Letter B

BABBLE

—   …babble (sl.): popular and often confusing language or terminology related to …  >Did you understand all that technobabble that Dusty gave us about why the computer wasn’t workin’ right?  My shrink gave me some psychobabble about suppressed emotions, but I didn’t get it.

BABE

 *    babe (sl., freq. pej.): attractive young person (esp. a woman)  >Who was that babe I saw your brother with yesterday?  >Greg is such a babe!

 *    ([one’s]) babe (sl.): ([one’s]) sweetheart, ([one’s]) darling (also voc.)  >I’m gonna buy some roses for my babe.  >He’s got a babe that treats him like a king.  >Hey, babe, let’s go dancin’.

BABOON

—   baboon (colloq.): coarse or brutish person  >Did you see that baboon picking up all the food and asking what it was?

BABY

**   baby (sl.): thing of special interest or concern (to s/one)  >The Eastside project is Conally’s baby.  >Watch how this baby accelerates.

—   ([one’s]) baby (sl.): ([one’s]) sweetheart, ([one’s]) darling (also voc.)  >My baby’s takin’ me out to dinner tonight.  >Hey, baby, come here, will ya?

BABY-BOOMER

**   baby-boomer (colloq.): person born between 1946 and 1965 in the U.S. (period of sharp birth-rate increase)  >Who’s going to take care of the baby-boomers when they get old?

BACH

—   bach it (bach ...) (sl.): live alone, live as a bachelor (said of a male)  >He’s bachin’ it this week because his wife’s outta town visitin’ her mother.

BACK

—   back in the day (colloq.): when (one) was young, in the past (esp. when remembered fondly)  >Back in the day I could work my tail off for eight hours, then party hard all night.

**   back off (vi) (colloq.): decrease the pressure or intensity, become less hostile or aggressive  >Why don’t you back off on the kid—he’s only eight years old!  >Back off, buddy! You’re asking for trouble.

 *    back up (vi) (colloq.): explain what (one) just said, repeat more clearly what (one) just said  >Hey, back up a minute. What did you say he threatened to do?

—   be no skin off [s/one’s] back (see SKIN)

—   from way back (see WAY)

**   get back at (colloq.): take revenge on, retaliate against  >You’d better watch your step, because he’ll get back at you someday.

**   get back to (colloq.): communicate again with (s/one) at a later time  >I’m not sure—I’ll have to get back to you about that.

—   go back to square one (see SQUARE ONE)

—   go way back (see WAY)

—   have [s/one’s] back (sl.): watch out for [s/one], be prepared to protect [s/one] in case of danger   >Don’t worry about those punks comin’ after ya—I’ve got your back.

 *    it’s back to the (old) drawing board (colloq.): it’s necessary to do some new planning (because the present attempt has failed) >Well, that idea didn’t work, so I guess it’s back to the old drawing board.

—   monkey on [one’s] back (see MONKEY)

**   off [s/one’s] back (sl.): no longer pressuring or criticizing [s/one], having stopped annoying [s/one] (cf. “on [s/one’s] BACK”)  >I want ‘em off my back about how I’m doin’ the job.  >Get off my back, will ya?

**   on [s/one’s] back (sl.): pressuring or criticizing [s/one], annoying [s/one] (cf. “off [s/one’s] BACK”)  >I got the boss on my back to finish this up by five.  >If ya don’t want the government on your back, ya’d better get it right.

—   pat on the back (see PAT)

—   pat [s/one] on the back (see PAT)

—   scratch [s/one’s] back (see SCRATCH)

—   stab in the back (see STAB)

—   stab/knife [s/one] in the back (see STAB)

—   watch [one’s] back (see WATCH)

—   way back when (see WAY)

—   would give [s/one] the shirt off [one’s] back (see SHIRT)

BACK BURNER

 *    on the back burner (colloq.): with low priority, temporarily of less importance to deal with (than s/thing else)  >Our vacation plans are on the back burner until we straighten this problem out.

BACKSEAT

 *    take a backseat (to) (colloq.): allow (s/one) to have preeminence, assume a secondary or subordinate position (to)  >He’s ambitious and aggressive. He takes a backseat to no one.

BACKSEAT DRIVER

 *    backseat driver (colloq.): passenger who gives unwanted advice and criticism to the driver about his/her driving  >I can’t stand backseat drivers, so either shut up or get out!

BACK TALK

 *    back talk (colloq.): impudent talk, disrespectful response (cf. “TALK back”)  >Don’t give me any back talk! Just do it!

BACKWARD

**   bend/lean over backward(s) (colloq.): put out a great effort, try harder than is necessary or reasonable  >She bent over backward to help you, and you don’t even care.  >The committee has leaned over backwards to be objective.

 *    know [s/thing] backward(s) and forward(s) (colloq.): know [s/thing] thoroughly, have [s/thing] mastered  >He’ll get the bugs out. He knows computers backwards and forwards.

BACON

—   bring home the bacon (see BRING)

—   save [s/one’s] bacon (see SAVE)

BAD

**   bad1 (colloq.): strongly, urgently (said of a desire or urge)  >The addict needs some drugs bad.  >She wanted a kid real bad.

—   bad2 (sl., dtd.): excellent, impressive  >That rap song is bad!

—   [one’s] bad (sl.): [one’s] mistake or fault  >That was my bad. I copied the number down wrong.

 *    bad off1 (colloq.): in poor circumstances, suffering financially  >Lots of folks have been pretty bad off since the factory shut down.

—   bad off2 (colloq.): very ill or seriously injured  >The car wreck killed his friend, and he’s bad off in the hospital.

**   give [s/one] a bad time (colloq.): annoy or harass [s/one], tease [s/one] relentlessly  >They’re always giving him a bad time because he’s fat.

—   in a bad way (colloq.): in trouble, in poor condition, suffering  >Darren’s in a bad way, losing his job and owing all that money.  >Abe’s been in a real bad way since his wife left him.

—   in bad with (colloq.): in trouble with, disliked by  >If you’re in bad with Mr. Sumner, you won’t get anywhere in this company.

—   not half bad (see HALF)

—   on [s/one’s] good/bad side (see SIDE)

—   so much/bad I can taste it (see SO)

BAD APPLE

—   bad apple (colloq.): troublemaker, dishonest person (in a group)  >Watch out for that kid. He’s a bad apple.  >All it takes is one bad apple to spoil it for everyone.

BADASS

—   badass (bad´as´) (vulg.): mean, tough, intimidating (also noun)  >Stay away from them badass gangs!  >That dude thinks he’s a real badass, but I could whip him.

BAD BOY

—   bad boy (sl.): powerful tool, impressive product  >With this bad boy I can cut through that heavy beam in no time.

BADDER

—   badder (bad´әr) (sl., dtd.): better, more impressive (cf. “BAD2”)  >This drummer is bad, badder even than the first one.

BADDEST

—   baddest (bad´әst) (sl., dtd.): best, most impressive (cf. “BAD2”)  That’s the baddest car I ever seen!

BADMOUTH

**   badmouth (vt) (sl.): criticize, defame, insult  >Bert badmouths everyone behind their back.  >You badmouth me like that again, and I’ll knock your block off.

BAD NEWS

**   bad news (sl.): troublesome, dangerous  >That clean-up job’s gonna be bad news.  >That mean guy’s real bad news.

BAD RAP

 *    bad rap (sl.): unjust criticism or condemnation  >The guy’s gotten a bad rap. He’s really doin’ an all-right job.

BAD SCENE

—   bad scene (sl.): awful situation, unpleasant occurrence  >It was a bad scene when Marty and Louie started screamin’ at each other.  >This party’s a bad scene. Let’s split.

BAD TRIP

—   bad trip (sl.): unpleasant experience, bad situation  >Gettin’ arrested by the cops was a bad trip, man.

BAG

—   bag (vt) (colloq.): secure, catch, obtain  >I hear Michael’s bagged that promotion.  >She’s got her eye on that guy and is determined to bag him.

 *    [one’s] bag (sl.): [one’s] area of special interest or skill  >Campin’ out is not my bag. I’d rather stay at a nice hotel.

 *    in the bag1(sl.): assured, virtually achieved or won  >Don’t worry about gettin’ the job—it’s in the bag, man.

—   in the bag2(sl.): drunk  >I had to drive Murphy home from the party, ‘cause he was in the bag.

—   leave [s/one] holding the bag (see HOLDING)

—   let the cat out of the bag (see LET)

 *    old bag (colloq., pej.): old woman (esp. seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >There’s some old bag outside yelling at Don.

BAGGAGE

—   baggage (colloq.): emotional burdens or responsibilities from (one’s) past (esp. as they interfere with current relationships)  >He’s got three kids and has been divorced twice—a lot of baggage for someone who’s starting to date again. 

BAG LADY

—   bag lady (sl., pej.): homeless woman who carries her possessions in bags >That old bag lady hangs out in the park all day. 

BAG OF BONES

—   bag of bones (colloq.): very skinny or emaciated person  >He’s been so sick he’s nothing but a bag of bones.

BAG OF WIND

—   bag of wind (colloq.): person who talks too much (esp. while saying little of substance), pretentious talker  >Can’t somebody shut that bag of wind up for a while?

BAIL

—   bail (vi) (sl.): leave quickly, flee (esp. to escape s/thing neg.)  >That jerk bailed on me just when I needed him most.  >If he starts threatening me I’m gonna bail.

—   bail out (of) (sl.): abandon (s/thing), not carry through (on), give up (on)  >After he lied to her, she bailed outta the relationship.

 *    bail [s/one] out (of) (colloq.): get [s/one] out (of a difficulty), provide critical assistance [to s/one] (in)  >If you won’t budget your money, don’t expect me to bail you out at the end of the month.  >Just who does he think’s going to bail him out of this mess?

—   jump/skip bail (see JUMP)

BALDIE

—   baldie (bôl´dē) (colloq., freq. pej.): bald man (also voc.)  >Grayson’s already a baldie at thirty-five.  >Hey, baldie, did you put any sunblock on your head today?

BALDY

—   baldy (see “BALDIE”)

BALL

—   ball (vi, vt) (vulg.): have sexual intercourse (with)  >She looks sweet and innocent, but he says she loves to ball.  >He said he balled her last night.

**   a ball (colloq.): a very good time, great fun  >Our trip to Boston was a ball.  >Stream fishing for trout’s a ball.

—   carry the ball (see CARRY)

—   drop the ball (see DROP)

 *    get/keep the ball rolling (colloq.): get/keep things going, start/continue an activity or operation  >Let’s get the ball rolling. Who’ll volunteer to go first?  >He kept the ball rolling by telling another joke.

**   have a ball (colloq.): have great fun, enjoy (oneself) very much  >You’re going to have a ball on your cruise.

 *    have ... on the ball (colloq.): be alert or sharp (to some degree), be competent (to some degree)  >That kid’s going to be a success. He’s got a lot on the ball.  >That joker won’t make it. He has nothing on the ball.

—   hit the ball out of the park (see HIT)

 *    on the ball (colloq.): alert, sharp, competent  >If you’re on the ball, you can make big bucks in this business.  >Get on the ball, or you’ll be out of a job!

 *    play ball (with) (colloq.): cooperate (with), work together (with)  >If you want to get ahead in this business, you got to play ball with the inspectors.

—   run with the ball (see RUN)

 *    that’s the way the ball bounces (colloq., freq. sarc.): that’s how things happen, that’s fate  >So the judge fined you, but let the other guy off, huh? Well, that’s the way the ball bounces.

*     [for] the ball [to be] in [s/one’s] court (colloq.): [for s/one] to have to act next, [for] it [to be] up to [s/one] to make the next move  >I sent a memo to the boss about the problem. The ball’s in his court now.

—   the whole ball of wax (sl.): all of it, the whole set, everything involved  >If my number comes up, I win the whole ball of wax.

BALL-BREAKER

—   ball-buster/breaker (see “BALL-BUSTER”)

BALL-BUSTER

—   ball-buster/breaker1 (vulg.): very difficult task, activity requiring strenuous effort (cf. “BUST/break [one’s] balls”)  >Unloadin’ this huge truck’s gonna be a ball-buster.

—   ball-buster/breaker2 (vulg.): woman who emasculates a man, woman who injures a man’s sense of maleness (cf. “BUST/break [s/one’s] balls”)  >The guys stay away from her. They say she’s a real ball-breaker.

BALL GAME

 *    ball game (colloq.): (a particular) competitive situation  >Now that Morgan’s been fired, it’s a whole new ball game.  >You got to have a state license if you want to be in the ball game and bid on jobs.

BALLISTIC

—   go ballistic (sl.): become furious, lose (one’s) temper  >He went ballistic when the dude called him a liar.

BALL OF FIRE

—   ball of fire (colloq.): energetic and capable person, dynamo  >That woman’s a ball of fire! She’s gotten more done in a week than Richards did in a month.

BALLPARK

—   ballpark (vt) (colloq.): give a rough estimate regarding  >You don’t have to give me an exact figure—just ballpark it.

**   ballpark figure (colloq.): approximate quantity or sum, general estimate  >Give us a ballpark figure for the cost of painting the whole house.

**   in the ballpark (colloq.): approximately the quantity or price expected  >An offer of $2,000 is in the ballpark.

BALLS

**   balls1 (vulg.): testicles  >The stick hit him right in the balls.

 *    balls2 (vulg.): courage, boldness, daring  >Ya got the balls to fight him?

—   bust/break [one’s] balls (see BUST)

—   bust/break [s/one’s] balls (see BUST)

—   freeze [one’s] balls/nuts off (see FREEZE)

 *    have [s/one] by the balls/nuts (vulg.): have [s/one] at (one’s) mercy, control [s/one] by threat, have [s/one] in a helpless situation under (one’s) power (esp. a man)  >I got him by the balls—if he tries anything, he knows I’ll turn him in.

BALLSY

—   ballsy (bôl´zē) (sl., freq. vulg.): bold, courageous, audacious  >It took a ballsy woman to talk to the mayor like that.

BALONEY

 *    baloney1 (colloq.): nonsense, false or exaggerated story, mistaken opinion (also interj.)  >Don’t give me that baloney about your sick grandmother!  >Him, a good actor?! Baloney!

