ravings about women, while everybody else about the place poked borak at him. born be born with a silver spoon in your mouth: see SILVER. to boot as well; in addition, informal ; I j ! I j poke borak at make fiin of someone. Australian & New Zealand, dated born and bred by birth and upbringing. 1991 Sharon Kay Penman The Reckoning I was being tended by a most unlikely nurse, an Irish sprite who spoke French as if she was Paris born and bred. born in the purple: see PURPLE. not know you are born be unaware how easy your life is. informal there's one (or a sucker) born every minute there are many stupid or gullible people about (used as a comment on a particular situation in which someone has been or is about to be deceived). informal to the manner born: see M A N N E R . O This idiom has given rise to the adjective j heartsink, used in the medical profession to describe a patient who causes their medical practitioner to experience such a feeling, usually as a result of making frequent visits to j the surgery to complain of persistent but unidentifiable ailments. I wasn't born yesterday used to indicate that you are not foolish or gullible. borrow borrow trouble take needless action that may have bad effects. North American borrowed bootstrap pull (or drag) yourself up by your own bootstraps improve your position by your own efforts. I I ! ! j I I j i O A bootstrap is sometimes sewn into the back of boots to help with pulling them on. This idiom has given rise to the computing term bootstrapping, meaning the process of loading a program into a computer by means of a few initial instructions which enable the introduction of the rest of the program from aninputdevice.Wenowrefertotheprocessof starting a computer as booting or booting up. living on borrowed time continuing to survive against expectations (used with the implication that this will not be for much longer). borrowed plumes a pretentious display not rightly your own. ; j i i | O This phrase refers to the fable of the jay j which dressed itself in the peacock's feathers, i boss show someone who's boss make it clear that it is yourself who is in charge. box 35 both a dead cat bounce: see DEAD. cut both ways: see CUT. have it both ways benefit from two incompatible ways of thinking or behaving. 1998 New Scientist It is only now dawning on the legislators that they cannot have it both ways—that cleanliness and ecological friendliness are incompatible. on the bounce Oas something rebounds, ©in quick succession, informal 0 2001 Greyhound Star He has now won twelve races on the bounce, including three big competitions. bound duty-bound: see DUTY. bothered hot and bothered in a state of anxiety or physical discomfort, especially as a result of being pressured. bottle have (or show) a lot of bottle have (or show) boldness or initiative. British informal ! \ i ! ! ; i i O The mid 19th-century slang phrase no bottle, meaning 'no good or useless', is the probable origin of bottle's current sense of 'courage or nerve'. Nowadays we also find the expressions lose your bottle meaning 'lose your nerve' and bottle out meaning 'fail j to do something as a result of losing your nerve'. I hit (or be on) the bottle start to drink alcohol heavily, especially in an attempt to escape from one's problems, informal bottom be bumping along the bottom (of an economy or industry) be at the lowest point in its performance without improving or deteriorating further. bottom drawer: see DRAWER. the bottom falls (or drops) out of something something fails or collapses totally. the bottom line: see LINE. from the bottom of your heart: see HEART. honour-bound: see HONOUR. bounden a bounden duty a responsibility regarded by yourself or others as obligatory. i O Bounden as the past participle of bind is i I now archaic in all contexts and is seldom j found except in this phrase. bow bow and scrape behave in an obsequious way to someone in authority. bow down in the house of Rimmon pay lip service to a principle; sacrifice your principles for the sake of conformity. | I j ; j O R/mmon was a god worshipped in ancient j Damascus; the source of this phrase is Naaman's request in 2 Kings 5:18,'when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing'. have a second string to your bow: see STRING. make your bow make your first formal appearance in a particular role. take a bow Q(of an actor or entertainer) acknowledge applause after a performance, ©used to tell someone that they should feel themselves worthy of applause. a warning shot across the bows a statement or gesture intended to frighten someone into changing their course of action. scrape the bottom of the barrel: see SCRAPE. touch bottom: see TOUCH. you can bet your bottom dollar: see you can bet your boots at BET. bought have bought it be killed, informal bounce bounce an idea off someone share an idea with another person in order to get feedback on it and refine it. informal bounce off the walls be full of nervous excitement or agitation. North American informal ! O Literally, a shot fired in front of the bows j i of a ship is one which is not intended to hit it j | but to make it stop or alter course. bowl a bowl of cherries: see CHERRY. box black box: see BLACK. box clever act so as to outwit someone. British informal 1950 Alexander Baron There's No Home If you box clever and keep your mouth shut... you ought to be able to count on a suspended sentence. box seat be a box of birds be fine or happy. Australian & New Zealand a box of tricks an ingenious gadget, informal in the wrong box placed unsuitably or awkwardly; in difficulty or at a disadvantage. i j ! i O This phrase perhaps arose with reference j to an apothecary's boxes, from which a mistaken choice might have provided poison i instead of medicine. out of the box unusually good. Australian & New Zealand informal out of your box intoxicated with alcohol or drugs. British informal Pandora's box: see PANDORA. think outside the box have ideas that are original, creative, or innovative, informal box seat in the box seat in an advantageous position. Australian & New Zealand boy boys in blue policemen; the police, informal boys will be boys childish, irresponsible, or mischievous behaviour is typical of boys or young men. proverb jobs for the boys: see JOB. the old boy network: see NETWORK. one of the boys accepted by a group of men. sort out the men from the boys: see MAN. brain have something on the brain be obsessed with something, informal pick someone's brains: see PICK. rack your brains: see RACK. 36 the brass ring success, especially as a reward for ambition or hard work. North American informal I ! j | © This phrase refers to the reward of a free j ride on a merry-go-round given to the person i who succeeds in hooking a brass ring suspended over the horses. brass neck cheek or effrontery, informal get down to brass tacks start to consider the essential facts or practical details; reach the real matter in hand. informal 1932 T. S. Eliot Sweeney Agonistes That's all th facts when you come to brass tacks: Birth, and copulation, and death. not a brass farthing no money or assets at all. informal part brass rags with: see RAG. brave brave new world a new and hopeful period in history resulting from major changes in society. I j I j j O This phrase comes ultimately from Shakespeare's The Tempest, but is more often j used with allusion to Aldous Huxley's ironical j use of the phrase as the title of his 1932 novel j Brave New World. put a brave face on something: see FACE. breach step into the breach take the place of someone who is suddenly unable to do a job or task. ! | j | I | O I" military terms a breach is a gap in fortifications made by enemy guns or explosives. In this context, to stand in the breach is to bear the brunt of an attack when other defences or expedients have failed. j brass brass monkey used in various phrases to refer to extremely cold weather. j ! j j j ! I O Brass monkey comes from the mid 20thcentury vulgar slang expression'cold enough j to freeze the balls off a brass monkey', the origin of which has been debated. One j suggestion relates it to brass trays known as monkeys on which cannon balls were once stowed aboard warships. bread the best (or greatest) thing since sliced bread a notable new idea, person, or thing (used to express real or ironic appreciation), informal ! O This phrase alludes to the mid 20th! century advertising promotions for packed, I pre-sliced loaves. bread and circuses material benefits and 1994 Camping Magazine David will be doing his entertainment employed by rulers or best to show you how to keep warm under political parties to keep the masses happy canvas even if the temperature outside has dipped to brass monkey level. and docile. !