Idioms Translator
Base language: EN
Letter: b
Total idioms: 9849 - currently selected: 898 (50 per page)Butterfly upon a wheel
butterfly upon a wheel
1. An innocent person (usually a female) crushed by life's adversities.
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Button one's lip
button one's lip
1. (idiomatic) To remain silent, especially in order to keep a secret or to avoid saying something inappropriate.
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Button-down
button-down
1. Of a collar, able to be buttoned down to the shirt, as over a necktie.
2. (idiomatic) Serious; staid; businesslike.
3. (idiomatic) Conservative; conventional; unimaginative.
button-down
1. A shirt with a button-down collar
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Buttoned-down
buttoned-down (comparative more buttoned-down, superlative most buttoned-down)
1. (idiomatic) Alternative form of button-down.
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Buy a lemon
If you buy something, especially a car, that is defective, unsatisfactory, constantly gives problems or stops running after a short time, you buy a lemon.
Examples:
The car I bought was a real lemon. It broke down two weeks later.
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Buy a lemon
If buy something, especially a car, that is defective, unsatisfactory, constantly gives trouble or stops running after a short time, you buy a lemon.
Examples:
The car I bought was a real lemon. It broke down two weeks later.
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Buy into
buy into (third-person singular simple present buys into, present participle buying into, simple past and past participle bought into)
1. (idiomatic) believe; accept a craze or fad for valid.
? I don't buy into all this propaganda.
2. (finance) To buy stocks or shares of (a business).
? We bought into a local electrical firm.
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Buy out
buy out (third-person singular simple present buys out, present participle buying out, simple past and past participle bought out)
1. (transitive, idiomatic) to purchase the entire stock or extent of something
2. (transitive) to purchase the ownership of a company
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Buy someone out
to buy someone out (phrasal verb)
1. (idiomatic) To purchase someone's property (particularly real estate) or someone's share of a property, partnership, company, etc.
2. (idiomatic) To close someone's contract by paying him or her a sum of money, the terms of which are often stated in the contract itself.
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Buy straw hats in winter
buy straw hats in winter
1. (idiomatic) Of stocks, to buy when both demand and price is low, sell when demand and price is high.
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Buy the farm
buy the farm (third-person singular simple present buys the farm, present participle buying the farm, simple past and past participle bought the farm)
1. (idiomatic, US, informal, euphemistic) To die; generally, to die in battle or in a plane crash.
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Buy time
buy time (third-person singular simple present buys time, present participle buying time, simple past and past participle bought time)
1. (idiomatic) Purposefully cause a delay to something, in order to achieve something else.
? We need you to buy us some time, so distract the security guard for a few minutes.
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Buy to let
buy to let
1. (UK, idiomatic) To purchase a property as in investment, and to let it out for rental instead of living in it
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Buy up
buy up (third-person singular simple present buys up, present participle buying up, simple past and past participle bought up)
1. (idiomatic, transitive) To buy the whole of, the totality of something.
? The marshland was bought up by a housing company.
2. (idiomatic, transitive) To buy whatever is available of something.
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Buzz off
buzz off!
1. (idiomatic, colloquial, dismissal) Used to tell someone to go away.
? I'm trying to read in peace, buzz off will you?
to buzz off (phrasal verb)
1. To leave with a buzzing sound.
? The bee was flying around my head, but then it buzzed off.
2. (figuratively) To leave (especially busily), take off, go away.
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By a long shot
by a long shot
1. (idiomatic, usually with a negative) By a wide margin; indicates a very big difference or disparity.
? He couldn't keep up with me, not by a long shot.
? He speaks better than he writes, by a long shot.
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By all accounts
by all accounts
1. (literally) According to all available accounts or reports.
2. (idiomatic) According everything that people have said.
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By all means
by all means
1. (idiomatic) Emphatically yes; certainly; definitely.
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By and large
by and large (not comparable)
1. (set phrase, focus) mostly, generally; with few exceptions.
Examples:
It was, by and large, an unexceptional presentation.
Origin:
By And Large is a phrase we use as a substitute for ‘broadly speaking’ or dealing with a subject in general terms rather than in a detailed way.
The phrase is a nautical one and dates back to day when ships relied on the wind in their sails. Sailing ‘by’ means to steer a ship very close to the line of the wind, and sailing ‘large’ means the wind is on the quarter. This technique made it easier for helmsmen to keep a ship on course during changing winds and in difficult conditions but not in a particularly accurate way, just generally in the right direction.
Large ships were assessed on their ability to sail ‘by and large’. The phrase was a standard part of the nautical language by 1669 and in wider use by the turn of the following century.
