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[between the eyes] See: HIT BETWEEN THE EYES.

[between the lines] See: READ BETWEEN THE LINES.

[between two fires] See: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.

[between two shakes of a lamb’s tail] See: BEFORE ONE CAN SAY JACK ROBINSON.

[be up to no good]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be plotting and conniving to commit some illegal act or crime. •/"Let’s hurry!" Susan said to her husband. "It’s dark here and those hoodlums obviously are up to no good."/

[be up to something]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To feel strong enough or knowledgeable enough to accomplish a certain task. •/Are you up to climbing all the way to the 37th floor?/ •/Are we up to meeting the delegation from Moscow and speaking Russian to them?/ 2. Tendency to do something mischievous. •/I’m afraid Jack is up to one of his old tricks again./

[beyond measure]{adj.} or {adv. phr.}, {formal} So much that it can not be measured or figured without any limits. •/With her parents reunited and present at her graduation, she had happiness beyond measure./ •/No one envied him for he was popular beyond measure./

[beyond one’s depth]{adj.} or {adv. phr.} 1. Over your head in water; in water too deep to touch bottom. •/Jack wasn’t a good swimmer and nearly drowned when he drifted out beyond his depth./ 2. In or into something too difficult for you; beyond your understanding or ability. •/Bill decided that his big brother’s geometry book was beyond his depth./ •/Sam’s father started to explain the atom bomb to Sam but he soon got beyond his depth./ •/When Bill played checkers against the city champion, Bill was beyond his depth./ Compare: OVER ONE’S HEAD(1).

[beyond one’s means]{adj. phr.} Too expensive, not affordable. •/Unfortunately, a new Mercedes Benz is beyond my means right now./

[beyond one’s nose] See: SEE BEYOND ONE’S NOSE.

[beyond question(1)]{adj. phr.} Not in doubt certain; sure. — Used in the predicate. •/People always believe anything that Mark says; his honesty is beyond question./ Contrast: IN QUESTION.

[beyond question(2)] or [without question]{adv. phr.} Without doubt or argument; surely; unquestionably. •/Beyond question, it was the coldest day of the winter./ •/John’s drawing is without question the best in the class./

[beyond reasonable doubt]{adv. phr.}, {formal and legal} Virtually certain; essentially convincing. •/The judge instructed the jurors to come up with a verdict of guilty only if they were convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Algernon was the perpetrator./

[beyond the pale]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} In disgrace; with no chance of being accepted or respected by others; not approved by the members of a group. •/After the outlaw killed a man he was beyond the pale and not even his old friends would talk to him./ •/Tom’s swearing is beyond the pale; no one invites him to dinner any more./

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

[bib] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER.

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

[bid fair]{v.}, {literary} To seem likely; promise. •/He bids fair 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 HAVE BIG 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 was big as life./ •/The characters on the screen were life-size./ 2. or [big as life and twice as natural]{informal} In person; real and living. •/I had not seen him for years, but there he was, big as life and twice as natural./

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

[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 the ocean./ •/The H-bomb is the big daddy of all modern weapons./ •/Al Capone was the big daddy of organized crime in Chicago during Prohibition./

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

[big frog in a small pond]{n. phr.}, {informal} An important person in a small place or position; someone who is respected and honored in a small company, school, or city; a leader in a small group. •/As company president, he had been a big frog in a small pond, but he was not so important as 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 Pavarotti finished singing the aria from Rigoletto, he got a very big hand./

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