bad quarter of an hour—a brief but disagreeable and unnerving period: He had a very bad quarter of an hour. I never knew a man have such hard luck at cards. good quarter of an hour—not less than a quarter of an hour: He spoke for a good quarter of an hour, walking me through […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Bad news vs What’s the bad news
bad news—(U.S. coll.) said of things, people, or places that are unpleasant or undesirable: Milly these days was plain bad news. Her fascination had evaporated. what’s the bad news—(U.S. joc.) what do I owe: After the clerk had run up all of the clothing Meg had selected, her mother nervously asked what the bad news […]
Bad mouth vs Foul mouth
bad mouth— 1. a curse or spell: I have known of people that have had the record of saying that they could put a bad mouth on you. 2. malicious gossip: Companies don’t want people telling their friends about shoddy products. Word of badmouth can kill them. 3. a person who speaks ill of people: […]
Bad money drives out good vs Bad penny always turns up
bad money drives out good —(saying ) worthless people or things supplant more valuable: The drain of human resources is one example where “bad money drives out good.” Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase throw good money after bad—waste more money or supplies in hopes of recouping previous losses: Creating […]
Bad money vs Bad penny
bad money—a forged currency: “To ring the changes” in low life means to change bad money for good. Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase good money— 1. money that is genuine, not counterfeit: They’ve got some good money, as well as bogus notes. 2. a fairly large amount of […]
Bad loser vs Two-time loser
bad loser—a person who loses a game in poor spirit: We could say Rhydian was a bad loser, but then again we could say that Leon was a bad winner. two-time loser— 1. a contestant who loses twice: “Two-time nominee” sounds so much nicer than the alternative—twotime loser—doesn’t it? 2. (sl.) a twice-convicted criminal: Madill […]
the Badlands vs Badlands
Badlands, the—(U.S.) the barren waste region in South Dakota: Until recently, buffalo had roamed the Badlands. badlands—barren terrain where soils have been eroded by wind and water: Ground is carved by rain-wash producing an almost impassable surface generally referred to as “badlands.”
Bad boy vs Bad man
bad boy—(also: Peck’s bad boy) 1. an unruly or mischievous child: He was not a bad boy, but he did have one problem: he refused to brush his teeth. 2. an adult person defying the accepted moral or artistic conventions: Michael was the bad boy who stole Tara’s heart and eloped with her. bad man— […]
Bad blood vs Fresh blood
bad blood—enmity or bitterness among individuals or groups of people: He likewise said that prior to July 14, there was no bad blood between him and the victim. fresh blood—new members of a group who are likely to have new ideas: It has been nine years since the last Supreme Court vacancy, and the court […]
Bad apple vs Bad egg
bad apple—(coll.) a single bad person in a group (also: rotten apple): Maybe she was the bad apple of the department, so I made an appointment to meet with another woman. bad egg—(coll.) a bad or despised individual (also: rotten egg ): Billy was a bad egg and spent most of his time trying to […]
Backwoodsman vs Woodsman
backwoodsman— 1. a settler in the uncleared forest land: It is this which gives that piquancy to the conversation of a backwoodsman. 2. is used of a rough, uneducated person: He sounded like a backwoodsman even in high hat. 3. (UK) a member of the House of Lords who rarely attends that body: This speech […]
Backtrack on something vs Track back to something
backtrack on something—reverse one’s position or policy, especially as a result of other people’s opposition: He has backtracked on what he told the public during his campaign. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase be back on track—return to one’s normal activities: Within a few months, she was back on track, […]