Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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[bitch] See: SON OF A BITCH.

[bite] See: BARK WORSE THAN ONE’S BITE, PUT THE BITE ON, ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY at BURNT CHILD DREADS THE FIRE.

[bite off more than one can chew]{v. phr.}, {informal} To try to do more than you can; be too confident of your ability. •/He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to edit the paper alone./ •/He started to repair his car himself, but realized that he had bitten off more than he could chew./

[bite one’s head off]{v. phr.} To answer someone in great anger; answer furiously. •/I’m sorry to tell you that I lost my job, but that’s no reason to bite my head off!/

[bite one’s lips]{v. phr.} To force oneself to remain silent and not to reveal one’s feelings. •/I had to bite my lips when I heard my boss give the wrong orders./

[bite the dust]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To be killed in battle. •/Captain Jones discharged his gun and another guerrilla bit the dust./ 2. To fall in defeat; go down before enemies; be overthrown; lose. •/Our team bit the dust today./

[bite the hand that feeds one]{v. phr.} To turn against or hurt a helper or supporter; repay kindness with wrong. •/He bit the hand that fed him when he complained against his employer./

[bitter] See: TO THE BITTER END.

[bitter pill]{n.} Something hard to accept; disappointment. •/Jack was not invited to the party and it was a bitter pill for him./

[black] See: BLACK AND WHITE, IN THE BLACK, LOOK BLACK, POT CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK.

[black and blue]{adj.} Badly bruised. •/Poor Jim was black and blue after he fell off the apple tree./

[black and white]{n. phr.} 1. Print or writing; words on paper, not spoken; exact written or printed form. •/He insisted on having the agreement down in black and white./ •/Mrs. Jones would not believe the news, so Mr. Jones showed her the article in the newspaper and said, «There it is in black and white.»/ 2. The different shades of black and white of a simple picture, rather than other colors. •/He showed us snapshots in black and white./

[black-and-white]{adj.} Divided into only two sides that are either right or wrong or good or bad, with nothing in between; thinking or judging everything as either good or bad. •/Everything is black-and-white to Bill; if you’re not his friend, you are his enemy./ •/The old man’s religion shows his black-and-white thinking; everything is either completely good or completely bad./

[black day]{n.} A day of great unhappiness; a disaster. •/It was a black day when our business venture collapsed./

[black eye]{n.} 1. A dark area around one’s eye due to a hard blow during a fight, such as boxing. •/Mike Tyson sported a black eye after the big fight./ 2. Discredit. •/Bob’s illegal actions will give a black eye to the popular movement he started./

[blackout]{n.} 1. The darkening of a city curing an air raid by pulling down all curtains and putting out all street lights. •/The city of London went through numerous blackouts during World War II./ 2. A cessation of news by the mass media. •/There was a total news blackout about the kidnapping of the prime minister./

[black out]{v.} 1. To darken by putting out or dimming lights, •/In some plays the stage is blacked out for a short time and the actors speak in darkness./ •/In wartime, cities are blacked out to protect against bombing from planes./ 2. To prevent or silence information or communication; refuse to give out truthful news. •/In wartime, governments often black out all news or give out false news./ •/Dictators usually black out all criticism of the government./ •/Some big games are blacked out on television to people who live nearby./ 3. {informal} To lose consciousness; faint. •/It had been a hard and tiring day, and she suddenly blacked out./

[black sheep]{n.} A person in a family or a community considered unsatisfactory or disgraceful. •/My brother Ted is a high school dropout who joined a circus; he is the black sheep in our family./

[blame] See: TO BLAME.

[blank check]{n.} 1. A bank check written to a person who can then write in how much money he wants. •/John’s father sent him a blank check to pay his school bills./ 2. {informal} Permission to another person to do anything he decides to do. •/The teacher gave the pupils a blank check to plan the picnic./

[blanket] See: WET BLANKET.

[blast off]{v.} 1. To begin a rocket flight. •/The astronaut will blast off into orbit at six o’clock./ 2. Also [blast away]{informal} To scold or protest violently. •/The coach blasted off at the team for poor playing./

[blaze a trail]{v. phr.} 1. To cut marks in trees in order to guide other people along a path or trail, especially through a wilderness. •/Daniel Boone blazed a trail for other hunters to follow in Kentucky./ 2. To lead the way; make a discovery; start something new. •/Henry Ford blazed a trail in manufacturing automobiles./ •/The building of rockets blazed a trail to outer space./ See: TRAILBLAZER.