—   baloney2 (colloq.): annoying or tedious work or demands  >Having to fill out these forms is a bunch of baloney.

BAMBOOZLE

—   bamboozle [s/one] (into) (bam bū´zәl ...) (colloq.): deceive or trick [s/one] (into), hoodwink [s/one] (into)  >Those crooks have bamboozled half the town into investing in their worthless business venture.

BANANA

—   second banana (see SECOND)

—   top banana (see TOP)

BANANAS

 *    bananas (sl.): crazy, mentally unbalanced  >That guy must be bananas to argue with a cop.  >That kid practicin’ his drums is drivin’ me bananas.

 *    go bananas (over) (sl.): become very enthusiastic (about), like (s/thing) very much  >He goes bananas over tall, slim blondes.

BAND

—   to beat the band (see BEAT)

BANDIT

 *    make out like a bandit (sl.): make a great deal of profit, earn an inordinate amount of money  >I’m gonna make out like a bandit on this deal.  >Corporate lawyers make out like bandits.

BANDWAGON

—   jump/hop/get on the bandwagon (colloq.): join a popular movement or activity, follow a popular fad  >All her friends started investing in the stock market, so she jumped on the bandwagon too.

BANG

—   bang1 (vulg.): act of sexual intercourse  >How long’s it been since you’ve had a good bang?

—   bang2 (vt) (vulg.): have sexual intercourse with  >He said he took her to a motel and banged her.

—   bang for [one’s] buck (sl.): value for the money [one] pays  >Ya get more bang for your buck with this baby than with any other model.

 *    get a (big) bang out of (colloq.): really enjoy, become thrilled or excited by  >The whole family gets a big bang out of that comedian.  >I get a bang out of watching wrestling on Saturday night.

 *    with a bang (colloq.): with vitality, with a burst of energy, with an impressive success  >Green started out with a bang in his new job, then sort of ran out of gas.

BANGED

—   be banged up to be (colloq.): be as good as promoted or expected (freq. used in the neg.)  >This camera isn’t all it’s banged up to be.  >Those action films are never as good as they’re banged up to be.

BANG-UP

—   bang-up (colloq.): excellent, very well done  >You guys did a bang-up job painting the house.

BANK

 *    bank on (colloq.): rely on, be assured of, count on  >I’ll be here at eleven sharp. You can bank on it.  >We’re banking on your support.

BANKROLL

—   bankroll (vt) (colloq.): finance, back with money  >Who’s bankrolling her singing tour?

BARBIE

—   barbie (bär´bē) (colloq.): barbecue grill  >Come on over! I’ll throw another steak on the barbie for you.

BARE-ASSED

 *    bare-assed (bâr´ast´) (sl., freq. vulg.): naked  >They caught some crazy guy walkin’ down the street bare-assed singin’ “Happy Birthday to You.”

BARF

**   barf1 (bärf) (sl.): vomit  >There was barf all over the rest room floor.

**   barf2 (vi, vt) (sl.): vomit  >He got carsick and barfed out the window.  >I bet he barfs that chili he ate.

BARF BAG

 *    barf bag (bärf...) (sl.): paper bag to be used in case of vomiting due to motion sickness  >I hope I don’t have to use a barf bag on this flight.

BARFLY

—   barfly (sl.): person who spends a great deal of time in bars or taverns (esp. one who drinks heavily)  >The poor gal doesn’t get any help from her old man, a barfly who blows all his money on booze.

BARGAIN-BASEMENT

—   bargain-basement (colloq.): low-priced, of inferior quality  >Don’t put that bargain-basement oil in your engine.

BARHOP

 *    barhop (vi) (colloq.): patronize a succession of bars in one outing  >They went barhopping last night and ended up at the Linger Inn, drunk as skunks.

BARKING

 *    barking up the wrong tree (colloq.): pursuing the wrong person or resource (to achieve a goal), misdirected in (one’s) efforts  >If you’ve come to ask me for money, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

BARREL

 *    barrel (vi, vt) (sl.): go very fast, move (a vehicle) very fast  >We were barrelin’ down the interstate at ninety miles an hour.  >Barney barreled his truck through the stream.

—   a barrel of fun (colloq.): great fun  >We had a barrel of fun at the fair.

 *    a barrel of laughs (colloq.): a funny or entertaining person or thing, great fun  >That funny brother of yours is a barrel of laughs.  >He thinks professional wrestling’s a barrel of laughs.

—   more fun than a barrel of monkeys (see FUN)

—   over a barrel (colloq.): at the mercy of another, unable to act (due to another’s control), in a helpless position  >I’m over a barrel because I have no authority here.  >We’ve got them over a barrel and can call the shots.

BARRELS

—   let [s/one] have it with both barrels (see LET)

BASE

**   off base (colloq.): mistaken, using wrong assumptions  >He was way off base when he said that more money would solve all this school’s problems.

—   touch base(s) (with) (see TOUCH)

BASES

—   touch all bases (see TOUCH)

BASH

 *    bash1 (bash) (sl.): wild party, exciting celebration  >We’re gonna have a big bash to celebrate.

—   bash2 (colloq.): strong hit or blow, crash  >The bash on his head is what hurt him most.

—   bash3 (vi, vt) (colloq.): strike or hit forcefully, crash  >A drunk driver bashed into the telephone pole.  >He bashed me on the shoulder with a heavy book.

BASHING

**   ...-bashing (... bash´ing) (colloq.): hateful attacking or defaming of ...  >He’s some ultraconservative who’s into liberal-bashing.

BASKET CASE

**   basket case (colloq.): useless or incapacitated person (esp. due to emotional trauma)  >Don’t put Bickworth in charge! He’s a basket case.  >He was a basket case for months after his mother died.

BASSACKWARDS

—   bassackwards (bas´ak´wәrdz) (sl., freq. vulg.): backwards, in reversed order, confused (cf. “ASSBACKWARDS”)  >No wonder it leaks. Someone put the gasket on bassackwards.

BASTARD

**   bastard (sl., freq. vulg.): despicable or mean person  >That bastard just broke his kid’s toy on purpose.

 *    poor bastard (colloq.): very unfortunate or pathetic man  >First they fired the poor bastard, and then they took away his pension.

BAT

—   (as) blind as a bat (see BLIND)

 *    bat a thousand (sl.): not have even one failure, succeed completely (cf. “BAT five hundred” and “BAT zero”)  >Six houses, six sales—I’m battin’ a thousand.

—   bat around (vt) (colloq.): discuss or debate, consider the merits of (an idea)  >We batted his proposal around at the meeting, but decided against it.

—   bat five hundred (sl.): have an equal number of successes and failures (cf. “BAT a thousand” and “BAT zero”)  >If you can bat five hundred in phone sales, you’re doin’ fantastic.

—   bat 500 (see “BAT five hundred”)

—   bat zero (sl.): not have even one success, fail completely (cf. “BAT a thousand” and “BAT five hundred”)  >He tried to pick up at least ten women at the party, but he batted zero.

 *    [neg.] (even) bat an eye (colloq.): show no surprise or shock (at all)  >He never even batted an eye when they told him how much it would cost.

 *    go to bat for (colloq.): defend, vouch for, give support to (esp. under adversity)  >You can count on me to go to bat for you if anyone questions you on this.

 *    like a bat out of hell (colloq.): rapidly, quickly and determinedly  >The bully started after him, and he took off like a bat out of hell.

 *    old bat (colloq., pej.): contemptible old woman  >That old bat from down the street is back complaining about our service.

—   right off the bat (see RIGHT)

BATH

—   take a bath (colloq.): lose a large amount of money (in a deal)  >A lot of investors took a bath in that land-fraud case.

BATHROOM

**   go to the bathroom (colloq.): urinate or defecate  >Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom.

BATS

—   bats (sl.): crazy  >I’ll go bats if I don’t get outta this crazy place.

—   have bats in [one’s] belfry (colloq.): be crazy  >If you ask me, that guy talking to himself over there’s got bats in his belfry. 

BATSHIT

—   (go) batshit (… bat´shit´) (sl., vulg.): (become) very angry or irrational, (go) crazy  >They went absolutely batshit when they found out they were disqualified because of a technicality.  >I can’t take any more of that bozo’s batshit conspiracy theories. 

BATTLE-AX

—   battle-ax (sl.): overbearing and/or belligerent woman  >Watch out for that old battle-ax. She’ll yell at ya just for lookin’ at her.

BATTY

 *    batty (bat´ē) (sl.): crazy  >Ya must be batty to go into that bar alone at night, Susie.

BAWL

 *    bawl out (vt) (colloq.): reprimand loudly, scold severely  >When he got home at four in the morning, his mom really bawled him out.

BAZOOMS

—   bazooms (bә zūmz´) (sl., freq. vulg.): (woman’s) breasts (esp. large or shapely ones)  >Her bazooms really look good in that tight sweater.

BE

**   be [s/one] (colloq.): be very appropriate for [s/one], be especially suited to [s/one]  >Oh, you should buy that dress. It’s you.

—   be my guest! (see GUEST)

—   be/feel up to (see UP)

—   be with (see WITH)

 *    (well,) I’ll be (a monkey’s uncle)! (colloq.): I’m surprised! I didn’t expect that!  >Well, I’ll be! He really did finish the marathon!  >I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! I won grand prize in the raffle!

BEAK

—   beak (colloq.): (person’s) nose (esp. a large one)  >Look at the beak on that guy! He’s all nose!

BEAM

—   on/off the beam (colloq.): correct/incorrect, proceeding well/poorly, on the right/wrong track  >Our productivity is way up. The whole operation is on the beam.  >You’re off the beam if you don’t consider the politics of the situation.

BEAMER

—   Beamer (see “BEEMER”)

BEAN

—   bean1 (sl.): (person’s) head  >Use the old bean and figure it out.

—   bean2 (vt) (sl.): hit (s/one) hard on the head  >She beaned him with a fryin’ pan.

BEAN COUNTER

—   bean counter (sl.): accountant, auditor, financial officer  >The company bean counters ain’t gonna like these expenditures. 

BEANER

—   beaner (bē´nәr) (sl., pej.): Mexican, Mexican-American; latino  >The stupid jerk called Victor a beaner.  >Her dumb-ass brother said he didn’t like her beaner friends.

BEANPOLE

 *    beanpole (colloq.): tall and skinny person  >What a pair! He’s short and fat, and she’s a beanpole.

BEANS

 *    ([neg.]) beans (sl.): nothing  >He don’t know beans about fixin’ a car.  >Kyle knows beans about how to act around women—watch him make a fool of himself.  >Joe never does beans around the house.

—   full of beans (see FULL)

—   spill the beans (see SPILL)

—   worth beans (see WORTH)

BEAN TOWN

—   Bean Town (colloq.): Boston, Massachusetts  >He moved from New York City to Bean Town.

BEAR

 *    bear (sl.): very difficult task, troublesome thing, arduous undertaking  >That zoology exam was a bear.  >Clearin’ this road is gonna be a bear.

—   grin and bear it (see GRIN)

BEAST

—   beast (sl.): powerful vehicle  >Watch me take that steep hill with this beast.

BEAT

**   beat1 (vt) (colloq.): be better than, be preferable to  >Flying standby beats paying full fare.  >This old car ain’t much, but it beats walking.

**   beat2 (vt) (colloq.): baffle, confound, perplex  >It beats me why Rosie said such a dumb thing.

 *    beat3 (vt) (colloq.): escape from, avoid, get around (a problem)  >Karl goes to the beach to beat the heat.  >He was guilty as hell, but somehow he beat the rap.

**   beat4 (colloq.): very tired, exhausted  >What a day! I’m beat.

**   beat around the bush (colloq.): talk about irrelevant things (to avoid dealing with a subject), not come directly to the point  >Stop beating around the bush and talk to me. What’s the problem?

 *    beat [one’s] brains out (colloq.): think hard, exert great mental effort  >I’ve been beating my brains out trying to figure out how to do it.

—   beat [s/one’s] brains out (sl.): beat [s/one] severely, beat [s/one] up  >He tries anything with me and I’ll beat his brains out.

—   beat down [s/one’s] door (colloq.): seek out [s/one] in great numbers, (for [s/one] to) have great popularity or attraction  >The studios have been beating down her door since she starred in that big hit.  >They’re going to beat down Pratt’s door for interviews when he announces his discovery.

 *    beat [one’s] head against the wall (colloq.): (do s/thing) in vain, put out effort without chance of success  >Lombardi tried to make some changes in the company, but he was just beating his head against the wall.

 *    beat it (sl.): leave quickly, escape  >We beat it when the sheriff showed up.  >Beat it! You’re gettin’ on my nerves.

—   beat [one’s] meat (vulg.): masturbate (said of a male)  >His old lady caught him beatin’ his meat.

—   beat off (vi, vt) (vulg.): masturbate (said of a male)  >He said he beat off a lot when he was a kid.  >She agreed to beat him off.

 *    beat [s/one] out (of) (colloq.): prevail over [s/one] (to gain s/thing)  >You’d better do good in the interview if you want to beat John out of the job.

—   beat the heck out of (see HECK)

—   beat the hell out of (see HELL)

—   beat/kick the heck out of (see HECK)

—   beat/kick the hell out of (see HELL)

—   beat/knock the (living) daylights out of (see DAYLIGHTS)

—   beat/knock/kick the (living) shit out of (see SHIT)

 *    beat the pants off (of) (colloq.): defeat decisively (esp. in a competition)  >We beat the pants off them in basketball yesterday.

—   beat the rap (see RAP)

—   beat the socks off (of) (colloq.): defeat decisively (esp. in a competition)  >We’ll get the socks beat off of us if we don’t tighten up our defense.

—   beat/knock the stuffing out of (see STUFFING)

—   beat/knock the tar out of (see TAR)

 *    beat [s/one, s/thing] to a pulp (colloq.): beat [s/one, s/thing] severely (esp. a part of the body)  >Don’t take him on—he’ll beat you to a pulp.  >He got his face beaten to a pulp in that fight.

