| be absorbed in | (=be engrossed[immersed] in) | ~에 열중하다 |
|---|---|---|
| I was absorbed in a computer game and didn't hear you call. | ||
| be anxious about | (=be uneasy about) | 근심하다 |
| be anxious to+동사=be anxious for+명사 | (=be eager for) | 갈망하다 |
| People are naturally anxious about their health. I'm anxious to be a lawyerWe're all anxious for peace. | ||
| be apt to | (=be liable to, be likely to) | ~하기 쉽다, ~할 것 같다 |
| These shoes are apt to slip on wet ground. | ||
| be bound to+동사 | (=be certain to) | 반드시 ~하다 |
| be bound for+명사 | (=be going in a certain direction) | ~으로 향하다 |
| He lacks competitive spirit, so he is bound to lose. Their first meeting was on a plane which was bound for Moscow. | ||
| be capable of | (=be able to) | ~ 할 능력이 있다. |
| Do you think he is capable of lifting 200 pounds? | ||
| be due to+명사 | (=be caused by) | ~에 기인하다 |
| be due to+동사 | (=be expected to) | ~할 예정이다 |
| due to | (=owing to) | ~ 때문에 |
| The accident was due to his careless driving. | ||
| The President is due to make a speech on television this evening. | ||
| He had no choice but to quit his job due to bad health. | ||
| be forced to | (=be obliged to, be compelled to) | ~하지 않을 수 없다 |
| We were all forced to comply with his request. | ||
| be in charge of | (=be responsible for) | ~을 책임지다 |
| Officer John Cooper will be in charge of this investigation. | ||
| be in the way | (=cause inconvenience) | ~에 방해되다 |
| I can't get past; that suitcase is in the way. | ||
| be worse off | (=be poor) | 궁핍하다 |
| be well off | (=be rich) | 유복하다 |
| He seems to be worse off these days. | ||
| He used to be as poor as could be, but he is well off now. | ||
| be inclined to | (=be disposed to; tend to) | ~하고 싶어하다; ~하는 경향이 있다. |
| I'm inclined to agree with what you were saying in the meeting. | ||
| I'm inclined to get tired easily. | ||
| be up to | (=do something bad; depend on) | (나쁜 일을) 꾸미다; ~ 에 달려 있다. |
| When he's quiet like this, I know he's up to something. | ||
| It's up to you whether to go or not. | ||
| beat around the bush | (=approach indirectly) | 말을 빙빙 돌리다 |
| I wish you'd stop beating around the bush and tell me what you really want. | ||
| beat up | (=strike repeatedly) | (상습적으로) 때리다 |
| She told the police that her husband had beaten her up. | ||
| behind the times | (=old-fashioned) | 시대에 뒤떨어진 |
| Her ideas about raising children are behind the times. | ||
| believe it or not | (=something is very surprising but true) | 믿지 않겠지만 |
| I asked my boss for a month's holiday and, believe or not, he agreed! | ||
| beside oneself | (=very upset or excited) | (흥분․노여움 등으로) 제 정신이 아닌 |
| He was beside himself with rage when he saw the mess. | ||
| between you and me | (=in confidence, between ourselves) | 우리끼리 얘긴데 |
| Between you and me, I think she's pregnant. | ||
| break away | (=escape from someone or something) | 달아나다, 벗어나다 |
| Two policeman were holding him, but he managed to break away. | ||
| break into | (=enter by force) | 침입하다 |
| He was arrested on suspicion of breaking into a house and committing a burglary. | ||
| break out | (=occur suddenly) | 갑자기 발생하다 |
| A fire broke out on the top floor of the building. | ||
| break up | (=disperse, scatter; split up) | 해산시키다; 헤어지다 |
| The police broke up the demonstrationWe broke up in March. | ||
| bring about | (=cause to happen) | 발생시키다, 야기하다 |
| This crisis has been brought about by the stupidity of our politicians. | ||
| bring home to | (=cause one to realize) | ~을 절실히 느끼게 하다 |
| Her death brought home to me the sorrow of life. | ||
| bring up | (=raise, rear) | 키우다, 양육하다 |
| Bringing up children is both difficult and rewarding. | ||
| burst into+명사, burst out ~ing | (=begin suddenly) | 갑자기 ~하다 |
| When she saw him, she burst into tears. | ||
| I burst out laughing when I saw his funny outfit. | ||
| by all means | (=in every possible way) | 어떤 일이 있어도 |
| I plan to make use of this opportunity by all means. | ||
| by degrees | (=gradually) | 점차로 |
| The economy seems to be improving by degrees. | ||
| by leaps and bounds | (=very rapidly and greatly) | 급속도로 |
| His business has grown by leaps and bounds. | ||
| by turns | (=in rotation, one after the other, alternately) | 교차로 |
| On the drive to Chicago, the three men took the wheel by turns. | ||
