[burn in effigy] See: HANG IN EFFIGY.
[burn one’s bridges] also [burn one’s boats] {v. phr.} To make a decision that you cannot change; remove or destroy all the ways you can get back out of a place you have got into on purpose; leave yourself no way to escape a position. •/Bob was a good wrestler but a poor boxer. He burned his boats by letting Mickey choose how they would fight./ •/When Dorothy became a nun, she burned her bridges behind her./
[burn one’s fingers]{v. phr.}, {informal} To get in trouble doing something and fear to do it again; learn caution through an unpleasant experience. •/He had burned his fingers in the stock market once, and didn’t want to try again./ •/Some people can’t be told; they have to burn their fingers to learn./
[burn out]{v. phr.} 1. To destroy by fire or by overheating. •/Mr. Jones burned out the clutch on his car./ 2. To destroy someone’s house or business by fire so that they have to move out. •/Three racists burned out the Black family’s home./ 3a. To go out of order; cease to function because of long use or overheating. •/The light bulb in the bathroom burned out, and Father put in a new one./ •/The electric motor was too powerful, and it burned out a fuse./ 3b. To break, tire, or wear out by using up all the power, energy, or strength of. •/Bill burned himself out in the first part of the race and could not finish./ •/The farmer burned out his field by planting the same crop every year for many years./
[burn-out]{n.} A point of physical or emotional exhaustion. •/There are so many refugees all over the world that charitable organizations as well as individuals are suffering from donor burn-out./
[burn rubber]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To start up a car or a motorcycle from dead stop so fast that the tires leave a mark on the road. •/The neighborhood drag racers burned a lot of rubber — look at the marks on the road!/ 2. To leave in a hurry. •/I guess I am going to have to burn rubber./
[burnt child dreads the fire] or [once bitten, twice shy] A person who has suffered from doing something has learned to avoid doing it again. — A proverb. •/Once Mary had got lost when her mother took her downtown. But a burnt child dreads the fire, so now Mary stays close to her mother when they are downtown./
[burn the candle at both ends]{v. phr.} To work or play too hard without enough rest; get too tired. •/He worked hard every day as a lawyer and went to parties and dances every night; he was burning the candle at both ends./
[burn the midnight oil]{v. phr.} To study late at night. •/Exam time was near, and more and more pupils were burning the midnight oil./
[bum to a crisp]{v. phr.} To burn black; burn past saving or using especially as food. •/While getting breakfast, Mother was called to the telephone, and when she got back, the bacon had been burned to a crisp./
[burn up]{v.} 1. To burn completely; destroy or be destroyed by fire. •/Mr. Scott was burning up old letters./ •/The house burned up before the firemen got there./ 2. {informal} To irritate, anger, annoy. •/The boy’s laziness and rudeness burned up his teacher./ •/The breakdown of his new car burned Mr. Jones up./
[burn up the road]{v. phr.}, {informal} To drive a car very fast. •/In his eagerness to see his girl again, he burned up the road on his way to see her./ •/Speed demons burning up the road often cause accidents./
[burst at the seams]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be too full or too crowded. •/John ate so much he was bursting at the seams./ •/Mary’s album was so full of pictures it was bursting at the seams./
[burst into]{v. phr.} 1. To enter suddenly. •/Stuart burst into the room, screaming angrily./ 2. To break out. •/The crowd burst out cheering when the astronauts paraded along Fifth Avenue./
[burst into flames]{v. phr.} To begin to burn suddenly. •/The children threw away some burning matches and the barn burst into flames./
[burst into tears]{v. phr.} To suddenly start crying. •/Mary burst into tears when she heard that her brother was killed in a car accident./
[burst with joy] or [pride] {v. phr.} To be so full of the feeling of joy or pride that one cannot refrain from showing one’s exuberant feelings. •/Armstrong and Aldrin burst with pride when they stepped out on the moon in July, 1969./
[bury one’s head in the sand] See: HIDE ONE’S HEAD IN THE SAND.
[bury the hatchet]{v. phr.}, {informal} To settle a quarrel or end a war; make peace. •/The two men had been enemies a long time, but after the flood they buried the hatchet./ Compare: MAKE UP(5).
[bus] See: MISS THE BOAT or MISS THE BUS.
[bush] See: BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH, BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH.
[bushel] See: HIDE ONE’S LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL.
[bushes] See: BEAT THE BUSHES.
[business] See: DO THE BUSINESS, HAVE NO BUSINESS, LAND-OFFICE BUSINESS, MEAN BUSINESS, MONKEY BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS.
[bust up]{v. phr.}, {slang} To terminate a partnership, a relationship, a friendship, or a marriage. •/If Jack keeps drinking the way he does, it will bust up his marriage to Sue./
[busy work]{n.} Work that is done not to do or finish anything important, but just to keep busy. •/When the teacher finished all she had to say it was still a half hour before school was over. So she gave the class a test for busy work./
[but for] See: EXCEPT FOR.
[but good]{adv. phr.}, {informal} Very much so; thoroughly completely; forcefully. — Used for emphasis. •/Jack called Charles a bad name, and Charles hit him, but good./ •/Tom fell and broke his leg. That taught him but good not to fool around in high trees./ Compare: AND HOW.
[but not least] See: LAST BUT NOT LEAST.
[butter] See: BREAD AND BUTTER.
