Be

[be] <For phrases that can begin with be,

become, or seem like, consult some other

word in the phrase in the Phrase-Finder

Index.>

be about something to be busy doing some-

thing, especially doing one’s business.

It’s eight o’clock, and it’s time I was about

my homework. Good-bye, Jane. I must

be about my business.

be a heartbeat away from something [for

someone] to be the next ruler upon the

final heartbeat of the current ruler. (Es-

pecially in reference to U.S. presidential

succession.) The vice president is just

a heartbeat away from being president.

The prince was only a heartbeat away from

being king.

be-all and (the) end-all Go to the be-all

and (the) end-all.

be all things to all men and be all things

to all people [for someone or some-

thing] to be liked or used by all people;

[for someone or something] to be every-

thing that is wanted by all people. You

simply can’t be all things to all people.

The candidate set out to be all things to

all men and came off looking very wishy-

washy.

be all things to all people Go to be all

things to all men.

be a million miles away to be distracted

and daydreaming; not to be paying at-

tention. (Also literal.) You were a mil-

lion miles away while I was talking to you.

Most of the class was a million miles

away in the hot spring afternoon.

be a new one on someone to be something

one has not heard before and that one is

not ready to believe. (Informal. The

someone is often me.) Jack’s poverty is

a new one on me. He always seems to have

plenty of money. The city’s difficulties

are a new one on me.

be curtains for someone or something to be

the death, end, or ruin of someone or

something. (Informal. From the lowering

or closing of the curtains at the end of a

stage performance.) If the car hadn’t

swerved, it would have been curtains for

the pedestrians. If they can’t get into the

export market, it’s curtains for the whole

company.



(be) easier said than done said of a task

that is easier to talk about than to do.

Yes, we must find a cure for cancer, but it’s

easier said than done. Finding a good

job is easier said than done.

be friends with someone to be a friend of

someone. Sally is friends with Bill.

Mary and Bill are friends with one

another.

be from Missouri to require proof; to have

to be shown [something]. (Also literal.

From the nickname for the state of Mis-

souri, the “Show Me” State.) You’ll

have to prove it to me. I’m from Missouri.

She’s from Missouri and has to be

shown.

be game to be ready for action; to be agree-

able to participating in something.

“I’m game,” David replied when I sug-

gested we go bowling. We’re going to the

park to play football. Are you game?

be into something to be interested in some-

thing; to be involved in something.

(Slang.) Did you hear? Tom is into sky-

diving! Too many people are into drugs.

be off 1. to be spoiled; to be running in-

correctly, as with a mechanical device.

Oh! I’m afraid that this meat is off. Don’t

eat it. I don’t have the exact time. My

watch is off. 2. to leave; to depart. Well,

I must be off. Good-bye. The train leaves

in an hour, so I must be off.



be of the persuasion that something is so

to hold a belief that something is true or

is in existence. Anne is of the persua-

sion that supports that candidate for

mayor. The paranoid was of the per-

suasion that aliens lived among us.

be reluctant to do something to be unwilling

to do something. David was reluctant

to admit his mistakes. The witness was

reluctant to testify and was ordered to do

so by the judge.

be sick to vomit. (Euphemistic. Also with

get, as in the examples. Also literal, mean-

ing “to suffer from an illness.”)

Mommy, Billy just got sick on the f loor.

Oh, excuse me! I think I’m going to be sick.

Bob was sick all over the carpet.

be so Go to be too.

be swimming in something to be engulfed

by an excess of something, as if it were a

flood. (Also literal.) The war-torn city

was swimming in blood. I am just swim-

ming in paperwork.

be that as it may even if what you say is

true. I am sorry to hear that, but, be

that as it may, you still must carry out your

responsibilities. Be that as it may, I still

cannot help you.

be the case to be true; to be an actual sit-

uation. I think Bill is a vegetarian, and

if that is the case, we should not serve him

meat. Susie believes trees can talk, but

that is not the case.

be the death of me (yet) [these kinds of

problems will] be my ruin, death, or

downfall. This cold will be the death of

me. All these problems will be the death

of me yet.



be the spit and image of someone and be

the spitting image of someone to look

very much like someone; to resemble

someone very closely. (Folksy. The sec-

ond version is a frequent error.) John

is the spit and image of his father. I’m

not the spit and image of anyone. At

first, I thought you were saying spitting

image.

be the spitting image of someone Go to be

the spit and image of someone.

be the straw that broke the camel’s

back Go to be the last straw.

be to do something to be obliged to do some-

thing; to be expected or directed to do

something. Am I to clean up the entire

kitchen by myself ? John is to take the

money to the bank.

be too and be so to be something (despite

anything to the contrary). (An emphatic

form of is, am, are, was, were. See also

do too, have too.) MOTHER: Billy, you

aren’t old enough to be up this late. BILLY:

I am too! I was so! I was there exactly

when I said I would be!

be used to doing something Go to be used to

something.

bear fruit to yield results; to give results.

