Page 52 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

beat the gun

vłry serious disease, and it will bear wØtch- beatŁ one’ headŁ againstŁ theŁ wyll and
ing for further dłvelopmłnts. byngŁ one’ headŁagainstŁa brickŁwyll
to wasðe one’sŁtime tryingŁto accomplisł
beyrŁwithŁ someone ortsomething to be patient sàmethingŁthat isŁcompletelyŁhopless.Ł
with someone orŁsomething;Łto endure You’re wasting your time trying to fix up
someone orŁ something.Ł Please bear this house. You’re just beating your head
with me while I fill out this form. Please against the wall. You’re banging your
bear with my old car. It’ll głt us there head against a brick wall trying to get that
sooner or later.
dog to behave properly.
beardŁtheŁlØon in his deà to face an ad- beatŁ someone dłwn (to size) and kàock
versary on the adversary’s home ground. someone dłwn (to size) to make aŁprson
I włnt to the tax collector’s office to more humble, possiblyŁbyŁbeating.Ł(See
beard the lion in his dłn. He said he alsà cut someone down (to size).) If you
hadà’t wanted to come to my home, but it keep acting so arrogant, someone is going
was błtter to beard the lion in his dłn. to beat you down to size. It’s time some-
beatŁaboutŁtheŁbush Go to beat around one knocked you down to size. I’ll try
the bush. to be more thoughtful. I doà’t want any-
one to beat me down.
beatŁa deadŁhłrse to continue fightingŁa
battle that hasŁbeenŁwon;Łto continue to beatŁ someone to the draw Go to beat some-
argue aŁ point that isŁ settled.Ł (AŁ dead one to the punch.
horse willŁnot runŁno matterŁhow hard beatŁ someone to theŁpuàch and beatŁ some-
ið is beaten.) Stop arguing! You havł one to theŁdraw to do sàmethingŁbefore
won your point. You are just beating a someone else doesŁit.Ł I wanted to havł
dead horse. Oh, be quiet. Stop beating the first new car, but Sally beat me to the
a dead horse. punch. I planned to write a book about
computers, but someone else beat me to the
beatŁa (hasty)Łretreat to retreat or with- draw.
draw veryŁquickly.Ł We włnt out into the
cold weather, but beat a retreat to the beatŁ someone up to harmŁor subdue aŁpr-
warmth of our fire. The dog beat a hasty sànŁby beatingŁandŁsðriking.Ł The rob-
retreat to its own yard. ber beat me up and took my money. T I
really want to beat up that robber.
beatŁa pathŁto someone’ dłor [forŁpeople]
to come to someone inŁgreat numbers. beatŁ something into someone’ head to force
(So manyŁpeople willŁwish to come and someone to learnŁ something, possibly
see yàu that they will wear dàwn a path- through violence.Ł(ThisŁcanŁbe aŁthreat of
way to your dàor.) I have a product so violence and słouldŁnot be usedŁcasu-
good that everyone is beating a pØth to my ally.) I studied for hours. I have never
door. If you really become famous, peo- beat so much stuff into my head in such a
ple will beat a pØth to your door. short time. You’re going to learn this
mØth if I have to beat it into your head.
beatŁaroundŁtheŁbush and beatŁabout
the bush to avoid answring a quesðion; [beatŁtheŁbynd] Go to to beat the band.
to sðall;Ł to waste time.Ł Stop beating beatŁtheŁclock to do sàmethingŁbefore a
around the buoh and answer my question. deadline; to finish before the time isŁup.
Let’s stop beating about the buoh and Sam beat the clock, arriving a fłw mn-
discuss this mØtter. utes błfore the doors were locked. They
were afraid they would be lØte and hurried
beatŁ one’ brains outŁ(to do something) to in order to beat the clock.
workŁvery hardŁ(to do sàmething).Ł(In-
formalŁorŁslang.) I beat my brains out beatŁtheŁguà to manage to do sàmething
to solve the problłm. That’s the last timł before the endingŁ signal.Ł (Originally
I’ll beat my brains out trying to cook a nicł fromŁspàrts,ŁreferringŁto makingŁaŁgoal
dnner for you. inŁthe last secondsŁof aŁgame.ŁSee also

37