—   beat [s/one] to the draw (colloq.): take decisive action before [s/one], gain an advantage over [s/one] by acting sooner  >Go ask her to dance before somebody beats you to the draw.

—   beat [s/one] to the punch (colloq.): take decisive action before [s/one], gain an advantage over [s/one] by acting sooner  >Greg found out about the job before me, so he beat me to the punch.

—   beat [oneself] up (colloq.): blame [oneself], feel strong guilt or regret  >It wasn’t your fault, so stop beating yourself up over it.

—   beat up on [s/one] (colloq.): severely criticize or reprimand [s/one]  >The press really beat up on him after he made those racist remarks.

**   can’t be beat (colloq.): is the best, is excellent  >A cold beer on a hot day just can’t be beat.

—   ... to beat all ...s (colloq.): extraordinary ..., impressive ..., the ultimate ...  >We saw a show to beat all shows last night. It was great!

—   to beat the band (colloq.): wholeheartedly, enthusiastically  >I saw them in the corner hugging and kissing to beat the band.

BEATER

—   beater (sl.): dilapidated automobile  >Does he still drive that old beater he inherited from his dad?

BEATING

**   take a beating (colloq.): suffer a severe loss or defeat  >The stock market took a beating last month.  >Their side really took a beating in court.

BEATS

 *  (it) beats me (colloq.): I don’t know, I have no idea  >It beats me why they don’t just fire that crook.  >Why she yelled at you? Beats me.

BEAT-UP

 *    beat-up (colloq.): dilapidated, run-down, in poor condition  >My car’s real beat-up, but it gets me there.

BEAUCOUP

—   beaucoup (bō´kū´) (sl.): much, many  >That bad dude means beaucoup trouble.  >They made beaucoup bucks with that scheme.

BEAUT

 *    a beaut (... byūt) (colloq.): an impressive or beautiful thing (freq. sarc.)  >His blunder was a beaut—he embarrassed everybody there.  >His new motorcycle’s a beaut.

BEAUTY

**   a beauty (colloq.): an impressive or beautiful thing (freq. sarc.)  >The black eye he gave you is a beauty.  >That last pitch he threw was a beauty.

 *    the beauty (colloq.): the particularly advantageous aspect (of s/thing)  >The beauty of my new job is that I work my own hours.

BEAVER

—   beaver (vulg.): woman’s pubic region  >He buys porno magazines to look at beavers.

—   (as) busy as a beaver (see BUSY)

BED

—   get up on the wrong side of the bed (see GET)

**   go to bed (with) (colloq.): have sexual intercourse (with)  >It seems that all men want to do is go to bed with you.  >Do you think they’ve gone to bed yet?

**   in bed (colloq.): engaged in sexual activity, having sex  >He says he loves her, but all he really wants is to get her in bed.  >He looks real shy, but he’s a tiger in bed. 

—   in bed with [s/one] (sl.): in a criminal or unethical relationship with [s/one], conspiring with [s/one]  >They say that crooked politician’s in bed with some big-time gangsters. 

BEE

—   (as) busy as a bee (see BUSY)

BEEF

—   beef1 (sl.): complaint, dispute  >I got no beef about the job, except for the long hours.  >My beef ain’t with you—it’s with your brother.

—   beef2 (sl.): criminal charge or accusation  >They had him up on some embezzlement beef.

—   beef3 (vi) (sl.): complain  >Gardner’s never happy. He’s always got somethin’ to beef about.

 *    beef up (vt) (colloq.): strengthen, reinforce  >If we get that new territory, we’ll have to beef up our sales force.  >You’d better beef chapter two up before sending it to the editor.

BEEFCAKE

—   beefcake (sl.): photograph(s) of (a) sexually attractive man/men (esp. with little clothing and meant to be sensual) (cf. “CHEESECAKE”)  >She bought a beefcake calendar just ‘cause she liked Mr. September.

BEEMER

 *    Beemer (bē´mәr) (sl.): B.M.W. automobile  >He always says he’s broke, but he drives a brand-new Beemer.

BEER BUST

—   beer bust (colloq.): lively party where beer is consumed in large quantities  >The frat house had a beer bust Saturday night.

BEES

—   the birds and the bees (see BIRDS)

BEESWAX

—   [one’s] (own) beeswax (colloq.): [one’s] business, [one’s] personal affair or concern (used esp. sarc.)  >Mind your own beeswax!  >He doesn’t need to know. It’s none of his beeswax.

BEET

—   (as) red as a beet (see RED)

BEHIND

**   behind (colloq.): buttocks, rump  >She slipped and fell on her behind.

—   behind the eight ball (sl.): in a difficult or unfavorable situation, in a predicament  >I’m really behind the eight ball—two of the company big shots disagree over this, and I got to make the decision.

—   (still) wet behind the ears (see WET)

BEING

—   being (that/as how) (colloq.): since, because  >Being it’s late, I have to get going.  >Being as how you’re such a nice guy, I’m going to help you out. 

BEJESUS

—   scare the bejesus out of (… bē jē´zәs …) (sl.) scare very much, terrify  >That big thug with a knife scared the bejesus outta me! 

BELFRY

—   have bats in [one’s] belfry (see BATS)

BELIEVE

—   believe you me! (colloq.): I’m telling you the truth! I’m speaking seriously!  >Believe you me, it was the biggest trout I’d ever seen in my life!

**   so ... I can’t believe it (colloq.): incredibly ..., very ...  >Don’t trust him. He’s so crooked I can’t believe it.

 *    you(’d) better believe ...! (colloq.): ... is the truth! absolutely ...! you can be sure ...!  >You’d better believe he’s not going to get away with this!  >You’re asking if Bubba’s tough? You better believe it!

BELL

—   (as) clear as a bell (see CLEAR)

—   get [one’s] bell rung (sl.): suffer a hard hit to the head, be stunned by a hit to the head (cf. “RING [s/one’s] bell”)  >Eddy really got his bell rung when he walked into that overhead pipe.

—   ring a bell (see RING)

—   ring [s/one’s] bell (see RING)

BELLS

—   be [s/where] with bells on (colloq.): arrive [s/where] eager to have fun or participate  >Your party? I’ll be there with bells on.

—   bells and whistles (sl.): added features, special extras  >He got a real fancy flat-screen TV with all the bells and whistles.

BELLY

—   belly up to (sl.): approach, come up next to (esp. to seek gratification or favor)  >Chet bellied up to the bar and ordered a whiskey.  >I hate it when they belly up to ya all friendly-like, then ask ya for a few bucks.

 *    go belly up (colloq.): die, come to an end, go bankrupt  >The company started off with a bang, but after two years it went belly up.

BELLYACHE

—   bellyache (vi) (colloq.): complain, grumble (esp. unreasonably)  >What’s that whiner bellyaching about now?

BELLYBUTTON

**   bellybutton (colloq.): navel  >His shirt’s so short you can see his bellybutton.

BELLYFUL

—   a bellyful (colloq.): as much as (one) can tolerate, more than (one) can endure  >We’ve had a bellyful of your bitching, so cut it out!

BELOW

 *    (hit) below the belt (colloq.): (do s/thing) unfair or lacking decency, (be) unsportsmanlike  >Bringing up her jailbird father was hitting below the belt.  >The alcoholism remark was below the belt.

BELT

—   belt1 (sl.): shot or drink (of liquor)  >Gimme a belt of whiskey, will ya?

—   belt2 (sl.): blow or punch (esp. with the fist)  >He took a belt to the jaw and went down.

—   belt3 (vt) (sl.): strike or hit (esp. with the fist)  >He started the fight and got belted right in the face.

—   belt down (vt) (sl.): gulp down, drink quickly (esp. liquor)  >She belted down four scotches, one right after the other.

—   belt out (vt) (colloq.): sing (a song) loudly and forcefully  >Janis could really belt them out!

—   (hit) below the belt (see BELOW)

—   tighten [one’s] belt (see TIGHTEN)

 *    under [one’s] belt1 (colloq.): having become useful experience  >With six years as supervisor under his belt, Kirk’s the right man for the job.

—   under [one’s] belt2 (colloq.): eaten or drunk, in [one’s] stomach  >You’ll feel better after you’ve gotten a nice hot meal under your belt.  >Stu starts acting weird when he gets a few drinks under his belt.

BELT-TIGHTENING

—   belt-tightening (colloq.): economizing, cutting back on expenses (cf. “TIGHTEN [one’s] belt”) >We’re going to have to do some belt-tightening around here since they cut back on Mom’s hours at work.

BENCH

—   warm the bench (see WARM)

BENCHWARMER

 *    benchwarmer (colloq.): player who rarely plays or who serves as a substitute (on a team) (cf. “WARM the bench”)  >Why’s she on the team if she’s nothing but a benchwarmer?

BEND

 *    bend [s/one’s] ear (colloq.): bore [s/one] with talk, speak incessantly to [s/one]  >Mack’s got Tina in the corner and is bending her ear about his golf game.

—   bend/lean over backward(s) (see BACKWARD)

BENDER

—   bender (colloq.): period of intense drinking of alcohol, drunken spree  >He stays sober for a couple of months, then goes on a bender.

BENNY

—   benny1 (ben´ē) (sl.): Benzedrine or amphetamine tablet  >The trucker took a couple of bennies to stay awake.

—   benny2 (sl.): benefit (as part of a job situation)  >My new job pays a little less than the old one, but the bennies are a lot better.

BENT

**   (all) bent out of shape (sl.): very upset, exasperated, having lost emotional control  >She got all bent out of shape when he told her to get lost.

BEST

**   best bet (colloq.): best option  >If you want to learn how to do it, your best bet is to take a class.

—   [one’s] Sunday best (see SUNDAY)

BESTIE

—   bestie (best´ē) (sl.): best friend  >Her college roommate is her bestie from high school.

BET

—   best bet (see BEST)

**   you bet (colloq.): of course, surely  >You bet I can help him.  >She wants to know if they can sing? You bet.

 *    you (can) bet your ass (vulg.): you can be sure, you can rest assured  >You bet your ass I ain’t gonna let ‘em steal my car!

—   you (can) bet your boots (colloq.): you can be sure, you can rest assured  >You bet your boots we followed the rules.

—   you (can) bet your life (colloq.): you can be sure, you can rest assured  >You can bet your life there’s something fishy going on here.

BETCHA

 *    you betcha (... be´chә) (sl.): of course, surely  >You betcha we can do that—no problem.

BETTER

—   a damn(ed) sight better (see DAMN)

—   a darn(ed) sight better (see DARN)

—   go [s/one] one better (see GO)

—   have seen better days (see SEEN)

—   you(‘d) better believe ...! (see BELIEVE)

BETTER HALF

 *    [one’s] better half (colloq.): [one’s] wife  >Come here, Greg—I want you to meet my better half.

BETWEEN

 *    between a rock and a hard place (sl.): in a predicament, in a difficult situation  >Ben’s between a rock and a hard place. He’s gonna catch hell for any move he makes.

 —   between the sheets (sl.): engaged in sexual activity, having sex  >He’s a real snob, but they say he’s great between the sheets.

B.F.D.

—   B.F.D.! (= “big fucking deal”) (sl., freq. vulg., sarc.): I don’t find that so impressive!  >So you got an A on the quiz. B.F.D.!

BIBLES

—   swear on a stack of Bibles (see SWEAR)

BIBLE-THUMPER

—   Bible-thumper (sl., freq. pej.): Protestant fundamentalist  >He says he hates it when the Bible-thumpers come to his door and start preachin’ to him.

BIDDY

—   old biddy (... bid´ē) (colloq., pej.): talkative and meddlesome old woman  >Who asked that old biddy for her opinion?

BIG

**   big1 (colloq.): in a successful or impressive way  >He made it big as an actor.  >His practical joke didn’t go over too big with her parents.  >I want to do this party up big.

**   big2 (colloq.): popular, well-known  >That band’s not very well-known here, but it’s real big back east.

 *    big3 (colloq.): boastful, self-important, exaggerated (also adv.)  >He’s full of big talk, but can he do the job?  >Walt likes to talk big and act big when he’s got an audience.

 *    be big on (colloq.): especially like, be enthusiastic for  >They’re really big on basketball in Indiana.

—   (big) bucks (see BUCKS)

—   [one’s] big (fat) mouth (see MOUTH)

—   big old (freq. … ōl) (colloq.): very big  >He got a big old zit on his nose the day of the prom.  >They live in a big old house in the fancy part of town.

—   hit it big (see HIT)

 *    in a big way (colloq.): very much, overwhelmingly, enthusiastically  >Danny loves pro football in a big way.

—   make a big production out of (see PRODUCTION)

—   talk big (see TALK)

 *    too big for [one’s] britches (colloq.): asserting [oneself] beyond [one’s] authority or position, cocky  >He’s getting too big for his britches. Somebody’s going to have to put him in his place.

—   what’s the big idea? (see WHAT’S)

BIG APPLE

**   the Big Apple (colloq.): New York City  >Her acting’s OK, but she won’t make it in the Big Apple.

BIG BOYS

 *    the big boys (sl.): the men in power, the most influential group, the leaders  >We’ll have to wait and see what the big boys decide.

BIG C.

—   the big C. (sl.): cancer  >He’s in the hospital, and I hear it’s the big C.

BIG CHEESE

 *    big cheese (sl.): important or influential person  >He’s a big cheese in state government.

BIG DEAL

 *    big deal (colloq.): important event or issue; important or influential person  >They’re having some big deal at school tomorrow night.  >She thinks her boyfriend’s a real big deal.

**   big deal! (colloq., sarc.): that’s nothing important! what of it?  >So your brother’s a lawyer. Big deal!

**   (it’s) no big deal (colloq.): it’s not so important, it’s not worth being concerned about, it’s no problem  >It’s no big deal if you get there a little late.

BIG EASY

—   the Big Easy (colloq.): New Orleans, Louisiana  >We heard a lot of Cajun music in the Big Easy.

BIGGER

 —   have other/bigger fish to fry (see FISH)

BIGGIE

—   biggie (big´ē) (sl.): important or influential person, large or impressive thing  >Treat him nice. He’s a biggie in the front office.  >The two trucking biggies in the area are talking about a merger.