[butterflies in one’s stomach]{n. phr.} A queer feeling in the stomach caused by nervous fear or uncertainty; a feeling of fear or anxiety in the stomach. •/When Bob walked into the factory office to ask for a job, he had butterflies in his stomach./
[butter up]{v.}, {informal} To try to get the favor or friendship of (a person) by flattery or pleasantness. •/He began to butter up the boss in hope of being given a better job./ Compare: POLISH THE APPLE.
[butter wouldn’t melt in one’s mouth]{informal} You act very polite and friendly but do not really care, you are very nice to people but are not sincere. •/The new secretary was rude to the other workers, but when she talked to the boss, butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth./
[butt in]{v.}, {slang} To join in with what other people are doing without asking or being asked; interfere in other people’s business; meddle. •/Mary was explaining to Jane how to knit a sweater when Barbara butted in./ Often used with "on". •/John butted in on Bill and Tom’s fight, and got hurt./ Compare: HORN IN.
[button] See: HAVE ALL ONE’S BUTTONS, ON THE BUTTON, PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON.
[button down]{v.}, {slang} (stress on "down") To state precisely, to ascertain, to pin down, to peg down. •/First let’s get the facts buttoned down, then we can plan ahead./
[button-down]{attrib. adj.}, {slang} (stress on "button") Well-groomed, conservatively dressed. •/Joe is a regular button-down type./
[buttonhole]{v.} To approach a person in order to speak with him or her in private. •/After waiting for several hours, Sam managed to buttonhole his boss just as she was about to leave the building./
[button one’s lip] also [zip one’s lip] {v. phr.}, {slang} To stop talking; keep a secret; shut your mouth; be quiet. •/The man was getting loud and insulting and the cop told him to button his lip./ •/John wanted to talk, but Dan told him to keep his lip buttoned./ Syn.: KEEP ONE’S MOUTH SHUT, SHUT UP.
[buy for a song]{v. phr.} To buy something very cheaply. •/Since the building on the corner was old and neglected, I was able to buy it for a song./
[buy off]{v.} To turn from duty or purpose by a gift. •/When the police threatened to stop the gambling business, the owner bought them off./ •/The Indians were going to burn the cabins, but the men bought them off with gifts./ Compare: PAY OFF.
[buy out]{v.} 1. To buy the ownership or a share of; purchase the stock of. •/He bought out several small stockholders. 2. To buy all the goods of; purchase the merchandise of./ •/Mr. Harper bought out a nearby hardware store./ Contrast: SELL OUT.
[buy up]{v. phr.} To purchase the entire stock of something. •/The company is trying to buy up all the available shares./
[buzz] See: GIVE A RING also GIVE A BUZZ.
[buzz word]{n.} A word that sounds big and important in a sentence but, on closer inspection, means little except the speaker’s indication to belong to a certain group. •/The politician’s speech was nothing but a lot of misleading statements and phony promises hidden in a bunch of buzz words./
[by] See: TOO --- BY HALF.
[by a hair] See: HANG BY A THREAD or HANG BY A HAIR
[by] or [in my book] {adv. phr.} In my opinion; as far as I am concerned; in my judgment. •/By my book, Mr. Murgatroyd is not a very good department head./
[by all means] also [by all manner of means] {adv. phr.} Certainly, without fail. •/He felt that he should by all means warn Jones./ Contrast: BY NO MEANS.
[by all odds]{adv. phr.} Without question; certainly. •/He was by all odds the strongest candidate./ •/By all odds we should win the game, because the other team is so weak./ Compare: FAR AND AWAY.
[by a long shot]{adv. phr.}, {informal} By a big difference; by far. — Used to add emphasis. •/Bert was the best swimmer in the race, by a long shot./ Often used with a negative. •/Tom isn’t the kind who would be fresh to a teacher, by a long shot./ •/Our team didn’t win — not by a long shot./ Compare: MISS BY A MILE.
[by a mile] See: MISS BY A MILE.
[by and by]{adv.} After a while; at some time in the future; later. •/Roger said he would do his homework by and by./ •/The mother knew her baby would be a man by and by and do a man’s work./ Syn.: AFTER A WHILE.
[by and large]{adv. phr.} As it most often happens; more often than not; usually; mostly. •/There were bad days, but it was a pleasant summer, by and large./ •/By and large, women can bear pain better than men./ Syn.: FOR THE MOST PART, ON THE WHOLE(2).
[by any means] See: BY NO MEANS.
[by a thread] See: HANG BY A THREAD.
[by chance]{adv. phr.} Without any cause or reason; by accident; accidentally. •/Tom met Bill by chance./ •/The apple fell by chance on Bobby’s head./
[by choice]{adv. phr.} As a result of choosing because of wanting to; freely. •/John helped his father by choice./ •/Mary ate a plum, but not by choice. Her mother told her she must eat it./
[by dint of]{prep.} By the exertion of; by the use of; through. •/By dint of sheer toughness and real courage, he lived through the jungle difficulties and dangers./ •/His success in college was largely by dint of hard study./
[bye] See: BY THE WAY also BY THE BYE.
[by ear]{adv. phr.} 1. By sound, without ever reading the printed music of the piece being played. •/The church choir sang the hymns by ear./ 2. Waiting to see what will happen. •/I don’t want to plan now; let’s just play it by ear./
[by far]{adv. phr.} By a large difference; much. •/His work was better by far than that of any other printer in the city./ •/The old road is prettier, but it is by far the longer way./ Compare: FAR AND AWAY.