(Also literal for fruit-bearing plants and

trees.) I hope your new plan bears fruit.

We’ve had many good ideas, but none

of them has borne fruit.

bear in mind that something is so to re-

member that something is so; to consider

that something is so. (See also keep some-

one or something in mind.) Bear in mind

that the trip will be expensive. I asked

the teacher to bear in mind that I am just

a beginner.

bear one’s cross and carry one’s cross to

carry or bear one’s burden; to endure

one’s difficulties. (This is a Christian bib-

lical theme. It is always used figuratively

except in the biblical context.) It’s a

very bad disease, but I’ll bear my cross.

I can’t help you with it. You’ll just have to

carry your cross.

bear someone or something in mind Go to

keep someone or something in mind.

bear something out to demonstrate or prove

that something is right. I hope that the

facts will bear your story out. T I’m sure

that the facts will bear out my story.

bear the brunt (of something) to withstand

the worst part or the strongest part of

something, such as an attack. I had to

bear the brunt of her screaming and

yelling. Why don’t you talk with her the

next time? I’m tired of bearing the brunt.

very serious disease, and it will bear watch-

ing for further developments.

bear with someone or something to be patient

with someone or something; to endure

someone or something. Please bear

with me while I fill out this form. Please

bear with my old car. It’ll get us there

sooner or later.

beard the lion in his den to face an ad-

versary on the adversary’s home ground.

I went to the tax collector’s office to

beard the lion in his den. He said he

hadn’t wanted to come to my home, but it

was better to beard the lion in his den.

beat about the bush Go to beat around

the bush.

beat a (hasty) retreat to retreat or with-

draw very quickly. We went out into the

cold weather, but beat a retreat to the

warmth of our fire. The dog beat a hasty

retreat to its own yard.

beat a path to someone’s door [for people]

to come to someone in great numbers.

(So many people will wish to come and

see you that they will wear down a path-

way to your door.) I have a product so

good that everyone is beating a path to my

door. If you really become famous, peo-

ple will beat a path to your door.

beat around the bush and beat about

the bush to avoid answering a question;

to stall; to waste time. Stop beating

around the bush and answer my question.

Let’s stop beating about the bush and

discuss this matter.

beat one’s brains out (to do something) to

work very hard (to do something). (In-

formal or slang.) I beat my brains out

to solve the problem. That’s the last time

I’ll beat my brains out trying to cook a nice

dinner for you.

beat one’s head against the wall and

bang one’s head against a brick wall

to waste one’s time trying to accomplish

something that is completely hopeless.

You’re wasting your time trying to fix up

this house. You’re just beating your head

against the wall. You’re banging your

head against a brick wall trying to get that

dog to behave properly.

beat someone down (to size) and knock

someone down (to size) to make a person

more humble, possibly by beating. (See

also cut someone down (to size).) If you

keep acting so arrogant, someone is going

to beat you down to size. It’s time some-

one knocked you down to size. I’ll try

to be more thoughtful. I don’t want any-

one to beat me down.

beat someone to the draw Go to beat some-

one to the punch.

beat someone up to harm or subdue a per-

son by beating and striking. The rob-

ber beat me up and took my money. T I

really want to beat up that robber.

beat something into someone’s head to force

someone to learn something, possibly

through violence. (This can be a threat of

violence and should not be used casu-

ally.) I studied for hours. I have never

beat so much stuff into my head in such a

short time. You’re going to learn this

math if I have to beat it into your head.

[beat the band] Go to to beat the band.

beat the clock to do something before a

deadline; to finish before the time is up.

Sam beat the clock, arriving a few min-

utes before the doors were locked. They

were afraid they would be late and hurried

in order to beat the clock.

beat the pants off someone 1. to beat

someone severely. (Informal. Refers to

physical violence, not the removal of

someone’s pants.) The thugs beat the

pants off their victim. If you do that

again, I’ll beat the pants off you. 2. to win

out over someone. (Informal. This has

nothing to do with violence or removing

pants.) In the footrace, Sally beat the

pants off Jane. Tom beats the pants off

Bob when it comes to writing poetry.

beat the rap to escape conviction and pun-

ishment (for a crime). (Slang, especially

criminal slang.) He was charged with

drunk driving, but he beat the rap. The

police hauled Tom in and charged him

with a crime. His lawyer helped him beat

the rap.

beat the stuffing out of someone Go to

beat the living daylights out of someone.

beat the tar out of someone Go to beat the

living daylights out of someone.

Beauty is only skin-deep. Looks are only

superficial. (Proverb.) BOB: Isn’t Jane

lovely? TOM: Yes, but beauty is only skin-

deep. I know that she looks like a mil-

lion dollars, but beauty is only skin-deep.