293+ List of Idioms Starting with B | Idioms with Meaning

idioms Starting with B | An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase. Some phrases which become figurative idioms, however, do retain the phrase’s literal meaning.

Categorized as formulaic language, an idiom’s figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning.

Here are the list some of the Idioms starting with B:

Idioms Starting With B

Sr. No.	Idioms	Meaning
1	Babe in arms	A babe in arms is a very young child, or a person who is very young to be holding a position.
2	Babe in the woods	A babe in the woods is a naive, defenseless, young person.
3	Baby boomer	A baby boomer is someone born in the years after the end of the Second World War, a period when the population was growing very fast.
4	Back burner	If an issue is on the back burner, it is being given low priority.
5	Back foot	If you are on your back foot, you are at a disadvantage and forced to be defensive of your position.
6	Back number	Something that’s a back number is dated or out of fashion.
7	Back the wrong horse	If you back the wrong horse, you give your support to the losing side in something.
8	Back to back	If things happen back to back, they are directly one after another.
9	Back to square one	If you are back to square one, you have to start from the beginning again.
10	Back to the drawing board	If you have to go back to the drawing board, you have to go back to the beginning and start something again.
11	Back to the salt mine	If someone says they have to go back to the salt mine, they have to return to work.
12	Back to the wall	If you have your back to the wall, you are in a difficult situation with very little room for manoeuvre.
13	Backseat driver	A backseat driver is an annoying person who is fond of giving advice to the person performing a task or doing something, especially when the advice is either wrong or unwelcome.
14	Bad Apple	A person who is bad and makes other bad is a bad apple.
15	Bad blood	If people feel hate because of things that happened in the past, there is bad blood between them.
16	Bad egg	A person who cannot be trusted is a bad egg. Good egg is the opposite.
17	Bad hair day	If you’re having a bad hair day, things are not going the way you would like or had planned.
18	Bad mouth	When you are bad mouthing,you are saying negative things about someone or something. (‘Bad-mouth’ and ‘badmouth’ are also used.)
19	Bad shape	If something’s in bad shape, it’s in bad condition. If a person’s in bad shape, they are unfit or unhealthy.
20	Bad taste in your mouth	If something leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, you feel there is something wrong or bad about it.

21	Bad workers always blame their tools	“A bad worker always blames their tools” – If somebody does a job badly or loses in a game and claims that they were let down by their equipment, you can use this to imply that this was not the case.
22	Bag of bones	If someone is a bag of bones, they are very underweight.
23	Bag of nerves	If someone is a bag of nerves, they are very worried or nervous.
24	Baker’s dozen	A Baker’s dozen is 13 rather than 12.
25	Bald as a coot	A person who is completely bald is as bald as a coot.
26	Ball is in your court	If the ball is in your court, it is up to you to make the next decision or step.
27	Ballpark figure	A ballpark figure is a rough or approximate number (guesstimate) to give a general idea of something, like a rough estimate for a cost, etc.
28	Balls to the walls	If you do something balls to the wall, you apply full acceleration or exertion.
29	Banana republic	Banana republic is a term used for small countries that depend on a single crop or resource and governed badly by a corrupt elite.
30	Banana skin	A banana skin is something that is an embarrassment or causes problems.
31	Bandit territory	An area or an industry, profession, etc, where rules and laws are ignored or flouted is bandit territory.
32	Baptism of fire	A baptism of fire was a soldier’s first experience of shooting. Any unpleasant experience undergone, usually where it is also a learning experience, is a baptism of fire.
33	Bar fly	A bar fly is a person who spends a lot of time drinking in different bars and pubs.
34	Bare your heart	If you bare your heart to someone, you tell them your personal and private feelings. (‘Bare your soul’ is an alternative form of the idiom.)
35	Barefaced liar	A barefaced liar is one who displays no shame about lying even if they are exposed.
36	Bark is worse than their bite	Someone who’s bark is worse than their bite may well get angry and shout, but doesn’t take action.
37	Barking up the wrong tree	If you are barking up the wrong tree, it means that you have completely misunderstood something or are totally wrong.
38	Barkus is willing	This idiom means that someone will get married.
39	Barrack-room lawyer	A barrack-room lawyer is a person who gives opinions on things they are not qualified to speak about.
40	Barrel of laughs	If someone’s a barrel of laughs, they are always joking and you find them funny.