| by virtue of | (=because of, as a result of) | ~ 때문에, ~의 결과로 |
| He succeeded by virtue of his tenacity rather than his talent. | ||
| back on one’s feet | financially or physically healthy again. | 다시 자립하다 |
| Since sales improved, he is doing better and he’s getting back on his feet. | ||
17. back out of | withdraw, end an obligation or promise. I made a deal with my friend to help him at work. When I became too busy, I had to back out of it. 18. back to the drawing board | rethink an idea, need to start over. When my supervisor told me that our idea would not work, we had to go back to the drawing board to come up with something else. 19. backbone | courage. He has no backbone because he was afraid to reprimand her. 20. backseat driver | passenger who tells you how to drive. I’ll never drive Joe to the airport again. He kept on wanting me to take another road which I knew was wrong. He is such a backseat driver. 21. bail one out | help. Thanks for picking me up when my car broke down. You really bailed me out of a bad situation. 22. ballpark figure | approximate amount. When I asked the contractor how much it would be to remodel the kitchen, he gave me a ballpark figure. 23. bang for the buck | value for the money spent. Newspaper advertising works well for us because we get the best bang for the buck. 24. bank on it | be sure of, count on. I’ll be there to help you. You can bank on it. 25. banker’s hours | short work hours. He loves his job because on Friday, he gets to work banker’s hours. 26. bark up the wrong tree | make a wrong choice or a false assumption. If he thinks that I’m going to help him paint his house, well he’s barking up the wrong tree. 27. bat a thousand | have a perfect record. He is so happy that everyone he invited to the party is coming. He’s batting a thousand. 28. bat an eyelash | show emotion. He was filled with emotion during his speech, but she didn’t bat an eyelash. 29. bawl out | reprimand. The team was bawled out after they lost the game. 30. be beside one’s self | be very upset. I was so mad when I heard that she was making up stories about me that I was beside myself. 31. beat around the bush | avoid giving a clear answer. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings and tell him that he wasn’t selected for the team. So when he asked me if I had any information, I basically beat around the bush. 32. beat someone to the punch | do something before someone else can. She was going to buy the last red dress that the store had, but I beat her to the punch and bought it first. 33. beat the rap | escape punishment. There was not enough evidence to convict him, so he beat the rap and was set free. 34. behind the 8-ball | in trouble. My department is late on its deadline. We are behind the 8-ball. 35. bend over backwards | try very hard. He’ll bend over backwards to help any of his friends. 36. bide one’s time | wait patiently for the right opportunity. I’m just going to bide my time. I know that eventually a position will open. 37. big shot | important person. Since he was given a promotion, he’s been acting like a big shot. 38. big stink | an angry and loud complaint. She made a big stink when her meal was served cold. 39. birds and bees - facts about sex and birth. The girl’s mother told her daughter about the birds and the bees during the summer holidays. 40. bit off more than one can chew | trying to do more than one can physically and mentally handle. I told her I would help her in her job, but it seems that’s all I’ve been doing lately. I think I bit off more than I could chew. 41. bite one’s tongue | keep oneself from speaking. I had to bite my tongue in order not to tell him that he won the raffle. 42. bite the dust | die, disappear. Our old TV didn’t work yesterday. I guess it finally bit the dust. 43. blab | talk too much. She is always blabbing about her supervisor’s personal life to her friends. 44. blabbermouth | person who talks too much and tells secrets. He is such a blabbermouth that there is no way Bob will be surprised for his party. 45. black sheep | a family member with a bad reputation. John’s way of life is so different from all of ours. He is known as the black sheep of the family. 