[bleep out] See: BLIP OUT.

[bless one’s heart]{v. phr.} To thank someone; consider one the cause of something good that has happened. •/Aunt Jane, bless her heart, left me half a million dollars!/

[blessing] See: MIXED BLESSING.

[blind] See: FLY BLIND.

[blind alley]{n.} 1. A narrow street that has only one entrance and no exit. •/The blind alley ended in a brick wall./ 2. A way of acting that leads to no good results. •/John did not take the job because it was a blind alley./ •/Tom thought of a way to do the algebra problem, but he found it was a blind alley./

[blind as a bat/beetle/mole/owl]{adj. phr.} Anyone who is blind or has difficulty in seeing; a person with very thick glasses. •/Without my glasses I am blind as a bat./

[blind date]{n.} An engagement or date arranged by friends for people who have not previously known one another. •/A blind date can be a huge success, or a big disappointment./

[blind leading the blind] One or more people who do not know or understand something trying to explain it to others who do not know or understand. •/Jimmy is trying to show Bill how to skate. The blind are leading the blind./

[blind spot]{n.} 1. A place on the road that a driver cannot see in the rearview mirror. •/I couldn’t see that truck behind me, Officer, because it was in my blind spot./ 2. A matter or topic a person refuses to discuss or accept. •/My uncle Ted has a real blind spot about religion./

[blink] See: ON THE BLINK.

[blip out] or [bleep out]{v. phr.}, {informal} To delete electronically a word on television or on radio either because it mentions the name of an established firm in a commercial or because it is a censored word not allowed for television audiences, resulting in a sound resembling the word «bleep.» •/What was the old product they compared Spic-n-Span to? – I don’t know; they’ve bleeped it out./

[blitz] See: SAFETY BLITZ.

[block] See: CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK, KNOCK ONE’S BLOCK OFF, ON THE BLOCK.

[blockhead]{n.}, {informal} An unusually dense, or stupid person whose head is therefore exaggeratedly compared to a solid block of wood. •/Joe is such a blockhead that he flunked every course as a freshman./

[blood] See: DRAW BLOOD, FLESH AND BLOOD, IN COLD BLOOD, IN ONE’S BLOOD or INTO ONE’S BLOOD, MAKE ONE’S BLOOD BOIL or MAKE THE BLOOD BOIL, NEW BLOOD, OUT OF ONE’S BLOOD, RUN IN THE BLOOD or RUN IN THE FAMILY, SPORTING BLOOD, SWEAT BLOOD, WARM ONE’S BLOOD.

[blood and thunder]{n. phr.} The violence and bloodshed of stories that present fast action rather than understanding of character. •/Crime movies and westerns usually have lots of blood and thunder./ – Often used like an adjective. •/John likes to watch blood-and-thunder stories on television./

[blood freezes] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD.

[blood is thicker than water] Persons of the same family are closer to one another than to others; relatives are favored or chosen over outsiders. •/Mr. Jones hires his relatives to work in his store. Blood is thicker than water./

[blood runs cold] also [blood freezes] or [blood turns to ice] You are chilled or shivering from great fright or horror; you are terrified or horrified. – Usually used with a possessive. •/The horror movie made the children’s blood run cold./ •/Mary’s blood froze when she had to walk through the cemetery at night./ •/Oscar’s blood turned to ice when he saw the shadow pass by outside the window./ Compare: HAIR STAND ON END, THE CREEPS.

[blood turns to ice] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD.

[bloody] See: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER.

[blot out]{v. phr.} 1. To obstruct; cover; obscure. •/The high-rise building in front of our apartment house blots out the view of the ocean./ 2. To wipe out of one’s memory. •/Jane can’t remember the details when she was attacked in the streets; she blotted it out of her memory./

[blow] See: AT A BLOW, BODY BLOW, COME TO BLOWS, IT’S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY GOOD, WAY THE WIND BLOWS or HOW THE WIND BLOWS.

