Phrases Beginning With B

Phrases Beginning With B

English Phrases, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because Phrases don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning Phrases is fun, especially when you compare English Phrases to the Phrases in your own language.

Phrases Beginning With B with Meaning and Example

Here’s a list of “Phrases Beginning With B” in English:

Back to square one

• Meaning: To start over again.
• Example: “After the project failed, we had to go back to square one.”

Back to the drawing board

• Meaning: To start over, usually after a failure.
• Example: “Our plan didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing board.”

Baker’s dozen

• Meaning: Thirteen items instead of twelve.
• Example: “The bakery gave me a baker’s dozen of cookies.”

Ball is in your court

• Meaning: It’s your turn to take action.
• Example: “I’ve done all I can; now the ball is in your court.”

Bark up the wrong tree

• Meaning: To pursue a mistaken or misguided course of action.
• Example: “If you think I’m the one who stole it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Beat around the bush

• Meaning: To avoid getting to the point.
• Example: “Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.”

Bite the bullet

• Meaning: To face a difficult situation bravely.
• Example: “She had to bite the bullet and tell her boss the truth.”

Bite the dust

• Meaning: To fail or be defeated.
• Example: “Another company bites the dust in the recession.”

Blow off steam

• Meaning: To release pent-up energy or emotions.
• Example: “He went for a run to blow off steam after the argument.”

Break a leg

• Meaning: Good luck, often said to performers.
• Example: “Break a leg in your audition!”

Break the ice

• Meaning: To initiate conversation in a social setting.
• Example: “I told a joke to break the ice at the meeting.”

Bring home the bacon

• Meaning: To earn a living or provide for a family.
• Example: “He works hard to bring home the bacon.”

Burn bridges

• Meaning: To destroy relationships.
• Example: “Don’t burn bridges with your former employers.”

Burn the midnight oil

• Meaning: To work late into the night.
• Example: “She burned the midnight oil to finish her project.”

Bury the hatchet

• Meaning: To make peace.
• Example: “They decided to bury the hatchet after years of rivalry.”

By the book

• Meaning: To follow rules or instructions exactly.
• Example: “The manager insists on doing everything by the book.”

By the skin of your teeth

• Meaning: Barely or narrowly.
• Example: “He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.”

Bend over backward

• Meaning: To go to great lengths to help or accommodate.
• Example: “She bent over backward to make her guests comfortable.”

Birds of a feather flock together

• Meaning: People with similar interests or characteristics tend to associate.
• Example: “It’s no surprise they’re best friends; birds of a feather flock together.”

Blessing in disguise

• Meaning: Something that seems bad but turns out to be good.
• Example: “Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.”

Blow hot and cold

• Meaning: To be inconsistent.
• Example: “He’s always blowing hot and cold about his job.”

Blow your own trumpet

• Meaning: To boast about oneself.
• Example: “She always blows her own trumpet about her achievements.”

Bone to pick

• Meaning: A grievance or complaint.
• Example: “I have a bone to pick with you about your behavior.”

Burning question

• Meaning: An urgent or important issue.
• Example: “The burning question is how we will solve the problem.”

Busy as a bee

• Meaning: Very busy and active.
• Example: “She’s been as busy as a bee preparing for the wedding.”

Buy a lemon

• Meaning: To purchase something that is defective.
• Example: “He bought a lemon and had to spend a lot on repairs.”

Backhanded compliment

• Meaning: A compliment that also contains an insult.
• Example: “She gave me a backhanded compliment about my cooking.”

Bad blood

• Meaning: Negative feelings or animosity.
• Example: “There’s been bad blood between them for years.”

Ballpark figure

• Meaning: An approximate estimate.
• Example: “Can you give me a ballpark figure for the renovation costs?”

Bang for your buck

• Meaning: Value for money.
• Example: “This phone gives you the best bang for your buck.”

Baptism by fire

• Meaning: A difficult introduction to a new job or activity.
• Example: “Her first day on the job was a baptism by fire.”

Bark is worse than the bite

• Meaning: Someone’s words are harsher than their actions.
• Example: “Don’t worry about him; his bark is worse than his bite.”

Bat an eye

• Meaning: To show surprise or concern.
• Example: “She didn’t bat an eye when she heard the news.”

