[bow out] <v.>, <informal> 1. To give up taking part; excuse yourself from doing any more; quit. * /Mr. Black often quarreled with his partners, so finally he bowed out of the company./ * /While the movie was being filmed, the star got sick and had to bow out./ 2. To stop working after a long service; retire. * /He bowed out as train engineer after forty years of railroading./
[box] See: IN A BIND or IN A BOX, PENALTY BOX, PRESS BOX, STUFF THE BALLOT BOX, VOICE BOX.
[box office] <n.>, <informal> 1. The place at movies and theaters where tickets may be purchased just before the performance instead of having ordered them through the telephone or having bought them at a ticket agency. * /No need to reserve the seats; we can pick them up at the box office./ 2. A best selling movie, musical, or drama (where the tickets are all always sold out and people line up in front of the box office). * /John Wayne's last movie was a regular box office./ 3. Anything successful or well liked. * /Betsie is no longer box office with me./
[boy] See: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY, FAIR-HAIRED BOY, MAMA'S BOY, OLD BOY, SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS.
[boyfriend] <n.>, <informal> 1. A male friend or companion. * /"John and his boyfriends have gone to the ball game," said his mother./ 2. A girl's steady date, a woman's favorite man friend; a male lover or sweetheart. * /Jane's new boyfriend is a senior in high school./ Contrast: GIRL FRIEND.
[boys will be boys] Boys are only children and must sometimes get into mischief or trouble or behave too roughly. * /Boys will be boys and make a lot of noise, so John's mother told him and his friends to play in the park instead of the back yard./
[brain] See: BEAT ONE'S BRAINS OUT, BLOW ONE'S BRAINS OUT, ON THE BRAIN, RACK ONE'S BRAIN, GET ONE'S BRAINS FRIED.
[brain bucket] <n.>, <slang> A motorcycle helmet. * /If you want to share a ride with me, you've got to wear a brain bucket./
[brain drain] <n.>, <informal> 1. The loss of the leading intellectuals and researchers of a country due to excessive emigration to other countries where conditions are better. * /Britain suffered a considerable brain drain to the United States after World War II./ 2. An activity requiring great mental concentration resulting in fatigue and exhaustion * /That math exam I took was a regular brain drain./
[brain-storm] <v.> To have a discussion among fellow researchers or co-workers on a project in order to find the best solution to a given problem. * /Dr. Watson and his research assistants are brain-storming in the conference room./
[brainstorm] <n.> A sudden insight; a stroke of comprehension. * /Listen to me, I've just had a major brainstorm, and I think I found the solution to our problem./
[brain trust] <n.> A group of specially trained, highly intelligent experts in a given field. * /Albert Einstein gathered a brain trust around himself at the Princeton Institute of Advanced Studies./
[brake] See: RIDE THE BRAKE.
[branch off] <v.> To go from something big or important to something smaller or less important; turn aside. * /At the bridge a little road branches off from the highway and follows the river./ * /Martin was trying to study his lesson, but his mind kept branching off onto what girl he should ask to go with him to the dance./
[branch out] <v.> To add new interests or activities; begin doing other things also. * /First Jane collected stamps; then she branched out and collected coins, too./ * /John started a television repair shop; when he did well, he branched out and began selling television sets too./
[brand-new] also [bran-new] <adj.> As new or fresh as when just made and sold by the manufacturer; showing no use or wear. * /He had taken a brand-new car from the dealer's floor and wrecked it./ * /In Uncle Tom's trunk, we found a wedding ring, still in its little satin-lined box, still brand-new./
[brass] See: DOUBLE IN BRASS, GET DOWN TO BRASS TACKS.
[brass hat] <n.>, <slang> 1. A high officer in the army, navy, or air force. * /The brass hats In Washington often discuss important secrets./ 2. Any person who has a high position in business, politics, or other work. * /Mr. Woods, the rich oil man, is a political brass hat./
[brass tacks] See: GET DOWN TO BRASS TACKS.
[brave it out] <v. phr.> To endure something difficult or dangerous through to the end; keep on through trouble or danger. * /It was a dangerous ocean crossing in wartime, but captain and crew braved it out./
[brazen it out] <v. phr.> To pretend you did nothing wrong; be suspected, accused, or scolded without admitting you did wrong; act as if not guilty. * /The teacher found a stolen pen that the girl had in her desk, but the girl brazened it out; she said someone else must have put it there./
[bread] See: HALF A LOAF is BETTER THAN NONE, KNOW WHICH SIDE ONE'S BREAD IS BUTTERED ON, TAKE THE BREAD OUT OF ONE'S MOUTH.
[bread and butter(1)] <n. phr.> The usual needs of life; food, shelter, and clothing. * /Ed earned his bread and butter as a bookkeeper, but added a little jam by working with a dance band on weekends./
[bread and butter(2)] <adj.> Thanking someone for entertainment or a nice visit; thank-you. * /After spending the weekend as a guest in the Jones' home, Alice wrote the Joneses the usual bread-and-butter letter./ See: BREAD AND BUTTER LETTER.
[bread and butter(3)] <interj.>, <informal> Spoken to prevent bad luck that you think might result from some action. * /We'd say "Bread and butter!" when we had passed on opposite sides of a tree./
[bread-and-butter letter] <n.> A written acknowledgment of hospitality received. * /Jane wrote the Browns a bread-and-butter letter when she returned home from her visit to them./
[breadbasket] <n>, <slang> The stomach. * /John is stuffing his breadbasket again./
[break] See: COFFEE BREAK.
