Accidentally on purpose
If you do something intentionally, but pretend it was an accident, you do it
'accidentally on purpose'.
I accidentally-on-purpose erased his email address so I couldn't contact him again.
Add fuel to the flames
If you add fuel to the flames, you say something that makes a difficult situation
worse.
He forgot their wedding anniversary, and his apologies only added fuel to the flames.
Answer the call of nature/nature's call
When a person answers the call of nature, they go to the toilet.
I had to get up in the middle of the night to answer the call of nature
Be all ears
To say that you are all ears means that you are listening very attentively.
Of course I want to know - I'm all ears!
Badger someone into doing something
If you badger someone into doing something, you persistently nag or pester them
until you obtain what you want.
Sophie badgered her parents into buying her a new computer.
Bare your heart (or soul) to someone
If you bare your heart or soul to someone, you reveal your innermost thoughts
and feelings to them.
John couldn't keep things to himself any longer. He decided to bare his soul
to his best friend.
Bark up the wrong tree.
A person who barks up the wrong tree is doing the wrong thing, because their
beliefs or ideas are incorrect or mistaken.
Beat a (hasty) retreat
Someone who beats a (hasty) retreat runs away or goes back hurriedly to avoid a
dangerous or difficult situation.
The thief beat a retreat as soon as he saw the security officer.
One's best bet
The action most likely to succeed is called one's best bet.
Your best bet would be to try calling him at home.
Blot one's copy book
Someone who blots their copy-book does something to spoil their good record or
reputation.
He blotted his copy-book when he was arrested for speeding.
Bide your time
If you bide your time, you wait for a good opportunity to do something.
He's not hesitating, he's just biding his time. He's waiting for the price to drop.
Binge drinking
This term refers to heavy drinking where large quantities of alcohol are drunk in a
short space of time, often among young people in rowdy groups
Binge drinking is becoming a major problem in some European countries.
Bite the hand that feeds you
If you bite the hand that feeds you, you are unfriendly or do harm to someone who
is kind to you.
Break every rule in the book.
If you behave in a completely unacceptable way, you break every rule in the book.
Our competitors obtained the contract by breaking every rule in the book.
