Meaning: 1st baron beaverbrook

n.
British newspaper publisher and politician (born in Canada); confidant of Winston Churchill (1879-1964)

BA Idiom, Proverb

a babe in arms

a baby, a child who is still wet behind the ears Dar was just a babe in arms when we emigrated to Canada.

a babe in the woods

"a defenseless person; a naive, young person" He's just a babe in the woods. He needs someone to protect him.

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 bad time

a lot of teasing, a rough time The class gave him a bad time about his pink shorts.

a ball-park figure

"a number that is near the total; approximate figure" Fifty is a ball-park figure. It's close to our class size.

a bar fly

a person who often goes to bars or lounges Every evening Penny goes to Lucifer's. She's quite a bar fly.

a bar star

a girl who goes to bars to drink and find friends Lola was known as a bar star at Pinky's Lounge.

a bare-faced lie

a deliberate lie, a planned lie His statement to the police was false - a bare-faced lie.

a barnburner

an exciting game, a cliff-hanger When the Flames play the Oilers it's a barnburner - a great game.

a barrel of laughs

a lot of fun, a person who makes you laugh Let's invite Chang to our party. He's a barrel of laughs.

a basket case

a person who is very nervous, in bad shape If Gloria has one more crisis, she'll be a basket case.

a bawling out

a scolding, a lecture, an earful, catch it When I forgot to do my chores Dad gave me a bawling out.

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 lot on the ball

intelligent, smart Melvin may not look intelligent, but he's got a lot on the ball.

a snowball's chance in hell

little or no chance to succeed If I write the test now, I won't have a snowball's chance in hell.

a three-bagger

a person who needs three bags over his head because he looks so scary """What did he look like?"" ""He was at least a three-bagger. He also needed a bath."""

a three-bagger (baseball)

a hit that allows the batter to run to third base Molitor hit a three-bagger in the sixth game of the World Series.

all your eggs in one basket

depending on one plan or one investment, hedge your bets If you invest all your money in one hotel, you'll have all your eggs in one basket.

at bay

at a distance, away from you The smoke keeps the mosquitoes at bay. They don't like smoke.

BA

Bachelor of Arts - from a university My brother has received a BA in economics from his university.

babe

darling, honey, girlfriend """Hi, babe. Want to sit with me?"" ""Sure, honey. I'd love to."""

babe in arms

(See a babe in arms)

babe in the woods

(See a babe in the woods)

baby blues

feeling sad when you are pregnant After seven months, Karly had the baby blues. She was feeling sad.

baby boomer

a person born during the decade after World War II Baby boomers will retire in the first decade of the 21st century.

back at it

having returned to a past habit or occupation, at it again """I was so glad to hear George quit drinking."" ""Well, he's back at it."""

back down

yield, not challenge, not stand up to Ole won't back down from you. He's ready to fight.

back off

do not come closer, do not touch me Back off, you animal! Don't touch me!

back on one

return to good financial or physical health He is finally back on his feet after his company went out of business.

back on one's feet

physically healthy again My mother is back on her feet again after being sick with the flu for two weeks.

back on your feet

feeling better, recovered from an illness When you're back on your feet, we want you to return to work.

back out

decide not to do it, change your mind If you sign your name, you can't back out. You have to pay.

back teeth are floating

have to urinate, need to pee Please watch for a rest room. My back teeth are floating.

back to square one

back to where one started We were forced to go back to square one in our efforts to change the name of the company.

back to the drawing board

go back to start a project or idea from the beginning The boss doesn

back to the grind

return to the job, go back to work After New Year's, it's back to the grind - the old routine.

back to the salt mines

back to work, humorous expression to express going back to unpleasant work Well, lunch is over so let

back-up

saving information on a computer disk Don't forget to make a back-up disk of all your computer files.

back you

support your decision, sign your application His brother will back him if he needs financing.

back yourself into a corner

put yourself in a bad position, have no escape If you buy what you can't afford you back yourself into a corner.

backpack (business)

support, be the parent company First, GM backpacked Saab. Then they bought the company.

backside

buttocks, bum, buns When I was learning to skate, I fell a lot. My backside was sore!

bad apple

bad one, rotten one He's the bad apple in that group. He's always in trouble.

bad blood

anger or a bad relationship due to past problems with someone There has always ben a lot of bad blood between the two supervisors.

bad breath

unpleasant smell from the mouth, jungle mouth I've been eating garlic, so I may have bad breath.

bad date

a man who beats a prostitute, the john Viki had another bad date. A guy beat her and took her clothes.

bad egg

a bad person, bum That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can.

bad-mouth

say bad things about someone The football players are always bad-mouthing their coach.

bad news

troublemaker, someone who causes problems Don't hire him. Everybody says he's bad news.

bad taste in my mouth

(See a bad taste in my mouth)