[break away] or [break loose] <v. phr.> To liberate oneself from someone or something. * /Jane tried to break loose from her attacker, but he was too strong./
[break camp] <v. phr.> To take down and pack tents and camping things; take your things from a camping place. * /The scouts broke camp at dawn./
[break down] <v.> (stress on "down") 1. To smash or hit (something) so that it falls; cause to fall by force. * /The firemen broke down the door./ 2. To reduce or destroy the strength or effect of; weaken; win over. * /By helpful kindness the teacher broke down the new boy's shyness./ * /Advertising breaks down a lot of stubbornness against change./ 3. To separate into elements or parts; decay. * /Water is readily broken down into hydrogen and oxygen./ * /After many years, rocks break down into dirt./ 4. To become unusable because of breakage or other failure; lose power to work or go. * /The car broke down after half an hour's driving./ * /His health broke down./ * /When the coach was sick in bed, the training rules of the team broke down./ Compare: GO BACK ON(2).
[breakdown] See: NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.
[breaker] See: JAW-BREAKER.
[break even] <v. phr.>, <informal> (stress on "even") To end a series of gains and losses having the same amount you started with; have expenses equal to profits; have equal gain and loss. * /The storekeeper made many sales, but his expenses were so high that he just broke even./ * /If you gamble you are lucky when you break even./
[break-even] <n.> The point of equilibrium in a business venture when one has made as much money as one had invested, but not more that would be "profit." * /"We've reached the break-even point at long last!" - Max exclaimed with joy./
[break ground] <v. phr.> To begin a construction project by digging for the foundation; especially, to turn the formal first spadeful of dirt. * /City officials and industrial leaders were there as the company broke ground for its new building./ See: BREAK NEW GROUND.
[break in] <v.> (stress on "in") 1a. To break from outside. * /The firemen broke in the door of the burning house./ 1b. To enter by force or unlawfully. * /Thieves broke in while the family was away./ 2. To enter suddenly or interrupt. * /A stranger broke in on the meeting without knocking./ * /The secretary broke in to say that a telegram had arrived./ Compare: CUT IN(2). 3. To make a start in a line of work or with a company or association; begin a new job. * /He broke in as a baseball player with a minor league./ 4. To teach the skills of a new job or activity to. * /An assistant foreman broke in the new man as a machine operator./ 5. To lessen the stiffness or newness of by use. * /He broke in a new pair of shoes./ * /Breaking in a new car requires careful driving at moderate speeds./
[break-in] <n.> (stress on "break") A robbery; a burglary. * /We lost our jewelry during a break-in./
[break into] <v.> 1. To force an entrance into; make a rough or unlawful entrance into. * /Thieves broke into the store at night./ 2. <informal> To succeed in beginning (a career, business, or a social life) * /He broke into television as an actor./ 3. To interrupt. * /He broke into the discussion with a shout of warning./ 4. To begin suddenly. * /He broke into a sweat./ * /She broke into tears./ * /The dog heard his master's whistle and broke into a run./
[break new ground] <v. phr.> 1. To start a new activity previously neglected by others; do pioneering work. * /Albert Einstein broke new ground with his theory of relativity./ 2. To begin something never done before. * /The school broke new ground with reading lessons that taught students to guess the meaning of new words./
[break off] <v.> 1. To stop suddenly. * /The speaker was interrupted so often that he broke off and sat down./ * /When Bob came in, Jean broke off her talk with Linda and talked to Bob./ 2. <informal> To end a friendship or love. * /I hear that Tom and Alice have broken off./ * /She broke off with her best friend./
[break one's balls] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> To do something with maximum effort; to do something very difficult or taxing * /I've been breaking my balls to buy you this new color TV set and you aren't the least bit appreciative!/ Compare: BREAK ONE'S NECK.
[break one's heart] <v. phr.> To discourage greatly; make very sad or hopeless. * /His son's disgrace broke his heart./ * /When Mr. White lost everything he had worked so hard for, it broke his heart./
[break one's neck] <v. phr.>, <slang> To do all you possibly can; try your hardest. - Usually used with a limiting adverb or negative. * /John nearly broke his neck trying not to be late to school./ * /Mother asked Mary to go to the store when she was free, but not to break her neck over it./
[break one's word] <v. phr.> To renege on a promise. * /When Jake broke his word that he would marry Sarah, she became very depressed./
[break out] <v.> 1. To begin showing a rash or other skin disorder. - Often used with "with". * /He broke out with scarlet fever./ 2. To speak or act suddenly and violently. * /He broke out laughing./ * /She broke out, "That is not so!"/ 3. To begin and become noticeable. * /Fire broke out after the earthquake./ * /War broke out in 1812./ Compare: FLARE UP. 4. <informal> To bring out; open and show. * /When word of the victory came, people began breaking out their flags./ * /When Mr. Carson's first son was born, he broke out the cigars he had been saving./
[break the ice] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To conquer the first difficulties in starting a conversation, getting a party going, or making an acquaintance. * /To break the ice Ted spoke of his interest in mountain climbing, and they soon had a conversation going./ * /Some people use an unusual thing, such as an unusual piece of jewelry, to break the ice./ 2. To be the first person or team to score in a game. * /The Wolves broke the ice with a touchdown./
[break the record] <v. phr.> To set or to establish a new mark or record. * /Algernon broke the record in both the pentathlon and the decathlon and took home two gold medals from the Olympics./
[break through] <v.> To be successful after overcoming a difficulty or bar to success. * /Dr. Salk failed many times but he finally broke through to find a successful polio vaccine./ * /Jim studied very hard this semester in college, and he finally broke through onto the Dean's List for the first time./