 *    (it’s) no biggie (sl.): it’s not so important, it’s not worth being concerned about, it’s no problem  >You can’t pay me today? No biggie. Just bring it by next week.

BIG GUN

 *    big gun (sl.): powerful or influential person, leader (in an area)  >They’re bringing in the big guns to try to figure it out.

BIGGY

—   biggy (see “BIGGIE”)

BIG HEAD

 *    big head (colloq.): conceit, excessive sense of self-importance  >She’s had a big head ever since she started dating that rock star.

BIG HOUSE

—   the big house (sl.): penitentiary  >He ended up doin’ ten to twenty years in the big house.

BIG LEAGUE

 *    the big league(s) (colloq.): area of greatest competition, highest professional level  >Dave’s a pretty good architect for small commercial projects, but he’s not ready for the big leagues.

BIG-LEAGUE

—   big-league (colloq.): in the highest competitive or professional level, important or significant  >What’s a big-league company like that doing in this dinky town?

BIG MAN

 *    big man (colloq.): man in authority, important person, boss  >You got to talk with the big man to get the OK for this.  >Jason’s a big man on campus.

BIGMOUTH

**   bigmouth (colloq.): overly talkative or indiscrete person  >Who’s the bigmouth that blabbed the secret to everyone?

BIGMOUTHED

—   bigmouthed (colloq.): overly talkative, indiscrete  >Tell your bigmouthed friend to shut up, will you?

BIG RIG

 *    big rig (colloq.): large truck (esp. with a tractor-trailer)  >I hate it when the highway’s full of big rigs.

BIG SHOT

**   big shot (colloq.): important or influential person (also adj.)  >Maggie’s a big shot down at city hall.  >He thinks he’s got all the answers, with his big shot attitude.

BIG TALK

 *    big talk (colloq.): boastful talk, pretentious exaggeration, bragging (cf. “TALK big”)  >We’ve heard a lot of big talk, but they haven’t shown us any results.

BIG-TICKET

—   big-ticket (colloq.): high-priced, costing a lot of money  >Those salesmen are always trying to push the big-ticket items.

BIG TIME

 *    the big time (colloq.): area of greatest competition, highest professional level  >If this song’s a hit, he’ll make the big time.

BIG-TIME

**   big-time (colloq.): in the highest competitive or professional level, important or significant (also adv.)  >Dobson’s a big-time lawyer in Chicago.  >I hear he lost big-time in Vegas last week.

BIG WHEEL

 *    big wheel (colloq.): important or influential person  >Dolly’s a big wheel in this town. Nothing happens without her OK.

BIGWIG

 *    bigwig (colloq.): important or influential person  >Some bigwig from the state capital’s coming to inspect the project.

BIKE

**   bike (bīk) (colloq.): bicycle or motorcycle  >Jimmy fell off his bike and skinned his knee.  >He likes Harleys better than the Japanese bikes.

BIKER

**   biker (bī´kәr) (colloq.): motorcycle gang member  >A bunch of bikers roared through town and scared old Mrs. Tyson half to death.

BILL

—   bill (sl.): one hundred dollars  >I gave him three bills for the stereo.

—   fill the bill (see FILL)

—   foot the bill (see FOOT)

BILL OF GOODS

—   bill of goods (colloq.): fraudulent article, misrepresented thing  >He sold you a bill of goods if you paid him full price for this discontinued model.

BIMBO

 *    bimbo (bim´bō) (sl.): dumb or shallow person, silly or inept person (esp. a young woman)  >I can’t believe he dumped his classy wife for that bimbo.

BIND

**   bind (colloq.): difficult or awkward situation  >I’m really in a bind this month. Could you lend me a hundred bucks?  >What a bind you got yourself into with the law this time!

BINGE

**   binge (binj) (colloq.): period of intense overindulgence  >He went on a binge and drank for three days straight.  >Their last shopping binge cost them two thousand bucks.

BINGO

 *    bingo! (bing´gō/bēng´gō) (sl.): that’s it! that’s right! it’s ready! I’ve got it! eureka!  >Just zap it in the microwave for four minutes, and bingo—hot popcorn!  >Bingo! Here’s the answer, on page twelve.

BIO

—   bio (bī´ō) (colloq.): biography  >His bio says he was in the Marines.

BIRD

—   a little bird told me (colloq.): I learned from a source I do not wish to reveal  >A little bird told me you’d like to go out with Beverly.

—   ... bird (colloq.): ... person (seen as having some remarkable, usually neg., trait)  >The guy wearing all the earrings is a real weird bird.  >My neighbor’s a mean old bird.

—   eat like a bird (see EAT) 

—   flip [s/one] the/a bird (see FLIP)

—   the bird (sl.): obscene gesture of contempt (the middle finger raised, with the palm of the hand toward the person making the gesture)  >I gave him the bird when he cut in front of me.

BIRDBRAIN

 *    birdbrain (sl.): stupid or foolish person  >That birdbrain couldn’t begin to figure it out.

BIRD-BRAINED

 *    bird-brained (sl.): stupid, foolish  >Him and his bird-brained ideas cost this company a lot of dough.

BIRD-DOG

—   bird-dog (vt) (colloq.): secretly follow, keep under surveillance  >Bird-dog him everywhere he goes!

BIRDS

 *    for the birds (colloq.): useless, worthless, uninteresting, unappetizing  >I think golf is for the birds.  >That awful cafeteria food is for the birds.

 *    the birds and the bees (colloq.): basic sex education (esp. for children)  >Have you told Johnny about the birds and the bees yet?

BIRTHDAY SUIT

 *    in [one’s] birthday suit (colloq.): naked  >He was just standing there in his birthday suit, with his clothes all over the floor.

BIT

 *    bit (colloq.): pertinent matter, part of a story, particulars  >Tell me the bit about how you outran the cops.  >The cost overrun bit in the contract has me worried.

—   every bit (see EVERY)

 *    (...) bit (colloq.): situation or actions (relevant to ...), habitual set of behaviors or attitudes (related to ...)  >Hey, don’t try the tough-guy bit on me.  >She cried, screamed, threatened—the whole bit.  >Oh, no, not that bit again!

BITCH

**   bitch1 (sl., freq. vulg., pej.): unpleasant woman, malicious or spiteful woman  >Rosalie can really be a bitch when things don’t go her way.

**   bitch2 (sl., freq. vulg.): very difficult task, troublesome thing, arduous undertaking  >Getting that report done right was a bitch.  >It’s a bitch to pull the clutch outta that car.

—   bitch3 (sl., freq. vulg.): complaint (esp. an unreasonable one)  >Bubba’s always complainin’ about somethin’. What’s his bitch this time?

**   bitch4 (vi) (sl., freq. vulg.): complain (esp. unreasonably)  >I’m tired of his bitchin’ about every little thing he doesn’t like.

BITCHEN

—   bitchen (bich´әn) (sl., freq. vulg., dtd.): wonderful, beautiful, impressive  >Wow! Did ya see that bitchen wave I caught?

BITCHIN’

—   bitchin’ (see “BITCHEN”)

BITCHY

 *    bitchy (bich´ē) (sl., freq. vulg.): spiteful, malicious, unpleasant (esp. a woman)  >I can’t stand his bitchy wife.

BITE

**   bite (colloq.): small meal, snack  >Don’t fix lunch for me. I’ll grab a bite downtown. 

 *    (about) bite/snap [s/one’s] head off (colloq.): respond [to s/one] quickly and with unexpected anger or aggression  >Herb about bit my head off when I asked him how his diet was going.  >Don’t mention her tax audit, or she’ll snap your head off. 

 —  bite [s/one] in the ass (sl., freq. vulg.): have negative consequences for [s/one], backfire on [s/one]  >That complaint he made against his boss is gonna end up bitin' him in the ass one day. 

 —  bite me! (sl.): (interj. to express great anger or contempt to s/one)  >If you don’t like the way I’m doin’ it, bite me!

—  bite off more than [one] can chew (colloq.): take on more than [one] can handle, assume too much work or responsibility  >I think she bit off more than she can chew when she volunteered to manage that huge project.

 *    bite the bullet (colloq.): accept a loss, force (oneself) to endure a painful or damaging experience  >We’re going to have to bite the bullet on this one. There’s no way out of it.

 *    bite the dust (colloq.): be defeated, fail, die  >They were the favored team, but they bit the dust in the first round.

—   put the bite on (sl.): try to borrow money from (esp. vigorously), borrow money from  >He put the bite on me for a few bucks, but I told him no.  >He put the bite on her for a fiver, and she’ll never get it back.

—   will bite (vi) (colloq.): be interested (in a proposition), go along (with s/thing proposed), accept (a deception)  >This is probably a trick, but I’ll bite.  >Go try pulling that on Fred—he’ll bite.

BITING

—   be biting [s/one] (colloq.): be bothering or annoying [s/one]  >I don’t know what’s biting him, but he’s real grumpy today.

BITS

—   two/four/six bits (colloq.): twenty-five/fifty/seventy-five cents  >The newspaper’s up to six bits now.

BIZ

—   ... biz (... biz) (colloq.): ... business  >How’s the furniture biz these days?  >She’s been in show biz since the early days of TV.

BLAB

 *    blab1 (blab) (vi, vt) (colloq.): speak indiscreetly (about), reveal (a secret)  >He blabbed to the cops.  >Perkins blabbed the whole story to a reporter for some scandal magazine.

 *    blab2 (vi) (colloq.): speak incessantly, converse endlessly  >Henrietta talked nonstop for over an hour. She really loves to blab.

BLABBERMOUTH

 *    blabbermouth (blab´әr mouth´) (colloq.): person who speaks indiscreetly or reveals secrets  >Don’t say a thing to that blabbermouth unless you want the whole world to know.

BLABBY

—   blabby1 (bla´bē) (colloq.): indiscreet  >Be sure you don’t tell your blabby sister the secret.

—   blabby2 (colloq.): overly talkative  >His blabby brother told boring stories all night.

BLACK

—   little black book (see LITTLE)

BLACK AND WHITE

—   black and white (colloq.): police patrol car  >Two more black and whites raced down the street.

BLACK HAT

—   black hat (colloq.): villain, unvirtuous character (in a story, esp. a Western) (cf. “WHITE HAT”)  >Darryl’s the black hat in this situation.  >He always played a black hat in those old Westerns.

BLAH 

 *    blah, blah(, blah) (blä) (sl.): and so on and so forth, and the like  >He said he loved her, couldn’t live without her, blah, blah.

BLAH-BLAH(-BLAH)

—   blah-blah(-blah) (blä) (sl.): boring talk, chatter  >I can’t take any more of that dummy’s blah-blah-blah.

BLAHS

—   the blahs (... bläz) (sl.): malaise, lethargy, mild depression, discomfort  >I woke up with the blahs and didn’t even wanna get outta bed.

BLANKETY-BLANK

—   blankety-blank (blāng´ki tē blangk´) (colloq.): contemptible, detestable  >Get your blankety-blank feet off the coffee table!

BLANKS

—   shoot/fire blanks (see SHOOT)

BLAST

 *    blast1 (vt) (colloq.): criticize, denounce  >The opposition blasted the governor’s policy.

—   blast2 (vi, vt) (colloq.): shoot, use a firearm (against)  >He pulled a gun and started blasting.  >They blasted him with a shotgun.

**   a blast (sl.): a great time, a great deal of fun  >We had a blast at the carnival.  >His party’s gonna be a blast.

—   blast ...! (colloq.): curse ...! I find ... contemptible!  >Blast his concerns! He’s got nothing to do with it.

BLASTED

—   blasted1 (colloq.): cursed, annoying, contemptible  >I can’t get this blasted radio to work right.

—   blasted2 (sl.): very drunk, intoxicated  >They bought a bottle of rum and got blasted.

BLAZES

—   blazes (colloq.): hell  >They told him to go to blazes.  >It’s hotter than blazes in here!

BLEED

—   bleed [s/one] (dry) (colloq.): force (excessive) payments from [s/one], extort (all) [s/one’s] money  >The loan sharks are bleeding the guy dry.

BLEEDS

—   my heart bleeds for ...! (see HEART)

BLESSED

—   blessed (colloq.): cursed, annoying, contemptible  >Every blessed time I call, the line’s busy.  >Get your blessed hands off my things!

BLIMP

—   blimp (sl., pej.): very fat person  >When did your uncle get so fat? He’s a blimp!

BLIND

 *    (as) blind as a bat (colloq.): blind, having poor vision  >You’re as blind as a bat if you can’t tell what she’s wearing.

—   steal/rob [s/one] blind (see STEAL)

BLIND DATE 

 *    blind date1 (colloq.): date between people who have not met  >I hate going out on blind dates.

 *    blind date2 (colloq.): person that (one) has not met and with whom (one) has a date  >Hey, his blind date turned out to be real good-looking.

BLINDSIDE

—   blindside (vt) (colloq.): attack or criticize unexpectedly  >The guy blindsided me at the meeting with some wild accusations.

BLING

—   bling (bling) (blēng´) (sl.): jewelry (esp. expensive and ostentatious jewelry)  >She was struttin’ around the party showin’ off her new bling bling.  >Just look at the bling he’s wearin’!

BLINK

 *    on the blink (colloq.): not working properly, in need of repair (said of machines)  >Better call the repairman. That damn washer’s on the blink again.

BLISTER

—   blister [s/one’s] butt (sl.): spank [s/one], thrash [s/one] (as punishment)  >He blistered Hal’s butt for breakin’ the window.

BLITZED

—   blitzed (blitst) (sl.): very drunk, intoxicated  >Don’t let him drive. He’s blitzed.

BLOCK

—   be a chip off the old block (see CHIP)

—   have been around the block (a few times) (see AROUND)

—   knock [s/one’s] block off (see KNOCK)

—   new kid on the block (see NEW)

BLOCKBUSTER

**   blockbuster (colloq.): very successful thing or undertaking, big hit (esp. a film)  >The movie was a blockbuster. Its box office take was incredible.

BLOCKHEAD

—   blockhead (colloq.): stupid or inept person, fool  >That blockhead’ll never get it right.

BLONDIE

 *    blondie (voc.) (colloq.): blond person  >Hey, blondie, you’re getting sunburned.