41	Basket case	If something is a basket case, it is so bad that it cannot be helped.
42	Bat an eyelid	If someone doesn’t bat an eyelid, they don’t react or show any emotion when surprised, shocked, etc.
43	Bated breath	If someone says they’re waiting with bated breath, they’re very excited and find it difficult to be patient.(‘Baited breath’ is a common mistake.)
44	Batten down the hatches	If you batten down the hatches, you prepare for the worst that could happen to you.
45	Battle of nerves	A battle of nerves is a situation where neither side in a conflict or dispute is willing to back down and is waiting for the other side to weaken. (‘A war of nerves’ is an alternative form.)
46	Be all ears	If you are all ears, you are very eager to hear what someone has to say.
47	Be careful what you wish for	If you get things that you desire, there may be unforeseen and unpleasant consequences.(‘Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.’ and ‘Be careful what you wish for; you may receive it.’ are also used.)
48	Be on the pig’s back	If you’re on the pig’s back, you’re happy / content / in fine form.
49	Be out in force	If people are out in force, they are present somewhere in large numbers.
50	Be out in left field	To be out in left field is not to know what’s going on. Taken from baseball, when youngsters assign less capable players to the outfield where the ball is less likely to be hit by a young player. In business, one might say, ‘Don’t ask the new manager; he’s out in left field and doesn’t know any answers yet.’
51	Be that as it may	Be that as it may is an expression which means that, while you are prepared to accept that there is some truth in what the other person has just said, it’s not going to change your opinions in any significant manner.
52	Be true blue	If a person/object/situation is considered to be ‘true blue’, it is considered genuine.
53	Be up the spout	If a woman is up the spout, she is pregnant.
54	Bean counter	A bean counter is an accountant.
55	Bear fruit	If something bears fruit, it produces positive results.
56	Bear market	A bear market is a period when investors are pessimistic and expect financial losses so are more likely to sell than to buy shares.
57	Bear the brunt	People who bear the brunt of something endure the worst of something bad.
58	Beard the lion in his own den	If you confront a powerful or dangerous rival on their territory, you are bearding the lion in his own den.
59	Beat about the bush	If someone doesn’t say clearly what they mean and try to make it hard to understand, they are beating about (around) the bush.
60	Beat someone to the draw	If you beat someone to the draw, you do something before they do.

61	Beat swords into ploughshares	If people beat swords into ploughshares, they spend money on humanitarian purposes rather than weapons. (The American English spelling is ‘plowshares’)
62	Beat the daylights out of someone	If someone beats the daylights out of another person, they hit them repeatedly. (‘Knock’ can also be used and it can be made even stronger by saying ‘the living daylights’.)
63	Beat the rap	If you beat the rap, you escape conviction and punishment for a crime or something you have done wrong.
64	Beat to the punch	If you beat someone to the punch, you act before them and gain an advantage.
65	Beat your brains out	If you beat your brains out, you think hard about something but cannot solve, understand or remember it.
66	Beating a dead horse	If someone is trying to convince people to do or feel something without any hope of succeeding, they’re beating a dead horse. This is used when someone is trying to raise interest in an issue that no-one supports anymore; beating a dead horse will not make it do any more work.
67	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder	Beauty is in the eye of the beholder means different people will find different things beautiful and that the differences of opinion don’t matter.
68	Beauty is only skin deep	This idiom means that appearances can be deceptive and something that seems or looks good may turn out to be bad.
69	Beck and call	Someone who does everything for you, no matter when you ask, is at your beck and call.
70	Bedroom eyes	Someone with bedroom eyes has a sexy look in their eyes.
71	Bee in your bonnet	If someone is very excited about something, they have a bee in their bonnet.
72	Bee’s Knees	If something is the bee’s knees, it’s outstanding or the best in its class.
73	Beeline for	If you make a beeline for a place, you head there directly.
74	Been in the wars	If someone has been in the wars, they have been hurt or look as if they have been in a struggle.
75	Been there, done that	People say this when they have already experienced what is being discussed.
76	Beer and skittles	People say that life is not all beer and skittles, meaning that it is not about self-indulgence and pleasure.
77	Before the ink is dry	If people make an agreement or contract and then the situation changes very quickly, it changes before the ink is dry.
78	Before you can say Jack Robinson	The term Jack Robinson represents ‘a short amount of time’. When you do something before you can say Jack Robinson, you do it very quickly.
79	Beg the question	In philosophy “to beg the question” is to assume something to be true that has not yet been proved. I have seen the idiom also to mean that a question is crying out to be asked.
80	Beggars can’t be choosers	This idiom means that people who are in great need must accept any help that is offered, even if it is not a complete solution to their problems.

