[burn down] <v. phr.> To burn to the ground; be totally gutted by fire. * /The old frame house burned down before the firefighters could get to it./
[burn in effigy] See: HANG IN EFFIGY.
[burn one's bridges] also [burn one's boats] <v. phr.> To make a decision that you cannot change; remove or destroy all the ways you can get back out of a place you have got into on purpose; leave yourself no way to escape a position. * /Bob was a good wrestler but a poor boxer. He burned his boats by letting Mickey choose how they would fight./ * /When Dorothy became a nun, she burned her bridges behind her./
[burn one's fingers] <v. phr.>, <informal> To get in trouble doing something and fear to do it again; learn caution through an unpleasant experience. * /He had burned his fingers in the stock market once, and didn't want to try again./ * /Some people can't be told; they have to burn their fingers to learn./
[burn out] <v. phr.> 1. To destroy by fire or by overheating. * /Mr. Jones burned out the clutch on his car./ 2. To destroy someone's house or business by fire so that they have to move out. * /Three racists burned out the Black family's home./ 3a. To go out of order; cease to function because of long use or overheating. * /The light bulb in the bathroom burned out, and Father put in a new one./ * /The electric motor was too powerful, and it burned out a fuse./ 3b. To break, tire, or wear out by using up all the power, energy, or strength of. * /Bill burned himself out in the first part of the race and could not finish./ * /The farmer burned out his field by planting the same crop every year for many years./
[burn-out] <n.> A point of physical or emotional exhaustion. * /There are so many refugees all over the world that charitable organizations as well as individuals are suffering from donor burn-out./
[burn rubber] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To start up a car or a motorcycle from dead stop so fast that the tires leave a mark on the road. * /The neighborhood drag racers burned a lot of rubber - look at the marks on the road!/ 2. To leave in a hurry. * /I guess I am going to have to burn rubber./
[burnt child dreads the fire] or [once bitten, twice shy] A person who has suffered from doing something has learned to avoid doing it again. - A proverb. * /Once Mary had got lost when her mother took her downtown. But a burnt child dreads the fire, so now Mary stays close to her mother when they are downtown./
[burn the candle at both ends] <v. phr.> To work or play too hard without enough rest; get too tired. * /He worked hard every day as a lawyer and went to parties and dances every night; he was burning the candle at both ends./
[burn the midnight oil] <v. phr.> To study late at night. * /Exam time was near, and more and more pupils were burning the midnight oil./
[bum to a crisp] <v. phr.> To burn black; burn past saving or using especially as food. * /While getting breakfast, Mother was called to the telephone, and when she got back, the bacon had been burned to a crisp./
[burn up] <v.> 1. To burn completely; destroy or be destroyed by fire. * /Mr. Scott was burning up old letters./ * /The house burned up before the firemen got there./ 2. <informal> To irritate, anger, annoy. * /The boy's laziness and rudeness burned up his teacher./ * /The breakdown of his new car burned Mr. Jones up./
[burn up the road] <v. phr.>, <informal> To drive a car very fast. * /In his eagerness to see his girl again, he burned up the road on his way to see her./ * /Speed demons burning up the road often cause accidents./
[burst at the seams] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be too full or too crowded. * /John ate so much he was bursting at the seams./ * /Mary's album was so full of pictures it was bursting at the seams./
[burst into] <v. phr.> 1. To enter suddenly. * /Stuart burst into the room, screaming angrily./ 2. To break out. * /The crowd burst out cheering when the astronauts paraded along Fifth Avenue./
[burst into flames] <v. phr.> To begin to burn suddenly. * /The children threw away some burning matches and the barn burst into flames./
[burst into tears] <v. phr.> To suddenly start crying. * /Mary burst into tears when she heard that her brother was killed in a car accident./
[burst with joy] or [pride] <v. phr.> To be so full of the feeling of joy or pride that one cannot refrain from showing one's exuberant feelings. * /Armstrong and Aldrin burst with pride when they stepped out on the moon in July, 1969./
[bury one's head in the sand] See: HIDE ONE'S HEAD IN THE SAND.
[bury the hatchet] <v. phr.>, <informal> To settle a quarrel or end a war; make peace. * /The two men had been enemies a long time, but after the flood they buried the hatchet./ Compare: MAKE UP(5).
[bus] See: MISS THE BOAT or MISS THE BUS.
