[beyond the shadow of a doubt]{adv. phr.}, {formal and legal}Absolutely certain, totally convincing. •/Fred burglarized Mrs. Brown’sapartment, beyond the shadow of a doubt./

[bib] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER.

[bide one’s time]{v. phr.} To await an opportunity; wait patientlyuntil your chance comes. •/Refused work as an actor, Tom turned to other workand bided his time./ •/Jack was hurt deeply, and he bided his time forrevenge./

[bid fair]{v.}, {literary} To seem likely; promise. •/He bidsfair to be a popular author./ •/The day bids fair to be warm./

[big] See: IN A BIG WAY, LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND, LITTLE PITCHERS HAVEBIG EARS, TALK BIG, TOO BIG FOR ONE’S BREECHES, WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA.

[big as life] or [large as life] {adj. phr.} 1. or [life-size]The same size as the living person or thing. •/The statue of Jefferson wasbig as life./ •/The characters on the screen were life-size./ 2. or[big as life and twice as natural] {informal} In person; real andliving. •/I had not seen him for years, but there he was, big as life andtwice as natural./

[big cheese] or [big gun] or [big shot] or [big wheel] or[big wig] {n.}, {slang} An important person; a leader; a highofficial; a person of high rank. •/Bill had been a big shot in highschool./ •/John wanted to be the big cheese in his club./ Compare: WHOLECHEESE.

[big daddy]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} The most important,largest thing, person or animal in a congregation of similar persons, animals,or objects. •/The whale is the big daddy of everything that swims in theocean./ •/The H-bomb is the big daddy of all modern weapons./ •/AlCapone was the big daddy of organized crime in Chicago during Prohibition./

[big deal]{interj.}, {slang}, {informal} (loud stress on theword "deal") Trifles; an unimportant, unimpressive thing or matter. •/So youbecame college president — big deal!/

[big frog in a small pond]{n. phr.}, {informal} An importantperson in a small place or position; someone who is respected and honored in asmall company, school, or city; a leader in a small group. •/As companypresident, he had been a big frog in a small pond, but he was not so importantas a new congressman in Washington./ Contrast: LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND.

[bigger than one’s stomach] See: EYES BIGGER THAN ONE’S STOMACH.

[big hand]{n.} Loud and enthusiastic applause. •/When Pavarottifinished singing the aria from Rigoletto, he got a very big hand./

[big head]{n.}, {informal} Too high an opinion of your own abilityor importance; conceit. •/When Jack was elected captain of the team, it gavehim a big head./ Compare: SWELLED HEAD.

[big house]{n.} A large jail or prison. •/The rapist will spend manyyears in the big house./

[big lie, the]{n.}, {informal} A major, deliberatemisrepresentation of some important issue made on the assumption that a bold,gross lie is psychologically more believable than a timid, minor one. •/Weall heard the big lie during the Watergate months./ •/The pretense ofdemocracy by a totalitarian regime is part of the big lie about itsgovernment./

[big mouth] or [big-mouthed] See: LOUD MOUTH, LOUD-MOUTHED.

[big shot] or [big wig] {n.} An important or influential person.•/Elmer is a big shot in the State Assembly./

[big stink]{n.}, {slang} A major scandal; a big upheaval. •/I’llraise a big stink if they fire me./

[big time]{n.}, {informal} 1. A very enjoyable time at a party orother pleasurable gathering. •/I certainly had a big time at the club lastnight./ 2. The top group; the leading class; the best or most importantcompany. •/After his graduation from college, he soon made the big time inbaseball./ •/Many young actors go to Hollywood, but few of them reach thebig time./

[big-time]{adj.} Belonging to the top group; of the leading class;important. •/Jean won a talent contest in her home town, and only a yearlater she began dancing on big-time television./ •/Bob practices boxing inthe gym every day; he wants to become a big time boxer./ — Often used in thephrase "big-time operator". •/Just because Bill has a new football uniform hethinks he is a big-time operator./ Compare: SHOW OFF. Contrast: SMALL-TIME.

[big top]{n.} The main tent under which a circus gives its show; thecircus and circus life. •/Lillian Leitzel was one of the great stars of thebig top./ •/The book tells of life under the big top./

[big wheel]{n.}, {informal} An influential or important person whohas the power to do things and has connections in high places. •/UncleFerdinand is a big wheel in Washington; maybe he can help you with yourproblem./

[big yawn]{n.} A very boring person, story or event. •/I love mygrandma very much, but the stories she tells sure are a yawn./

[bill] See: CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH, FILL THE BILL.

[bind] See: DUTY BOUND, IN A BIND, MUSCLE BOUND, ROOT-BOUND.

[bingo card]{n.}, {slang} A response card, bound into aperiodical, containing numbers keyed to editorial or advertising matter, givingthe reader the opportunity to send for further information by marking thenumbers of the items he is interested in; such a card can be mailed free ofcharge. •/Jack thinks he is saving time by filling out bingo cards instead ofwriting a letter./

[bird] See: EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM or EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM, EATLIKE A BIRD, FINE FEATHERS DO NOT MAKE FINE BIRDS, FOR THE BIRDS, KILL TWOBIRDS WITH ONE STONE.

[bird has flown]{slang} The prisoner has escaped; the captive has gotaway. •/When the sheriff returned to the jail, he discovered that the birdhad flown./

[bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (a)] Something we have, or caneasily get, is more valuable than something we want that we may not be able toget; we shouldn’t risk losing something sure by trying to get something that isnot sure. — A proverb. •/Johnny has a job as a paperboy, but he wants a jobin a gas station. His father says that a bird in the hand is worth two in thebush./

[bird of a different feather]{n. phr.} A person who is free thinkingand independent. •/Syd won’t go along with recent trends in grammar; hecreated his own. He is a bird of a different feather./

[birds of a feather flock together] People who are alike often becomefriends or are together; if you are often with certain people, you may be theirfriends or like them. — A proverb. •/Don’t be friends with bad boys. Peoplethink that birds of a feather flock together./

[birds and the bees (the)]{n. phr.}, {informal} The facts weshould know about our birth. •/At various ages, in response to questions, achild can be told about the birds and the bees./

[bird watcher]{n.} A person whose hobby is to study birds close-up intheir outdoor home. •/A bird watcher looks for the first robin to appear inthe spring./

[birthday suit]{n.} The skin with no clothes on; complete nakedness.•/The little boys were swimming in their birthday suits./

[bit] See: A BIT, CHAMP AT THE BIT, FOUR BITS, QUITE A LITTLE or QUITE ABIT, SIX BITS, TAKE THE BIT IN ONE’S MOUTH, TWO BITS.