[blow a fuse] or [blow a gasket] or [blow one’s top] or [blow one’s stack]{v. phr.}, {slang} To become extremely angry; express rage in hot words. •/When Mr. McCarthy’s son got married against his wishes, he blew a fuse./ •/When the umpire called Joe out at first, Joe blew his top and was sent to the showers./ Syn.: BLOW UP(1b), FLIP ONE’S LID, LOSE ONE’S TEMPER. Compare: BLOW OFF STEAM(2).

[blow great guns] See: GREAT GUNS.

[blow hot and cold]{v. phr.} To change your ways or likes often; be fickle or changeable. •/Tom blows hot and cold about coming out for the baseball team; he cannot decide./ •/Mary blew hot and cold about going to college; every day she changed her mind./ •/The boys will get tired of Ann’s blowing hot and cold./

[blow in]{v.}, {slang} To arrive unexpectedly or in a carefree way. •/The house was already full of guests when Bill blew in./ Compare SHOW UP(3).

[blow into]{v.}, {slang} To arrive at (a place) unexpectedly or in a carefree way. •/Bill blows into college at the last minute after every vacation./ •/Why Tom, when did you blow into town?/

[blow off steam] See: LET OFF STEAM.

[blow one’s brains out]{v. phr.} 1. To shoot yourself in the head. •/Mr. Jones lost all his wealth, so he blew his brains out./ 2. {slang} To work very hard; overwork yourself. •/The boys blew their brains out to get the stage ready for the play./ •/Mary is not one to blow her brains out./ Compare: BREAK ONE’S NECK.

[blow one’s cool]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To lose your composure or self-control. •/Whatever you say to the judge in court, make sure that you don’t blow your cool./

[blow one’s lines] or [fluff one’s lines]{v. phr.}, {informal} To forget the words you are supposed to speak while acting in a play. •/The noise backstage scared Mary and she blew her lines./

[blow one’s mind]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal}; {originally from the drug culture} 1. To become wildly enthusiastic over something as if understanding it for the first time in an entirely new light. •/Read Lyall Watson’s book «Supernature», it will simply blow your mind!/ 2. To lose one’s ability to function, as if due to an overdose of drugs, •/Joe is entirely incoherent – he seems to have blown his mind./ Contrast: BLOW ONE’S COOL.

[blow one’s own horn] or [toot one’s own horn]{v. phr.}, {slang} To praise yourself; call attention to your own skill, intelligence, or successes; boast. •/People get tired of a man who is always blowing his own horn./ •/A person who does things well does not have to toot his own horn; his abilities will be noticed by others./

[blow one’s top]{v. phr.} To become very excited, angry, hysterical, or furious. •/«No need to blow your top, Al,» his wife said, «just because you lost a few dollars.»/

[blow out]{v. phr.} 1. To cease to function; fail; explode (said of tires and fuses). •/The accident occurred when Jim’s tire blew out on the highway./ •/The new dishwasher blew out the fuses in the whole house./ 2. To extinguish. •/Jane blew out her birthday cake candles before offering pieces to the guests./

[blowout]{n.} 1. An explosion of a tire or a fuse. •/Jim’s van veered sharply to the right after his car had a blowout./ 2. A big party. •/After graduation from college, my son and his friends staged a huge blowout./

[blow over]{v.} To come to an end; pass away with little or no bad effects. •/The sky was black, as if a bad storm were coming, but it blew over and the sun came out./ •/They were bitter enemies for a while, but the quarrel blew over./ •/He was much criticized for the divorce, but it all blew over after a few years./

[blow taps]{v. phr.} To sound the final bugle call of the evening in a camp or military base. •/After taps is blown the boy scouts go to their bunks to sleep./

[blow the gaff]{v. phr.} To open one’s mouth to reveal a secret. •/When Al cheated on his wife, his younger brother blew the gaff on him./

[blow the lid off]{v. phr.}, {informal} Suddenly to reveal the truth about a matter that has been kept as a secret either by private persons or by some governmental agency. •/The clever journalists blew the lid off the Watergate cover-up./

[blow the whistle on]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To inform against; betray. •/The police caught one of the bank robbers, and he blew the whistle on two more./ 2. To act against, stop, or tell people the secrets of (crime or lawlessness). •/The mayor blew the whistle on gambling./ •/The police blew the whistle on hot reading./