81	Behind bars	When someone is behind bars, they are in prison.
82	Behind closed doors	If something happens away from the public eye, it happens behind closed doors.
83	Behind someone’s back	If you do something behind someone’s back, you do it without telling them.
84	Behind the eight ball	A difficult position from which it is unlikely one can escape.
85	Behind the times	Someone that is behind the times is old-fashioned and has ideas that are regarded as out-dated.
86	Believe in the hereafter	A belief in the hereafter is a belief in the afterlife, or life after death. It is, therefore, associated with religions and the soul’s journey to heaven or to hell, whichever way being just deserts for the person based on how they led their life.
87	Bells and whistles	Bells and whistles are attractive features that things like computer programs have, though often a bit unnecessary.
88	Bells on	To be somewhere with bells on means to arrive there happy and delighted to attend.
89	Belly up	If things go belly up, they go badly wrong.
90	Below par	If something isn’t up to standard, or someone isn’t feeling or doing very well, they are below par.
91	Below the belt	If someone says something that is cruel or unfair, it is below the belt, like the illegal punches in boxing.
92	Belt and braces	Someone who wears belt and braces is very cautious and takes no risks.
93	Belt and suspenders	Someone who wears belt and suspenders is very cautious and takes no risks.
94	Bend over backwards	If someone bends over backwards, they do everything they can to help someone.
95	Bend someone’s ear	To bend someone’s ear is to talk to someone about something for a long enough period that it becomes tiresome for the listener.
96	Benjamin of the family	The Benjamin of the family is the youngest child.
97	Beside the point	If something is beside the point, it’s not relevant to the matter being discussed or considered.
98	Beside themselves	If people are beside themselves, they are very worried or emotional about something.
99	Beside yourself	If you are beside yourself, you are extremely angry.
100	Best of a bad bunch	The best that could be obtained from a list of options that were not exactly what was required.

101	Best of both worlds	If you have the best of both worlds, you benefit from different things that do not normally go together.
102	Best thing since sliced bread	If something is the best thing since sliced bread, it is excellent. (‘The greatest thing since sliced bread’ is also used.)
103	Bet your bottom dollar	If you can bet your bottom dollar on something, you can be absolutely sure about it.
104	Better half	Your better half is your husband or wife.
105	Better late than never	This idiom suggests that doing something late is better than not doing it at all.
106	Better safe than sorry	This idiom is used to recommend being cautious rather than taking a risk.
107	Better than a kick in the teeth	If something is better than a kick in the teeth, it isn’t very good, but it is better than nothing.
108	Better than a stick in the eye	If something is better than a stick in the eye, it isn’t very good, but it is better than nothing.
109	Better the devil you know	This is the shortened form of the full idiom, ‘better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’, and means that it is often better to deal with someone or something you are familiar with and know, even if they are not ideal, than take a risk with an unknown person or thing.
110	Between a rock and a hard place	If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, you are in a position where you have to choose between unpleasant alternatives, and your choice might cause you problems; you will not be able to satisfy everyone.
111	Between the devil and the deep blue sea	If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a dilemma; a difficult choice.
112	Between you and me and the cat’s whiskers	This idiom is used when telling someone something that you want them to keep secret.
113	Beyond a shadow of a doubt	If something’s beyond a shadow of a doubt, then absolutely no doubts remain about it.
114	Beyond belief	If people behave in such a way that you find it almost impossible to accept that they actually did it, then you can say that their behavior was beyond belief.
115	Beyond our ken	If something’s beyond your ken, it is beyond your understanding.
116	Beyond the black stump	An Australian idiom indicating that even if you go as far as you can, the black stump is still a little further.
117	Beyond the pale	If something’s beyond the pale, it is too extreme to be acceptable morally or socially.
118	Big Apple	The Big Apple is New York.
119	Big bucks	If someone is making big bucks, they are making a lot of money.
120	Big cheese	The big cheese is the boss.

