bite on
something
1. to chew on
something; to grasp something
with the teeth.
2. to respond to a
lure.
bite
one’s
nails to be nervous or
anxious; to bite one’s nails from
nervousness or anxiety.
bite
one’s
tongue to struggle not to
say something that one really
wants to say.
bite the dust to fall to defeat; to
die.
bite the hand that feeds
one
to
do harm to someone who does
good things for one.
bitten ["bIt n] Past participle of
bite.
bitter ["bIt #] 1. adj. very sharp or
harsh in taste; not sweet, salty, or
sour. (Adv: bitterly.)
2. adj. [of
wind or weather] extremely cold.

someone
a black eye
→ in black and white
→ in the black
→ pitch black
→ the pot calling the kettle black
black and blue bruised; showing
signs of having been physically
harmed.
black out 1. to pass out; to become
unconscious.
2. [for lights] to go
out.
black
something
out 1. to cut or
turn out the lights or electric
power.
2. to prevent the broadcast
of a specific television or radio
program in a specific area.
blacken ["blAk @n] 1. tv. to make
something black; to cause some-
thing to become black.
2. iv. to
become very dark or black; to turn
black.
blackness ["blAk n@s] n. the state
of being black. (No plural.)
blackout ["blAk aUt] 1. n. a com-

to
hold someone responsible for
something; to name someone as
the cause of something.
blame
something
on
someone
to
say that something is someone’s
fault; to place the guilt for some-
thing on someone.
blank ["blANk] 1. n. an empty line
or a space on a form.
2. adj. with-
out marks; having no writing.
(Comp: blanker; sup: blankest.)
3. adj. [of a facial expression] not
showing recognition or response.
(Adv: blankly. Comp: blanker; sup:
blankest.)
→
draw a blank
a blank check freedom or permis-
sion to act as one wishes or thinks
necessary.
blank
something
out 1. to forget
something, perhaps on purpose;

2. [for
someone] to leave for a destina-
tion.
blaze ["blez] 1. n. a fire; a flame.
2. iv. to burn brightly; to burn
with bright flames.
blaze down (on
someone or some-
thing
) [for the sun or other hot
light] to burn down on someone
or something.
blaze up 1. [for flames] to expand
upward suddenly.
2. [for trouble,
especially violent trouble] to erupt
suddenly.
bleach ["blitS] 1. n. a substance that
removes color or stains. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
2. iv.
to become white or lighter; to turn
white or lighter.
3. tv. to turn
something white or lighter; to
cause something to become white
or lighter.
bled ["blEd] past tense and past par-
ticiple of
bleed.

in(to
something
)
to mix something evenly into
something else.
blend
something
together (with
something
) to mix something
evenly with something else.
bless ["blEs] 1. tv. to make someone
or something holy through a reli-
gious ritual.
2. tv. to ask God to
place favor on the food that is to
be eaten.
blessing ["blEs IN] 1. n. a prayer
calling for God’s favor or protec-
tion.
2. n. God’s favor or good
fortune given to someone or
something.
3. n. approval.
→
thankful for small blessings
blew ["blu] past tense of blow.
blind ["blaInd] 1. adj. unable to see;
sightless. (Adv: blindly. Comp:
blinder; sup: blindest.)

tears to fight
back tears; to try to keep from cry-
ing.
bliss ["blIs] n. complete happiness;
joy. (No plural.)
blister ["blIs t#] 1. n. a bubble of
fluid under the skin, formed by a
burn or irritation.
2. iv. [for a part
of the skin] to raise up and fill
with fluid in response to a burn or
irritation.
3. tv. to cause Q to
form on someone or something.
blizzard ["blIz #d] n. a snowstorm
with strong winds, heavy snow,
and possible thunder and light-
ning.
block ["blak] 1. n. a solid piece of
something, such as wood, stone,
or ice.
2. n. a large, flat piece of
stone or wood on which items are
cut, chopped, or split.
3. n. the
distance along a street from one
intersection to the next.
4. n. a
group of seats or tickets for seats
that are next to each other, as with

