| A | B |
|---|
| to build castles in the air | to day-dream |
| the apple of one's eye | a favoured person |
| to recieve with open arms | to welcome cordially |
| to take up arms | to go to war |
| to keep a person at arm's length | to avoid being too fimilar with a person |
| to have an axe to grind | to have something to gain by an action |
| to back out | to withdraw from an agreement |
| to have no backbone | to have no will of one's own |
| a bad egg | a worthless person |
| to keep the ball rolling | to keep things going |
| like a bear with a sore head | very bad-tempered |
| to beat about the bush | to talk in a roundabout way |
| to have a bee in one's bonnet | to have a crazy idea |
| to talk behind one's back | to talk without one's knowing |
| to bell the cat | to do something which is very dangerous |
| to hit below the belt | to act unfairly towards an opponent |
| to be in black and white | to write it down on paper |
| in cold blood | deliberate |
| blood is thicker than water | one usually takes the side of one's relation |
| in the same boat | in the same cicumstances |
| to have a bone to pick | to have something to say which may leads to a quarrel |
| a book worm | a person who always reads |
| one's bread and butter | one's livelihood |
| to make a clean breast of | to confess all |
| to kick the bucket | to die |
| to nip in the bud | to stop something before it can develop |
| a red rag to a bull | something which angers a person |
| a bull in a china shop | a clumsy person |
| to take the bull by the horns | to meet difficulties or danger boldly |
| to bury the hatchet | to forget the past and be friends again |
| to burn the candles at both ends | to use too much energy |
| to paddle your own canoe | to do things yourself |
| to carry weight | to be important |
| to put the cart before the horse | to do things the wrong way round |
| to let the cat out of the bag | to let out the secret |
| a wild-cat scheme | a rash scheme which will probably fail |
| a cat on hot bricks | very nervous |
| a cat and dog live | always quarelling |
| to rain cats and dogs | to rain heavily |
| chicken-hearted | weak and cowardly |
| a chip of the old block | very like father |
| to pick and choose | to choose very carefully |
| to cut your coat according to your cloth | to spend what you can afford |
| a cock and bull story | a silly and incredible story |
| to be cock-sure | to be very certain |
| to shed crocodile tears | to shed false tears |
| by hook or by crook | by fair or foul means |
| a dare-devil | a brave and reckless person |
| to make a day of it | to spend the whole day |
| to win the day | to be victorious |
| dead broke | without a cent |
| to be a dog in a manger | to prevent others from having what is useless to oneself |
| a dog with two tails | a person who is extremly pleased |
| donkey work | work needing no skill |
| Dutch courage | false courage |
| at the eleventh hour | at he last moment |
| eye-wash | deceit |
| to fall upon | to attack |
| to play a second fiddle | to be unimportant |
| to take to ones heels | to run away at great speed |