121	Big Easy	The Big Easy is New Orleans, Louisiana
122	Big fish	An important person in a company or an organization is a big fish.
123	Big fish in a small pond	A big fish in a small pond is an important person in a small place or organization.
124	Big girl’s blouse	A person who is very weak or fussy is a big girl’s blouse.
125	Big hitter	A big hitter is someone who commands a lot of respect and is very important in their field.
126	Big nose	If someone has a big nose, it means they are excessively interested in everyone else’s business.
127	Big picture	The big picture of something is the overall perspective or objective, not the fine detail.
128	Big time	This can be used to with the meaning ‘very much’- if you like something big time, you like it a lot.
129	Bigger fish to fry	If you aren’t interested in something because it isn’t important to you and there are more important things for you to do, you have bigger fish to fry.
130	Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush	‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ is a proverb meaning that it is better to have something that is certain than take a risk to get more, where you might lose everything.
131	Bird’s eye view	If you have a bird’s eye view of something, you can see it perfectly clearly.
132	Bird-brain	Someone who has a bird-brain, or is bird-brained, is stupid.
133	Birds and the bees	If a child is taught about the birds and the bees, they are taught about sex.
134	Birds of a feather flock together	This idiom means that people with similar interests will stick together.
135	Birthday suit	If you are in your birthday suit, you are naked.
136	Bit between your teeth	If you take or have the bit between your teeth, you take or have control of a situation. (Bit = piece of metal in a horse’s mouth)
137	Bit part	If someone has a small or unimportant role in something, they have a bit part.
138	Bit player	A bit player has a small or unimportant role in something.
139	Bite off more than you can chew	If you bite off more than you can chew, you take on more responsibilities than you can manage. ‘Don’t bite off more than you can chew’ is often used to advise people against agreeing to more than they can handle.
140	Bite someone’s head off	If you bite someone’s head off, you criticize them angrily.

141	Bite the bullet	If you have to bite the bullet, you have to accept or face something unpleasant because it cannot be avoided.
142	Bite the dust	This is a way of saying that somebody has died, especially if they are killed violently like a soldier in battle.
143	Bite your lip	If you have to bite your lip, you have to make a conscious effort not to react or to keep quiet about something that displeases you.
144	Bite your tongue	If you bite your tongue, you refrain from speaking because it is socially or otherwise better not to.
145	Bits and bobs	Bits and bobs are small, remnant articles and things- the same as ‘odds and ends’.
146	Bitter end	If you do something to the bitter end, you do it to the very end, no matter how unsuccessful you are.
147	Bitter pill to swallow	A bitter pill to swallow is something that is hard to accept.
148	Black and blue	This means bruised, either physically or metaphorically.
149	Black and white	When it is very clear who or what is right and wrong, then the situation is black and white.
150	Black as Newgate’s knocker	If things are as black as Newgate’s knocker, they are very bad. New gate was an infamous prison in England, so its door knocker meant trouble.
151	Black hole	If there is a black hole in financial accounts, money has disappeared.
152	Black sheep	Someone who is the black sheep doesn’t fit into a group or family because their behavior or character is not good enough.
153	Blackball	If you vote against allowing someone to be a member of an organization or group, you are blackballing him or her.
154	Blank cheque	If you are given a blank cheque, you are allowed to use as much money as you need for a project.
155	Bleeding edge	Similar to ‘cutting edge’, this implies a technology or process that is at the forefront or beyond current practices. However, because it is unproven, it is often dangerous to use (hence the ‘bleeding’).
156	Bleeding heart	A bleeding heart is a person who is excessively sympathetic towards other people.
157	Bless your pointy little head	This expression is used as to patronize someone, especially when they don’t realise that they’re not very clever.(‘Bless your pointed little head’ is also used.)
158	Blessing in disguise	If some bad luck or misfortune ultimately results in something positive, it’s a blessing in disguise.
159	Blind acceptance	If people accept thing blindly, they accept them without questioning them at all.
160	Blind as a bat	If you are in total darkness and can’t see anything at all, you are as blind as a bat.