blond ["bland] 1. adj. [of hair] fair
or light in color. (Comp: blonder;
sup: blondest.)
2. n. someone with
light-colored hair. (
Blonde is
sometimes used for females.)
blonde ["bland] n. a woman or a
girl with light-colored hair. (See
also
blond.)
blood ["bl^d] n. a red fluid moving
through the bodies of animals.
(No plural.)
→
blue blood
→ curdle
someone’s
blood
→ draw blood
→ flesh and blood
→ fresh blood
→ have
someone’s
blood on
one’s
hands
→ in
one’s
blood

in blossom
blot ["blat] 1. n. a spot or smeared
area of ink.
2. tv. to remove an
excess amount of moisture by
placing an absorbent paper over it
and pressing.
3. tv. to dry or clean
something by placing an absorb-
ent paper over it and pressing.
blot
someone or something
out to
forget someone or something by
covering up memories or by trying
to forget.
blouse ["blaUs] n. a woman’s shirt.
blow ["blo] 1. iv., irreg. [for wind or
air] to be in motion. (Past tense:
blew; past participle: blown.) 2.
iv., irreg. [for something] to be
lifted by or carried in the air or
wind.
3. iv., irreg. [for a sound-
producing device, such as a horn]
to make sound.
4. iv., irreg. [for a
fuse] to burn out.
5. tv., irreg. to
exhale air or smoke.

nose to drive mucus
and other material from the nose
using air pressure.
blow
one’s
own horn Go to toot
one’s
own horn.
blow over [for something, such as
a storm] to diminish; to subside.
blow
someone or something
away
[for the wind] to carry someone or
something away.
blow
someone or something
down
[for a rush of air] to knock some-
one or something over.
blow
someone or something
over
[for the wind] to move strongly
and upset someone or something.
blow
someone or something
up 1.
to destroy someone or something
by explosion.

blown ["blon] Past participle of
blow.
blue ["blu] 1. n. the color of a clear
sky on a bright day; the color of a
deep, clear ocean. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. the adj.
use of Q. (Comp: bluer; sup:
bluest.)
3. adj. sad. (Adv: bluely.
Comp: bluer; sup: bluest.)
→
between the devil and the deep
blue sea
→ black and blue
→ burn with a low blue flame
→ like a bolt out of the blue
→ once in a blue moon
→ out of a clear blue sky
→ out of the blue
→ talk a blue streak
→ talk until
one
is blue in the face
blue blood the blood (heredity) of
a noble family; aristocratic ances-
try.
the
blues 1. n. sadness; depression.
(Sometimes treated as singular.

blow one’s nose
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used for a specific purpose. 3. n.
daily meals [when associated with
one’s lodging]. (No plural. Treated
as singular.)
4. n. a group of peo-
ple who manage a company or
other organization.
5. n. a flat,
sturdy piece of material on which
a game is played.
6. tv. to get on a
ship, bus, train, or plane.
7. iv. to
receive meals and living space in
exchange for money or work.
→
back to the drawing board
→ bulletin board
boast ["bost] 1. n. a bragging state-
ment.
2. iv. to brag or exaggerate.
3. tv. [for something] to offer or
have a particular characteristic.
boat ["bot] n. a floating means of
transportation, smaller than a
ship, that carries people and cargo.

whelm someone; to mix up
someone’s thinking; to astound
someone.
boil ["boIl] 1. n. a painful sore place
surrounding an infection.
2. n. the
condition of something that
boils
as in T. (No plural.) 3. tv. to
make a liquid so hot that it bub-
bles and turns into vapor.
4. tv. to
cook something by putting it in a
liquid that is very hot as in T.
5. iv. [for a liquid] to become so
hot that it bubbles and turns into
vapor.
6. iv. [for something] to
cook in a liquid that is very hot as
in T.
→
have a low boiling point
→ make
someone’s
blood boil
boil down to
something
1. [for a
liquid] to be condensed to some-
thing by boiling.