[blow up]{v.} 1a. To break or destroy or to be destroyed by explosion. •/He blew up the plane by means of a concealed bomb./ •/The fireworks factory blew up when something went wrong in an electric switch./ 1b. {informal} To explode with anger or strong feeling; lose control of yourself. •/When Father bent the nail for the third time, he blew up./ Compare: BLOW A FUSE. 1c. To stop playing well in a game or contest, usually because you are in danger of losing or are tired; {especially}: To lose skill or control in pitching baseball. •/The champion blew up and lost the tennis match./ •/Our team was behind but the pitcher on the other team blew up and we got the winning runs./ 2. {informal} To be ruined as if by explosion; be ended suddenly. •/The whole scheme for a big party suddenly blew up./ 3a. To pump full of air; inflate. •/He blew his tires up at a filling station./ 3b. To make (something) seem bigger or important. •/It was a small thing to happen but the newspapers had blown it up until it seemed important./ 4. To bring on bad weather; also, to come on as bad weather. •/The wind had blown up a storm./ •/A storm had blown up./ 5. To copy in bigger form; enlarge. •/He blew up the snapshot to a larger size./

[blow up in one’s face]{v. phr.}, {informal} To fail completely and with unexpected force. •/The thief’s plan to rob the bank blew up in his face when a policeman stopped him./

[blue] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, BOLT FROM THE BLUE, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, OUT OF THE BLUE or OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY.

[blue around the gills] See: GREEN AROUND THE GILLS.

[blue collar worker]{n. phr.} A manual laborer who is probably a labor union member. •/Because Jack’s father is a blue collar worker, Jack was so anxious to become an intellectual./ Contrast: WHITE COLLAR WORKER.

[blue in the face]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very angry or upset; excited and very emotional. •/Tom argued with Bill until he was blue in the face./ •/Mary scolded Jane until she was blue in the face, but Jane kept on using Mary’s paints./

[blue Monday]{n.} A Monday when you have to work after a happy weekend. •/It was blue Monday and John nodded sleepily over his books./ •/Housewives sometimes wish they could sleep through blue Monday./

[blue-pencil]{v.} To edit. •/The editor blue-penciled John’s manuscript./

[bluff] See: CALL ONE’S BLUFF.

[blurt out]{v. phr.} To suddenly say something even if one was not planning to do so, or if it was not expected of them. •/«My brother Bob is in jail,» Tony blurted out, before anybody could stop him./

[blush] See: AT FIRST BLUSH.

[board] See: ACROSS THE BOARD, COLLEGE BOARDS, GO BY THE BOARD or PASS BY THE BOARD, ON BOARD, SANDWICH BOARD.

[boat] See: BURN ONE’S BRIDGES also BURN ONE’S BOATS, IN THE SAME BOAT, MISS THE BOAT, ROCK THE BOAT.

[bobby-soxer]{n.} A teen-aged girl. (1940s idiom) •/My two daughters, age 13 and 14, are typical bobby-soxers./

[bob up] See: POP UP(1).

[body] See: KEEP BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER.

[body blow]{n.}, {informal} A great disappointment; a bitter failure. •/When he failed to get on the team it came as a body blow to him./

[body English]{n.}, {informal} The wishful attempt to make a ball move in the right direction after it has been hit or let go, by twisting the body in the desired direction. •/He tried to help the putt fall by using body English./

[bog down]{v. phr.} To be immobilized in mud, snow, etc.; slow down. •/Our research got bogged down for a lack of appropriate funding./ •/Don’t get bogged down in too much detail when you write an action story./

[bog down, to get bogged down]{v. phr.}, {mostly intransitive or passive} 1. To stop progressing; to slow to a halt. •/Work on the new building bogged down, because the contractor didn’t deliver the needed concrete blocks./ 2. To become entangled with a variety of obstacles making your efforts unproductive or unsatisfying. •/The novelist wrote tittle last summer because she got bogged down in housework./

[boggle the mind]{v. phr.}, {informal} To stop the rational thinking process by virtue of being too fantastic or incredible. •/It boggles the mind that John should have been inside a flying saucer!/

[boil] See: MAKE ONE’S BLOOD BOIL or MAKE THE BLOOD BOIL.

