Eat one’s heart out:
(To make oneself ill by being unhappy, by longing for something one cannot have etc.) – The little girl was eating her heart out because she was not allowed to have a dog.
Every now and then:
(frequently, after the lapse of short intervals) – Every now and then a countryman would burst into tears.
De facto: (Real; having actual possession) – It was, we believe impossible to find, from the Himalayas to Mysore, a single Government which was at once a Government de facto and a Government de jure.
Dog cheap: (Very cheap) – You got the fowls dog cheap at a dollar forty the dozen.
Dog one’s footsteps: (Constantly follow one, as a dog follows close its master’s heels: importunately thrust one’s presence upon someone) – I regret having suggested that I might be able to help him, forever since then he has dogged my footsteps.
Call a spade a spade:
(Speak plainly: say precisely what one means) – He was the kind of person who always calls a spade a spade.
Call to account:
(Take to task, demand explanation) – The cashier was called to account for the shortage in the cash balance.
Carry weight:
(Have influence with) – What he says carries weight with the management.
Cast pearls before swine:
(offer or express something valuable before an unappreciative audience) It didn’t take me long to note that they were not the lovers of poetry, and my talk about poetry was like casting pearls before swine.
Child’s play:
(Something very easy; work demanding no effort) – It’s not a child’s play to pass competitive examinations.
Close shave:
(narrow escape from danger or misfortune) – She had a close shave today. She stepped into the road and was nearly killed by a truck.
Bad Blood:
(Enmity) – Misunderstanding caused much bad blood between the two friends.
Bad debts:
(Debts of which there is no hope that will ever be paid) – Among his assets he had included a number of bad debts.
Bag and Baggage:
(With all one’s belongings) – He has left Karachi with bag and baggage, as he intends to settle down in Islamabad.
Bear the Brunt:
Bear the main stress or burden (of a task, contest, etc.) – The Prime Minister will have to bear the brunt of the Opposition attack on the policy of the Government.
Beat about the bush:
(Talk around the point, instead of coming direct to a subject) – We should understand you better if you said exactly what you meant, instead of beating about the bush.
Beck and call:
(Always ready and waiting to carry out (someone’s) order or wishes) – She always has plenty of men at her beck and call.
A Bed of Roses:
(An altogether agreeable position or situation) – A parochial life is not a bed of roses, Mrs. Mann. – Dickens
A bed of thorns: (Full of difficulties and troubles) – Shelley cried that his life was a bed of thorns.
A bird’s eye view: (A general account) – Maria had a bird’s eye view of the grand city from his apartment.
A black sheep: (An ill-conducted person; a member of society who is not considered respectable) I’m forbidden the house. I’m looked upon as a black sheep – a pest, a contamination.
A blank cheque: (Permission to do what one feels necessary with complete freedom) – He’s given me a blank cheque to carry out my plan.
A blue stocking: (A woman who prides herself on her learning) – Lucy Hutchinson was evidently a very superior young lady, and is known as a blue stocking by her colleagues
A bone of contention: (A cause of dispute) – Kashmir is still a bone of contention between India and Pakistan.
A bosom friend: (A very intimate friend) – “So I have heard; but he is not quite bosom friend enough with me to have told me all the particulars.”
A breathing-space: (A short time in which one can have a rest) – I’ve only a breathing-space of ten minutes before my next appointment.