B
Idioms beginning with "B"
Part of speech, explanation, example sentences, pronunciation
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Contents of B:
[by the piece] {adv. phr.}
Counted one piece at a time, separately for each single piece.
John bought boxes full of bags of potato chips and sold them by the piece.
Mary made potholders and got paid by the piece.
[by the skin of one's teeth] {adv. phr.}
By a narrow margin; with no room to spare; barely.
The drowning man struggled, and I got him to land by the skin of my teeth.
She passed English by the skin of her teeth.
Compare: [SQUEAK THROUGH], […]
[by the sweat of one's brow] {adv. phr.}
By hard work; by tiring effort; laboriously.
Even with modern labor-saving machinery, the farmer makes his living by the sweat of his brow.
[by the way] also [by the bye] {adv. phr.}
Just as some added fact or news; as something else that I think of. — Used to introduce something related to the general subject, or brought to mind by it.
* /We shall expect you; by the way, dinner will be at […]
[by turns] {adv. phr.}
First one and then another in a regular way; one substituting for or following another according to a repeated plan.
On the drive to Chicago, the three men took the wheel by turns.
The teachers were on duty by turns.
* […]
[by virtue of] also [in virtue of] {prep.}
On the strength of; because of; by reason of.
By virtue of his high rank and position, the President takes social leadership over almost everyone else.
* /Plastic bags are useful for holding many kinds of […]
[by way of] {prep.}
1. For the sake or purpose of; as.
By way of example, he described his own experience.
2. Through; by a route including; via.
He went from New York to San Francisco by way of Chicago.