To blow your own horn means to boast or brag about your achievements or talents.
“Not to blow my own horn but my risotto is as good as anything you’d get in a restaurant.”
A bookworm is a person who reads a lot; one who loves books and spends a lot of time reading and studying.
“I’ve always been a bookworm and I still prefer a paper book to digital.”
To be bored to death means to be extremely bored. To bore someone to death means to be dull or uninteresting.
“That lecture bored me to death.
To break the ice means to do something to initiate conversation or get something started in a very tense or formal situation; to overcome the initial shyness or relieve tension in a new social situation such as when people first meet; to make it possible, or pave the way, for something to happen by one’s actions.
“The party was a little slow at first but Bobby broke the ice by offering everyone wine and beer.”
To break up with someone is to end a marriage or a romantic relationship. Used as a noun, breakup refers to an act or instance of breaking up.
“I can’t believe Richard and Andrea broke up. They were together for years.”
To not breathe a word about something means to keep a secret and not tell anyone about it; to not reveal something.
“I’m planning a birthday party for George. Don’t breathe a word about it!”
Bright and early means very early in the morning; early enough to be able to do something that is to occur very early in the morning.
“We have to be up bright and early to make it to the airport on time.”
To bring something home to someone means to make someone realize the full importance or significance of something; to make something very clear or more clear than it was before; to make something realize something or understand something fully; to get to the heart of the matter.
“The last few days of my trip have brought home to me just how much I love being with my family.”
To bring home the bacon means to earn money to feed and shelter one’s family; to be a breadwinner; to earn a living; to provide the necessities of daily living; to complete a job or task successfully or to accomplish something of value; to win the prize.
“I know you don’t like it when I work such long hours but someone has to bring home the bacon.”
To brown nose is to obsequiously and shamelessly try to gain someone’s favor by being sycophantic and affecting a subservient attitude, being overly agreeable, flattering, etc. One who engages in brownnosing is called a brown-noser.
“If you think you can brown nose your way to the top in this company, you are going to be disappointed.”
A bundle of nerves is a very anxious, nervous, anxious, tense, fearful, or jittery person.
“I’m always a bundle of nerves before a competition.”
To burn your bridges means to take an irrevocable step that makes it impossible to go back to a previous position, situation, etc. Specifically, it means to behave in such a way as to ruin your relationship with someone, making it very difficult to have a productive relationship with them in the future. A common example is to act negatively when leaving a job so that you will never be able to return.
“I know you’re leaving the firm,” said Russel, “but take my advice and don’t burn your bridges on the way out.”
To burn the midnight oil means to work very late, past the end of the regular workday, and late into the night, especially to study; to work very hard.
“Sorry I haven’t been able to visit you lately. I’ve been burning the midnight oil trying to get the new business going.”
To bury (your, his, her) head in the sand means to ignore obvious problems or dangers; to refuse to face unpleasant realities by pretending not to see them or know about them. “There is obviously something wrong with you, said Joseph’s father.
“You need to stop burying your head in the sand and go see a doctor.”
To bury the hatchet means to make peace; to settle one’s difference; to stop arguing or fighting; to put an end to old resentments.
“It’s time we bury the hatchet,” said Tom. “I don’t even remember what we were fighting about.”
To have butterflies in your stomach means to feel nervous or anxious and have a queasy or ‘fluttering’ feeling in your gut. This idiom may describe nervous anticipation, such as felt before going on stage to perform. In fact, it is often used to describe ‘stagefright.’
“The first time I went on stage I had butterflies in my stomach. The last time I went on stage, same thing.”
By all accounts means based on the opinion of most people; according to what everyone is saying; according to all available reports or information.
“By all accounts, George is a trustworthy fellow.”
By and large means generally; usually; everything considered; speaking broadly.
“By and large, the fundraiser was successful.”
When something is done by the book it is done strictly according to the existing rules, regulations, or laws.
“The detective had always done things by the book, but for this case, he had to throw the book away.”
When something is done by the numbers it is done in a precise and orderly sequence that is already determined. The idiom alludes to doing things by rote, or mechanically, according to a laid-out plan, without any thought or creativity; following exact rules. To paint by numbers is to do something in an uninspired and unoriginal way.
“Tom doesn’t like doing things by the numbers so he quickly grew bored in his assembly job.”
By the same token means in the same way, following the same argument, or for the same reason.
“I understand that you want Mike to apologize but, by the same token, you said some pretty nasty things to him.”
By the Skin of My (or one’s) Teeth
By the skin of one’s teeth means barely, narrowly; by the thinnest of margins.
“I barely managed to graduate from college. I got through by the skin of my teeth.”
To the bitter end means to the very end, however unpleasant or ruinous; all the way to death or ruin.
“The last few soldiers kept fighting until the bitter end.”
When something is referred to as a cakewalk, it is something that is easy. Often refers to an easy victory. Cakewalk is a synonym for piece of cake.
“Wow, that game was a cakewalk, we really beat the pants off ’em.”
To call it a day means to decide to stop working on something; to end the day’s work and go home; to end something.
“We can’t finish until we get the new parts, so let’s call it a day.”
To call it quits means to stop doing something; to give up on trying to accomplish something; to abandon a goal in order to not risk further loss; to agree that a debt is settled or terms are equal. “He bought out his partner and the two decided to call it quits.”
To call someone’s bluff is to make someone do something they threaten to do, in the hopes or assurance that they do not dare, or have the means, to carry out the threat. “The customer threatened to sue if he didn’t get his money back. The manager called his bluff.”
To call the shots means to be in charge or in control; to make the important decisions; or to have authority. “Everybody can’t be in charge,” said Frank.”Someone has to call the shots.”
To call (someone) to account means to demand that someone explain the reason for their (usually wrong) actions and to take responsibility for them; to hold someone responsible and answerable for their actions. “It is time Morrison was called to account for his shady financial dealings.”
To open a can of worms means to do something that will uncover more problems and make things more complicated and unsolvable than they already were; to create an unpleasant or troubling situation. “Refinishing the basement in my house opened up a can of worms. Now I have to hire a waterproofer and deal with mold!”