Idiom Index: Words and Themes Beginning with ‘B’

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R
S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Find idioms related to words beginning with the letter A.

Baby

• Babe in Arms, a
• Babe in the Woods, a
• Baby Boomer

Back

• Back Burner, (Put Something On the)
• Back On Your Feet
• Back the Wrong Horse
• Back To Square One
• Back To The Drawing Board
• Backfire (on someone)
• Backseat Driver
• Give the Shirt Off One’s Back
• Water Off a Duck’s Back, like

Bad

• Bad Egg
• Right Off the Bat

Bag

• Bundle of Nerves, a
• Leave Holding the Bag

Ball

• Behind the Eight Ball
• On the Ball, to be
• Whole New Ball Game, a

Bang

• Bang One’s Head Against A Brick Wall

Bar

• Bar None
• Behind Bars
• Katie Bar the Door
• No Holds Barred

Bark

• Bark Up the Wrong Tree

Barrel

• Cash On the Barrelhead
• More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys

Baseball

• Right Off the Bat
• Whole New Ball Game, a

Basket

• Basket Case

Basketball

• Full-Court Press

Bat

• Not Bat an Eye

Bear/Bearing

• Bear Fruit
• Bear Out
• Beware Of Greeks Bearing Gifts

Beat

• Bang One’s Head Against A Brick Wall
• Beat (someone) To It
• Beat A Retreat
• Beat Around the Bush
• Beat It
• Beat the Bushes
• March to the Beat of a Different Drummer

Bed

• Bed Of Roses
• Get Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed, to
• You Have Made Your Bed and Must Lie In It

Bee

• Bee In Your (His/Her) Bonnet, to have a
• Make a Beeline for (someone, something)

Before

• Before You Know It

Beg

• Beg To Differ

Behind

• Behind Bars
• Behind Closed Doors
• Behind the Eight Ball
• Behind The Times

Bell

Bend

• On Bended Knee

Beneath

• Beneath Contempt

Best

• Best Bet, Your
• Put Your (or One’s) Best Foot Forward

Between

• Between a Rock and a Hard Place
• Read Between the Lines

Beware

• Beware Of Greeks Bearing Gifts

Beyond

• Above and Beyond
• Beyond Your Wildest Dreams

Bible/Biblical

• Adam’s Ale
• At Death’s Door
• Bear Fruit
• Bite the Dust

See More Biblical Idioms

Big

• Big Deal
• Big Mouth, have a
• Big of You (or one)

Bird/Birds

• A Little Bird Told Me
• Chicken Out
• Eat Crow
• Eat Like A Bird
• Flip Someone Off
• Happy as a Lark
• Lovely Weather for Ducks
• Naked as a Jaybird
• Neither Fish Nor Fowl
• Night Owl
• No Spring Chicken
• Rise From the Ashes
• Rubber-Chicken Dinner
• Ruffle Someone’s Feathers
• Running Around Like a Chicken With its Head Cut Off
• Sitting Duck
• Water Off a Duck’s Back, like
• Wild Goose Chase

Bit

• A Bit Much

Bite

• Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
• Bite One’s Nails
• Bite Someone’s Head Off
• Bite the Bullet
• Bite the Dust
• Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds You

Bitter

• Bitter Pill to Swallow, a
• To (until, till) The Bitter End

Black

• Black and Blue
• Black Out
• Give Someone A Black Eye
• Pitch Dark
• Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Blank

• Blank Check
• Draw A Blank

Bleed

• My Heart Bleeds For You

Bless

• Bless Your (His/Her) Heart

Blessing

• Blessing In Disguise
• Count Your Blessings

Blind

• Blind Leading the Blind
• Rob Someone Blind

Block

• Writer’s Block

Blood

• Blue Blood
• Make One’s Blood Curdle
• Make One’s Blood Run Cold
• Runs in the Family

Blow

• Blow a Hole in
• Blow Off Steam
• Blow Smoke
• Blow Smoke Up Someone’s Ass
• Blow Your Own Horn

Blue

• Black and Blue
• Blue Blood
• Once in a Blue Moon
• Talk A Blue Streak

Boat

• Rock the Boat

Body

• Not Have A — Bone In One’s Body
• Play It By Ear

Body Part Idioms

• A Mouthful
• All Ears (to be)
• All Thumbs
• An Army Marches on Its Stomach

See More Body Part Idioms

Bone/Bones

• Funny Bone
• Not Have A — Bone In One’s Body
• Skin and Bones (nothing but)

Book

• By the Book
• Can’t (or don’t) Judge a Book by Its Cover
• Closed Book, a
• Open Book, an
• Read Someone Like a Book

Boom

• Baby Boomer

Born

• I Wasn’t Born Yesterday

Borrow

• On Borrowed Time

Both

• Jump In With Both Feet

Bottle

• Chief Cook and Bottle Washer

Bounce

• Bounce A Check

Box

• Pandora’s Box

Boxing (Sport)

• On the Ropes
• Throw In the Towel

Brain

• Brain Freeze
• Not Rocket Science
• Rack Your Brains

Brass

• Get Down to Brass Tacks

Bread

• Daily Bread (One’s)

Break

• Break the Ice
• Break Up (with someone)
• Give Me a Break
• Give Someone a Break

Breath

• Under One’s Breath

Breathe

• Breathe a Word (to not)

Brick

• Bang One’s Head Against A Brick Wall
• Built Like a Brick Shithouse
• Run Into a Brick Wall

Bridge

• Burn One’s Bridges
• Water Under The Bridge

Bright

• Bright and Early
• Bright-eyed and Bushy-tailed

Bring

• Come To A Head

Brown

• Brown Nose, to

Buck

• Pass The Buck

Bucket

• Drop in the Bucket

Build/Built

• Built Like a Brick Shithouse

Building

• Elvis Has Left the Building

Bullet

• Bite the Bullet

Burn

• Burn One’s Bridges
• Burn Rubber (to)
• Burn the Midnight Oil
• Have Money to Burn
• Money Burns a Hole in Your (or one’s) Pocket

Bury

• Bury One’s Head In The Sand
• Bury the Hatchet
• Dead and Buried

Bush

• Beat Around the Bush
• Beat the Bushes

Butt

• Kiss Ass or Kiss Butt, to

By

• By All Accounts
• By and Large
• By the Book
• By the Numbers
• By the Same Token
• By the Skin of My (or one’s) Teeth
• Get By, to
• Run Something By Me Again
• Run Something By Someone