back to the drawing board

back to the drawing board: go back to the place where you started; to start over.

Our ideas were rejected, so it looks like we’re back to the drawing board.

(the) ball is in (one’s) court

(the) ball is in (one’s) court: this reference to tennis means that it’s someone’s turn to respond in a situation that goes back and forth.

We’ve made our offer. Now the ball is in their court.

we’ve made = we have made

This is the present perfect tense.

bang (one’s) head against the wall

bang (one’s) head against the wall: an expression used when someone is angry or frustrated.

He’s tired of banging his head against the wall when working with difficult customers online.

bark is worse than (one’s) bite

bark is worse than (one’s) bite: to look or sound mean or dangerous, but in reality be relatively harmless; not really dangerous.

Don’t worry about Poco. He might look mean, but his bark is worse than his bite.

bark up the wrong tree

bark up the wrong tree: to waste one’s time; to do something and not get a result.

You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I can help you. You’ll have to ask someone else.

batten down the hatches

batten down the hatches: get ready for something bad or a serious situation.

Batten down the hatches. A big storm is coming.

be my guest

be my guest: go ahead; it’s okay; it’s okay to use something that a person owns.

A: Do you mind if I try your guitar?

B: No, not at all. Be my guest.

be that as it may

be that as it may: this is true, but…

A: There’s a big storm ahead of us.

B: Be that as it may, we’re just going to have to drive right through it.

beat a dead horse

beat a dead horse: to make a point over and over again; to do something excessively without a result.

Trying to get an answer from that company is like beating a dead horse. They just won’t return my calls.

What does the word "beat" mean?

beat someone at (one’s) own game

beat someone at (one’s) own game: to gain advantage over someone who is good at something or in a strong position.

Sarah thinks she can beat her older coworkers at their own game by making use of the internet to increase sales.

beat the living daylights out of someone

beat the living daylights out of someone: to defeat; to beat up

The U.S. military forces beat the living daylights out of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

been there, done that

been there, done that: to say that someone has already done something; to say that an experience is not new. (Be careful with this expression. It can sound a little rude.)

Oh, he’s going to the Mall of America? Big deal. Been there, done that.

begin to see the light

begin to see the light: start to understand something.

Americans are beginning to see the light when it comes to global climate change.

better late than never

better late than never: it’s better to be late than not to show up at all.

Bob thought it was better to be late than never to meet Carol outside the movie theater. When he gave her some flowers, she forgave him for being so late.

"Better late than never."

better safe than sorry

better safe than sorry: it’s better to do anything that will keep you safe rather than do nothing and take a risk.

Rhonda always wears her seat belt when she drives figuring it’s better to be safe than sorry.

between a rock and a hard place

between a rock and a hard place: to be caught between two difficult situations; to make a decision between two possibly bad outcomes.

Henry was between a rock and a hard place when he had to decide whether to stay with his wife and kids or go serve in the military.

a big fish in a small pond

a big fish in a small pond: a person whose circle of friends or business acquaintances is very small, thereby inflating his or her feeling of importance.

Rodney would never move his business from Knoxville to New York City. He likes being a big fish in a small pond.

(the) bigger they come, the harder they fall

(the) bigger they come, the harder they fall: the larger the person or the thing, the more difficult it is to bring down. (This is usually used with people, but it can be used with things.)

Chopping down this tree is going to be a challenge. The bigger they come, the harder they fall.

You can find more expressions that use the word "big" on this page.

bite off more than (one) can chew

bite off more than (one) can chew: to try to do something that might be too difficult to accomplish.

 Gordon thought he could build the house all by himself, but it looks like he bit off more than he could chew.

bite the hand that feeds you

bite the hand that feeds you: to hurt someone who helps you; to go against the person or thing that provides something necessary.

We were all surprised to hear Lisa say something so mean to her boss’s face. It’s not wise to bite the hand that feeds you.

blind leading the blind

blind leading the blind: to follow or lead people without necessary skills; to choose a bad leader.

It’s hard to believe that they chose him as their new leader. It’s like the blind leading the blind.

(be) born with a silver spoon in (one’s) mouth

(be) born with a silver spoon in (one’s) mouth: to be born rich.

He doesn’t understand the financial difficulties faced by average people. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

breathe new life into something

breathe new life into something: to make something new again.

We’re going to try to breathe new life into this old house by remodeling it.

bright-eyed and bushy tailed

bright-eyed and bushy tailed: ready to do something, especially early in the morning.

