Dave Sperling Presents....

Dennis Oliver's Idioms: B

bad-mouth: say unkind, unflattering, embarrassing (and probably untrue) things about someone.

A: "I don't believe what Bob said. Why is he bad-mouthing me?"
B: "He's probably jealous of your success."

be a piece of cake: be very easy.

A: "Bob said the test was difficult, but I thought it was a piece of cake.""

be all ears: be eager to hear what someone has to say.

A: "I just got an e-mail message from our old friend Sally."
B: "Tell me what she said. I'm all ears!"

be broke: be without money.

"No, I can't lend you ten dollars. I'm completely broke until payday."

be fed up with (with someone or something): be out of patience (with someone or something);
be very tired of someone or something.

"Bill, you're too careless with your work. I'm fed up with
apologizing for your mistakes!"

be in and out: be at and away from a place during a particular time.

"Could we postpone our meeting until tomorrow? I expect to
be in and out of the office most of the day today."

be on the go: be very busy (going from one thing or project to another).

"I'm really tired. I've been on the go all week long."

be on the road: be traveling.

"You won't be able to contact me tomorrow because I'll be on the road."

be over: be finished; end.

"I can't see you until around 4 o'clock. My meetings won't be over until then."

be up and running: (for a technological process) be operational; be ready to use .

"Dave's ESL Cafe on the Web has been up and running since December 1995."

be used to (+Ving/noun): be accustomed to; not uncomfortable with.

"It won't be hard to get up at 5:00 AM. I'm used to getting up early."

beat: exhausted; very tired (adj.).

"This has been a long day. I'm beat!"

beat around the bush: evade an issue; avoid giving a direct answer.

"Quit beating around the bush! If you don't want to go with me, just tell me!"

beat one's brains out: try very hard to understand or do something.

"Can you help me with this problem? I've been beating my brains out with it,
but I just can't solve it."

Beats me: I have no idea.

A: "What time's the party?"
B: "Beats me!"

before long: soon.

A: "I'm really tired of working."
B: "Just be patient. The weekend will be here before long."

bent out of shape: needlessly worried about something.

"I know you're worried about your job interview, but don't get bent out of shape.
You'll do just fine."

bite off more than one can chew: take responsibility for more than one can manage.

"I'm really behind with my project. Can you help me? I'm afraid I
bit off more than I could chew!"

blabbermouth: a very talkative person--especially one who says things that should be kept secret.

"Don't say anything to Bob unless you want the whole office to know.
Bob's quite a blabbermouth."

blow one's top: become extremely angry.

A: "Was your father upset when you came home at 3 AM?"
B: "He was more than upset. He blew his top!"

boom box: portable cassette/CD player.

"Don't forget to bring your boom box to the picnic!"

the bottom line: the most essential information.

"The discussion lasted many hours. The bottom line was that
the XYZ Company isn't for sale."

Break a leg!: Good luck!

"I understand you have a job interview tomorrow. Break a leg!"

break someone's heart: make someone feel very disappointed/discouraged/sad.

"Joe broke his mother's heart when he dropped out of school."

broke: without money.

A: "Can you lend me 10 dollars?"
B: "I'm afraid not. I'm broke."

buck(s): dollar(s).

"The cheapest tickets for the concert cost 25 bucks. Do you still want to go?"

bug: annoy; bother.

"I'm trying to concentrate! Don't bug me!"

bull-headed: stubborn; inflexible.

"Don't be so bull-headed. Why can't you admit that others' opinions are just as good as yours?"

a bundle: a lot of money.

A: "Your new car is really nice."
B: "It should be. It cost me a bundle!"

burn the midnight oil: study/work all night or until very, very late at night.

"I'm not ready for the test tomorrow. I guess I'll have to
burn the the midnight oil."

bushed: very tired; exhausted.

"I'm going to lie down for a while. I'm really bushed."

by oneself: alone and without help.

"I can't do this by myself. Can you help me?"

by the skin of one's teeth: barely succeed in doing something.

"I'll have to start earlier the next time. This time I only finished by the skin of my teeth."