At someone’s elbow
Very close to someone
(बिल्कुल पास में)
Sentence: The teacher stood at someone’s elbow to guide him through the task.
At someone’s expense
In a way that harms or disadvantages someone; benefiting oneself while causing loss to another
(किसी और के खर्चे पर; किसी का नुकसान करके अपना फ़ायदा उठाना)
Sentence: He made jokes at someone’s expense to impress others.
At stake
At risk; in a position to be lost or won
(जोखिम में)
Sentence: His reputation is at stake in this important case.
At the drop of a hat (or dime) (12)
Immediately; without hesitation
(फ़ौरन; बिना पल गँवाए)
Sentence: She is ready to help at the drop of a hat.
At the end of one’s rope (or tether)
Having no more patience or strength left
(धैर्य की सीमा पर)
Sentence: I am at the end of my rope dealing with constant delays.
At the top of one’s lungs
As loudly as possible
(पूरी ताक़त से चिल्लाना)
Sentence: He shouted at the top of his lungs to call for help.
At variance with (2)
In disagreement or conflict with
(विरोध में या असहमत)
Sentence: His actions are at variance with his words.
Back in the saddle
Back in control or working again after a break
(छुट्टी के बाद वापसी)
Sentence: After a short break, she is back in the saddle and ready to work.
Back on one’s feet
Recovered and healthy or financially stable again
(तंदुरुस्त या स्थिर होना)
Sentence: After months of struggle, he is finally back on his feet.
Back to basics
A return to fundamental principles
(बुनियादी बातों पर लौटना)
Sentence: The coach advised the team to go back to basics.
Back to square one (5)
Back to the very beginning; having to start again
(फिर से शुरू)
Sentence: The plan failed, and we are back to square one.
Back to the drawing board (10)
Time to start planning again after a failure
(नए सिरे से सोचना; फिर से योजना बनाना)
Sentence: The idea didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Back-to-back
Happening one after another without a break
(एक के बाद एक; लगातार बिना रुके)
Sentence: He had back-to-back meetings all day.
Bad (or rotten) apple
A person who has a bad influence on others in a group
(बुरी संगत)
Sentence: One bad apple can spoil the entire team.
Bad blood (10)
Feelings of hatred or hostility between people
(आपसी दुश्मनी)
Sentence: There is bad blood between the two families.
Bag and baggage (4)
With all one’s belongings
(सारा सामान)
Sentence: He left the city bag and baggage after losing his job.
Bag of tricks
All the methods or resources available
(सभी संसाधन और तरीके)
Sentence: The magician used every trick in his bag of tricks to entertain the audience.
Banana oil
Nonsense; insincere flattery
(झूठी चापलूसी)
Sentence: Stop talking banana oil and be honest with me.
Bang for the buck (2)
Good value for money
(पैसा वसूल; पैसे की पूरी क़ीमत)
Sentence: This course gives great bang for the buck.
Bark up the wrong tree (13)
To make a wrong assumption or pursue a mistaken course
(गलत दिशा में प्रयास करना; गलत व्यक्ति को दोष देना)
Sentence: If you think I broke the window, you are barking up the wrong tree.
Batten down the hatches
To prepare for a difficult or dangerous situation
(मुश्किल के लिए तैयार होना)
Sentence: The villagers battened down the hatches before the storm arrived.
Be afraid of one’s own shadow
To be extremely timid or easily frightened
(बेहद डरपोक)
Sentence: He is so nervous, he seems afraid of his own shadow.
Be all ears (11)
Listening with full attention; very eager to hear
(पूरे ध्यान से सुनना)
Sentence: Tell me your story—I am all ears.
Be all eyes
Watching with full attention; very attentive
(पूरे ध्यान से देखना)
Sentence: The audience was all eyes as the magician began his act.
Be all one to someone (2)
Of no importance; making no difference
(कोई फ़र्क़ न पड़ना; कोई मायने न रखना)
Sentence: It is all one to me whether we go today or tomorrow.