I don’t feel bright-eyed and bushy tailed until I’ve had a couple cups of coffee in the morning.

bring (someone) into the world

bring (someone) into the world: to have a baby.

They can think of no greater responsibility than to bring a baby into the world.

Learn how to use the modal verb "can" by clicking here.

bucks stops here, the

bucks stops here, the: the responsibility for decisions and results is found at the top of an organization. (originated by President Harry Truman and used by U.S. Presidents who have followed him.)

The buck stops here. If we lose money on this deal, I’ll take the responsibility for the decision.

What does the word "buck" mean?

burn (one’s) bridges

burn (one’s) bridges: By burning your bridges, you are unable to go back to a previous position; you do or say something that makes it impossible to return to the situation before.

Victor was warned not to burn his bridges when he left his job to work at another company.

burn the candle at both ends

burn the candle at both ends: to work or play too much; not to get enough sleep because of activities.

Daryl thinks he can burn the candle at both ends, but because he stays up so late he’s having a hard time getting things finished during the day.

busy as a beaver

busy as a beaver: beavers are known to work very hard at building their homes, and so it seems as if they’re always working. When someone works very hard or is always busy, we say….

He’s busy as a beaver.

by the skin of (one’s) teeth

by the skin of (one’s) teeth: to finish something just in time; to reach a goal but just barely.

He made it on time to his meeting by the skin of his teeth.

ace in the hole

ace in the hole: something you can rely on; a back-up plan.

The toy company is losing a lot of money, but their ace in the hole is a new game for children ages 8 and up.

(The first part of this sentence uses the present continuous tense.)

add fuel to the fire

add fuel to the fire: make a bad situation worse.

When the man in the car behind him got too close, Tony slammed on his brakes, causing an accident. Then Tony got out of the car and smashed the man’s headlights, which just added fuel to the fire.

add insult to injury

add insult to injury: make someone feel worse than he or she already does.

Samantha’s sprained ankle meant that she couldn’t walk on it for a few days. Adding insult to injury, she was unable to go to her waitress job during the busiest week of the year.

ahead of (one’s) time

ahead of (one’s) time: a person whose ideas are beyond what is popular at the present.

His designs for a flying rocket chair show how far ahead of his time he is.

What does the word “ahead” mean?

all for the best

all for the best: a situation that might not seem good at first, but it is actually okay.

Getting fired from his desk job was all for the best because he hated doing paperwork.

all of the above

all of the above: this is a reference to multiple choice tests in which the answers are A, B, C, or D. Sometimes the answer is not one choice but all four choices.

A: Should we go to a restaurant, go out to a nightclub, or go to Jim’s party.

B: How about all of the above? We’ll stay out all night!

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy: a person who always works and never takes a break to do other things becomes dull and boring.

What does the word “dull” mean?

an eye for an eye

an eye for an eye: revenge; If you do something bad which hurts me, I’ll do something to hurt you back.

Elias is a firm believer in “an eye for an eye,” so don’t mess with him.

an apple a day keeps the doctor away

an apple a day keeps the doctor away: if you eat an apple every day, or if you take care of yourself by eating right, you won’t get sick and have to see the doctor.

asleep at the wheel / switch

asleep at the wheel / switch: falling asleep while driving or while working.

Because she fell asleep at the wheel, she lost control of her car and got into a big accident.

at your earliest convenience

at your earliest convenience: do something when you have the opportunity. This is a very polite way of asking someone to do something soon.

at one time or another

at one time or another: at some time during your life; something is inevitable.

Most people around the world have a chance to go to school at one time or another.

at the drop of a hat

at the drop of a hat: to do something suddenly, usually at the request of someone else.

Matt answers his supervisor’s calls at the drop of a hat.

at this stage of the game

at this stage of the game: at this time in a person’s life; a period of time.

He’d like to become a professional golfer, but at this stage of the game it might be difficult to go pro.

He’d like… = He would like…

avoid (something) like the plague

avoid (something) like the plague: not to do something; to dislike something with intensity.

Jill’s kids avoid broccoli like the plague.

What does the word “avoid” mean?

AWOL (absent without leave)

AWOL (absent without leave): to leave one’s position without permission. Popularly used for the military but also for any responsibility that a person walks away from.

As a soldier, Theodore got tired of killing other people, so he went AWOL.