BLOOD

—   blood (sl.): black man (used esp. among blacks)  >Then a blood came up and asked me what was happenin’.

—   sweat blood (see SWEAT)

—   too rich for [s/one’s] blood (see RICH)

BLOODY

—   bloody (colloq.): cursed, annoying, contemptible  >It’s a bloody shame he lost.  >Get your bloody hands off me!

—   scream bloody murder (see SCREAM)

BLOOMING

—   blooming (sl.): cursed, annoying, contemptible  >I can’t put up with his bloomin’ wisecracks.

BLOOPER

 *    blooper (blū´pәr) (colloq.): embarrassing mistake made in public (esp. a spoken one), faux pas  >The senator made a blooper that’s going to get him in a lot of trouble.

BLOTTO 

—   blotto (blot´ō) (sl.): very drunk, intoxicated  >Of course ya don’t remember anything. You were blotto. 

BLOVIATE

—   bloviate (blō´vē āt) (vi) (colloq.): speak incessantly and tediously, bluster  >I can’t stand how that city councilman bloviates about every issue.

BLOW

—   blow1 (sl.): cocaine >All that cokehead thinks of is scorin’ more blow.

**   blow2 (vt) (sl.): ruin through ineptitude, lose through carelessness or error, fail to take advantage of (an opportunity)  >They blew the game in the ninth inning.  >Don’t blow it with Bess, ‘cause you’ll never find another like her.

 *    blow3 (vt) (sl.): spend (money) (esp. recklessly), squander (money)  >He blew four hundred bucks on that stupid date.

—   blow4 (vi, vt) (sl.): leave (from), take off (from)  >I’m gonna take my money and blow.  >They blew the joint and headed up the street.

—   blow5 (vi) (sl.): be very bad or unpleasant, be deplorable or unjust  >This party blows. Let’s split!

—   (about) blow a gasket (sl.): become furious, lose (one’s) temper  >He about blew a gasket when they scratched his car.

—   let/blow/cut a fart (see FART)

—   blow a fuse (sl.): become furious, lose (one’s) temper  >Marty blew a fuse when he saw the dent in his car.

 *    blow away1 (vt) (sl.): astonish or overwhelm, greatly impress  >The film’s fantastic! It blew me away.

 *    blow away2 (vt) (sl.): defeat decisively  >That team was no good. We blew ‘em away.

—   blow away3 (vt) (sl.): kill (with a firearm)  >They blew the guy away with a shotgun.

—   blow/lose [one’s] cool (see COOL)

—   pop/blow [one’s] cork (see CORK)

—   blow [s/one’s, one’s] cover (see COVER)

—   blow in/into (sl.): arrive (at) (esp. unexpectedly)  >Look who just blew in.  >When did you blow into town?

—   blow it out your ass/asshole! (vulg.): (interj. to express great anger or contempt to s/one)  >Same to you, buddy—blow it out your ass!

—   blow it out your ear! (sl.): (interj. to express great anger or contempt to s/one)  >If ya don’t like it, blow it out your ear!

 *    blow [s/one’s] mind (sl.): astonish or overwhelm [s/one], greatly impress [s/one]  >It blew my mind when he told me he’d been in prison for murder.

—   blow off (vt) (sl.): ignore, disregard, reject  >I tried to ask her out, but she blew me off.

—   let/blow off steam (see STEAM)

—   blow [s/one] out of the water (sl.): defeat [s/one] decisively  >My lawyer blew their star witness outta the water.

—   blow/toot [one’s] own horn (colloq.): brag, boast, promote [oneself]  >That jerk’s always blowing his own horn. What an ego!

—   blow smoke (see SMOKE)

—   blow smoke up [s/one’s] ass (see SMOKE)

—   blow [one’s] stack (sl.): become furious, lose [one’s] temper  >My boss is gonna blow his stack when he finds out how I messed up this deal.

—   blow the lid off (of) (colloq.): expose publicly, reveal (a scandal or illegal activity)  >This report’s going to blow the lid off that influence peddling racket.

 *    blow the whistle (on) (colloq.): denounce (s/one) to the authorities, expose (s/one’s) wrongdoing  >He blew the whistle on his boss when he discovered the embezzlement.  >The scam’s over if anyone blows the whistle. 

 *    blow [one’s] top (sl.): become furious, lose [one’s] temper  >She called him a jerk, and he blew his top.

**   blow up (at) (vi) (colloq.): become furious (with), lose (one’s) temper (with)  >Pratt blew up at his kid because she locked the keys in the car.

 *    blow up in [s/one’s] face (colloq.): have unexpected and very negative results for [s/one], backfire on [s/one] (said of a plan or action)  >Your friend’s scheme is liable to blow up in his face.

 *    blow [s/thing] wide open (colloq.): expose [s/thing] publicly, reveal [s/thing] (a scandal or illegal activity)  >A reporter found out about the politician’s mistress and blew the story wide open.

BLOW-HARD

—   blow-hard (sl.): obnoxious boaster, braggart  >Everyone’s sick and tired of hearin’ that blow-hard talk about how much money he makes.

BLOW JOB

**   blow job (vulg.): act of fellatio  >He said she gave him a blow job.

BLOWOUT

—   blowout (sl.): extravagant party, wild celebration  >They had a big blowout at the club to celebrate his graduation.

BLUE

 *    blue (colloq.): depressed, gloomy, sad  >It helps to talk to someone when you’re feeling blue.

 *    until/till [one] is blue in the face (colloq.): until [one] tires out, until [one] gives up in frustration (esp. while speaking in vain)  >You can complain till you’re blue in the face, but it won’t do any good.

BLUES

 *    the blues (colloq.): a state of depression or melancholy  >That song gives me the blues.

BLUE STREAK

—   talk a blue streak (colloq.): talk incessantly, be very talkative  >Miles talks a blue streak—you can’t get a word in edgewise.

BLUFF

—   call [s/one’s] bluff (see CALL)

BLUNT

—   blunt (sl.) marijuana cigarette rolled in tobacco leaves  >He fired up a blunt and chilled.

B.M.

—   B.M. (colloq.): bowel movement, act of defecating  >He said he hasn’t had a B.M. in three days.

B.M.O.C.

—   B.M.O.C. (= “big man on campus”) (colloq., freq. sarc.): popular or important male student  >He got on the basketball team, so now he thinks he’s a B.M.O.C.

B.O.

 *    B.O. (colloq.): body odor, (person’s) bad smell  >After that workout I had some bad B.O.

BOARD

—   (as) flat as a board (see FLAT)

BOAT 

—   float [s/one’s] boat (see FLOAT) 

—   miss the boat (see MISS)

—   rock the boat (see ROCK) 

BOATLOAD

—   a boatload (of ...) (colloq.): much (...), many (...)  >My supervisor just dumped a boatload of new paperwork on my desk.  >Don’t buy any lawn fertilizer because I got a boatload in my shed that you can have.

BOD 

 *    bod (bod) (sl.): (person’s) body (esp. seen in relation to health or beauty)  >Aerobic exercise is good for the bod.  >She’s got a great bod!

BOGUS

—   bogus (sl.): bad, unfair, false  >Him lyin’ to me like that is really bogus, man.

BOILING

—   boiling mad (colloq.): very angry, furious  >The price increases have got him boiling mad.

BOINK

—   boink (boingk) (vi, vt) (vulg.): have sex (with)  >She caught them boinkin' in the bedroom.  >He daydreams about boinkin’ that cute brunette at his office.

BOLONEY

—   boloney (see “BALONEY”)

BOMB

**   bomb1 (sl.): complete failure, flop  >The book was a bomb. It didn’t sell even a thousand copies.

—   bomb2 (sl.): large and powerful automobile  >That old bomb can really move!

**   bomb3 (vi) (sl.): be a complete failure, flop  >The movie bombed at the box office.

 *    bomb4 (vt) (sl.): fail miserably, do very poorly in/on  >Herb said he bombed the algebra exam.  >I hope I don’t bomb this interview.

 *    the bomb (colloq.): the atomic bomb, the first bomb of nuclear war  >When they drop the bomb, it’s all over.

BOMBED

 *    bombed (sl.): very drunk, intoxicated  >He got bombed at the party yesterday.

BOMBSHELL

—   bombshell1 (sl.): very attractive and sexy woman  >Marilyn Monroe was a bombshell.

—   bombshell2 (colloq.): shocking thing, sensational news  >The news of his indictment was a bombshell.  >She dropped a bombshell when she told them she was pregnant.

BONE 

—   bone (vt) (vulg.): have sex with  >She divorced him when she found out he was bonin’ his secretary. 

—   (as) dry as a bone (see DRY)

—   bone up (on) (colloq.): study hard (for), review through study  >You’d better bone up before the test.  >I studied French in high school, but I need to bone up on it before I go to Paris.

—   have a bone to pick with (colloq.): have a complaint to register with, have a dispute to settle with  >Come here, you rat! I’ve got a bone to pick with you.

BONEHEAD

—   bonehead (sl.): stupid or inept person, fool (also adj.)  >You don’t expect that bonehead to fix it, do ya?  >What a bonehead thing to say!

BONEHEADED

—   boneheaded (sl.): stupid, foolish  >That was a boneheaded thing to do!  >I expected that boneheaded brother of his to screw up.

BONER

—   boner1 (bō´nәr) (sl.): blunder, faux pas, mistake  >Him asking her her age in front of everyone was a real boner.

—   boner2 (vulg.): erect penis  >He hoped no one would notice his boner while he was dancin’ with her.

—   pull a boner (sl.): blunder, make a faux pas, make a mistake  >I pulled a real boner by invitin’ her ex-husband to the party, too.

BONES 

—   jump [s/one’s] bones (see JUMP)

 *    make no bones about (colloq.): leave no doubts about, keep no secrets regarding, deal openly with  >Porter’s a die-hard liberal, and he makes no bones about it.

BONEYARD

—   boneyard (colloq.): cemetery  >Bertie won’t walk by the boneyard at night.

BONK

—   bonk1 (bongk) (sl.): hit, blow  >I think that bonk on the head made him a little daffy.

—   bonk2 (vt) (sl.): hit, strike  >He bonked his knee on the table leg when he got up.

BONKERS

 *    bonkers1 (bong´kәrz) (sl.): crazy, mentally unbalanced  >That weird dude is really bonkers.

—   bonkers2 (sl.): wildly enthusiastic, uncontrollably excited  >The fans went bonkers when he scored.

BOO

 *    not say “boo” (... bū) (colloq.): not say anything at all  >She’s so shy she didn’t say “boo” all night.

BOOB

**   boob1 (būb) (sl., freq. vulg.): (woman’s) breast  >She thinks her boobs are too big.

—   boob2 (sl.): stupid person, fool  >Why didn’t that boob just call instead of comin’ here to tell us?

BOO-BOO

 *    boo-boo1 (bū´bū´) (sl.): silly mistake, small error  >I think I made a boo-boo by mentioning his tax troubles.

 *    boo-boo2 (colloq.): minor injury (used esp. with children)  >Daddy, I got a boo-boo on my finger.

BOOB TUBE

**   boob tube (būb ...) (sl.): television (esp. seen as neg.)  >Doesn’t Eva get tired of watchin’ the boob tube every night?

BOOBY

—   booby (bū´bē) (sl., freq. vulg.): (woman’s) breast  >Jeanie’s startin’ to get boobies.

BOOBY HATCH

—   booby hatch (bū´bē ...) (sl.): insane asylum, mental institution  >They threw him in the booby hatch after he attacked a bunch of people for no reason.

BOOGER

 *    booger1 (bŭ´gәr) (sl., freq. vulg.): piece of nose mucus (esp. dried)  >His hanky was full of boogers.

—   booger2 (sl.): person or thing (esp. seen as troublesome or endearing)  >One day I’ll catch that little booger and beat him up.  >See if this booger will fit over the opening.  >That kid’s a cute little booger.

BOOGIE

—   boogie (bŭg´ē/būg´ē) (vi) (sl.): dance, party, have fun  >Where’s the party? I’m ready to boogie!

BOO-HOO 

—   boo-hoo1 (bū´hū´) (colloq., freq. sarc.): (representation of the sound of crying)  >Boo-hoo! I really feel for you.

—   boo-hoo2 (bū´hū´) (vi) (colloq.): cry noisily  >You can stop boo-hooing because nobody cares.

BOOK

—   book (vi) (sl.): flee, leave quickly  >Hey, it’s late—I gotta book.  >When the cops got there we booked outta there.

—   [neg.] crack a book (see CRACK)

**   (go) by the book (colloq.): (proceed) according to standard procedure, (act) following the rules or established steps  >Go by the book the first few times you do it.  >He’s got no complaint—we did everything by the book.

 *    in [s/one’s] book (colloq.): in [s/one’s] opinion, according to [s/one’s] values  >In my book, it’s wrong to lie.

—   one for the book(s) (see ONE)

—   read [s/one] like a book (see READ)

—   throw the book at (see THROW)

—   wrote the book on (see WROTE)

BOOKIE

**   bookie (bŭk´ē) (colloq.): person who takes and pays off bets (esp. as an illegal business), bookmaker  >His bookie left town after he placed a big bet.

BOOKS

—   cook the books (see COOK)

—   hit the books (see HIT)

BOOM

—   lower the boom (on) (see LOWER)

BOOM-BOOM(-BOOM)

—   boom-boom(-boom) (sl.): in fast succession, one right after another  >Business was slow in the morning, but in the afternoon the customers came in boom-boom-boom.

BOOM BOX

 *    boom box (sl.): large and powerful portable radio or CD/tape player (esp. one carried or used on the street)  >Turn down that damn boom box, will ya?! 

BOOMER

—   boomer (sl.): person born between 1946 and 1965 in the U.S. (period of sharp birth-rate increase) (cf. “BABY-BOOMER”)  >Most boomers ain’t too tech-savvy, are they? 

BOONDOCKS

 *    the boondocks (... būn´doks´) (colloq.): back country, place far from civilization, remote area  >He lives way out in the boondocks and hardly ever gets into town.