(Red herrings and white elephants - Albert Jack)
In mare Marea majoritate, in general, cu putine exceptii. A fost, in mare, o prezentare obisnuita.
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By any chance
by any chance
1. (idiomatic) possibly; perhaps
? Are you by any chance looking for a new staff member?
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By any means
by any means
1. (idiomatic) in any manner whatsoever.
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By degrees
If something happens or develops by degrees, it happens gradually or little by little as time goes by.
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By degrees their business relationship grew into friendship.
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By far
by far
1. (idiomatic) To a considerably large extent, easily.
? Paris is by far the largest city in France.
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By guess or by gosh
by guess or by gosh
1. (idiomatic) at random
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By hand
by hand
1. (idiomatic) Manually; without the use of automation or machines.
? The computers went down and they had to do all the bookkeeping by hand that day.
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By heart
by heart
1. (idiomatic) Knowing completely; as having committed completely to memory.
? He used to live in that town, and he still knows all the streets by heart.
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By hook or by crook
by hook or by crook
1. (idiomatic) By any means possible; one way or another.
? She was determined to finish the project, by hook or by crook.
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By mistake
by mistake
1. (idiomatic) by accident; without intention to do so
? Today I took your packed lunch to work by mistake.
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By no means
by no means
1. (idiomatic) certainly not; definitely not.
? By no means am I suggesting that euthanasia should be outlawed, but rather that we should look at its inherent risks.
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By no stretch of the imagination
The expression 'by no stretch of the imagination' means 'however hard you may try to believe or imagine it'.
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By no stretch of the imagination could he be called handsome.
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By one's lights
by one's lights
1. (idiomatic) According to one's understanding.
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By one's own hand
As a result of one's own actions, especially with reference to death by suicide.
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Like too many deeply depressed people, she died by her own hand.
He gained all his wealth by his own hand.
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By oneself
1. Alone; without assistance or help from others.
2. Alone, without another's company.
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1. I have always wondered why shoe salesmen think can't I tie my shoes by myself.
You ate the whole thing by yourself?
2. He sat by himself in the corner, waiting quietly.
De unul singur
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1. Singur, fara asistenta sau ajutor de la altii.
2. Singur, fara compania altcuiva.
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1. M-am intrebat totdeauna de ce pantofarii cred ca nu ma pot incheia la sireturi de unul singur.
Ai mancat totul de unul singur.
2. Statea de unul singur in colt, asteptand in tacere.
By rights
Properly, in justice.
Examples:
The post of vice-president should, by rights, have been given to John.
De drept
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In mod corect, cu dreptate
Exemple:
Postul de vice-presedinte ar ti trebuit, de drept, sa-i fi fost dat lui Ion.
By the book
In a manner which adheres strictly to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.
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Ca la carte
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By the by
by the by
1. (idiomatic) used to introduce a new topic; incidentally
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By the grace of god
by the Grace of God
1. (idiomatic) By divine right.
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By the numbers
by the numbers
1. (idiomatic) to do something exactly, precisely, or in a formulaic way.
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By the same token
by the same token
1. (idiomatic) For a similar reason; in a similar manner; similarly; likewise; along the same lines.
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By the skin of one's teeth
If you manage to do something by the skin of your teeth, you succeed in doing it but you almost fail. Barely; closely; by a narrow margin; with nothing to spare.
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1. The traffic was so heavy I thought I'd miss the train, but I caught it by the skin of my teeth.
2. I passed the test by the skin of my teeth.
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By the skin of your teeth
To do something by the skin of our teeth means that you just manage to do it, but that you almost fail.
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He passed the driving test by the skin of his teeth!
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By the time
by the time
1. (idiomatic) When.
? I'll be an old man by the time you finish!
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By the way
by the way
1. (conjunctive, speech act, idiomatic) Incidentally; a parenthetical statement not timely, central, or crucial to the topic at hand; foregone, passed by, something that has already happened.
? His mother will be coming for dinner tomorrow, and, by the way, she volunteered to bring dessert.
by the way (not
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By trade
by trade
1. (idiomatic) As a profession; professionally.
? Although he was a gifted musician, he was a plumber by trade and never played music professionally.
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By virtue of
by virtue of
1. (idiomatic) because of; on the grounds of; by reason of; due to; based on
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By-the-book
Adhering strictly to rules, legal requirements, or official procedures.
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Ca la carte
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A urma strict regulile, cerintele legale sau procedurile oficiale.
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By-the-numbers
by-the-numbers
1. (idiomatic) Done in a predictable manner; formulaic.
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The best thing since sliced bread
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Bun(a) ca painea calda
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