25-letter words containing b, h
- make short work of sb/sth — If you make short work of someone or something, you deal with them or defeat them very quickly.
- massachusetts bay company — a company, chartered in England in 1629 to establish a colony on Massachusetts Bay, that founded Boston in 1630.
- never do things by halves — If you say that someone never does things by halves, you mean that they always do things very thoroughly.
- no disrespect (to sb/sth) — You can say 'no disrespect to someone or something' when you are just about to criticize them, in order to indicate that you are not hostile towards them or admire them for other things.
- northern corn-leaf blight — northern leaf blight.
- nothing to choose between — (of two people or objects) almost equal
- off-balance sheet reserve — a sum of money or an asset that should appear on a company's balance but does not; hidden reserve
- on the big/small etc side — If you say that something is on the small side, you are saying politely that you think it is slightly too small. If you say that someone is on the young side, you are saying politely that you think they are slightly too young.
- portable network graphics — (file format) /ping/ (PNG) An extensible file format for the lossless, portable, well-compressed storage of raster images. PNG provides a patent-free replacement for GIF and can also replace many common uses of TIFF. Indexed-colour, greyscale and truecolour images are supported, plus an optional alpha channel. Sample depths range from 1 to 16 bits. PNG is designed for on-line viewing applications, such as the World Wide Web, so it is fully streamable with a progressive display option. PNG is robust, providing both full file integrity checking and simple detection of common transmission errors. Also, PNG can store gamma correction and chromaticity data for improved colour matching on heterogeneous platforms.
- put sb/sth/swh on the map — If you say that someone or something put a person, thing, or place on the map, you approve of the fact that they made it become well-known and important.
- raise (or lower) the bar — raise (or lower) the standard of judgment
- rehabilitation department — a government department set up after World War II to assist ex-servicemen
- ruby-throated hummingbird — a small hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, the only hummingbird of eastern North America, having metallic-green upper plumage and a bright red throat in the male.
- saddle block (anesthesia) — a method of spinal anesthesia, often used during obstetric delivery, that produces anesthesia in that area of the body that would be in contact with a saddle during horseback riding
- tess of the d'urbervilles — a novel (1891) by Thomas Hardy.
- the ball is in sb's court — If you say that the ball is in someone's court, you mean that it is his or her responsibility to take the next action or decision in a situation.
- the ball is in your court — you are obliged to make the next move
- the calm before the storm — You can use the calm before the storm to refer to a quiet period in which there is little or no activity, before a period in which there is a lot of trouble or intense activity.
- the empire state building — a very high skyscraper in New York City
- the knives are out for sb — If a lot of people want something unpleasant to happen to someone, for example if they want them to lose their job, you can say that the knives are out for that person.
- the length and breadth of — If you say that someone does something or something happens throughout or across the length and breadth of a place, you are emphasizing that it happens everywhere in that place.
- thermodynamic equilibrium — the condition of an isolated system in which the quantities that specify its properties, such as pressure, temperature, etc, all remain unchanged
- throw one's weight behind — If you throw your weight behind a person, plan, or campaign, you use all your influence and do everything you can to support them.
- to be better than nothing — If you say that something is better than nothing, you mean that it is not what is required, but that it is better to have that thing than to have nothing at all.
- to be in the catbird seat — to be in a very good situation
- to be in the driving seat — If you say that someone is in the driving seat, you mean that they are in control in a situation.
- to be living proof that … — to show that
- to be on the front burner — to be of the highest priority
- to be on the naughty step — to experience public disfavour, usually because of perceived wayward behaviour
- to kiss something goodbye — If you say that you kiss something goodbye or kiss goodbye to something, you accept the fact that you are going to lose it, although you do not want to.
- to read between the lines — If you read between the lines, you understand what someone really means, or what is really happening in a situation, even though it is not said openly.
- touch/cover all the bases — If someone touches all the bases or covers the bases, they deal with everyone or everything involved in a situation.
- tribasic sodium phosphate — sodium phosphate (def 3).
- under the aegis of sb/sth — Something that is done under the aegis of a person or organization is done with their official support and backing.
- what is sb/sth doing here — If you ask what someone or something is doing in a particular place, you are asking why they are there.