| Back stairs influence |
by unfair means |
These days many persons are allotted good posts through back stairs influence. |
| Bad blood |
bitter relations |
The riots have created bad blood between the two communities in India. |
| Bandy words |
to wrangle, to argue |
Obedient children don't bandy words with their parents when they are advised. |
| Bank on |
depend on, count on |
The rich always bank on money to get things done. |
| Bated breath |
in anxiety, expectancy |
The fate of the match hung in balance and every body waited for the result with bated breath. |
| Beat the air |
to make useless efforts |
Some speakers merely beat the air in speech and it falls flat on the audience. |
| Bee in one's bonnet |
to be fussy |
She seems to have a bee in her bonnet because she is always finding faults with others. |
| Beside oneself |
to feel excessively |
Due to the accidental death of his wife he was beside himself with grief when I saw him last. |
| Beside the mark |
irrelevant |
No body agreed with him because his arguments were beside the mark. |
| Bid defiance |
to ignore |
Rohan bade defiance to his father's wish of becoming- a doctor and instead became an engineer. |
| Bird's eye view |
concise view |
We had a bird's eye view of the whole fair from top of the giant wheel. |
| Black and blue |
to beat mercilessly |
The thief was beaten black and blue by the police. |
| Blow hot and cold |
to speak in favour and against at the same time |
Do not trust those who blow hot and cold in the same breath. |
| Bring down the house |
receive applause |
Though it was his maiden speech, he brought down the house because of his oratory skill. |
| Broken reed |
support that failed |
When he needed help, his friend proved a broken reed. |
| Brown study |
reverie, day-dream |
He could not follow the significance of my offer. He was in brown study. |
| By & By |
gradually |
He is recovering by and by after long illness. |
| By dint of |
by force of |
He achieved success in life by dint of hard work. |
| By fits and starts |
irregularly |
If we study by fits and starts we can never be successful in our exams. |
| By hook or by crook |
by one means or another |
He is determined to obtain first division in his class by hook or by crook. |
| By the by |
by the way |
By the by, what is your age ? |
| By the rule of thumb |
according to practical experience |
In older times business was run by the rule of thumb. |
| By the skin of the teeth |
narrowly |
He escaped death in the accident by the skin of the teeth. |
