bed

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.