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[beat the gun] See: JUMP THE GUN.

[beat the --- out of] or [lick the --- out of] or [whale the --- out of] {v. phr.}, {informal} To beat hard; give a bad beating to. — Used with several words after "the", as "daylights", "living daylights", "tar". •/The big kid told Charlie that he would beat the daylights out of him if Charlie came in his yard again./

[beat the meat]{v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To masturbate (said primarily of men). •/"So what did you do for sex in prison for seven years?" Joe asked. "Well, unless you want to become gay, you can beat the meat and that’s about it," Max answered./

[beat the pants off]{v. phr.} 1. To prevail over someone in a race or competition. •/Jim beat the pants off George in the swimming race./ 2. To give someone a severe physical beating. •/Jack beat the pants off the two young men who were trying to hold him up in Central Park./

[beat the rap]{v. phr.} To escape the legal penalty one ought to receive. •/In spite of the strong evidence against him, the prisoner beat the rap and went free./

[beat the shit out of]{v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} See: KNOCK THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF.

[beat time]{v. phr.} To follow the rhythm of a piece of music by moving one’s fingers or feet. •/Jack was beating time with his foot during the concert, which annoyed his neighbor./

[beat to]{v.}, {informal} To do something before someone else does it. •/I was waiting to buy a ticket but only one ticket was left, and another man beat me to it./ •/We were planning to send a rocket into space but the Russians beat us to it./ Compare: GET THE JUMP ON.

[beat to the punch] or [beat to the draw] {v. phr.}, {slang} To do something before another person has a chance to do it. •/John was going to apply for the job, but Ted beat him to the draw./ •/Lois bought the dress before Mary could beat her to the punch./

[beat up]{v.}, {informal} To give a hard beating to; hit hard and much; thrash; whip. •/When the new boy first came, he had to beat up several neighborhood bullies before they would leave him alone./ — Used with "on" in substandard speech. •/The tough boy said to Bill, "If you come around here again, I’ll beat up on you."/

[beauty sleep]{n.} A nap or rest taken to improve the appearance. •/She took her beauty sleep before the party./ •/Many famous beauties take a beauty sleep every day./

[beaver]{n.}, {slang}, {vulgar}, {avoidable}, {citizen’s band radio jargon} A female, especially one driving along the highway and operating a CB radio. •/I didn’t know there was a beaver aboard that eighteen wheeler./

[because of]{prep.} On account of; by reason of; as a result of. •/The train arrived late because of the snowstorm./

[beck] See: AT ONE’S BECK AND CALL.

[become of]{v. phr.} To happen to; befall. •/What will become of the children, now that both parents are in jail?/

[bed] See: GET UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED, GO TO BED WITH THE CHICKENS, MAKE ONE’S BED AND LIE IN IT, PUT TO BED.

[bed of nails]{n. phr.} A difficult or unhappy situation or set of circumstances. •/"There are days when my job is a regular bed of nails," Jim groaned./ Contrast: BED OF ROSES.

[bed of roses] or [bowl of cherries] {n. phr.} A pleasant easy place, job, or position; an easy life. •/A coal miner’s job is not a bed of roses./ •/After nine months of school, summer camp seemed a bowl of cherries./ Compare: IN CLOVER, LIFE OF RILEY.

[bed of thorns]{n. phr.} A thoroughly unhappy time or difficult situation. •/I’m sorry I changed jobs; my new one turned out to be a bed of thorns./ See: BED OF NAILS.

[bee] See: BIRDS AND THE BEES.

[beef about]{v. phr.} To complain about something. •/Stop beefing about your job, Jack. You could have done a lot worse!/

[beef up]{v.}, {informal} To make stronger by adding men or equipment; make more powerful; reinforce. •/The general beefed up his army with more big guns and tanks./ •/The university beefed up the football coaching staff by adding several good men./

[bee in one’s bonnet]{n. phr.}, {informal} A fixed idea that seems fanciful, odd, or crazy. •/Robert Fulton had a bee in his bonnet about a steamboat./ •/Grandmother has some bee in her bonnet about going to the dance./

[beeline] See: MAKE A BEELINE FOR.

[be even-Steven]{v. phr.} To be in a position of owing no favors or debt to someone. •/Yesterday you paid for my lunch, so today I paid for yours; now we’re even-Steven./

[before long]{adv. phr.} In a short time; without much delay; in a little while, soon. •/Class will be over before long./ •/We were tired of waiting and hoped the bus would come before long./

[before one can say Jack Robinson]{adv. clause}, {informal} Very quickly; suddenly. — An overused phrase. •/Before I could say Jack Robinson, the boy was gone./ Compare: IN A FLASH, RIGHT AWAY.

[before swine] See: CAST PEARLS BEFORE SWINE or CAST ONE’S PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.

[before you know it]{adv. phr.} Sooner than one would expect. •/Don’t despair; we’ll be finished with this work before you know it!/

[beg] See: BEGGING.

[be game]{v. phr.} To be cooperative, willing, sporting. •/When I asked Charlie to climb Mount McKinley with us, he said he was game if we were./

[beggars can’t be choosers] People who can not choose what they will have, must accept what they get; if you are not in control, you must take what you can gel. •/We wanted to leave on the train in the morning but it doesn’t go until afternoon, so we must go then. Beggars can’t he choosers./ •/Mary got a red dress from her sister, although she didn’t like red. She kept it because she said beggars should not be choosers./ Compare: LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH.