BOONIES

 *    the boonies (... bū´nēz) (sl.): back country, place far from civilization, remote area  >Ike has a cabin out in the boonies.

BOOST

—  boost (vt) (sl.): steal  >The cops nabbed him tryin’ to boost a car stereo.

BOOT

—   boot (out) (vt) (sl.): dismiss, fire, oust  >She kept botchin’ things up at work, so they booted her out.  >I hear he got booted yesterday.

—   get the boot (sl.): be fired or dismissed, be ousted  >You’ll get the boot if the boss finds out what you’ve been up to.

—   give [s/one] the boot (sl.): fire or dismiss [s/one], oust [s/one]  >They gave him the boot after he came in late for the fifth time. 

 *    to boot (colloq.): in addition, as extra  >He paid me the hundred he owed me and twenty bucks to boot as interest.

BOOTS

—   shake in [one’s] boots/shoes (see SHAKE)

—   you (can) bet your boots (see BET)

BOOTY 

—   booty1 (vulg.): (person’s) rear end (esp. a woman’s, esp. seen as sexy)  >All the men were watchin’ her shake her booty while she danced. 

—   booty2 (vulg.): sexual intercourse (with a woman) (freq. used with some or any)  >He went to the party hopin’ to score some booty.

BOOZE

**   booze1 (būz) (sl.): alcoholic drink (esp. hard liquor)  >You bring the eats, and I’ll bring the booze.

 *    booze2 (vi) (sl.): drink heavily  >He’s out boozin’ with his drinkin’ buddies.

 *    booze it up (sl.): drink heavily, have a drinking spree  >Everyone boozed it up at his bachelor party.

BOOZED-UP

 *    boozed-up (būzd´up´) (sl.): drunk  >They came in all boozed-up, yellin’ and carryin’ on.

BOOZEHOUND

—   boozehound (būz´hound´) (sl.): drunkard, heavy drinker  >He hangs around the tavern with a bunch of other boozehounds.

BOOZER

 *    boozer (bū´zәr) (sl.): heavy drinker, drunkard  >She used to be quite a boozer, but she’s been sober for over two years now.

BOP

—   bop1 (bop) (sl.): hit, blow  >That was a nasty bop ya took on the head.

—   bop2 (vt) (sl.): hit, strike  >Behave or I’ll bop ya one.

—   bop (on) over/down/up to (sl.): go to, proceed to (esp. impulsively)  >Later, we decided to bop on over to Joey’s house to see what he was doin’.  >Hey, let’s bop down to Willy’s for a drink.

BORN

 *    wasn’t born yesterday (colloq.): am/is not naive, can’t easily be fooled  >We’re going to put this in writing. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.

BOTHERED

—   (all) hot and bothered (see HOT)

BOTTLE

—   hit the bottle (see HIT)

BOTTOM

 *    bottom (colloq.): buttocks, rear  >My bottom is really hurting after that twelve-hour bus ride.

—   low/bottom man on the totem pole (see LOW)

 *    hit bottom (colloq.): reach the worst or most desperate point (of a long and unhappy experience)  >When she started stealing to buy drugs, she knew she’d hit bottom and decided to get some help.

—   scrape the bottom of the barrel (see SCRAPE)

BOTTOM DOLLAR

—   [one’s] bottom dollar (colloq.): the last of [one’s] money  >He just bet his bottom dollar on the game.  >I lost my bottom dollar in that scam. 

BOTTOM LINE

**   bottom line (colloq.): ultimate decision, crucial fact, fundamental truth, decisive conclusion  >We’ve looked at it from every legal angle, and the bottom line is that you’re going to have to move out.  >Stop stalling! What’s the bottom line?

BOTTOMS

 *    bottoms up! (colloq.): drink up! let’s drink!  >You still on your first beer? Come on, bottoms up!

BOUNCE

**   bounce1 (vi) (colloq.): (for a check to) be sent back by a bank because of insufficient funds  >This check better not bounce, or you’re in trouble.

—   bounce2 (vt) (colloq.): eject, dismiss  >They bounced him from the nightclub after he started a fight.  >I got bounced from my job today.

 *    bounce [s/thing] off [s/one] (sl.): consult [s/one] about [s/thing], get [s/one’s] reaction or suggestions concerning [s/thing]  >Let me bounce your idea off my boss before we go ahead on it.

**   bounce (right) back (vi) (colloq.): recover (quickly)  >She bounced right back from her operation.  >When do you think this sluggish economy will bounce back?

BOUNCER

**   bouncer (colloq.): person employed to eject disorderly patrons (esp. from a nightclub)  >That huge guy over there is the bouncer.

BOUNCES

—   that’s the way the ball bounces (see BALL)

BOUNCING

—   bouncing off the walls (sl.): very agitated or nervous, frantic  >The kids were bouncin’ off the walls after bein’ kept inside all day.

BOWELS

—   get [one’s] bowels in an uproar (sl.): become very upset or anxious  >Now, don’t get your bowels in an uproar. Everything’s gonna be OK.

BOWL

—   bowl over (vt) (colloq.): greatly surprise, astound, shock  >Hearing him swearing just bowled us over.

BOWWOW

—   bowwow (bou´wou´) (sl.): ugly woman  >He wants me to take his sister out, but I hear she’s a real bowwow.

BOX

—   box (vulg.): vagina  >He was just starin’ at the centerfold’s box. 

—   think outside the box (see THINK)

BOY

**   boy! (colloq.): (interj. to express surprise or wonder)  >Boy, is it ever hot today!

—   oh boy! (see OH)

—   old boy (colloq.): man (esp. seen as contemptible or extraordinary)  >That old boy’d as soon shoot you as look at you.

—   that’s my boy! (see THAT’S)

BOY SCOUT

—   boy scout (sl.): innocent and responsible individual, strict rule follower (esp. a man, freq. used in the neg.)  >Maybe Joe didn’t do everything they’re accusin’ him of, but he’s no boy scout, that’s for sure. 

BOYS 

 *    the boys (colloq.): group of men (esp. friends)  >He’s down at the club having some beers with the boys.

BOZO

 *    bozo (bō´zō) (sl.): obnoxious or contemptibly stupid person, fool  >Keep that bozo outta my way!

BRACELETS

—   the bracelets (sl.): set of handcuffs  >The cops put the bracelets on him and hauled him off to jail.

BRAIN

**   brain1 (colloq.): very intelligent person  >Seymour’s a brain—he aces every test.

—   brain2 (vt) (sl.): hit hard on the head  >The pitcher brained the batter with a high, inside fastball.

—   have [s/thing] on the brain (colloq.): be obsessed with [s/thing], constantly think about [s/thing]  >What a sports fanatic! He’s got sports on the brain.

—   pick [s/one’s] brain (see PICK)

BRAINCHILD

—   [s/one’s] brainchild (colloq.): [s/one’s] invention or plan (esp. a creative or impressive one)  >This form for keeping better track of our expenses was my brainchild. 

BRAINIAC  

—   brainiac (brā´nē ak) (sl.): very intelligent person  >Ya gotta be a brainiac to work in that high-tech lab. 

BRAIN-PICKING

—   brain-picking (colloq.): act of getting information or ideas from another (esp. from an expert) (cf. “PICK [s/one’s] brain”)  >With a little brain-picking and a little experimenting we should be able to come up with a good plan.

BRAINS

—   beat [one’s] brains out (see BEAT)

—   beat [s/one’s] brains out (see BEAT)

—   fuck/screw [s/one’s] brains out (see FUCK)

**   the brains (sl.): intellectual leader, main strategist  >He gets all the publicity, but his wife is the brains of the operation.

BRAINY

 *    brainy (colloq.): intelligent  >He’s afraid to go out with brainy girls.

BRAND

—   (brand) spanking new (see SPANKING)

BRASS

—   brass (colloq.): impudence, audacity, brashness  >He’s got a lot of brass asking her for a date in front of her fiancé.

 *    the (top) brass (colloq.): high officials, leadership  >The company brass is coming tomorrow to look over the project.  >It’s up to the top brass.

BRASS TACKS

—   get down to brass tacks (colloq.): discuss the essentials, take up the fundamental concerns  >Those are minor details. Let’s get down to brass tacks.

BRASSY

—   brassy (colloq.): impudent, audacious, brash  >You got to be pretty brassy to confront the boss like that. 

BREAD

       —   bread (sl.): money  >I hate the job, but I need the bread.

BREAD AND BUTTER

 *    bread and butter (colloq.): means of support, basic source of income  >When I can play at the club it pays better, but these party gigs are my bread and butter.

BREADBASKET

—   the breadbasket (sl.): (one’s) stomach, (one’s) abdomen  >He got kicked right in the old breadbasket.

BREAK

**   break1 (colloq.): chance, unexpected opportunity, piece of luck  >Janet got her break in show business when she was offered that part.  >Getting that big contract was a real break.

**   break2 (colloq.): act of leniency or clemency, act of mercy  >The cop gave me a break and let me off with just a warning.

—   [for] all hell [to] break loose (see HELL)

—   break a leg! (colloq.): do well! (in a performance)  >You’re on, kid—break a leg!

—   bust/break [one’s] ass (see BUST)

—   bust/break [one’s] balls (see BUST)

—   bust/break [s/one’s] balls (see BUST)

—   break down and ... (colloq.): abandon (one’s) opposition or reluctance to (doing s/thing), cease resisting (doing s/thing)  >She’s been asking me for years to get a new car, so I finally broke down and bought one.

**   break even (vi) (colloq.): neither gain nor lose, come out without profit or loss  >I almost broke even gambling when I was in Vegas.

—   break [s/one’s] face (sl.): hit [s/one] hard in the face, beat [s/one] up  >Try that again, buddy, and I’ll break your face!

 *    break [one’s] neck (colloq.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal)  >Gomez has been breaking his neck to finish the job on time.

 *    break the ice (colloq.): overcome initial reserve, succeed in relaxing a tense or formal atmosphere (esp. in a social setting)  >He broke the ice at the dinner party with a funny story.

 *    break up (vt) (colloq.): cause to laugh hard  >That guy breaks me up with the faces he makes. 

 *    give [s/one] a break (sl.): stop pressuring [s/one], not be so hard on [s/one]  >Give the kid a break, will ya? He’s doin’ his best. 

**   give me a break! (sl.): stop trying to fool me! stop being unreasonable or ridiculous with me!  >Gimme a break! No way I’m gonna pay ya before the job’s done.  >That jerk for mayor? Gimme a break!

BREAKS

 *    the breaks (colloq.): fate, how things happen (esp. neg. things)  >That’s the breaks, kid. You win some, and you lose some.

BREATH

—   not hold [one’s] breath (see HOLD)

—   save [one’s] breath (see SAVE)

—   waste [one’s] breath (see WASTE)

BREATHER

**   breather (colloq.): rest period, break  >Whew! Let’s take a breather. 

BREATHING

 *    breathing down [s/one’s] neck (colloq.): pursuing [s/one], putting pressure on [s/one]  >He’s on the run with the cops breathing down his neck.  >Let me work alone! I don’t like people breathing down my neck.

BREECHES

—   too big for [one’s] breeches (see “too BIG for [one’s] britches”)

BREEZE

**   a breeze (colloq.): a very easy thing or task  >This machine’s a breeze to run.  >Getting people to help with this will be a breeze.

—   breeze in (vi) (sl.): arrive with a carefree attitude  >Todd breezed in about eleven and didn’t say a word about comin’ so late.

 *    breeze through [s/thing] (colloq.): finish [s/thing] quickly and with little effort  >Julie breezed through the math test. She really knows that stuff.

—   shoot the breeze (see SHOOT)

BREW

 *    brew (sl.): (can or bottle of) beer  >How about a cold brew to beat the heat?

BREWSKY

—   brewsky (brū´skē) (sl.): (can or bottle of) beer  >A nice cold brewsky would be great right now.

BRICK

—   (about) shit a brick (see SHIT)

BRICKS

—   hit the bricks (see HIT)

—   like a ton of bricks (see TON)

BRIGHT-EYED

 *    bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (colloq.): alert and eager, energetic and enthusiastic  >They were on the job at eight sharp, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

BRING

 *    bring down the house/the house down (colloq.): be wildly applauded, greatly please the audience  >He brought down the house with his portrayal of Hamlet.  >This act’ll bring the house down.

 *    bring home the bacon (colloq.): provide money to live on, support a family  >Yeah, Stu’s not too bright, but he brings home the bacon.

—   bring home the groceries (colloq.): provide money to live on, support a family  >She doesn’t care if he’s romantic or not as long as he brings home the groceries. 

—   bring it (on)! (sl.): go ahead with (one’s challenge or threat), I’m/We’re ready to deal with (s/thing)  >If ya think you can beat me, bring it!  >Our team is ready, so bring it on! 

BRIT

—   Brit (brit) (colloq., freq. pej.): British  >The Brits won that battle.

BRITCHES

—   too big for [one’s] britches (see BIG)

BRO

—   bro (brō) (voc.) (sl.): friend, chum (used with a male)  >Hey, bro, what’s happenin’?

BROAD

 *    broad (sl., pej.): woman  >We don’t want no broads around when we’re playin’ poker. 

BROKE

**   broke (colloq.): penniless, with no money  >You had three hundred bucks yesterday, and now you’re broke?

—   flat broke (see FLAT)

—   go for broke (colloq.): bet everything, apply all resources (to achieve s/thing)  >Let’s go for broke. If it works out, we’ll make a bundle of money.

BROKEN

—   (like) a broken record (colloq.): person who harps (on s/thing), person who insists tiresomely (on some theme)  >The guy’s like a broken record. Can’t he talk about anything except how we need to crack down on crime?

BROMANCE

—   bromance (brō´mans) (sl.): close friendship (between two men)  >Perry and Jake’s bromance is stronger than either one’s marriage, if you ask me.

BRONX

—   Bronx cheer (brongks ...) (colloq.): (noise expressing contempt or disapproval made by extending the tongue between the lips and blowing)  >What a lousy actor! He got more Bronx cheers than applause.

BROTHER

 *    brother1 (colloq.): black man (used esp. among blacks)  >The brothers got to stick together at a time like this.

