| Idioms/Phrases starting with letter B |
| Black and white – लिखित रूप से |
| Example – Oral promise will not do this time; the workers are adamant on getting the promises given by the management in black and white. |
| Beck and call – सेवा में हमेशा हाजिर |
| Example – Many sycophants are at the beck and call of the leader. |
| Back burner – जिसे ज्यादा महत्त्व नहीं दिया जाए |
| Example – Because of the mounting opposition, the government has put the issue of FDI in retail on the back burner. |
| Black and blue – बुरी तरह से मार खाया हुआ |
| Example – My brother was beaten black and blue over his mistake. |
| Back the wrong horse – |
| Example – Many times Indian team gets defeated because the captain backs the wrong horse. |
| Both ends meet – गुज़र-बसर करना, रोजी-रोटी कमाना |
| Example – There are many families living below the poverty line who find it difficult to make both ends meet. |
| Back to back – एक के तुरंत बाद दूसरा |
| Example – Virat Kohli hit three centuries back to back. |
| Bat an eyelid – प्रतिक्रिया या भाव हीन |
| Example – My brother is so obstinate that even after being scolded over his mischief he does not bat an eyelid. |
| Back to square one – जहाँ से प्रारंभ हुआ था वहीं पहुंच जाना |
| Example – Most often talks between India and Pakistan get back to square one after making some progress. |
| Backchat – कड़ा एवं उद्दंडता भरा जवाब |
| Example – No guardian likes the backchat of his sons and daughters. |
| Back-seat driving – पीछे रहकर नियंत्रण का प्रयास |
| Example – My colleague, Sushant, always does backseat driving; he never takes initiative. |
| Backstairs influence – पैरवी |
| Example – Everyone knows that he did not get the job on his merit; it was backstairs influence. |
| Bad blood – पुरानी दुश्मनी |
| Example – There is a bad blood between the two neighbours. |
| Bad mouth – दूसरों के बारे में अभद्र बातें बोलना |
| Example – He is a bad mouth; he always abuses others. |
| Baker’s dozen – 13 |
| Example – The shopkeeper gave baker’s dozen but charged only for 12. |
| Bare bones – मूलभूत तथ्य |
| Example – The bare bones of the conversation had been that he hated my guts. |
| Be in name only – सिर्फ नाम का |
| Example – In India, the President is the Head of the state in name only. |
| Bear fruit – सफल होना, अच्छा परिणाम देना |
| Example – His hard long labour at last bore fruit when he was selected for the job. |
| Bear in mind – ध्यान रखना |
| Example – You must bear in mind that lasting success can only be achieved by perseverance |
| Bear the brunt – बुरा परिणाम भुगतना |
| Example – Often the parents have to bear the brunt of the wrong doings of their child. |
| Bear the palm – प्रमुख या प्रसिद्ध होना |
| Example – His very first novel became the best seller making him bear the palm. |
| Beat a retreat – खतरे के कारण किसी जगह से जल्दी से वापस हो जाना |
| Example – Our army has not learnt to beat the retreat; it prefers to lay down its life. |
| Beat about the bush – मुद्दे ये हटकर इधर-उधर की बातें करना |
| Example – Please don’t beat about the bush; come straight to the point. |
| Beat the air – निरर्थक प्रयास करना |
| Example – To make Prakash understand to behave properly is simply beating the air. |
| Beauty is only skin deep – शारीरिक सुंदरता बहुत ज्यादा दिन नहीं टिकती |
| Example – She took a wrong decision by not marrying this gentleman. She doesn’t know that beauty is only skin deep. |
| Bee in one’s bonnet – किसी चीज को महत्त्वपूर्ण मानकर लगातार उसी के बारे में सोचने की स्थिति |
| Example – Ramesh seems to have a bee in his bonnet; he doesn’t concentrate on his job. |
| Beg the question – किसी चीज को सत्य मान लेना (चाहे उसका कोई सबूत न हो) |
| Example – Normally, we beg the question regarding the existence of God. |
| Behind bars – जेल में |
| Example – He has been behind bars for committing theft in his master’s house. |
| Behind closed doors – गुप्त रूप से |
| Example – The entire action plan against the terrorists was discussed behind closed doors. |
| Bell the cat – जोखिम भरा काम करना |