161	Blind leading the blind	When the blind are leading the blind, the people in charge of something don’t know anything more than the people they are in charge of, when they should have greater knowledge.
162	Blind-sided	If you are blind-sided, an event with a negative impact takes you completely by surprise.
163	Blink of an eye	If something happens in the blink of an eye, it happens so fast it is almost impossible to notice it.
164	Blood and thunder	An emotional speech or performance is full of blood and thunder.
165	Blood from a turnip	It is impossible to get something from someone if they don’t have it, just as you cannot get blood from a turnip.
166	Blood is thicker than water	This idiom means that family relationships are stronger than others.
167	Blood is worth bottling	If an Australian says to you “Your blood is worth bottling”, he/she is complimenting or praising you for doing something or being someone very special.
168	Blood out of a stone	If something is like getting blood out of a stone, it is very difficult indeed.
169	Blood, sweat and tears	If something will take blood, sweat and tears, it will be very difficult and will require a lot of effort and sacrifice.
170	Blow a gasket	If you blow a gasket, you get very angry.
171	Blow by blow	A blow-by-blow description gives every detail in sequence.
172	Blow hot and cold	If you blow hot and cold on an idea, your attitude and opinion keeps changing; one minute you are for it, the next you are against.
173	Blow me down	People say ‘(well,) blow me down’ when you have just told them something surprising, shocking or unexpected. (‘Blow me down with a feather’ is also used.)
174	Blow off steam	If you blow off steam, you express your anger or frustration.
175	Blow out of the water	If something, like an idea, is blown out of the water, it is destroyed or defeated comprehensively.
176	Blow smoke	If people blow smoke, they exaggerate or say things that are not true, usually to make themselves look better.
177	Blow the cobwebs away	If you blow the cobwebs away, you make sweeping changes to something to bring fresh views and ideas in.
178	Blow the whistle	If somebody blows the whistle on a plan, they report it to the authorities.
179	Blow your mind	Something that will blow your mind is something extraordinary that will amaze you beyond explanation.
180	Blow your own horn	If you blow your own horn, you boast about your achievements and abilities. (‘Blow your own trumpet’ is an alternative form.)

Read More: Pronoun in Hindi

181	Blow your own trumpet	If someone blows their own trumpet, they boast about their talents and achievements. (‘Blow your own horn’ is an alternative form.)
182	Blow your stack	If you blow your stack, you lose your temper.
183	Blow your top	If someone blows their top, they lose their temper.
184	Blue blood	Someone with blue blood is royalty.
185	Blue-eyed boy	Someone’s blue-eyed boy is their favorite person.
186	Bob’s your uncle	This idiom means that something will be successful: Just tell him that I gave you his name and Bob’s your uncle- he’ll help you.
187	Body politic	A group of people organized under a single government or authority (national or regional) is a body politic.
188	Bold as brass	Someone who is as bold as brass is very confident and not worried about how other people will respond or about being caught.
189	Bolt from the blue	If something happens unexpectedly and suddenly, it is a bolt from the blue.
190	Bone of contention	If there is an issue that always causes tension and arguments, it is a bone of contention.
191	Bone to pick	If you have a bone to pick with someone, you are annoyed about something they have done and want to tell them how you feel.
192	Boot is on the other foot	When the boot’s on the other foot, a person who was in a position of weakness is now in a position of strength.
193	Born to the purple	Someone who is born to the purple is born in a royal or aristocratic family. (“Born in the purple” is also used.)
194	Born with a silver spoon in your mouth	If you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you are born into a rich family.
195	Both ends meet	If you make both ends meet, you live off the money you earn and don’t go into debt.
196	Bottom line	In accountancy, the bottom line is net income, and is used idiomatically to mean the conclusion.
197	Bounce ideas	If you bounce ideas off someone, you share your ideas with them to know whether they think they would work.
198	Bounce off the walls	If someone’s bouncing off the walls, they are very excited about something.
199	Bouquet of orchids	If someone deserves a bouquet of orchids, they have done something worthy of praise.
200	Box and dice	Box and dice means everything.