[boil down]{v.} 1. To boil away some of the water from; make less by boiling. •/She boiled down the maple sap to a thick syrup./ •/The fruit juice boiled down until it was almost not good for jelly./ 2. To reduce the length of; cut down; shorten. •/The reporter boiled the story down to half the original length./ 3. To reduce itself to; come down to; be briefly or basically. •/The whole discussion boils down to the question of whether the government should fix prices./

[boil over]{v. phr.} 1. To rise due to boiling and overflow down the sides of a pan or a pot. •/«Watch out!» Jane cried. «The milk is boiling over on the stove!»/ 2. To become enraged to the point of being unable to contain oneself. •/John took a lot of abuse from his boss, but after 25 minutes he suddenly boiled over and told him what he thought of him./

[boiling point]{n.} 1. The temperature at which a liquid boils. •/The boiling point of water is 272° Fahrenheit./ 2. The time when you become very angry. •/He has a low boiling point./ •/After being teased for a long time, John reached the boiling point./ •/When John made the same mistake for the fourth time, his teacher reached the boiling point.__/ Compare: BLOW UP(1b), MAKE ONE’S BLOOD BOIL.

[bolt from the blue]{n. phr.} Something sudden and unexpected; an event that you did not see coming; a great and usually unpleasant surprise; shock. •/We had been sure she was in Chicago, so her sudden appearance was a bolt from the blue./ •/His decision to resign was a bolt from the blue./ Compare: OUT OF THE BLUE.

[bombshell] See: EXPLODE A BOMBSHELL.

[bond] See: SAVINGS BOND.

[bone] See: BRED IN THE BONE, FEEL IN ONE’S BONES or KNOW IN ONE’S BONES, FUNNY BONE, MAKE NO BONES, SKIN AND BONES, T-BONE STEAK, WORK ONE’S FINGERS TO THE BONE.

[bonehead]{n.}, {slang} An unusually dense or stupid person. •/John is such a bonehead – small wonder he flunks all of his courses./

[bone of contention]{n. phr.} Something to fight over; a reason for quarrels; the subject of a fight. •/The boundary line between the farms was a bone of contention between the two farmers./ •/The use of the car was a bone of contention between Joe and his wife./

[bone to pick] or [crow to pick]{n. phr.}, {informal} A reason for dispute; something to complain of or argue about. – Often used jokingly. •/«I have a bone to pick with you,» he said./ •/There was always a crow to pick about which one would shave first in the morning./ Compare: BONE OF CONTENTION.

[bone up]{v.}, {informal} To fill with information; try to learn a lot about something in a short time; study quickly. •/Carl was boning up for an examination./ •/Jim had to make a class report the next day on juvenile delinquency, and he was in the library boning up on how the courts handle it./

[bonnet] See: BEE IN ONE’S BONNET.

[book] See: CLOSED BOOK, CLOSE THE BOOKS, HIT THE BOOKS, KEEP BOOKS, NOSE IN A BOOK, ONE FOR THE BOOKS, READ ONE LIKE A BOOK, TALKING BOOK, THROW THE BOOK AT.

[boom] See: LOWER THE BOOM.

[boot] See: DIE IN ONE’S BOOTS, IN ONE’S SHOES also IN ONE’S BOOTS, LICK ONE’S BOOTS, SHAKE IN ONE’S SHOES or SHAKE IN ONE’S BOOTS, TO BOOT, TOO BIG FOR ONE’S BREECHES or TOO BIG FOR ONE’S BOOTS, YOU BET or YOU BET YOUR BOOTS.

[boot hill]{n.} A cemetery in the old Wild West where cowboys and cops and robbers used to be buried with their boots on. Hence, jokingly, any cemetery. •/Good old Joe, the cowboy, is resting comfortably in the nearby boot hill./

[boot out] See: KICK OUT.

[boot strap] See: PULL ONESELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS.

[border on]{v. phr.} To be adjacent to; come close to; adjoin. •/Our village borders on the Mississippi River./ •/John’s actions border on irresponsibility./

[bore to death] See: TO DEATH.

[bore to tears]{v. phr.} To fill with tired dislike; tire by dullness or the same old thing bore. •/The party was dull and Roger showed plainly that he was bored to tears./ •/Mary loved cooking, but sewing bores her to tears./

[born] See: NATURAL-BORN, TO THE MANNER BORN.