| Example – We must convey our grievances to the boss; but the question is who will bell the cat. |
| Bend over backwards – सहायता प्रदान करने के लिए हर संभव काम करना |
| Example – He is so selfish that he has forgotten that I bent over backwards when he was in difficulty. |
| Beside oneself – किसी बात को लेकर चितित या बेचैन होना |
| Example – The parents were beside themselves when their son did not return home till late night. |
| Beside oneself – बहुत नाराज होना |
| Example – I was beside myself when my ambitious project was rejected. |
| Beside the mark – अतार्किक, असंगत |
| Example – The election speeches of the politicians are often besides the mark; they never address the real issues of the public. |
| Better half – पत्नी |
| Example – My better half is my best friend. |
| Between the devil and the deep blue sea – दुविधा में, दो मुसीबतों के बीच फँसा हुआ |
| Example – Not having money and the payment date approaching near, I was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. |
| Beyond one’s means – अपनी क्षमता से अधिक |
| Example – He turned into a bankrupt person, as he was leading a life beyond his means. |
| Beyond the pale – सामाजिक या नैतिक रूप से अस्वीकार्य |
| Example The remarks of a few politicians are often beyond the pale. |
| Bid fair to – संभावना दिखाई पड़ना |
| Example He bids fair to be an excellent cricketer. |
| Big bucks – बड़ा धन |
| Example In his business he has made big bucks. |
| Big fish – महत्त्वपूर्ण व्यक्ति |
| Example – Big fish are seldom implicated in scam cases. |
| Bird’s eye view – सरसरी निगाह से देखना या पढ़ना |
| Example – Even a bird’s eye view through his writing can reveal many grammatical errors. |
| Bird brained – मूर्ख |
| Example – Rahul is bird brained; he does not understand anything easily. |
| Birds of the same feather – एक ही प्रकृति के व्यक्ति |
| Example – They spend long time together because they are birds of the same feather. |
| Bite more than one can chew – उतना काम या जिम्मेवारी उठा लेना जितना हो न सके |
| Example – Our chief Minister has many departments with himself ; probably he has bitten off more than he can chew. |
| Bite one’s lip – किसी बात को बोलने से परहेज करना, अपनी (नकारात्मक) प्रतिक्रिया को रोकना |
| Example – During the meeting, many a time I had to bite my lip lest the chairman should be angry at my comments. |
| Bite one’s tongue – अपनी भावनाओं की अभिव्यक्ति रोक लेना ताकि दूसरे नाराज न हों |
| Example – During the meeting many a time I had to bite my tongue lest the chairman should be angry at my comments. |
| Bite the bullet – विपरीत परिस्थिति का सामना करना (जिसे टाला नहीं जा सकता है) |
| Example – At last the government decided to bite the bullet because continuous opposition was harming its image. |
| Bite the dust – पराजित /नष्ट होना |
| Example – My project to start an innovative school has bitten the dust because of lack of funds. |
| Bits and bobs – छोटी – छोटी अनेक चीजें |
| Example – I found the room haphazard strewn With (full of) bits and hobs. |
| Black sheep – कुटिल या धूर्त व्यक्ति |
| Example – He is a black sheep nobody trusts him. |
| Blaze a trail – कोई नया एवं महत्त्वपूर्ण काम जिसे बाकी अनुसरण करें |
| Example – Dhoni has blazed a trail for the youngsters of the small town; now they can think big. |
| Blessing in disguise – कोई चीज जिससे शुरुआत में परेशानी महसूस होती है परत आखिरकार लाभदायक सिद्ध होता है |
| Example – His father’s turning him out of the house proved to be a blessing in disguise; he found himself settled soon. |
| Blink of an eye – क्षण भर में, तुरंत |
| Example – On the platform my briefcase was stolen in the blink of an eye. |
| Blow by blow – पूर्ण विवरण एक-एक करके |
| Example – The leader replied to every accusation blow by blow. |
| Blow hot and cold – अपने विचार आदि तुरंत- तुरंत बदलना |
| Example – Hitler was fickle-minded, he always blew hot and cold on obvious things also. |
| Blow one’s own trumpet – अपनी बड़ाई खुद करना |
| Example – Aman of quality never blows his own trumpet; others praise him. |
| Blue blood – कलीन, संभ्रान्त |
