te Idiom
a bad taste in my mouth
a feeling that something is false or unfair, a feeling of ill will I left the meeting with a bad taste in my mouth. There was a lot of dishonesty in the room.
a bite to eat
a lunch, a snack We can grab a bite to eat at the arena. They sell snacks there.
a bitter pill
a negative event, a loss, a painful experience Divorce is a bitter pill for her. She believed in her marriage.
a clutch hitter (baseball)
a batter who hits when runners are on base Joe's a clutch hitter. He's batting .431 with runners on base.
a fool and his money are soon parted
"a fool will spend all his money quickly; easy come, easy go" After he had spent his fortune, he remembered this saying: A fool and his money are soon parted.
a full plate
a busy schedule, a lot to do Nancy has a full plate these days. She has two jobs and three kids.
a go-getter
an aggressive employee, a hard worker, gung ho What a go-getter! He finished the course a month before the others.
a little steep
a little high in price, too much money to pay I'd like to buy that leather coat but the price is a little steep.
a nail-biter
"exciting game or movie; having much suspense" Have you seen the movie The Fugitive? It's a nail-biter.
a real go-getter
a (very) ambitious, hard-working person.
a red-letter day
a special day, a memorable day This is going to be a red-letter day. I found my lost keys!
a spot of tea
a small cup of tea, a drink of tea When I visit Mrs. Smith, we always have a spot of tea.
a steal
"a bargain; purchased for a very low price" How much did I pay for my new coat? Very little. It was a steal.
a tempest in a teapot
a lot of excitement about a small problem The argument was over quickly. It was a tempest in a teapot.
acid test
(See the acid test)
after all
after you consider all the facts, to be fair Will you help me with English? After all, I helped you with math.
after one
well-liked for agreeing with one
all teed up
the golf ball is on the tee, everything is ready The parade is ready to begin. It's all teed up.
all the tea in China
(See not for all the tea in China)
anal retentive
too concerned with detail, pedantic Amy is anal retentive. She writes down everything the teacher says.
ante up
pay, produce a necessary amount of money I had to ante up a lot of money to get my car fixed.
armed to the teeth
fully armed, having many weapons The robbers were armed to the teeth when they robbed the bank.
as a matter of fact
to state a fact, in fact, to be perfectly honest The burrowing owl is a protected species. As a matter of fact, it's an endangered species.
as scarce as hen's teeth
rare, uncommon, not many of them Country doctors are as scarce as hen's teeth.
ass over teakettle
falling over backwards, head over heels The cowboy knocked him off his feet - ass over teakettle!
at the end of my rope/ at the end of my tether
losing control of myself, losing patience (see lose patience) Babysitting five kids, I was at the end of my rope.
attend to someone
take care or deal with someone The doctor attended to the other patient before he got to my mother.
back teeth are floating
have to urinate, need to pee Please watch for a rest room. My back teeth are floating.
bad date
a man who beats a prostitute, the john Viki had another bad date. A guy beat her and took her clothes.
bad taste in my mouth
(See a bad taste in my mouth)
ball park figure/estimate
a rough estimate or figure The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.
bark is worse than his bite
"he sounds angry but he is not; do not be afraid of him" Baxter sounds mad, but his bark is worse than his bite.
bated breath
(See with bated breath)
bean-counter
accountant We asked the bean-counters to look over the figures in the new budget.
beater
a car that is in poor condition, clunker Why does he drive that old beater? He could buy a new car.
best interests at heart
thinking of a person's needs, in mind When I give low grades, I still have your best interests at heart.
bet on a lame rooster
bet on a loser, fall for that If you vote for that guy, you're betting on a lame rooster.
better half
spouse, wife or husband Bring your better half when you visit us. We'd like to meet her.
better late than never
it is better to arrive late than not to arrive """You're an hour late,"" he said. ""Better late than never,"" I replied."
better off
in better conditions: healthier or wealthier etc. Are you better off renting an apartment than buying a house?
better than a kick in the ass
better than punishment, not as bad as it could be, don't knock it "When I told him we had won $10 in the Lotto, he said, ""It's better than a kick in the ass."""
better the devil you know...
a new devil could be worse than the old devil """Should we fire the coach?"" ""No - better the devil we know than the one we don't."""
better to have loved...
(See it is better to have loved and lost...)
bite me
I have no respect for you, kiss off, blow me """Bite me! Take your list of whores and live with them!"""
bite off more than one can chew
take responsibility for more than one can
bite off more than you can chew
begin more tasks than you can complete When I took the night class, I bit off more than I could chew.
bite the bullet
try harder, be tougher "Bite the bullet during exam week. Don't party; just study."
bite the dust
be killed, break down, be defeated I think that my car has finally bitten the dust.
bite the hand that feeds one
turn against or hurt a helper or supporter, repay kindness with wrong My niece is biting the hand that feeds her if she keeps abusing the help that her parents are giving her.
bite the hand that feeds you
be unkind to the one who cares for you or pays you If you criticize your employer, you bite the hand that feeds you.