[born out of wedlock]{adj. phr.} Born to parents who are not married to each other; without legal parents. •/Sometimes when a married couple can’t have children, they adopt a child who was born out of wedlock./ •/Today we no longer make fun of children born out of wedlock./

[born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth]{adj. phr.} Born to wealth and comfort; provided from birth with everything wanted; born rich. •/The stranger’s conduct was that of a man who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth./ Compare: WELL-HEELED.

[born yesterday]{adj. phr.} Inexperienced and easily fooled; not alert to trickery; easily deceived or cheated. – Usually used in negative sentences. •/When Bill started the new job, the other workers teased him a little, but he soon proved to everyone that he wasn’t born yesterday./ •/I won’t give you the money till I see the bicycle you want to sell me. Do you think I was born yesterday?/ Compare: NOBODY’S FOOL.

[borrow] See: LIVE ON BORROWED TIME.

[borrow trouble]{v. phr.} To worry for nothing about trouble that may not come; make trouble for yourself needlessly. •/Don’t borrow trouble by worrying about next year. It’s too far away./ •/You are borrowing trouble if you try to tell John what to do./ Compare: ASK FOR, CROSS ONE’S BRIDGES BEFORE ONE COMES TO THEM, CRY BEFORE ONE IS HURT.

[bosom friend]{n. phr.} A very close friend; an old buddy with whom one has a confidential relationship. •/Sue and Jane have been bosom friends since their college days./

[boss] See: STRAW BOSS.

[boss one around]{v. phr.} To keep giving someone orders; to act overbearingly toward someone. •/«If you keep bossing me around, darling,» Tom said to Jane, «the days of our relationship are surely numbered.»/

[botch up]{v. phr.} To ruin, spoil, or mess something up. •/«I botched up my chemistry exam,» Tim said, with a resigned sigh./

[both] See: CUT BOTH WAYS, PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES.

[both – and]{coord. conj.} Used to emphasize that two or more things are talked about. •/Both Frank and Mary were at the party./ •/Millie is both a good swimmer and a good cook./ •/In the program tonight Mary will both sing and dance./ •/The frog can move quickly both on land and in the water./ Compare: AS WELL AS. Contrast EITHER OR.

[bothered] See: HOT AND BOTHERED.

[bottle blond]{n.}, {slang} A person who is obviously not a natural blond but whose hair is artificially colored. •/I doubt that Leonora’s hair color is natural; she strikes me as a bottle blond./

[bottleneck]{n.} A heavy traffic congestion. •/In Chicago the worst bottleneck is found where the Kennedy and the Eden’s expressways separate on the way to the airport./

[bottle up]{v.} 1. To hide or hold back; control. •/There was no understanding person to talk to, so Fred bottled up his unhappy feeling./ 2. To hold in a place from which there is no escape; trap. •/Our warships bottled up the enemy fleet in the harbor./

[bottom] See: BET ONE’S BOOTS or BET ONE’S BOTTOM DOLLAR, FROM THE BOTTOM OF ONE’S HEART, FROM – TO –, GET TO THE BOTTOM OF, HIT BOTTOM or TOUCH BOTTOM, ROCK BOTTOM, SCRAPE THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL.

[bottom dollar]{n.}, {v. phr.}, {informal} One’s last penny, one’s last dollar. •/He was down to his bottom dollar when he suddenly got the job offer./

[bottom drop out] or [bottom fall out]{v. phr.}{informal} 1. To fall below an earlier lowest price. •/The bottom dropped out of the price of peaches./ 2. To lose all cheerful qualities; become very unhappy, cheerless, or unpleasant. •/The bottom dropped out of the day for John when he saw his report card./ •/The bottom fell out for us when the same ended with our team on the two yard line and six points behind./

[bottom line]{n.}, {informal} (stress on «line») 1. The last word on a controversial issue; a final decision. •/«Give me the bottom line on the proposed merger,» said John./ 2. The naked truth without embellishments. •/Look, the bottom line is that poor Max is an alcoholic./ 3. The final dollar amount; for example, the lowest price two parties reach in bargaining about a sale. •/"Five-hundred, " said the used car dealer, «is the bottom line. Take it or leave it.»/

[bottom line]{v.}, {informal} (stress on «bottom») To finish; to bring to a conclusion. •/Okay, you guys, let’s bottom line this project and break for coffee./

[bottom out]{v. phr.} To reach the lowest point (said chiefly of economic cycles). •/According to the leading economic indicators the recession will bottom out within the next two months./

[bounce] See: GET THE BOUNCE, GIVE THE BOUNCE.

