Idioms Beginning with b

• bad apple

  A person who has a negative influence on others.
  Max is a bad apple—he always causes trouble in the team.

• ballpark figure

  A rough estimate within acceptable bounds.
  Two months after the fire, the construction company gave us a ballpark figure on how much it would cost to rebuild our home.

• bang for the buck

  Value; efficiency; return on investment.
  I don't know which car to buy. I'm figuring out which gives the greatest bang for the buck.

• bark up the wrong tree

  Pursue the wrong thing; to take the wrong approach.
  Don't ask me for a pay raise. You're barking up the wrong tree. I have no authority to give anybody a pay raise.

• bear in mind

  Remember; consider; note.
  Bear in mind that money is not the most important thing in life.

• beat a dead horse

  To continue or persist in talking about a topic or issue beyond normal interest.
  I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but could we review the plan once more?

• beat around the bush

  To talk about a topic too indirectly or cautiously; to take a long time to get to the main point or idea.
  Please stop beating around the bush and get to the point!

• beats me

  I don't know; this puzzles me.
  Do you have any idea why Mary was upset? Beats me!

• bend over backwards

  To make a great effort; to go to great lengths.
  Max bent over backwards to make sure that his boss was happy.

• beside the point

  Irrelevant, off the topic.
  The color of the car is beside the point. What kind of gas mileage does it get?

• between a rock and a hard place

  Having the choice between two difficult or unacceptable options.
  Max was between a rock and a hard place. He could fight in the war, which he didn't believe in, or go to prison.

• bite off more than you can chew

  To take on more responsibility than one can handle.
  I bit off more than I could chew by agreeing to work two jobs.

• bite one's tongue

  To stop oneself from speaking out.
  Max quit his job because he was tired of biting his tongue every time his boss announced one of his stupid ideas.

• bite the dust

  To fail or be defeated; to die (humorously).
  Their new product was too expensive and quickly bit the dust.

• blessing in disguise

  Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good.
  Losing my job was a blessing in disguise because I found a better one.

• blow (something) out of proportion

  To overreact or exaggerate something.
  Let's not blow the problem out of proportion. If we break it down, it is not that complicated.

• blow off steam

  To release pent-up energy or emotions, often through physical activity or venting.
  Max went for a run to blow off some steam after the argument.

• burn bridges

  To damage relationships beyond repair.
  He burned bridges with his former employer by leaving without notice.

• burn the candle at both ends

  To overwork or exhaust oneself by doing too many things at once.
  She’s been burning the candle at both ends with work and school.

• burn the midnight oil

  To work late into the night.
  She burned the midnight oil to finish her project on time.

• butter someone up

  To flatter someone in order to gain their favor.
  He’s trying to butter up the boss before asking for a raise.

• buy it

  To believe something.
  Max told Mary that he was sorry, but she didn't buy it.