a bed of roses a situation or way of life
that is always happy and comfortable.
Living with Pat can’t be a bed of roses, but
her husband is always smiling. Being the
boss isn’t exactly a bed of roses. There are
so many problems to take care of.
beef something up to make something
stronger; to supplement something. (In-
formal or slang.) The government de-
cided to beef the army up by buying hun-
dreds of new tanks. T Okay, let’s beef up
the opening song. Please, everyone, sing
louder!
[been had] Go to have been had.
beer and skittles Go to (all) beer and
skittles.
before long soon. Billy will be grown-
up before long. Before long, we’ll be
without any money if we keep spending so
much.
before you can say Jack Robinson al-
most immediately. (Often found in chil-
dren’s stories.) And before you could say
Jack Robinson, the bird f lew away. I’ll
catch a plane and be there before you can
say Jack Robinson.
before you know it almost immediately.
I’ll be there before you know it. If you
keep spending money like that, you’ll be
broke before you know it.
beg off (on something) to ask to be released
from something; to refuse an invitation.
I’m sorry. I’ll have to beg off on your in-
vitation. I have an important meeting,
so I’ll have to beg off.
beg the question 1. to carry on a false ar-
gument where one assumes as proved the
very point that is being argued, or more
generally, to evade a principled discus-
sion of the issue at hand. (Essentially a
criticism of someone’s line of argument.)
Stop talking in circles. You’re begging the
question. A: Why do two lines that are
equidistant from one another never meet?
B: Because they are parallel. A: You are
begging the question. 2. to invite the (fol-
lowing) question. (This erroneous rein-
terpretation of beg the question is
becoming increasingly popular and wide-
spread.) His complaints beg the ques-
tion: Didn’t he cause all of his problems
himself ?
beg to differ (with someone) to disagree
with someone; to state one’s disagree-
ment with someone in a polite way. (Usu-
ally used in a statement made to the per-
son being disagreed with.) I beg to
differ with you, but you have stated every-
thing exactly backwards. If I may beg
to differ, you have not expressed things as
well as you seem to think.
beggar description to defy description; to
be unable to be described. The house
was a mess. The place beggared descrip-
tion. Our reaction to the proposal beg-
gars description. We were deeply disturbed
for days.
Beggars can’t be choosers. One should
not criticize something one gets for free.
(Proverb.) I don’t like the old hat that
you gave me, but beggars can’t be choosers.
It doesn’t matter whether people like the
free food or not. Beggars can’t be choosers.
begin to see daylight to begin to foresee
the end of a long task. (Also literal. See
also see the light (at the end of the tun-
nel).) I’ve been working on my thesis for
two years, and at last I’m beginning to see
daylight. I’ve been so busy. Only in the
last week have I begun to see daylight.
begin to see the light to begin to under-
stand (something). (Also literal.) My
algebra class is hard for me, but I’m be-
ginning to see the light. I was totally
confused, but I began to see the light after
your explanation.
behind closed doors in secret; away from
observers, reporters, or intruders. (Refers
to being in a private room with the doors
closed.) They held the meeting behind
closed doors, as the law allowed. Every
important issue was decided behind closed
doors.
behind in something and behind on some-
thing late with something; late in doing
something. I’m behind in my car pay-
ments. She’s behind on her work.
behind on something Go to behind in some-
thing.
behind schedule having failed to do
something by the time listed on the
schedule. We have to hurry and finish
soon because we are behind schedule.
The project is behind schedule. Very late,
in fact.
behind someone’s back in secret; without
someone’s knowledge. Please don’t talk
about me behind my back. She sold the
car behind his back.
behind the eight ball in a difficult or
awkward position. (Informal. Refers to
billiards, a game played with numbered
balls.) Bob broke his wife’s crystal vase
and is really behind the eight ball. I ran
over the neighbor’s lawn with my car, so
I’m really behind the eight ball.
behind the scenes privately; out of pub-
lic view. The people who worked behind
the scenes are the real heroes of this pro-
ject. I worked behind the scenes in the
play. We don’t usually thank the people
who are behind the scenes.
behind the times old-fashioned. Sarah
is a bit behind the times. Her clothes are
quite old-fashioned. Our legislature is
a bit behind the times.
Behind you! Watch out behind you!; There
is danger behind you! Behind you! That
car almost hit you. There are snakes
everywhere! Behind you! Look out!
to belabor the point, but the sooner we get
these things settled, the better.
speaker would agree not to belabor the
point further, I will place it on the agenda
for the next meeting.
believe it or not to choose to believe
something or not. (Indicating that an as-
sertion may be hard to believe.) Believe
it or not, I just got home from work. I’m
over fifty years old, believe it or not.
bell, book, and candle symbols of witch-
craft. Look, I can’t work miracles! Do
you expect me to show up at your house
with bell, book, and candle, and make
everything right? You have to take charge
of your own destiny! On the top shelf
of the tiny used-book store, Jim saw a bell,
book, and candle sitting in a row, and he
knew he was going to find some very in-
teresting reading material.
below average lower or worse than aver-
age. Tom’s strength is below average for
a child his size. Dad asked why my
grades are below average.
below par not as good as average or nor-
mal. I feel a little below par today. I
think I am getting a cold. His work is
below par, and he is paid too much money.
belt something out to sing or play a song
loudly and with spirit. When she’s play-
ing the piano, she really belts the music out.
T She really knows how to belt out a song.
bend over backwards (to do something) Go
to fall over backwards (to do something).
bend someone’s ear to talk to someone, per-
haps annoyingly. Tom is over there,
bending Jane’s ear about something. I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to bend your ear for
an hour.
bent on doing something determined to do
something. Jane was bent on having her
own apartment. Her mother was bent
on keeping her at home.
beside the question Go to beside the
point.
best bib and tucker one’s best clothing.
(Folksy.) I always wear my best bib and
tucker on Sundays. Put on your best bib
and tucker, and let’s go to the city.
the best-laid plans of mice and men and
the best-laid schemes of mice and
men the best thought-out plans of any-
one. If a little rain can ruin the best-laid
plans of mice and men, think what an
earthquake might do! The best-laid
schemes of mice and men are often dis-
turbed by any small matter.
the best-laid schemes of mice and men
Go to the best-laid plans of mice and
men.
the best part of something almost all of
something; a large part of something; the
major part of something. The discus-
sion took the best part of an hour. The
best part of the meeting was taken up by
budgetary matters.
bet one’s bottom dollar and bet one’s life
to be quite certain (about something).
(Both are informal and folksy. A bottom
dollar is the last dollar.) I’ll be there.
You bet your bottom dollar. I bet my
bottom dollar you can’t swim across the
pool. You bet your life I can’t swim that
far. I bet my life on it.
bet one’s life Go to bet one’s bottom dollar.
[better half] Go to one’s better half.
better late than never better to do some-
thing late than not at all. I wish you had
come here sooner, but better late than
never. She bought a house when she was
quite old. Better late than never.
better off (if one were somewhere else) Go
to better off (somewhere).
better off (if something were done) Go to
better off (doing something).
better off (somewhere) and better off (if
one were somewhere else) in a better posi-
tion somewhere else. They would be
better off in Florida. We’d all be better
off if we were in Florida. I know I’d be
better off.
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