[bound] See: BIND, BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS, OUT OF BOUNDS, WITHIN BOUNDS.

[bound for]{adj. phr.} On the way to; going to. •/I am bound for the country club./ •/The ship is bound for Liverpool./

[bound up with]{v. phr.} To be connected; be involved with. •/Tuition at our university is bound up with the state budget./

[bow] See: TAKE A BOW.

[bow and scrape]{v.} To be too polite or obedient from fear or hope of gain; act like a slave. •/The old servant bowed and scraped before them, too obedient and eager to please./

[bowl of cherries] See: BED OF ROSES.

[bowl over]{v.}, {informal} 1. To knock down as if with a bowled ball. •/The taxi hit him a glancing blow and bowled him over./ 2. To astonish with success or shock with misfortune; upset; stun. •/He was bowled over by his wife’s sudden death./ •/The young actress bowled over everybody in her first movie./

[bow out]{v.}, {informal} 1. To give up taking part; excuse yourself from doing any more; quit. •/Mr. Black often quarreled with his partners, so finally he bowed out of the company./ •/While the movie was being filmed, the star got sick and had to bow out./ 2. To stop working after a long service; retire. •/He bowed out as train engineer after forty years of railroading./

[box] See: IN A BIND or IN A BOX, PENALTY BOX, PRESS BOX, STUFF THE BALLOT BOX, VOICE BOX.

[box office]{n.}, {informal} 1. The place at movies and theaters where tickets may be purchased just before the performance instead of having ordered them through the telephone or having bought them at a ticket agency. •/No need to reserve the seats; we can pick them up at the box office./ 2. A best selling movie, musical, or drama (where the tickets are all always sold out and people line up in front of the box office). •/John Wayne’s last movie was a regular box office./ 3. Anything successful or well liked. •/Betsie is no longer box office with me./

[boy] See: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY, FAIR-HAIRED BOY, MAMA’S BOY, OLD BOY, SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS.

[boyfriend]{n.}, {informal} 1. A male friend or companion. •/«John and his boyfriends have gone to the ball game,» said his mother./ 2. A girl’s steady date, a woman’s favorite man friend; a male lover or sweetheart. •/Jane’s new boyfriend is a senior in high school./ Contrast: GIRL FRIEND.

[boys will be boys] Boys are only children and must sometimes get into mischief or trouble or behave too roughly. •/Boys will be boys and make a lot of noise, so John’s mother told him and his friends to play in the park instead of the back yard./

[brain] See: BEAT ONE’S BRAINS OUT, BLOW ONE’S BRAINS OUT, ON THE BRAIN, RACK ONE’S BRAIN, GET ONE’S BRAINS FRIED.

[brain bucket]{n.}, {slang} A motorcycle helmet. •/If you want to share a ride with me, you’ve got to wear a brain bucket./

[brain drain]{n.}, {informal} 1. The loss of the leading intellectuals and researchers of a country due to excessive emigration to other countries where conditions are better. •/Britain suffered a considerable brain drain to the United States after World War II./ 2. An activity requiring great mental concentration resulting in fatigue and exhaustion •/That math exam I took was a regular brain drain./

[brain-storm]{v.} To have a discussion among fellow researchers or co-workers on a project in order to find the best solution to a given problem. •/Dr. Watson and his research assistants are brain-storming in the conference room./

[brainstorm]{n.} A sudden insight; a stroke of comprehension. •/Listen to me, I’ve just had a major brainstorm, and I think I found the solution to our problem./

[brain trust]{n.} A group of specially trained, highly intelligent experts in a given field. •/Albert Einstein gathered a brain trust around himself at the Princeton Institute of Advanced Studies./

[brake] See: RIDE THE BRAKE.

[branch off]{v.} To go from something big or important to something smaller or less important; turn aside. •/At the bridge a little road branches off from the highway and follows the river./ •/Martin was trying to study his lesson, but his mind kept branching off onto what girl he should ask to go with him to the dance./