| Example – He will not do such petty acts, he is blue blood. |
| Blue-eyed boy – किसी का चहेता होना |
| Example – He is the manager’s blue-eyed boy though he has no special quality. |
| Bolt from the blue – अचानक और चौंका देने वाला |
| Example – The news of the disaster came as a bolt from the blue to the families of the victims. |
| Born with a silver spoon in the mouth – धनी परिवार में जन्मा हुआ |
| Example – Jawaharlal Nehru was born with a silver spoon in the mouth. |
| Bottom line – शुद्ध मुनाफा, निष्कर्ष |
| Example – The bottom line is that if you don’t improve fast, you are out of the competition; The chairman announced very proudly that the bottom line increased double fold in the last fiscal year. |
| Bread and butter – वह चीज़ जो लोगों को सीधे प्रभावित करे |
| Example – Crops are the bread and butter for our farmers. |
| Break the ice – हिचकिचाहट त्याग कर बातचीत प्रारंभ करना |
| Example – We had not been on talking terms; but when we met at a party I had to break the ice. |
| Breathe down one’s neck – किसी पर नजदीकी से नजर रखना |
| Example – His boss was always breathing down his neck. |
| Bring home – स्पष्ट करना |
| Example – The old father brought home the moral of unity by asking each of his sons to break the bundle of sticks. |
| Bring matters to a head – निर्णायक स्थिति में पहुँचाना |
| Example – The boss brought matters to a head by forcing him to work more. |
| Bring someone to book – सज़ा देना |
| Example – The police will bring the Chairman to book for fraud. |
| Bring the house down – ताली बजाकर ज़ोरदार प्रशंसा पाना |
| Example – The audience brought the house down over the magnificent performance of kailash kher. |
| Bring to light – किसी बात को लोगों की नजर में लाना |
| Example – Media is doing a good job in bringing the corrupt acts of politicians to light. |
| Broken reed – अविश्वासी व्यक्ति |
| Example – Don’t hand over such a big amount to him; he is a broken reed. |
| Build upon sand – अव्यावहारिक |
| Example – Though he has a lot of money, all his plans are built upon sand. |
| Bull in a China shop – कोई व्यक्ति जो अनियंत्रित और लापरवाह तरीके से व्यवहार करता है |
| Example – After two-three glasses of wine he becomes a bull in a china shop and spoils any party. |
| Burn one’s fingers – किसी काम की करने के प्रयास में खुद बुरा परिणाम भुगतना |
| Example – I tried to calm down the warring couple and burnt my fingers; they started accusing me. |
| Burn the boat – कोई ऐसा कार्य करना जिससे पुरानी स्थिति में लौटना मुश्किल हो जाए |
| Example – He is in financial difficulty but by cheating his friends and well- wishers he has burned his boat. |
| Burn the candle at both ends – देर तक काम करके थक जाना |
| Example – These days I have been burning the candle at both ends to complete my assignment on time. |
| Burn the midnight oil – देर रात तक जगकर कड़ी मेहनत करना |
| Example – These days I have been burning the burning the midnight oil to prepare for exams. |
| Burning question – ज्वलंत मुद्दा |
| Example – Corruption is a burning question of the day. |
| Butt of a joke – मजाक का विषय |
| Example – Rather than being known for their sagacity the politicians have become butt of a joke for their irresponsible statements. |
| Butter-fingers – चीजों को हमेशा गिराने वाला |
| Example – Don’t give him the glass; he has butter-fingers. |
| By a whisker – मश्किल से अंतिम क्षण में कर पाना |
| Example – India won the final match by a whisker. |
| By all accounts – जैसा कि कहा या बताया गया |
| Example – By all accounts, Mr. Kumar is an honest and straight forward officer. |
| By and large – आम रूप से |
| Example – By and Large the economy is growing but not the common man. |
| By fits and starts – कभी – कभार |
| Example – This book is getting long to complete, because I have been working on it by fits and starts. |
| By heart – पूरी तरह रट कर याद कर लेना |
| Example – Get these questions by heart; they are going to be asked in the examination. |
| By hook or by crook – सही या गलत किसी भी तरीके से |