[bush] See: BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH, BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH.
[bushel] See: HIDE ONE'S LIGHT UNDER A BUSHEL.
[bushes] See: BEAT THE BUSHES.
[business] See: DO THE BUSINESS, HAVE NO BUSINESS, LAND-OFFICE BUSINESS, MEAN BUSINESS, MONKEY BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS.
[bust up] <v. phr.>, <slang> To terminate a partnership, a relationship, a friendship, or a marriage. * /If Jack keeps drinking the way he does, it will bust up his marriage to Sue./
[busy work] <n.> Work that is done not to do or finish anything important, but just to keep busy. * /When the teacher finished all she had to say it was still a half hour before school was over. So she gave the class a test for busy work./
[but for] See: EXCEPT FOR.
[but good] <adv. phr.>, <informal> Very much so; thoroughly completely; forcefully. - Used for emphasis. * /Jack called Charles a bad name, and Charles hit him, but good./ * /Tom fell and broke his leg. That taught him but good not to fool around in high trees./ Compare: AND HOW.
[but not least] See: LAST BUT NOT LEAST.
[butter] See: BREAD AND BUTTER.
[butterflies in one's stomach] <n. phr.> A queer feeling in the stomach caused by nervous fear or uncertainty; a feeling of fear or anxiety in the stomach. * /When Bob walked into the factory office to ask for a job, he had butterflies in his stomach./
[butter up] <v.>, <informal> To try to get the favor or friendship of (a person) by flattery or pleasantness. * /He began to butter up the boss in hope of being given a better job./ Compare: POLISH THE APPLE.
[butter wouldn't melt in one's mouth] <informal> You act very polite and friendly but do not really care, you are very nice to people but are not sincere. * /The new secretary was rude to the other workers, but when she talked to the boss, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth./
[butt in] <v.>, <slang> To join in with what other people are doing without asking or being asked; interfere in other people's business; meddle. * /Mary was explaining to Jane how to knit a sweater when Barbara butted in./ Often used with "on". * /John butted in on Bill and Tom's fight, and got hurt./ Compare: HORN IN.
[button] See: HAVE ALL ONE'S BUTTONS, ON THE BUTTON, PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON.
[button down] <v.>, <slang> (stress on "down") To state precisely, to ascertain, to pin down, to peg down. * /First let's get the facts buttoned down, then we can plan ahead./
[button-down] <attrib. adj.>, <slang> (stress on "button") Well-groomed, conservatively dressed. * /Joe is a regular button-down type./
[buttonhole] <v.> To approach a person in order to speak with him or her in private. * /After waiting for several hours, Sam managed to buttonhole his boss just as she was about to leave the building./
[button one's lip] also [zip one's lip] <v. phr.>, <slang> To stop talking; keep a secret; shut your mouth; be quiet. * /The man was getting loud and insulting and the cop told him to button his lip./ * /John wanted to talk, but Dan told him to keep his lip buttoned./ Syn.: KEEP ONE'S MOUTH SHUT, SHUT UP.
[buy for a song] <v. phr.> To buy something very cheaply. * /Since the building on the corner was old and neglected, I was able to buy it for a song./
[buy off] <v.> To turn from duty or purpose by a gift. * /When the police threatened to stop the gambling business, the owner bought them off./ * /The Indians were going to burn the cabins, but the men bought them off with gifts./ Compare: PAY OFF.
[buy out] <v.> 1. To buy the ownership or a share of; purchase the stock of. * /He bought out several small stockholders. 2. To buy all the goods of; purchase the merchandise of./ * /Mr. Harper bought out a nearby hardware store./ Contrast: SELL OUT.
[buy up] <v. phr.> To purchase the entire stock of something. * /The company is trying to buy up all the available shares./
[buzz] See: GIVE A RING also GIVE A BUZZ.
[buzz word] <n.> A word that sounds big and important in a sentence but, on closer inspection, means little except the speaker's indication to belong to a certain group. * /The politician's speech was nothing but a lot of misleading statements and phony promises hidden in a bunch of buzz words./
[by] See: TOO --- BY HALF.
[by a hair] See: HANG BY A THREAD or HANG BY A HAIR
[by] or [in my book] <adv. phr.> In my opinion; as far as I am concerned; in my judgment. * /By my book, Mr. Murgatroyd is not a very good department head./