List of human body parts idioms beginning with B and meanings

How the idioms are listed

There are 3 parts to each idioms the first part is what the idiom is, then an explanation of what it means and the last part is an example of how to use it in a sentence.

How do I use the list of human body parts idioms A to Z?

To use the list of idioms click on each letter of the alphabet to get the list of the human body parts idioms for that letter.

[ 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 ]

Human body parts idioms beginning with B

back-to-back

- next to each other and touching backs

The students were sitting back-to-back as they exercised in the gym class.

bad blood (between people)

- anger or a bad relationship due to past problems with someone

There is much bad blood between the two supervisors.

bare bones (of something)

- the most basic and important parts of something

The company had to restructure and most services were cut to the bare bones of the operation.

behind (someone`s) back

- without someone's knowledge, secretly, when someone is absent

I do not like people who talk behind my back.

belly up

- bankrupt

The small video store near my house is now belly-up.

blood is thicker than water

- family members are closer to one another than to others

Blood is thicker than water and people usually support and help their family in times of trouble.

blood on the carpet

- much trouble

There was much blood on the carpet after the meeting.

blood runs cold

- terrified or horrified

My blood ran cold when I saw the poison spider on my bed.

blood, sweat, and tears

- great personal effort

We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into fixing our old house.

blue blood

- the blood (family line) of a noble or aristocratic family

Many blue bloods attended the opening of the new opera.

a body blow

- something that causes something to be badly damaged or destroyed

The small food store was hit with a body blow when the large supermarket moved in next door.

a bone of contention

- something that people disagree about

The issue of working on Saturday evenings is a bone of contention between the store and the workers.

break into a cold sweat (about something)

- to become nervous or frightened about something

I broke into a cold sweat when I went to tell my teacher about my mistake.

break one`s back (to do something)

- to do all one possibly can, to work very hard to do something

I broke my back trying to help my friend with his project.

break one`s neck (to do something)

- to do all one possibly can, to work very hard to do something

I broke my neck to try and get the report finished on time.

a breath of fresh air

- new ideas or new energy or new ways of doing something

The new manager is a breath of fresh air in our company.

not breathe a word (about someone or something)

- to keep a secret about someone or something

"Please don't breathe a word about my new job to my supervisor."

breathe down (someone`s) neck

- to watch someone closely (often by standing right behind them), to pressure someone to do something

My boss has been breathing down my neck all day to pressure me to finish the report.

breathe easy/easier

- to relax after a busy and stressful time

I could breathe easy after I finished my essay and gave it to my teacher.

breathe one's last

- to die, to breathe one's last breath before dying

The elderly man breathed his last late yesterday evening.

broad in the beam

- wide hips or large buttocks

The woman is broad in the beam but she does not worry about it at all.

a bundle of nerves

- someone who is very nervous and anxious

I was a bundle of nerves after I finished studying for my exams.

bust a gut (to do something)

- to work very hard to do something, to strain oneself to do something

I had to bust a gut to get my work done before the weekend.

by the nape of one's neck

- by the back of the neck

The man picked up the cat by the nape of the neck.

by the sweat of one's brow

- by one's hard work or effort

The restaurant owner built his business by the sweat of his brow.

Lessons that are related to the exercise

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Idioms human body English lesson

A to Z Idioms - list English phrases

Small List of idioms A - Z English phrases

Dictionary and how to use dictionaries

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