Battle of wills

• Meaning: A conflict where each side is determined to win.
• Example: “Their negotiations turned into a battle of wills.”

Be that as it may

• Meaning: Accepting a fact but not letting it change one’s opinion.
• Example: “Be that as it may, we still need to move forward.”

Bean counter

• Meaning: An accountant or someone who is overly concerned with numbers.
• Example: “The bean counters are always worrying about the budget.”

Beat a dead horse

• Meaning: To continue discussing a settled issue.
• Example: “Let’s not beat a dead horse; we’ve already decided.”

Behind the eight ball

• Meaning: In a difficult or losing position.
• Example: “We’re behind the eight ball and need to catch up quickly.”

Better half

• Meaning: One’s spouse or partner.
• Example: “I’ll have to check with my better half before making plans.”

Between a rock and a hard place

• Meaning: Facing two difficult choices.
• Example: “I’m between a rock and a hard place with this decision.”

Big cheese

• Meaning: An important person.
• Example: “He’s the big cheese in the company.”

Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

• Meaning: It’s better to have something certain than risk everything for more.
• Example: “Take the job offer; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

Bite off more than you can chew

• Meaning: To take on more than one can handle.
• Example: “I bit off more than I could chew with this project.”

Blind leading the blind

• Meaning: Incompetent people leading others.
• Example: “It’s like the blind leading the blind with those new policies.”

Blood is thicker than water

• Meaning: Family relationships are stronger than others.
• Example: “She’ll always choose her family; blood is thicker than water.”

Blow one’s mind

• Meaning: To amaze or impress someone.
• Example: “The performance was so good it blew my mind.”

Blue in the face

• Meaning: To do something repeatedly without success.
• Example: “You can argue until you’re blue in the face, but I won’t change my mind.”

Boiling point

• Meaning: The point at which someone becomes very angry.
• Example: “His constant lateness brought me to the boiling point.”

Bolt from the blue

• Meaning: Something unexpected.
• Example: “The news of his resignation came as a bolt from the blue.”

Bottom line

• Meaning: The most important fact or conclusion.
• Example: “The bottom line is that we need to cut costs.”

Break even

• Meaning: To neither gain nor lose money.
• Example: “We’re hoping to break even this quarter.”

Break the bank

• Meaning: To spend all one’s money.
• Example: “The vacation was fun but it broke the bank.”

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

• Meaning: Very energetic and enthusiastic.
• Example: “She arrived at work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

Bring down the house

• Meaning: To receive an enthusiastic response from the audience.
• Example: “The comedian’s performance brought down the house.”

Bull in a china shop

• Meaning: Someone who is clumsy.
• Example: “He’s like a bull in a china shop when he’s angry.”

Burn the candle at both ends

• Meaning: To overwork oneself.
• Example: “He’s burning the candle at both ends with two jobs.”

Burst someone’s bubble

• Meaning: To disillusion someone.
• Example: “I hate to burst your bubble, but that’s not going to happen.”

Butterflies in your stomach

• Meaning: Feeling nervous.
• Example: “She had butterflies in her stomach before the presentation.”

By and large

• Meaning: Generally speaking.
• Example: “By and large, the event was a success.”

By the seat of your pants

• Meaning: To do something using instinct rather than planning.
• Example: “He flew by the seat of his pants through the interview.”

Back against the wall

• Meaning: To be in a difficult situation with limited options.
• Example: “With no money and no job, he had his back against the wall.”

Back in the day

• Meaning: Referring to an earlier time.
• Example: “Back in the day, we didn’t have smartphones.”

Ball and chain

• Meaning: A burden or restraint.
• Example: “He refers to his job as a ball and chain.”

Beat it

• Meaning: To leave quickly.
• Example: “The police told the loiterers to beat it.”

Behind closed doors

• Meaning: In private or secretly.
• Example: “The negotiations took place behind closed doors.”

Big fish in a small pond

• Meaning: An important person in a small group or community.
• Example: “He’s a big fish in a small pond in his hometown.”

Bird’s eye view

• Meaning: A view from above.
• Example: “The helicopter tour gave us a bird’s eye view of the city.”