| Example – This project is so important for the company that it wants to get it done by hook or by crook. |
| By leaps and bounds – काफी तेजी से |
| Example – Till a few years back, the IT sector had been growing by leaps and bounds. |
| By the book – नियमों का पूरी तरह पालन करते हुए |
| Example – Businessmen usually feel that they cannot earn profit if they go by the book. |
| By the same token – उसी तरीके से |
| Example – I regard my work to be everything; by the same token, teaching is my life. |
| By the skin of one’s teeth – मुश्किल से कर पाना |
| Example – The opposition candidate was equally strong and the leader could manage to win the election by the skin of his teeth. |
| Back to the wall – मुश्किल परिस्थिति जिसमें विकल्प सीमित हो |
| Example – When armed forces entered the building the militants had their backs to the wall. |
| Barking up the wrong tree – गलत दिशा में आगे बढ़ना |
| Example – The police were barking up the wrong tree by interrogating the boss 0f the company. |
| Be down with – सहमत होना, में रुचि होना |
| Example – He is so down with online gaming that he won’t ask for any thing if you provide him a good phone. |
| Bear in mind – किसी चीज़ के बारे में सोचना |
| Example – Before wasting resources, you should bear in mind where they come from. |
| Bear up with – झेलना, सहन करना |
| Example – I was not able to bear up with his stupidity; so I decided to keep myself aloof. |
| Best thing since sliced bread – उत्तम विकल्प |
| Example – Visiting Goa every December is the best thing since sliced bread for many of the Indian tourists. |
| Beggars can’t be choosers – मांगने वाले को चुनने का अधिकार नहीं होता |
| Example – I didn’t complain about the device as I got it for free and beggars can’t be choosers. |
| Bed of roses – आसान परिस्थिति |
| Example – Facing your opposition in the final is not going to be a bed of roses. |
| Between scylla and charybdis – दो ख़राब परिस्थितियों के बीच. |
| Example – He is really between Scylla and charybdis; so he needs some good advice. |
| Black ox – दुर्भाग्य सूचक संकेत |
| Example – Meeting him at the start of my preparation proved to be a black ox. |
| Be in the red – कर्ज में होना |
| Example – Farmers in the country are in the red because of insufficient subsidies provided by the government. |
| Be a dab hand at something – किसी क्षेत्र में निपुण होना |
| Example – Rahul Dravid is a dab hand at handling any pressure situation on cricket field. |
| Break a lance with – किसी से किसी चीज के खिलाफ बहस करना |
| Example – You should not break a lance with him on the topics you don’t know much about. |
| Break priscian’s head – ख़राब व्याकरण का उपयोग करना |
| Example – It is difficult not to break priscian’s head while speaking English. |
| Button one’s lips – मुँह बंद रखना |
| Example – You should have buttoned your lip on the controversial issue. |
| Beyond the pale – अनुचित एवं अस्वीकार्य |
| Example – Your behaviour with your teacher was beyond the pale. |
| Butt in – खलल डालना |
| Example – I’m sorry to butt in, but I have a doubt that should be made clear. |
| Birds of a feather flock together – एक प्रवृत्ति के लोग एक ही जगह इकड्ठा होते हैं |
| Example – All the online game lovers become comfortable among themselves soon as it is well said ‘birds of a feather flock together’. |
| Burst one’s bubble – किसी को वापस सत्य से परिचित कराना |
| Example – He had an inflated opinion about his knowledge, but the examination burst his bubble. |
| Bad hats – दुष्ट व्यक्ति जो जानबूझकर परेशानी पैदा करता है |
| Example – If you have bad hats in your class, it will never run smoothly. |
| Bone of contention – झगड़ा या विवाद का कारण |
| Example – Kashmir has always been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. |
| Bury the hatchet – पुरानी दुश्मनी भुला देना |
| Example – Let’s bury the hatchet and work together to get this project done. |
| Blind to – अनजान |
| Example – He was blind to the fact that his rude behaviour is turning his well-wishers off |
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