Set 2 Flashcards
Beside oneself
Beside oneself - in an extreme state of some emotion
If you are beside yourself with a particular feeling or emotion, it is so strong that it makes you almost out of the control
Example-
1) He was beside himself with grief when his wife died.
2) I was beside myself with joy.
3) She couldn’t speak. She was beside herself with anger.
Bring to book
Bring to book - to punish someone and make that person explain their behavior.
Example-
1) The manager was brought to book for his negligence.
2) A crime has been committed and whoever is responsible must be brought to
book.
Back stairs influence
Back stairs influence - by unfair means
Example-
1) These days many persons are given good posts through back stairs influence
Bird’s eye view
Bird’s eye view - a view seen from high above, a concise view
Example-
1) Climb to the top of the Eiffel tower if you want a bird’s eye view of the Paris.
2) We had a bird’s eye view of the whole fair from the top of a giant wheel.
Burn your boats/bridges
Burn your boats/bridges - point of no return
If you are in situation and you burn your boats/bridges, you destroy all possible ways of going back to that situation.
Example-
1) She didn’t want to burn her boats by asking for a divorce.
By the by
By the by
a) By the by - by the way
Example- 1) By the by, what is your age?
b) By and by - after a short period
Example-1) You will get used to it by and by.
2) The weather is sure to clear up by and by.
3) You will feel better by and by.
c) By and by - gradually
Example-1) He is recovering by and by after long illness.
Bated breath
Bated breath - nervously waiting, in anxiety, expectancy
Example-
1) The fate of the match hung in balance and everybody waited for the result
with bated breath.
Bandy words
Bandy words - to argue pointlessly or rudely
Example-
1) I haven’t come here to bandy words with you.
2) Obedient children don’t bandy words with their parents when they are
advised.
Bee in one’s bonnet
A) Bee in one’s bonnet - to talk a lot about something you think is important
Example-
1) He has bee in his bonnet about spirituality.
2) She never stops talking about dieting- she’s got a real bee in her bonnet about
it.
B) (to be fussy), fastidious- hard to please
1) She seems to have a bee in her bonnet because she is always finding faults
with others.
2) He is very fussy about what he eats.
Bluestocking
Bluestocking - a scholarly and intellectual woman
Example-
Nobody likes to mix with her because she is a blue stocking.
Browbeat
Browbeat - to bully or intimidate someone into sth
Example-
1) The president of the college always tries to brow beat the students opposed to him.
2) I was browbeaten into doing it once. I refuse to do it again.
Bad egg
Bad egg - dishonest or ill-behaved person, a worthless
Example-
1) He is a bad egg- don’t believe anything he says.
2) He comes of a noble family but he himself is a bad egg.
Beside the mark
Beside the mark :- beside the point, irrelevant
Example-
1) Nobody agreed with him because his arguments were beside the mark.
Brown study
Brown study - a state of deep, serious absorption in thoughts, Day dream
Example-
1) Is he lost in a brown study?
2) He could not follow the significance of my offer. Because he was in brown
study
Blaze the trail
Blaze the trail - to start a movement (to do something that has never been done
before.
Example-
1) Gandhi blazed the trail of Indian national movement.
2) Professor William blazed a trail in the study of physics.