Bite the hand that feeds you

• Meaning: To harm someone who helps you.
• Example: “He bit the hand that feeds him by insulting his boss.”

Black sheep

• Meaning: A person who is considered a disgrace to a family or group.
• Example: “He’s the black sheep of the family.”

Blaze a trail

• Meaning: To be the first to do something new.
• Example: “She blazed a trail for women in the tech industry.”

Blind as a bat

• Meaning: Having very poor vision.
• Example: “Without my glasses, I’m blind as a bat.”

Blow the whistle

• Meaning: To report wrongdoing.
• Example: “She blew the whistle on the company’s illegal activities.”

Brainstorm

• Meaning: To generate ideas.
• Example: “Let’s brainstorm some ideas for the project.”

Break the mold

• Meaning: To do something in a new way.
• Example: “She broke the mold by introducing new techniques.”

Brownie points

• Meaning: Approval or praise.
• Example: “He’s always looking to earn brownie points at work.”

Bubble over

• Meaning: To be full of excitement or emotion.
• Example: “She was bubbling over with excitement about her new job.”

Buckle down

• Meaning: To start working hard.
• Example: “You need to buckle down and study for your exams.”

Bump into

• Meaning: To meet by chance.
• Example: “I bumped into an old friend at the store.”

Buy time

• Meaning: To delay something.
• Example: “He asked a question to buy time before his presentation.”

Back to square one

• Meaning: To start over again.
• Example: “We were back to square one after the plan failed.”

Back to the drawing board

• Meaning: To start over after a failure.
• Example: “The design didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing board.”

Barking up the wrong tree

• Meaning: To pursue a mistaken course of action.
• Example: “If you think I’m to blame, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Beating a dead horse

• Meaning: To continue discussing a settled issue.
• Example: “Talking about it again is just beating a dead horse.”

Beating around the bush

• Meaning: To avoid getting to the point.
• Example: “Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you want.”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

• Meaning: Perception of beauty is subjective.
• Example: “I may not like the painting, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Benefit of the doubt

• Meaning: To believe someone’s statement without proof.
• Example: “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time.”

Better safe than sorry

• Meaning: It’s better to be cautious than to risk a bad outcome.
• Example: “Take your umbrella; better safe than sorry.”

Between a rock and a hard place

• Meaning: Facing two difficult choices.
• Example: “I’m between a rock and a hard place with this decision.”

Birds of a feather flock together

• Meaning: Similar people tend to associate with each other.
• Example: “It’s no surprise they’re friends; birds of a feather flock together.”

Break the ice

• Meaning: To initiate conversation in a social setting.
• Example: “A good joke can help break the ice at a party.”

Bull in a china shop

• Meaning: Someone who is clumsy or tactless.
• Example: “He’s like a bull in a china shop when he’s angry.”

Burst your bubble

• Meaning: To disillusion someone.
• Example: “I hate to burst your bubble, but that’s not going to happen.”

Ball is in your court

• Meaning: It’s your turn to take action.
• Example: “I’ve done all I can; now the ball is in your court.”

Bare necessities

• Meaning: Basic needs.
• Example: “We only took the bare necessities on our camping trip.”

Better late than never

• Meaning: It’s better to do something late than not at all.
• Example: “He finally apologized; better late than never.”

Bite the bullet

• Meaning: To face a difficult situation bravely.
• Example: “She had to bite the bullet and tell her boss the truth.”

Blast from the past

• Meaning: Something that reminds one of the past.
• Example: “Seeing her was a real blast from the past.”

Blow your mind

• Meaning: To amaze or impress someone.
• Example: “The special effects in the movie will blow your mind.”

Bring home the bacon

• Meaning: To earn a living.
• Example: “He works hard to bring home the bacon.”

Burn a hole in my pocket

• Meaning: Money that one is eager to spend.
• Example: “That bonus is burning a hole in my pocket.”

Bury your head in the sand

• Meaning: To ignore a problem.
• Example: “You can’t bury your head in the sand and hope it goes away.”

By the skin of your teeth

• Meaning: Barely or narrowly.
• Example: “He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.”

Bury the hatchet

• Meaning: To make peace.
• Example: “They decided to bury the hatchet after years of rivalry.”

List of Phrases Beginning With B

Download the Word of the day