a sudden, quick movement; an
unexpected, quick movement.
5. n. a roll of cloth. 6. tv. to fasten
two or more objects together with
Q.
7. tv. to lock a door, gate, or
bolt
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window by sliding a metal W into
place.
8. iv. to run away from
someone or something; to move
away from someone or something
quickly and suddenly.
→
like a bolt out of the blue
→ nuts and bolts (of
something
)
bomb ["bam] 1. n. an explosive
weapon or device.
2. tv. to attack
an area by dropping Q on it from
planes.
3. tv. to use Q to cause
damage or injury to someone or
something.
bond ["band] 1. n. a link or some-

one’s
bones
→ have a bone to pick (with
someone
)
→ know
something
in
one’s
bones
→ nothing but skin and bones
→ work
one’s
fingers to the bone
a bone of contention the subject
or point of an argument; an unset-
tled point of disagreement.
bonfire ["ban faI#] n. a large, con-
trolled outdoor fire.
bonnet ["ban @t] n. a cloth hat for
women or girls; any hat for
women or girls.
→
have a bee in
one’s
bonnet
→ put a bee in
someone’s
bonnet
bonus ["bon @s] 1. n. something

someone
like a book
→ take a leaf out of
someone’s
book
→ use every trick in the book
book
someone
through (to
some-
place
) to make transportation
arrangements for someone that
involve a number of changes and
transfers.
bookcase ["bUk kes] n. a set of
shelves for books.
bookkeeper ["bUk kip #] n. some-
one who keeps track of the
accounts of a company or an
organization.
bookkeeping ["bUk kip IN] n. the
job of keeping track of the
accounts of a company or an
bomb
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organization. (No plural.)
booklet ["bUk l@t] n. a thin book; a

a crash.
→
lower the boom on
someone
boom out [for a loud sound] to
sound out like thunder.
boost ["bust] 1. n. an upward push;
an upward movement.
2. tv. to
push someone or something
upward from beneath.
3. tv. to
increase something; to raise some-
thing.
boot ["but] 1. n. a heavy shoe, often
waterproof.
2. tv. to kick someone
or something.
3. tv. to start a com-
puter, causing it to make a series of
checks and set up its operating sys-
tem.
→
quake in
one’s
boots
→ shake in
one’s
boots
boot

adjoin or be next to a particular
area.
border (up)on
something
1. [for
something] to touch upon a
boundary.
2. [for some activity or
idea] to be very similar to some-
thing else.
borderline ["bor d# laIn] n. the
line that marks a border—not
clearly on either side of the border.
→
on the borderline
bore ["bor] 1. past tense of bear.
2. tv. to drill a hole in something.
3. tv. to make someone tired by
being dull.
4. iv. to drill; to make a
hole.
5. n. someone or something
that is boring; someone or some-
thing that is dull.
bore
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boredom ["bor d@m] n. a state or
condition where one is bored and

take something, such as a custom,
trait, or idea, and use it as one’s
own.
boss ["bOs] n. someone who is in
charge of other people’s work or of
other workers.
boss
someone
around to order
someone around.
botch
something
up to mess some-
thing up; to do a bad job of
something.
both ["boT] 1. adj. one and one
other; the two [people or things].
(See also
each and every.) 2. pron.
one thing or person and another
thing or person; the two things or
people.
→
burn the candle at both ends
→ cut both ways
→ have a foot in both camps
→ play both ends (against the
middle)
→ with both hands tied behind
one’s

2. n. the
underside of something; the low-
est surface of something.
3. n.
land underneath water; the ground
under a body of water.
4. n. the
part of the body on which one sits;
the buttocks.
5. adj. relating to the
lowest part of something; relating
to the underneath part of some-
thing.
→
(as) soft as a baby’s bottom
→ at the bottom of the ladder
→ from the bottom of
one’s
heart
boredom
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→ from top to bottom
→ get to the bottom of
something
→ hit bottom
→ learn
something
from the bottom

something.
bounce
something
off (of)
some-
one or something
1. to make
something rebound off someone
or something.
2. to try an idea or
concept out on someone or a
group. (Figurative.)
bound ["baUnd] 1. past tense and
past participle of
bind. 2. adj. tied
up; fastened; glued into covers.
3. iv. to jump; to leap forward; to
bounce up.
4. n. an upward jump;
a forward jump.
→
by leaps and bounds
bound hand and foot with hands
and feet tied up.
boundary ["baUn dri] n. a border; a
line that marks the edge of a thing
or a place.
bouquet [bo "ke] n. an arrange-
ment of cut flowers; a grouping of
cut flowers that can be held in one

bow out (of
something
) ["baU ]
to withdraw from something.
bowel ["baU @l] n. the upper or
lower intestine; the upper and
lower intestine.
bowel movement ["baUl muv
m@nt
] n. an act of expelling or get-
ting rid of feces.
bowel movement
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