[begin with]{adv. phr.} As a preliminary statement; in the first place. •/To begin with, you are far too young to get married./

[beg off]{v.} To ask to be excused. •/Father told Tom to rake the yard, but Tom tried to beg off./ •/Mrs. Crane accepted an invitation to a luncheon, but a headache made her beg off./ Compare: BACK OUT.

[beg the question]{v. phr.}, {literary} To accept as true something that is still being argued about, before it is proved true; avoid or not answer a question or problem. •/The girls asked Miss Smith if they should wear formal dresses to the party; Miss Smith said they were begging the question because they didn’t know yet if they could get permission for a party./ •/Laura told Tom that he must believe her argument because she was right. Father laughed and told Laura she was begging the question./ Compare: TAKE FOR GRANTED.

[behalf] See: IN BEHALF OF or ON BEHALF OF, IN ONE’S BEHALF or ON ONE’S BEHALF.

[behavior] See: ON ONE’S GOOD BEHAVIOR.

[be hard on]{v. phr.} To be strict or critical with another; be severe. •/"Don’t be so hard on Jimmy," Tom said. "He is bound to rebel as he gets older."/

[behind] See: DRY BEHIND THE EARS, FALL BEHIND, GET BEHIND, HANG BACK or HANG BEHIND.

[behind bars]{adv. phr.} In jail; in prison. •/He was a pickpocket and had spent many years behind bars./ •/That boy is always in trouble and will end up behind bars./

[behind one’s back]{adv. phr.} When one is absent; without one’s knowledge or consent; in a dishonest way; secretly; sneakily. •/Say it to his face, not behind his back./ •/It is not right to criticize a person behind his back./ Contrast: TO ONE’S FACE.

[behind the eight-ball]{adj. phr.}, {slang} In a difficult position; in trouble. •/Mr. Thompson is an older man, and when he lost his job, he found he was behind the eight-ball./ •/Bill can’t dance and has no car, so he is behind the eight-ball with the girls./ Compare: HAVE TWO STRIKES AGAINST ONE(2), IN A HOLE.

[behind the scenes]{adv. phr.} Out of sight; unknown to most people; privately. •/Much of the banquet committee s work was done behind the scenes./ •/John was president of the club, but behind the scenes Lee told him what to do./

[behind the times]{adj. phr.} Using things not in style; still following old ways; old-fashioned. •/Johnson’s store is behind the times./ •/The science books of 30 years ago are behind the times now./ •/Mary thinks her parents are behind the times because they still do the foxtrot and don’t know any new dances./

[behind time]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1a. Behind the correct time; slow. •/That clock is behind time./ 1b. Behind schedule; late. •/The train is running behind time today./ 2. Not keeping up; not at the proper time; overdue. •/Your lessons are good, but why are you behind time?/ •/We are behind time in paying the rent./ Contrast: AHEAD OF TIME, IN TIME, ON TIME.

[be-in]{n.}, {slang}, {hippie culture} A gathering or social occasion with or without a discernible purpose, often held in a public place like a park or under a large circus tent. •/The youngsters really enjoyed the great springtime jazz be-in at the park./

[be in a stew]{v. phr.} To be worried, harassed, upset. •/Al has been in a stew ever since he got word that his sister was going to marry his worst enemy./

[being] See: FOR THE TIME BEING.

[be in labor]{v. phr.} To be in parturition; experience the contractions of childbirth. •/Vane had been in labor for eight hours before her twin daughters were finally born./

[be in someone else’s shoes]{v. phr.} To be in someone else’s situation. •/Fred has had so much trouble recently that we ought to be grateful we’re not in his shoes./

[be into something]{v. phr.}, {informal} To have taken something up partly as a nobby, partly as a serious interest of sorts (basically resulting from the new consciousness and self-realization movement that originated in the late Sixties). •/Roger’s wife is into women’s liberation and women’s consciousness./ •/Did you know that Syd is seriously into transcendental meditation?/ •/Jack found out that his teenage son is into pot smoking and gave him a serious scolding./

[be itching to]{v. phr.} To have a very strong desire to do something. •/Jack is itching to travel abroad./

[be it so] See: SO BE IT.

[belabor the point]{v. phr.} To overexplain something to the point of obviousness, resulting in ridicule. •/"Lest I belabor the point," the teacher said, "I must repeat the importance of teaching good grammar in class."/

[belfry] See: BATS IN ONE’S BELFRY or BATS IN THE BELFRY.

[believe] See: MAKE BELIEVE, SEEING IS BELIEVING.

[believe one’s ears]{v. phr.} 1. To believe what one hears; trust one’s hearing. — Used with a negative or limiter, or in an interrogative or conditional sentence. •/He thought he heard a horn blowing in the distance, but he could not believe his ears./ 2. To be made sure of (something). •/Is he really coming? I can hardly believe my ears./

[believe one’s eyes]{v. phr.} 1. To believe what one sees; trust one’s eyesight. — Used with a negative or limiter or in an interrogative or conditional sentence. •/Is that a plane? Can I believe my eyes?/ 2. To be made sure of seeing something. •/She saw him there but she could hardly believe her eyes./

[bell] See: RING A BELL, WITH BELLS ON.

[bellyache]{v.} To constantly complain. •/Jim is always bellyaching about the amount of work he is required to do./

[belly up]{adj.}, {informal} Dead, bankrupt, or financially ruined. •/Tom and Dick struggled on for months with their tiny computer shop, but last year they went belly up./

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