—   brother2 (voc.) (colloq.): friend, mister (esp. used with a male stranger)  >Can you spare some change, brother?

 *    brother! (colloq.): (interj. to express surprise, wonder, or contempt)  >Brother! Did you see that shot she made?  >Oh, brother! Not that lecture again!

BROWN-BAG

 *    brown-bag it (colloq.): take (one’s) lunch from home (esp. in a brown paper bag, esp. to work)  >I can’t afford to eat in the plant cafeteria every day. I’m going to start brown-bagging it.

BROWNIE POINT

—   Brownie point (brou´nē ...) (colloq., freq. sarc.): credit obtained or perceived as obtained from s/one whom (one) wants to impress (esp. when obtained through flattery or obsequiousness)  >Burgess is trying to chalk up Brownie points with the boss by volunteering for his community-service project.

BROWN-NOSE

 *    brown-nose (vi, vt) (sl.): be servile or obsequious (with) to gain favor, adulate, flatter to gain favor  >Ya won’t get ahead here by brown-nosin’.  >He told his wife to brown-nose the general’s wife.

BROWN-NOSER

 *    brown-noser (sl.): person who is servile or obsequious to gain favor, adulator, servile flatterer  >What a brown-noser! He’s always tellin’ the dean what a great job he’s doin’.

BRUISER

 *    bruiser (colloq.): large and powerful man  >The bouncer was a big bruiser who must have weighed 300 pounds.

BRUISING

—   cruising for a bruising (see CRUISING)

BRUSH 

 *    brush up (on) (colloq.): review (s/thing), regain previous knowledge or skill (of)  >I used to know a lot of math, but I need to brush up.  >I’ll brush up on my German before I leave for Munich.

BRUSH-OFF

 *    the brush-off (colloq.): a snubbing, a rebuff, a refusal to listen, an abrupt turndown  >I tried to strike up a conversation, but I got the brush-off.  >He gave us the brush-off when we brought up the subject of donations.

B.S.

**   B.S.1 (= “bullshit”) (sl., freq. vulg.): lies, false or exaggerated story, nonsense  >If ya believe that B.S., you’re crazy.

 *    B.S.2 (= “bullshit”) (sl., freq. vulg.): bad treatment, unjust dealings  >This intimidation B.S. has got to stop.

 *    B.S.3 (= “bullshit”) (sl., freq. vulg.): annoying or tedious work or demands  >Who thought up this B.S. of recordin’ every telephone message?

**   B.S.4 (= “bullshit”) (vi, vt) (sl., freq. vulg.): lie (to), tell false or exaggerated stories (to), speak nonsense (to)  >Don’t pay him no mind—he just likes to B.S.  >That can’t be! You’re B.S.in’ me.

B.S.ER

 *    B.S.er (= “bullshitter”) (sl., freq. vulg.): person who lies, person who tells false or exaggerated stories or speaks nonsense  >Don’t believe everything Barry says. He’s quite a B.S.er.

BUB

—   bub (bub) (voc.) (colloq.): friend, mister (used esp. with a male stranger, freq. in a contentious way)  >Hey, bub, gotta match?  >Just watch your step, bub!

BUBBLEGUMMER

—   bubblegummer (bub´әl gu´mәr) (sl., dtd.): adolescent, young teenager  >All the bubblegummers think that band’s the greatest.

BUBBLY

 *    bubbly (colloq.): champagne  >We drank a little bubbly and had a good time.

BUBBY

—   bubby (see “BOOBY”)

BUCK

**   buck1 (colloq.): dollar  >I’m sure it costs over a hundred bucks.

—   buck2 (vi, vt) (colloq.): resist, put up opposition (to), object (to)  >The taxpayers are going to buck if the government takes away that deduction.  >You can bet they’re going to buck that new requirement.

—   bang for [one’s] buck (see BANG)

—   buck for (colloq.): strive for, work hard toward, vie for  >Krause has been putting in a lot of extra hours lately. I guess he’s bucking for a promotion.

—   buck naked (colloq.): completely naked  >When the curtain opened, he was standing there buck naked. 

—   make a buck (colloq.): earn some money  >They’re just trying to make a buck selling junk at the swap meet. 

—   pass the buck (see PASS)

BUCKET 

—   kick the bucket (see KICK)

BUCKET LIST 

—   bucket list (colloq.): list of things (one) wants to do before dying (cf. “KICK the bucket”)  >There are four places in the world that are on his bucket list to visit.

BUCKET OF BOLTS

—   bucket of bolts (sl.): dilapidated vehicle  >You think that bucket of bolts will make it all the way to Vancouver?

BUCKS

**   (big) bucks (sl.): a large amount of money  >It takes bucks to buy a car like that.  >He makes big bucks as a corporate lawyer.

—   ... dollars/bucks says (see DOLLARS)

—   like a million dollars/bucks (see MILLION)

BUD

—   bud (sl.): friend, chum (also voc.; when voc., used esp. with a male stranger)  >Pauley and me have been good buds since we were kids.  >Say, bud! Could you tell me how to get to Adams Street?

BUDDY

 *    buddy (bud´ē) (colloq.): friend, chum (also voc.; when voc., used esp. with a male stranger, freq. in a contentious way)  >One of my buddies just got arrested, and I got to go bail him out of jail.  >Hey, buddy! Watch out for that wet paint!

—   buddy up to (colloq.): act friendly toward (to gain favor)  >I see Conrad’s been buddying up to Joan ever since she was put in charge of scheduling vacations.

BUDDY-BUDDY

 *    buddy-buddy (bud´ē bud´ē) (sl.): very close or friendly, intimate (esp. in a conniving way)  >Something fishy’s goin’ on. Those two have been actin’ real buddy-buddy lately.

BUFF

**   ... buff (colloq.): ... enthusiast, person interested in and knowledgeable about ...  >Science fiction buffs are waiting for his new novel to come out.

—   in the buff (colloq.): completely naked  >She posed in the buff for some girlie magazine.

BUFFALO

—   buffalo1 (vt) (sl.): puzzle, baffle, bewilder  >This engine’s got me buffaloed. I can’t find what’s makin’ it run rough.

—   buffalo2 (vt) (sl.): intimidate, overawe  >Don’t let ‘em buffalo ya. You’re smarter than any of ‘em.

BUG

**   bug1 (colloq.): virus or microorganism (that makes one ill)  >She caught a bug somewhere and is staying in bed for a couple of days.

**   bug2 (colloq.): defect, minor malfunction or problem (esp. in s/thing electronic or mechanical)  >When they get all the bugs out of this model, it’ll be a real nice truck.  >There’s a bug somewhere in the software.

 *    bug3 (colloq.): hidden microphone (to record secretly)  >The cops placed a bug in his hotel room to gather info.

**   bug4 (vt) (colloq.): annoy, bother  >It bugs me that I can’t find my glasses.  >Don’t bug him! He’s trying to study.

 *    bug5 (vt) (colloq.): place a hidden microphone in/on (to record secretly)  >Have they finished bugging the suspect’s apartment? 

—   ... bug1 (colloq.): ... enthusiast, person interested in ...  >Clint’s a sports car bug. He owns six of them.

—   ... bug2 (colloq.): ... fad, ... craze, ... urge  >When the skateboard bug hit school, every kid wanted one.  >When I see my suitcases in the closet, I get the travel bug.

 *    bug off! (sl.): go away!  >Who invited you? Bug off!

—   bug out (vi) (sl.): escape, flee  >If he shows with his goons, we bug out, got it?  >When big Larry got mad, I bugged outta there fast.

—   put a bug in [s/one’s] ear (colloq.): give [s/one] an idea or suggestion (esp. in hopes of generating action favorable to one)  >I put a bug in her ear about getting a new coffeepot, and the next day it was there.

BUGGER

—   bugger (bug´әr) see “BOOGER2”)

BUGGY

—   buggy1 (sl.): automobile (esp. an old one)  >How much ya want for this buggy?

—   buggy2 (sl.): extremely nervous or anxious, crazy  >These brats are makin’ me buggy!

BUILD

—   light/build a fire under (see LIGHT)

BUILDUP

 *    buildup (colloq.): publicity, systematic promotion or praise  >They gave the comic a big buildup for weeks before he came, but I didn’t think he was so funny.

BUILT

 *    built1 (sl.): having an attractive or well-developed physique, having a nice body  >Look at those curves! Is she ever built!  >Look at those muscles! That guy is really built!

—   built2 (colloq.): of sturdy construction  >These old houses are really built.

BULL

**   bull1 (sl.): lie, false or exaggerated story, nonsense (also interj.)  >That’s a bunch of bull! There’s no way it’ll happen.  >Bull! I did not!

 *    bull2 (sl.): bad treatment, unjust dealings  >Don’t put up with any bull from Flagg.

—   bull3 (sl.): annoying or tedious work or demands  >I hate this bull about havin’ to copy and file every memo.

—   shoot the bull (see SHOOT)

BULL DIKE

—   bull dike (see “BULL DYKE”)

BULLDOZE

—   bulldoze (vt) (colloq.): intimidate, coerce, cow  >He was a mean old buzzard that would bulldoze anyone that got in his way.

BULL DYKE

—   bull dyke (... dīk) (sl., pej.): lesbian with masculine traits  >She’s been hangin’ around with some bull dyke she met.

BULLET

—   bite the bullet (see BITE)

—   dodge a/the bullet (see DODGE)

BULL SESSION 

 *    bull session (colloq.): informal discussion, lengthy and spontaneous conversation  >The four of us had a bull session that lasted till three in the morning.

BULLSHIT

**   bullshit1 (bŭl´shit´) (vulg.): lie, false or exaggerated story, nonsense (also adj., also interj.)  >Get outta here with your right-wing bullshit!  >Cut the bullshit excuses!  >Bullshit! She didn’t either say that!

**   bullshit2 (vulg.): bad treatment, unjust dealings (also adj.)  >I can’t take the bullshit I have to put up with in dealin’ with that crook.  >We’ve had it with their bullshit tax hikes.

 *    bullshit3 (vulg.): annoying or tedious work or demands (also adj.)  >We gotta go through that reorganizin’ bullshit again?  >This job’s nothin’ but bullshit.  >More bullshit forms to fill out?

 *    bullshit4 (vi, vt) (vulg.): lie (to), tell false or exaggerated stories (to)  >Don’t believe everything the boss says. He likes to bullshit.  >Don’t bullshit us! You never played pro ball.

BULLSHITTER

**   bullshitter (bŭl´shit әr) (vulg.): person who lies, person who tells false or exaggerated stories or speaks nonsense  >What a bullshitter! He didn’t finish high school, much less graduate from college.

BUM

 *    bum1 (bum) (colloq.): person without a steady job or residence  >I gave my old coat to some bum living under the overpass.

 *    bum2 (colloq.): person without prestige or merit, contemptible person  >You ought to find some nice friends instead of hanging around with those bums.

 *    bum3 (colloq.): defective, crippled, faulty  >He can’t walk too far because he’s got a bum leg.  >The informant gave the cops some bum information, and they came up empty-handed.

 *    bum4 (vt) (sl.): beg, request and take without intending to pay back  >I’m gettin’ sick and tired of Jeff bummin’ cigarettes from me all the time.  >Can I bum a ride downtown with ya?

—   ... bum (colloq.): ... enthusiast, (esp. one who devotes an excessive amount of time at ...)  >The guy’s a tennis bum—he’s always on the courts.

 *    bum around (vi) (colloq.): go around without purpose or destination, pass time idly  >Kelly and I bummed around together when we were kids.  >Let’s just bum around downtown till the movie starts.

—   bum out (vt) (sl.): upset, disappoint, depress  >It really bummed us out when they threw us off the beach.

BUMMED

 *    bummed (bumd) (sl.): disappointed, upset  >I was so bummed when they cancelled the concert.

BUMMER

**   bummer (bum´әr) (sl.): disappointment, upsetting or unpleasant thing or occurrence (also interj.)  >This party’s a bummer—let’s split.  >Bummer, man! My surfboard’s cracked.

BUMP

**   bump (vt) (colloq.): displace because of seniority or authority (esp. from an airliner)  >We’re going to have to bump two passengers because we’ve got to get a couple of company big shots on this flight to Houston.

**   bump into (colloq.): meet by chance  >I bumped into Doris at the market this morning.

 *    bump off (vt) (sl.): murder  >He paid someone to bump off his old lady so he could collect the insurance. 

 *    like a bump on a log (colloq.): idle, without helping, useless  >Polly just sat there like a bump on a log and didn’t lift a hand to help.

BUM RAP

 *    bum rap (bum ...) (sl.): unjust charge or punishment  >He claimed it was a bum rap, but there were two good witnesses.

BUM’S RUSH

—   the bum’s rush (... bumz ...) (sl.): forced ejection (from a place)  >The bouncer gave that troublemaker the bum’s rush.

BUM STEER

 *    bum steer (bum ...) (sl.): piece of advice or information that is wrong or that leads to failure, misguidance  >His informant gave him a bum steer, and he came up with nothin’.

BUNCH

 *    bunch (colloq.): group (of people)  >Thelma’s family’s an odd bunch.

**   a (whole) bunch (of ...) (colloq.): much (...), many (...)  >I can’t go out. I’ve got a bunch of studying to do.  >She has a whole bunch of problems she wants to discuss.  >She knows kids because she’s got a whole bunch herself.

BUNCO

—   bunco (see “BUNKO”)

BUNDLE

**   bundle (sl.): large sum of money  >She made a bundle in commissions on those sales.

BUNDLE OF NERVES

 *    bundle of nerves (colloq.): very nervous or anxious person  >Harry’s been a bundle of nerves since he got called for the interview.

BUNK

—   bunk1 (colloq.): lies, false or exaggerated story, nonsense  >That story about him being a race-car driver is a lot of bunk.

—   bunk2 (vi) (colloq.): sleep, spend the night (esp. on a temporary basis)  >You can bunk at my house tonight.

BUNKO

—   bunko (bung´kō) (colloq.): swindle, confidence game  >The old lady lost two thousand bucks on some bunko scheme.