201	Box clever	If you box clever, you use your intelligence to get what you want, even if you have to cheat a bit.
202	Boxing and coxing	If people are boxing and coxing, they are sharing responsibilities so that one of them is working while the other isn’t. It can also be used when couples are sharing a house, but their relationship has broken down and when one is at home, the other stays out.
203	Boys in blue	The boys in blue are the police.
204	Brain surgery	If something is not brain surgery, it isn’t very complicated or difficult to understand or master.
205	Brass monkey	If it’s brass monkey weather, or cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, it is extremely cold.
206	Brass neck	Someone who has the brass neck to do something has no sense of shame about what they do.
207	Brass tacks	If you get down to brass tacks, you get down to the real business.
208	Bread and butter	Bread and butter issues are ones that affect people directly and in a very important way.
209	Breadwinner	Used to describe the person that earns the most money. For example – She’s the breadwinner in the family.
210	Break a leg	This idiom is a way of wishing someone good luck.
211	Break even	If you break even, you don’t make any money, but you don’t lose any either.
212	Break ground	If you break ground, or break new ground, you make progress, taking things into a new area or going further than anyone has gone before. ‘Groundbreaking’ is used an adjective.
213	Break the back of the beast	If you break the back of the beast, you accomplish a challenge.
214	Break the ice	When you break the ice, you get over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing.
215	Break your duck	If you break your duck, you do something for the first time.
216	Break your heart	If someone upsets you greatly, they break your heart, especially if they end a relationship.
217	Breathe down your neck	If someone follows you or examines what you’re doing very closely, they are breathing down your neck.
218	Breathe life into	If you breathe life into something, you give people involved more energy and enthusiasm again. (‘Breathe new life’ is also used.)
219	Breathe your last	When you breathe your last, you die.
220	Bridge the gap	If you bridge the gap, you make a connection where there is a great difference.

221	Bright and breezy	When someone is cheerful and full of energy, they are bright and breezy.
222	Bright as a button	A person who is as bright as a button is very intelligent or smart.
223	Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed	If someone’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, they are full of energy and enthusiasm.
224	Brighten up the day	If something brightens up your day, something happens that makes you feel positive and happy all day long.
225	Bring a knife to a gunfight	If someone brings a knife to a gunfight, they are very badly prepared for something.
226	Bring home the bacon	A person who brings home the bacon earns the money that a family live on.
227	Bring on board	To make people embrace the ideas intended by the leader or agree to join a team or project is to bring them on board.
228	Bring someone to book	If somebody is brought to book, they are punished or made to account for something they have done wrong.
229	Bring someone to heel	If you bring someone to heel, you make them obey you.(‘Call someone to heel’ is also used.)
230	Bring the house down	Something that brings the house down is acclaimed and praised vigorously.
231	Bring to the table	If you bring something to the table, you contribute or an offer in a discussion or negotiation.
232	Broad church	If an organization is described as broad church, it is tolerant and accepting of different opinions and ideas.
233	Broad strokes	If something is described or defined with broad stokes, then only an outline is given, without fine details.
234	Broke as a joke and it ain’t funny	This idiom in my opinion describes how it’s not funny to be without a cent and just uses broke and joke as rhyming words that help explain this idiom a lot better.
235	Broken record	When someone sounds like a broken record, they keep on repeating the same things. (‘Stuck record’ is also used.)
236	Broken reed	If something or someone cannot give you the support you were hoping for, they are a broken reed.
237	Brown nose	When someone tries to make themselves popular with somebody, usually in a position of authority, especially by flattering them, they are brown nosing.
238	Browned off	To be tired of or fed up with.
239	Brownie points	If you try to earn Brownie points with someone, you do things you know will please them.
240	Brush under the carpet	If you brush something under the carpet, you are making an attempt to ignore it, or hide it from others.