46. blind date | a date arranged for two people who don’t know each other. Many married couples have met on a blind date. 47. blow it | lose a chance, make a mistake. I knew I blew it when I forgot my lines in the play. 48. blow over | end, pass. She knew her coworkers will eventually forget how she messed up the filing system in the office. She couldn’t wait for the incident to blow over. 49. blow the whistle | expose, betray. I just found out that he’s been stealing from our company for the past year. I don’t want it to continue and I’ve decided to blow the whistle. 50. boil down | make shorter, condense. This whole complicated situation just boils down to something simple…it’s either a yes or a no. 51. bomb | fail, be unsuccessful. The whole cast was very sad that the show bombed on Broadway. 52. bone to pick with someone | complaint, argument. I heard that you have rejected my proposal. I’m upset and have a bone to pick with you. 53. boob tube | television set. What is on the boob tube tonight? 54. bookworm | person who reads a lot. The library is the perfect place for her to work because she is such a bookworm. 55. booze | liquor | They kept bottles of booze behind the bar. 56. botch up | make a mistake, ruin. I asked for her help with my watercolor painting. But when she decided to add some purple paint, I knew that she completely botched it up. 57. bottom line | end result, ultimate cause. He never practiced the piano, so the bottom line is, he can’t play very well. 58. bounce | not acceptable because of insufficient funds in the bank. If your check bounces, I will need to charge you extra money. 59. brain | intelligent person. She is such a brain, she will figure out how to solve the problem. 60. brainstorm | very smart idea. I have got a brainstorm! Let’s start giving out free samples of our products. 61. bread and butter - basic needs of life (food, shelter, clothing). The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes. 62. break one’s neck | try very hard. She broke her neck last night trying to finalize the proposal. 63. break the ice | overcome formality or shyness with others. He started the meeting by telling a joke. He was hoping the joke would break the ice. 64. break the news | tell a surprising fact. She broke the news and told him that she was going to move to another city. 65. break up | separate. They needed to break up their engagement because she fell in love with someone else. 66. break even | have expenses equal to profits. The company did not make a profit this year. We just broke even. 67. breathe a word | tell. Please don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. 68. breeze | easy. Last night’s homework was a breeze. 69. bring home the bacon | earn the family’s income. He stays home and raises the children and she brings home the bacon. 70. broke | having no money. I can’t go to the restaurant tonight because I’m broke. 71. brown bag | bring one’s lunch from home. For the meeting on Friday, we’ve all decided to brown bag it. 72. buck | dollar. I’m low this week on cash. Can I borrow a few bucks to get me through the week? 73. buckle down | study or work very hard. Last semester his grades were very low, so this year he decided to buckle down. 74. buddy-buddy | very friendly. She’s gotten to be very buddy-buddy with her boss. 75. bug | annoy, bother. It bugs me every time he asks to borrow a pencil. 76. bulldoze | intimidate, coerce. I did not want to work on the fundraising committee, but I feel I was bulldozed into it 77. bum | worthless person. As long as I have known him, he never worked and always borrowed from other people. He is such a bum! 78. burn a hole in one’s pocket | money to be spent quickly. The bonus he received must have burned a hole in his pocket. He ended up buying a car the next day. 79. bury the hatchet | make peace. Although we had gotten into a big fight last month, we decided to bury the hatchetand become friends again. 80. butt in | interfere. Please don’t butt in to our conversation, it’s personal. 81. butter up | flatter for selfish reasons. I buttered up my boss before I asked him off for the upcoming holiday. 82. by hook or by crook | by any means necessary. Even though we have to fly to get to your wedding, we will be there by hook or by crook. 83. by the skin of one’s teeth | by a very small margin. Our team won by the skin of our teeth.