Idioms B
Back burner Some action or other is said to be "put on the back burner" if it's given a lower action priority or delayed.
Back the wrong horse Means you have given support to the losing side of something
Back to square one To start from the beginning
Back to the drawing board If you "go back to the drawing board" you have to go back to the beginning of something and start again.
Back to the wall If you have your "back to the wall" you are in a difficult situation with little room to maneuver.
Back seat driver Is some annoying person who likes giving advice to the person performing the task especially when the advice is wrong or unwanted.
Bad apple Is a person who tends to make another person a bad person
Bad egg Is a person who cannot be trusted, a good egg is the opposite
Bad mouth To "bad mouth " someone is to say some nasty about them
Bad worker always blames his tools Means that if someone makes a bad job of something he blames his tools and not his own expertise
Bag of bones If someone is a "bag of bones" its usually because they are underweight
Bakers dozen A "bakers dozen" is thirteen. Originated from when Bakers were fined if they sold twelve loaves under weight, so they used to put in an extra loaf, just to be safe.
Ball's in your court Means the next decision is yours to make
Ball park Is an approximate number used as an example or guess, ie a rough estimate of the cost of something
Bare your heart Means you tell someone your personal or private feelings
Bark is worse that their bite This is said of someone who tends to shout and threaten about something but doesn't do anything about it.
Barking up the wrong tree Means that you or someone has misunderstood something and is completely wrong.
Barrack room layer Is someone who gives advice on something they no little about.
Barrel of laughs Is said about someone who you think is always funny and joking
Bat an eyelid Is used when someone shows no emotion towards when surprised
Batten down the hatches
 You "batten down the hatches" to prevent something happening. From seagoing people, they batten the hatches to prevent water ingress is storms
Battle of nerves
 This is when two people battle it out in a dispute, and neither are willing to give in, waiting for the other side to give in
Bear fruit If something bears fruit it produces a positive result, ie if your lottery ticket wins then you ticket has born fruit.
Bear the brunt To "bear the brunt" is to face or endure something bad.
Beating about the bush Someone who beats around the bush is trying to say something in a round about way without actually saying it.
Beauty is only skin deep
 Means that what you see may be deceptive. ie a lovely polished car may look nice, but the engine may not work properly.
Beck and call If someone is at your beck and call, then they do everything for you when you ask no matter when or where.
Bee in their bonnet

If someone has a "bee in their bonnet" about something, it means they won't let it go, metaphorically
Before you can say Jack Robinson It means you do something very quickly before you can say the words "Jack Robinson"
Beggars can't be choosers Means that anybody in need of something must except anything offered to them
Behind closed doors
 If something is said or happens "behind closed doors" then it's said or done away from other peoples scrutiny
Behind someone's back Means something is done without the other persons knowledge
Belly up Means something has gone badly wrong
Below par If someone isn't feeling well, or doing very well or if something isn't up to standard then it's said to be below par. Taken from the game of Golf where par is the standard shot for a particular hole. ie par 3
Belt and braces Is when you do two things to make doubly sure of something, refers to men's trousers, if the the belt breaks the trousers won't fall down because there are still braces to keep them up.
Bend over backwards If someone bends over backwards, they do everything they can to help you
Besides the point If something is besides the point then its said not be be relevant to the matter in hand
Beside themselves If someone is besides themselves they are said to be overly worried about something
Best of a bunch When you choose the best available out of a bad selection
Better late than never
 Means its better to do something or say something late than not do or say it at all
Better to be safe than sorry Better to be cautious than to take risks
Better than a poke in the eye
 Means its better to have something than nothing at all
Better the devil you know Means its better to stay with what or who you know than risk something or someone you don't
Between a rock and a hard place When a choice you have to make makes no difference because either one is unpleasant
Between the devil and the deep blue sea If you are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, you are in a dilemma, ie a difficult choice
Bigger fish to fry Means you have something more important to do than you are doing now
Birds of a feather flock together
 Means people of the same type or have the same interests stick together
Bite off more than you can chew If you bite off more than you can chew it means you are taking on more than you can handle (manage)
Bite someone's head off Means you criticise someone rather angrily to their face
Bite your lip If you bite your lip you are keeping quiet about something that displeases you
Blackball
 To blackball someone you are voting against them
Blessing in disguise
 If some bad luck happens to you which results in something good it's said to be a blessing in disguise
Blind leading the blind
 Means that someone in charge of something doesn't know anymore that the person they are in charge of
Bold as brass If someone is as bold as brass means they are very confident and not worried about being caught doing something that maybe they shouldn't be doing
Bone to pick If you have a bone to pick with someone then you are annoyed with them about something and want to tell them how you feel
Box clever
If you box clever you use your intelligence to get what you want even if it means cheating
Brass monkey Means the weather is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. From the British Navy where the cannon balls were kept in a structure called a brass monkey, when the weather was really cold the cannon balls would fall the monkey
Brass tacks If you get down to brass tacks then you get down to the real business in hand
Break a leg This is said to someone to wish them good luck or in the UK it means let's get on with a certain something
Bright eyed and bushy tailed Means you are someone who is full of enthusiasm and energy
Brings home the bacon
 Someone who brings home the bacon earns the money to live on
Brush under the carpet If you brush something under the carpet you are ignoring or hiding something
Bull in a china shop
 If someone behaves like a bull in a china shop they are behaving clumsily
Bull headed Means you are stubborn
Burn the midnight oil Means you are working untill very late at night
Burn your bridges Means you do something that makes it impossible to go back to your original position
Bury your head in the sand If someone buries their head in the sand, they are ignoring something that is wrong
Butterflies in your stomach Means you are nervous about something that you are about to do
By the book Means something is done correctly, exactly as it is supposed to be done
By word of mouth If something gets known about by word of mouth it means it gets known about by someone talking about it, and not an advertisement etc.
By the skin of your teeth Means you have only just managed to do something that you came very near to failing
 
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