241	Buggles’ turn	If it Buggles’ turn, someone gets promotion through length of service rather than ability, especially in the British civil service.
242	Bull in a China shop	If someone behaves like a bull in a China shop, they are clumsy when they should be careful.
243	Bull market	A bull market is a period when investors are optimistic and there are expectations that good financial results will continue.
244	Bull session	If you have a bull session, you have an informal group discussion about something.
245	Bull-headed	If you’re a bull-headed, you’re stubborn or inflexible.
246	Bums on seats	The people who have paid to watch a performance are bums on seats.
247	Bun in the oven	If a woman has a bun in the oven, she is pregnant.
248	Bundle of nerves	Someone who is a bundle of nerves is very worried or nervous.
249	Bur under my saddle	A bur under your saddle is something that annoys you or spurs you into action.(‘Burr’ is an alternative spelling.)
250	Burn rubber	If you burn rubber, you drive very fast to get somewhere.
251	Burn the candle at both ends	Someone who burns the candle at both ends lives life at a hectic pace, doing things which are likely to affect their health badly.
252	Burn the midnight oil	If you stay up very late working or studying, you burn the midnight oil.
253	Burn your bridges	If you burn your bridges, you do something that makes it impossible to go back from the position you have taken.
254	Burn your fingers	If you burn your fingers, you suffer a loss or something unpleasant as the result of something you did, making you less likely to do it again.
255	Burning question	A burning question is something we all want to know about.
256	Burst at the seams	To be filled to or beyond normal capacity: This room will be bursting at the seams when all the guests arrive.
257	Bury the hatchet	If you bury the hatchet, you make peace with someone and stop arguing or fighting.
258	Bury your head in the sand	If someone buries their head in the sand, they ignore something that is obviously wrong.
259	Busman’s holiday	A busman’s holiday is when you spend your free time doing the same sort of work as you do in your job.
260	Bust my chops	When someone says that they’re not going to bust their chops, it means they are not going to work that hard or make much effort.

261	Busted flush	Someone or something that had great potential but ended up a useless failure is a busted flush.
262	Busy as a beaver	If you’re as busy as a beaver, you’re very busy indeed.
263	Busy as a bee	If you are as busy as a bee, you are very busy indeed.
264	Butt naked	If someone is butt naked, they have no clothes on at all, often when they can be seen.
265	Butt of a joke	If something or someone becomes the butt of a joke it or they are not taken seriously anymore.
266	Butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth	If someone looks as if butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth, they look very innocent.
267	Butterfingers	Someone who has butterfingers is clumsy and drops things.
268	Butterflies in your stomach	The nervous feeling before something important or stressful is known as butterflies in your stomach.
269	Button your lip	If you button your lip, you keep quiet and don’t speak. It is also used as a way of telling someone to shut up.
270	Buy the farm	When somebody has bought the farm, they have died.
271	By a hair’s breadth	If a person escapes from some danger by a hair’s breadth, they only just managed to avoid it. The breadth is the thickness of a hair, so they probably feel somewhat lucky because the margin between success and what could easily have been failure was so close.
272	By a long chalk	If you beat somebody by a long chalk, you win easily and comfortably.
273	By a whisker	If you do something by a whisker, you only just manage to do it and come very near indeed to failing.
274	By and large	By and large means usually or generally.
275	By cracky	A term used by rural folks in years past to emphasize a matter of importance or urgency. An example: ‘By cracky, you need to get out there in the field with that mule and plow and finish the sod-busting before dark.’
276	By dint of	This means ‘as a result of’ or ‘because of’: It would be good to think he’d risen to position of Chief Executive by dint of hard work.
277	By heart	If you learn something by heart, you learn it word for word.
278	By hook or by crook	If you are prepared to do something by hook or by crook, you are willing to do anything, good or bad, to reach your goal.
279	By leaps and bounds	Something that happens by leaps and bounds happens very quickly in big steps.
280	By the back door	If something is started or introduced by the back door, then it is not done openly or by following the proper procedures.

281	By the book	This is used as a way of introducing an incidental topic in a conversation or to say that something is irrelevant. (‘By the bye’ is also used.)
282	By the by	If something is done by the numbers, it is done in a mechanical manner without room for creativity.
283	By the numbers	If something is done by the numbers, it is done in a mechanical manner without room for creativity.
284	By the same token	If someone applies the same rule to different situations, they judge them by the same token: If things go well, he’s full of praise, but, by the same token, when things go wrong he gets furious.
285	By the seat of your pants	If you do something by the seat of your pants, you achieve something, but only by a narrow margin or do something without advance preparation.
286	By the skin of your teeth	If you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just manage to do it and come very near indeed to failing.
287	By word of mouth	If something becomes known by word of mouth, it gets known by being talked about rather than through publicity or advertising, etc.