Commonly used english part 7 pot

61

bring (someone) to

- to wake someone up, to bring someone to consciousness
The medical doctor tried to bring the small boy to after he fell into the swimming
pool.

bring (something) home to (someone)

- to cause someone to realize the truth of something
The dry conditions are bringing home to the farmers the importance of saving water.

bring (something) into question

- to raise a question about something
The actions of the government bring into question their interest in the case.

bring (something) off

- to make something happen
The students tried hard to bring off a successful dance to collect money for their club.

bring (something) on

- to cause something to develop rapidly
I do not know what brought on his anger but you should avoid him until he calms
down.

bring (something) to a head

- to cause something to reach a point where a decision or some action is necessary
The accident will bring the issue of safety to a head during the next meeting.







62

bring (something) to (someone's) attention

- to make someone aware of something
There was a mistake in the textbook which the student brought to the teacher's
attention.

bring to mind

- to recall something
Her acting brought to mind some of the great actresses of the past.

bring up

- to introduce a subject into a discussion
They brought up the subject at the meeting but nobody wanted to talk about it.

bring up

- to raise or care for a child
My sister is bringing up three children.

bring up the rear

- to be at the end of the line or in the last position
The runner from the other school was bringing up the rear in the school relay race.

.



to be broad in the beam

- to have wide hips or large buttocks
The woman in the store was broad in the beam.



63

to be broke

- to have no money
I spent all of my money on my holiday and now I am broke.

brush up on (something)

- to review something that one has already learned
I am going to brush up on my English before my trip to New York.

a brush with the law

- a brief encounter or experience with the police because of a crime
The man had a brush with the law when he was young but now he is totally honest.

buck for (something)

- to aim/try for a goal
The soldier was bucking for a promotion.

buckle down (to something)

- to begin to work seriously at something
I have to buckle down and study or I will fail the exam.

bug (someone)

- to irritate or bother someone
The boy's rude behavior is beginning to bug me.

build a fire under (someone)

- to stimulate someone to do something
We keep trying to build a fire under our friend but he refuses to study or look for a
job.


64

build castles in the air/in Spain

- to make plans that are impossible
The girl is always building castles in the air and none of them have any chance to
succeed.

build (something) to order

- to make something especially for a customer
The family wanted to build their kitchen table and chairs to order.

build up (someone or something)

- to make someone or something bigger or stronger, to promote something
The woman is always trying to build up her boss which makes her very well-liked by
him.

build up to (something)

- to lead up to something
Things were building up to be a very serious situation.

bull in a china shop

- someone who is clumsy and upsets other people or plans
Our boss was like a bull in a china shop when I saw him at the meeting last week.

bump into (someone)

- to meet someone by chance

I bumped into my friend at the department store yesterday.







65

bump off (someone)

- to kill someone
The criminal gang bumped off the leader of the other gang.

bundle of nerves

- a very nervous or anxious person
The woman has become a bundle of nerves after looking after her three children.
bundle up

- to put on warm clothes, to dress warmly
We bundled up and went for a walk in the park.

burn Idioms
burn a hole in one`s pocket

- to stimulate someone to spend money quickly
I got paid today and the money is burning a hole in my pocket.

burn down

- to burn completely (usually used for buildings)
My neighbor`s house burned down last night.

burn one`s bridges behind one

- to do something that makes going back impossible
He burned his bridges behind him and is unable to work in the same industry again.







66

burn (oneself) out

- to become very tired and almost sick from doing something for a long time or
because of working too hard
After working long hours for many months the woman finally burned herself out.

burn (someone) in effigy

- to burn a dummy that represents a hated person
The crowd of people burned the Prime Minister in effigy.

burn the candle at both ends

- to work or play too hard without enough rest
The man has been burning the candle at both ends with his work and he is now sick.

burn the midnight oil

- to study until very late at night
We burned the midnight oil for three nights in order to study for the exam.

burn up

- to burn completely (usually things and not buildings)
The uniforms burned up in the fire.

.



burst at the seams

- to explode with pride or laughter, to be full to the breaking point
The train was bursting at the seams as it entered the station.



67

burst in on (someone or something)

- to enter a room and interrupt someone or some activity

The woman burst in on the meeting just as it started.

burst into flames

- to catch fire suddenly
The curtains burst into flames after touching the small stove.

burst into tears

- to begin to cry suddenly
The parents burst into tears of happiness when their daughter graduated.

burst onto the scene

- to appear suddenly in some location
The young singer burst onto the scene when she was a teenager.

burst out laughing

- to begin to laugh suddenly
We burst out laughing when the man screamed after seeing the mouse.

burst with joy

- to be full of happiness and feel that you will explode or burst
My grandmother burst with joy when she saw her new baby granddaughter.

burst with pride

- to be full of pride and ready to burst

The girl's parents were bursting with pride at the graduation ceremony.


68

bury/hide one`s head in the sand

- to refuse to see something, to face or know something unpleasant
He always buries his head in the sand and never wants to hear about family problems.

bury the hatchet

- to stop arguing and become friendly with someone
He buried the hatchet with his brother and they are now friendly again.

business as usual

- to continue as usual
It was business as usual for the small stores soon after the fire destroyed the shopping
area.

busman's holiday

- a holiday where you spend your time doing the same thing that you would do if you
were working
The doctor felt that he was on a busman's holiday when everyone at the meeting
began to ask him about their medical problems.

but for (someone or something)

- if it were not for someone or something
The man would have easily got the new job, but for the fact that he was not honest
about his previous experience.

butt in (on someone or something)

- to interrupt someone or something
I do not like that woman because she always butts in on our conversations while we
are talking.




69

butter (someone) up

- to flatter someone
He is trying to butter up his boss so that he can leave early on Friday.

button one's lip

- to become quiet
I decided to button my lip rather than give my opinion of our supervisor.

buy a pig in a poke

- to buy something without seeing it or knowing if it will be satisfactory
It is like buying a pig in a poke if you buy that car without first inspecting it.

buy off (someone)

- to bribe someone
The union tried to buy off the politician.

buy (something) for a song

- to buy something cheaply
We were able to buy the boat for a song.

buy (something) on credit

- to buy something now and pay for it later
We decided to buy the computer on credit because we did not have much money.

buy (something) sight unseen

- to buy something without seeing it first
My sister made a big mistake when she bought the used car sight unseen.


70

by Idioms


by a mile

- by a great distance
The runner won the race by a mile.

by a whisker/hair

- just barely, by a very small amount
The marathon runner won the race by a whisker.

by all accounts

- from all reports, from what everyone is saying
By all accounts the new manager is a very good person.

by all appearances

- apparently, according to what one sees
By all appearances the small car was the cause of the accident that killed two people.

by all means

- certainly, yes
"By all means, I will come to dinner next week."

by and by

- before long, after some time has passed
By and by all of the family moved back to the city.