BUNS

**   buns (sl.): buttocks  >She thought he had cute buns.

 *    ... [one’s] buns off (sl.): ... with maximum effort or sacrifice, ... to the utmost  >Scream your buns off if you want. I don’t care.

—   bust [one’s] buns (see BUST)

—   freeze [one’s] buns off (see FREEZE)

BURGER

**   burger (bûr´gәr) (colloq.): hamburger  >We had burgers and fries for lunch.

BURN

**   burn1 (vt) (sl.): cheat, cause (s/one) a loss, hurt, greatly disillusion (used esp. in passive voice)  >A lot of investors really got burned on that deal.  >She’s been burned by a couple of bad relationships. 

—   burn2 (vi) (sl.): die in the electric chair  >You’re gonna burn for what ya did!

**   burn out (vi) (colloq.): become mentally or physically exhausted (esp. due to an extended period of overwork or stress)  >He taught junior high for six years, then burned out.

—   lay/burn rubber (see RUBBER)

 *    burn (up) (vt) (colloq.): anger greatly, make furious  >It really burns her when her husband flirts with other women.  >His bad attitude burns me up.

—   have money to burn (see MONEY)

BURNED-OUT

 *    burned-out (colloq.): mentally or physically exhausted (esp. due to an extended period of overwork or stress)  >Some burned-out executive just up and quit. 

BURNER

— burner (phone) (sl.): inexpensive pre-paid mobile telephone (esp. one used to avoid the user being identified)  >He used a burner to call the cops ‘cause he didn’t want them to know who was givin’ ‘em the tip. 

BURNOUT

**   burnout1 (colloq.): mental or physical exhaustion (esp. due to an extended period of overwork or stress)  >Burnout’s a big problem among air traffic controllers.

—   burnout2 (colloq.): person who is ineffective or ruined due to overwork or stress, person who is totally exhausted mentally or physically  >You can’t put a burnout like him in charge!

BURP

**   burp1 (bûrp) (colloq.): belch  >He drank a beer and let out a big burp.

**   burp2 (vi) (colloq.): belch  >Don’t burp at the table!

BURR

—   have a burr up [one's] ass/butt (vulg.): be annoyed (by s/thing), be ill-tempered (because of s/thing)  >Tyler’s had a burr up his ass ever since Lucas got promoted over him.

BUS

—   throw [s/one] under the bus (see THROW)

BUSH

—   bush (vulg.): mass of pubic hair (esp. a woman’s)  >They rated the movie “X” ‘cause it showed the actress’s bush.

—   beat around the bush (see BEAT)

BUSHED

 *    bushed (bŭsht) (colloq.): very tired, exhausted  >After a day of chopping wood, I’m bushed.

BUSHY-TAILED

—   bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (see BRIGHT-EYED)

BUSINESS

 *    be in business (colloq.): be ready to proceed, have everything set to operate or function  >If I can just get this carburetor adjusted right, I think we’ll be in business.  >Just plug it in, and you’re in business.

 *    do [one’s] business (colloq.): defecate  >I don’t want your dog doing its business on my lawn.

—   give [s/one] the business (colloq.): scold or reprimand [s/one], berate [s/one]  >His supervisor gave him the business when he screwed up the deal.

—   like nobody’s business (see NOBODY’S)

**   mean business (colloq.): have a serious intent, be determined  >When she gets that look in her eye, she means business.

BUSINESS END

—   business end (colloq.): part that’s crucial to the functioning (of a tool or weapon)  >The punk turned around and found himself looking at the business end of a gun.

BUST

**   bust1 (sl.): arrest, detainment  >A street cop made the bust this morning. 

**   bust2 (colloq.): police raid  >Twenty cops, who had surrounded the house, were in on the bust.

—   bust3 (colloq.): failure  >The party was a bust. Hardly anyone showed up.

**   bust4 (vt) (sl.): arrest, detain  >He was busted for holdin’ ten grams of cocaine.

**   bust5 (vt) (colloq.): raid (by the police)  >The cops busted the joint because there was a gambling operation going on there.

—   bust6 (vt) (colloq.): hit, strike (esp. with the fist)  >Someone’s going to bust him in the mouth if he doesn’t shut up.

—   bust7 (vt) (colloq.): fracture, break  >He busted his collarbone when he fell.  >Don’t sit on my glasses! You’ll bust them.

—   bust8 (vt) (colloq.): demote  >They busted him back to private.  >You’ll get busted back to a field office if you don’t produce.

—   (about) bust/split a gut1 (colloq.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal)  >We busted a gut to fill the order on time.

—   (about) bust/split a gut2 (colloq.): laugh very hard  >I about busted a gut when I saw him start flirting with that transvestite.  >Joey split a gut laughing at Martin’s jokes.

 *    bust/break [one’s] ass (vulg.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal)  >We’ve been breakin’ our ass all day diggin’ that trench.  >I busted my ass to get where I am today.

—   bust/break [one’s] balls (vulg.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal) (cf. “BALL-BUSTER/breaker1”)  >We’ve been breakin’ our balls tryin’ to get this ready by Monday.

—   bust/break [s/one’s] balls (vulg.): emasculate [s/one], injure [s/one’s] sense of maleness (cf. “BALL-BUSTER/breaker2”)  >She really busted Pearson’s balls when she listed all his screwups in front of everybody.

 *    bust [one’s] buns (sl.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal)  >If ya wanna get ahead, ya gotta bust your buns.

—   bust [one’s] chops (sl.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal)  >Man, I busted my chops fixin’ this damn car’s transmission!

—   bust [s/one’s] chops (sl.): criticize or scold [s/one], pressure [s/one] relentlessly  >My old lady really busted my chops for coming home so late last night.  >The boss has been bustin’ my chops because I haven’t got that project finished yet.

—   bust [one’s] hump (sl.): work hard, put out great effort (to reach a goal)  >I busted my hump gettin’ that report ready on time, and the bastard didn’t even read it!

—   bust out (of) (colloq.): break out (of), escape (from)  >They busted out of jail and headed out of town.

—   bust up1 (vi, vt) (colloq.): (cause to) separate or divorce  >The partnership busted up because of a misunderstanding.  >Him messing around with other women is what busted up their marriage.

—   bust up2 (vt) (colloq.): destroy, put an end to  >Someone busted up his tree house.  >Some gate-crashers came in and busted up the party.

—   bust up3 (vi) (colloq.): laugh hard  >You’re going to bust up when he does the hat routine.

—   go bust (colloq.): become bankrupt, lose all (one’s) money  >His shop went bust after just two months.

—   ... or bust! (colloq.): (one is) determined to reach ... at any cost! (one will make) an all-out effort to attain ...  >Frisco or bust!  >A new world’s record or bust!

BUSTED

—   busted1 (bus´tәd) (colloq.): penniless, with no money  >They’re busted, with no place to live.

—   busted2 (sl.): arrested, caught for punishment  >If he gets busted with coke on him he’s goin’ right back to jail.  >When Dad finds out what ya did you’re  gonna be ­so busted!

BUSTER

—   Buster (bus´tәr) (voc.) (colloq.): mister, you there (used esp. with a male, freq. in a contentious way)  >Listen, Buster! I’ve had about all I’m going to take from you!

—   ... buster (colloq.): destroyer or preventer of ...  >That cop thinks he’s the city’s greatest crime buster.  >This game’s a real boredom buster.

BUSY

 *    (as) busy as a beaver (colloq.): very busy, very industrious  >She’s been busy as a beaver decorating her new house.

 *    (as) busy as a bee (colloq.): very busy  >I’m as busy as a bee these days with my volunteer work.

BUT

—   but (colloq.): very, definitely  >We beat them but good.  >This car moves but fast!

BUTCH

—   butch (bŭch) (sl., pej.): lesbian (esp. with masculine traits), masculine woman (also adj., also adv.)  >This butch has been givin’ her the eye.  >She likes the butch look.  >She dresses real butch.

BUTS

—   no ifs, ands, or buts (about it) (see IFS)

BUTT

**   butt1 (sl., freq. vulg.): buttocks, rump, anus  >He belted him and knocked him on his butt.  >The doctor had to take a look up his butt.

 *    butt2 (sl.): cigarette  >Give me a butt and those matches there, will ya?

—   blister [s/one’s] butt (see BLISTER)

**   [one’s] butt (sl., freq. vulg.): [one]self, [one] (esp. when seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >They threw his butt in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct.

 *    butt heads (with) (colloq.): enter into conflict (with)  >The governor’s going to butt heads with the legislature over this.  >Me and him usually butt heads when the budget’s being discussed.

**   butt in(to) (colloq.): interfere (in), participate (in) without invitation, meddle (in)  >Mind if I butt in to add something?  >Don’t go butting into what’s none of your business!

 *    ... [one’s] butt off (sl., freq. vulg.): ... with maximum effort or sacrifice, ... to the utmost  >I argued my butt off, but they just wouldn’t agree to it.

**   butt out (vi) (sl.): stop meddling or interfering, stop participating (esp. when one was not invited)  >She’d better butt out or they’re gonna get mad.  >Butt out, buddy!

—   drag [one’s] butt (see DRAG)

**   get off [one’s] butt (sl., freq. vulg.): stop being lazy, start moving or working  >Get off your butts, guys—we got a lot to do.

—   have a burr up [one’s] ass/butt (see BURR)

—   kick [s/one’s] butt (see KICK)

—   kick (some) butt (see KICK)

 *    off [s/one’s] butt (sl., freq. vulg.): no longer putting pressure on [s/one], no longer being critical of [s/one] (cf. “on [s/one’s] BUTT”)  >You’ll get the press off your butt if you just explain the whole situation. 

 *    on [s/one’s] butt (sl., freq. vulg.): putting pressure on [s/one], being critical of [s/one] (cf. “off [s/one’s] BUTT”)  >She’s been on my butt all week, ever since I came home late and drunk.

—   out on [one’s] butt (see OUT)

—   pain in the butt (see PAIN)

BUTTER

 *    butter up (vt) (colloq.): flatter or adulate (to gain favor)  >Am I really that great, or are you just buttering me up so I’ll help you?

BUTTERBALL

—   butterball (colloq.): chubby or fat person  >Have you see how much weight he’s gained? He’s a real butterball!

BUTTERFINGERS

—   butterfingers (colloq.): person who carelessly drops things (also voc.)  >If you pass it to that butterfingers, she’ll drop it for sure.  >Hold on to it tight this time, butterfingers!

BUTTERFLIES

**   butterflies (in [one’s] stomach) (colloq.): nervousness, feeling of uneasiness (due to apprehension), fearful anticipation  >I still get butterflies in my stomach before going on stage.

BUTTFUCK

—   buttfuck (but´fuk´) (vi, vt) (vulg.): have anal intercourse (with) (as penetrator)  >They say he’s kinky—likes to buttfuck.  >They say he got buttfucked in prison.

BUTTHEAD

—   butthead (vulg.): contemptible or reprehensible person, stupid person (also voc.)  >I hope that butthead doesn’t start arguin’ with me again.  >Get lost, butthead!

BUTTINSKY

—   buttinsky (but in´skē) (sl.): meddlesome person, uninvited participant, person who interrupts (also voc.)  >Tell that buttinsky it’s none of his business.  >Who asked you, buttinsky?

BUTTON

—   (as) cute as a button (see CUTE)

—   button up (vi) (sl.): keep quiet, shut up  >I want ya to button up—they ain’t supposed to know.

 *    button (up) [one’s] lip (sl.): keep quiet, shut up  >If Brad doesn’t button his lip, he’s gonna get into trouble.

 *    (right) on the button (colloq.): exactly as expected, precisely as required  >Right! Nine hundred and twenty-three on the button.  >He predicted the outcome right on the button.

BUTTONS

—   push [s/one’s] buttons (see PUSH)

BUTT-UGLY

—   butt-ugly (sl., freq. vulg.): extremely ugly, repulsively ugly  >Why’d he hang that butt-ugly impressionist painting in his living room?

BUY

**   buy1 (colloq.): bargain  >This shirt was a real buy at just twenty dollars.

**   buy2 (vt) (colloq.): believe, accept, approve  >I don’t buy that idea. It just won’t work.  >Do you think the boss will buy his plan?

 *    buy3 (vt) (sl.): bribe  >If ya ask me, they bought the judge so he’d dismiss the case. 

**   buy into (colloq.): accept as truth, embrace  >He used to be a free spirit, but now he’s bought into the system.

—   buy it (sl.): die, get killed  >He stepped in front of a bus and bought it.

—   buy the farm (sl.): die, get killed  >The dude took a slug in the head and bought the farm.

 *    buy time (colloq.): use delaying tactics to gain time, stall  >She’s trying to buy time so her crooked husband can escape.

BUZZ

 *    buzz1 (sl.): feeling of exhilaration, excitement, slight intoxication  >Skydivin’ gives ya a real buzz.  >I got a buzz on after just one drink.

—   buzz2 (colloq.): ongoing commentary, constant rumors >The buzz in Hollywood is that that big star has gone into rehab.

—   buzz3 (vt) (colloq.): telephone  >I’ll buzz you tomorrow and see how you’re doing.

—   buzz4 (vt) (colloq.): fly very low over  >They took away his license after he buzzed the tower in a small plane.

**   buzz off! (sl.): go away!  >No one invited you, so buzz off!

**   give [s/one] a buzz (colloq.): telephone [s/one]  >If I hear anything new, I’ll give you a buzz.

BUZZARD

—   old buzzard (sl., freq. pej.): old man (esp. seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >The boss says he doesn’t want that old buzzard around the shop.

BUZZED

—   buzzed (sl.): excited, exhilarated, slightly intoxicated  >He’s really buzzed about his first road trip.  >That wine’s got me a little buzzed.

BY

—   by (a/the) ... (see entry under ... noun)

BYE-BYE

**   bye-bye! (colloq.): goodbye!  >Bye-bye! Drive safely.

 *    go bye-bye (colloq.): go somewhere, leave (used with small children)  >Come on, Jimmy! Want to go bye-bye?

B.Y.O.B.

 *    B.Y.O.B. (colloq.): on a bring-your-own-booze/bottle basis  >The party’s B.Y.O.B. because I can’t afford to buy all that liquor.