Be floored
To be extremely surprised or shocked
(बेहद हैरान होना)
Sentence: I was completely floored by his unexpected success.
Be gifted with
To be naturally endowed with a talent or quality
(जन्मजात प्रतिभा)
Sentence: She is gifted with a beautiful voice.
Be glad to see the back of (4)
To be happy when someone leaves
(किसी के जाने से राहत महसूस करना)
Sentence: I’ll be glad to see the back of this stressful job.
Be going places (2)
To be on the path to success
(सफलता की सीढ़ियां चढ़ना)
Sentence: With his talent, he is definitely going places.
Be in troubled waters
To be in a difficult or problematic situation
(मुसीबत में होना)
Sentence: The company is in troubled waters after facing huge losses.
Be my guest
Used to give permission or invite someone to do something
(आपकी मर्ज़ी)
Sentence: “Can I use your phone?” “Be my guest.”
Be tied to someone’s apron strings
Excessively dependent on someone
(किसी पर अत्यधिक निर्भर होना)
Sentence: He is still tied to his mother’s apron strings.
Be under no illusion
To understand the true situation clearly
(हक़ीक़त से वाक़िफ़)
Sentence: She is under no illusion about the challenges ahead.
Bear a grudge (2)
To continue to feel angry or bitter about something
(पुरानी रंजिश रखना)
Sentence: He still bears a grudge against his former boss.
Bear fruit (3)
To produce positive results
(सफलता मिलना)
Sentence: Her hard work finally bore fruit.
Bear the brunt of (3)
To suffer the main force or worst part of something
(सबसे ज़्यादा तकलीफ़ झेलना)
Sentence: The villagers bore the brunt of the flood.
Bear the palm (5)
To win; to be victorious
(विजयी होना)
Sentence: She bore the palm in the final competition.
Beard the lion in his den
To confront a powerful or dangerous person on their own ground
(ताक़तवर को उसके घर में चुनौती देना)
Sentence: He dared to beard the lion in his den by questioning the powerful leader.
Beat a retreat (3)
To withdraw or run away, especially to avoid trouble
(ख़तरे से पीछे हटना)
Sentence: Seeing the police arrive, the thieves beat a retreat.
Beat about (or around) the bush (23)
To avoid talking about the main topic
(घुमा-फिराकर बात करना; मुख्य बात पर न आना)
Sentence: Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.
Beat one’s brains out (2)
To try very hard to think of or remember something
(दिमाग़ पर ज़ोर डालना)
Sentence: I beat my brains out trying to solve the puzzle.
Beat the air (2)
To make futile efforts; to struggle in vain
(व्यर्थ प्रयास)
Sentence: Without proper planning, your efforts will only beat the air.
Beat the band
To an extreme degree; exceedingly
(चरम सीमा तक; बेहद तेज़ी से)
Sentence: It was raining to beat the band all night.
Beat the clock
To finish something before a deadline
(समय सीमा में पूरा करना)
Sentence: We worked hard to beat the clock and submit the project on time.
Beat the drum for
To speak enthusiastically in support of something
(ज़ोर-शोर से प्रचार करना)
Sentence: He is always beating the drum for environmental protection.
Beat the rap (2)
To escape punishment or blame
(सज़ा से बच निकलना)
Sentence: The accused managed to beat the rap due to lack of evidence.
Beauty is only skin deep (2)
Physical beauty is superficial and does not reflect inner character
(भीतरी गुण बाहरी सुंदरता से बढ़कर होते हैं)
Sentence: Don’t judge people by looks—beauty is only skin deep.
Beggars description (2)
Too extreme or remarkable to describe
(वर्णन से परे; शब्दों में बयान न हो सके)
Sentence: The beauty of the mountains beggars description.
Beginner’s luck
Good luck experienced by a beginner
(शुरुआती क़िस्मत; नए व्यक्ति को मिली सफलता)
Sentence: He won the game on his first try—just beginner’s luck.
Behind closed doors (3)
In private; secretly
(गुप्त रूप से)
Sentence: The deal was discussed behind closed doors.