Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[by a long shot] <adv. phr.>, <informal> By a big difference; by far.
– Used to add emphasis. * /Bert was the best swimmer in the race, by a long shot./ Often used with a negative. * /Tom isn't the kind who would be fresh to a teacher, by a long shot./ * /Our team didn't win not by a long shot./ Compare: MISS BY A MILE.
[by a mile] See: MISS BY A MILE.
[by and by] <adv.> After a while; at some time in the future; later. * /Roger said he would do his homework by and by./ * /The mother knew her baby would be a man by and by and do a man's work./ Syn.: AFTER A WHILE.
[by and large] <adv. phr.> As it most often happens; more often than not; usually; mostly. * /There were bad days, but it was a pleasant summer, by and large./ * /By and large, women can bear pain better than men./ Syn.: FOR THE MOST PART, ON THE WHOLE(2).
[by any means] See: BY NO MEANS.
[by a thread] See: HANG BY A THREAD.
[by chance] <adv. phr.> Without any cause or reason; by accident; accidentally. * /Tom met Bill by chance./ * /The apple fell by chance on Bobby's head./
[by choice] <adv. phr.> As a result of choosing because of wanting to; freely. * /John helped his father by choice./ * /Mary ate a plum, but not by choice. Her mother told her she must eat it./
[by dint of] <prep.> By the exertion of; by the use of; through. * /By dint of sheer toughness and real courage, he lived through the jungle difficulties and dangers./ * /His success in college was largely by dint of hard study./
[bye] See: BY THE WAY also BY THE BYE.
[by ear] <adv. phr.> 1. By sound, without ever reading the printed music of the piece being played. * /The church choir sang the hymns by ear./ 2. Waiting to see what will happen. * /I don't want to plan now; let's just play it by ear./
[by far] <adv. phr.> By a large difference; much. * /His work was better by far than that of any other printer in the city./ * /The old road is prettier, but it is by far the longer way./ Compare: FAR AND AWAY.
[by fits and starts] or [jerks] <adv. phr.> With many stops and starts, a little now and a little more later; not all the time; irregularly. * /He had worked on the invention by fits and starts for several years./ * /You will never get anywhere if you study just by fits and starts./ Compare: FROM TIME TO TIME, OFF AND ON.
[bygone] See: LET BYGONES BE BYGONES.
[by heart] <adv. phr.> By exact memorizing; so well that you remember it; by memory. * /The pupils learned many poems by heart./ * /He knew the records of the major league teams by heart./
[by hook or by crook] <adv. phr.> By honest ways or dishonest in any way necessary. * /The wolf tried to get the little pigs by hook or by crook./ * /The team was determined to win that last game by hook or by crook, and three players were put out of the game for fouling./
[by inches] <adv. phr.> By small or slow degrees; little by little; gradually. * /The river was rising by inches./ * /They got a heavy wooden beam under the barn for a lever, and managed to move it by inches./ * /He was dying by inches./
[by leaps and bounds] <adv. phr.> With long steps; very rapidly. * /Production in the factory was increasing by leaps and bounds./ * /The school enrollment was going up by leaps and bounds./
[by means of] <prep.> By the use of; with the help of. * /The fisherman saved himself by means of a floating log./ * /By means of monthly payments, people can buy more than in the past./
[by mistake] <adv. phr.> As the result of a mistake; through error. * /He picked up the wrong hat by mistake./
[by no means] or [not by any means] also [by no manner of means] or [not by any manner of means] <adv. phr.> Not even a little; certainly not. * /He is by no means bright./ * /"May I stay home from school?" "By no means."/ * /Dick worked on his project Saturday, but he is not finished yet, by any means./ Contrast: BY ALL MEANS.
[B.Y.O.] (Abbreviation) <informal> Bring Your Own. Said of a kind of party where the host or hostess does not provide the drinks or food but people ring their own.
[B.Y.O.B.] (Abbreviation) <informal> Bring Your Own Bottle. Frequently written on invitations for the kind of party where people bring their own liquor.
[by oneself] <adv. phr.> 1. Without any others around; separate from others; alone. * /The house stood by itself on a hill./ * /Tom liked to go walking by himself./ * /Betty felt very sad and lonely by herself./ 2. Without the help of anyone else; by your own work only. * /John built a flying model airplane by himself./ * /Lois cleaned the house all by herself./
[by one's own bootstraps] See: PULL ONE SELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS.
[by storm] See: TAKE BY STORM.
[by surprise] See: TAKE BY SURPRISE.
[by the board] See: GO BY THE BOARD also PASS BY THE BOARD.
[by the bootstraps] See: PULL ONESELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS.
[by the bye] See: BY THE WAY.
[by the dozen] or [by the hundred] or [by the thousand] <adv. phr.> Very many at one time; in great numbers. * /Tommy ate cookies by the down./ Often used in the plural, meaning even larger numbers. * /The ants arrived at the picnic by the hundreds./ * /The enemy attacked the fort by the thousands./
[by the horns] See: TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS.
[by the hundred] See: BY THE DOZEN.
[by the nose] See: LEAD BY THE NOSE.
[by the piece] <adv. phr.> Counted one piece at a time, separately for each single piece. * /John bought boxes full of bags of potato chips and sold them by the piece./ * /Mary made potholders and got paid by the piece./
[by the seat of one's pants] See: FLY BY THE SEAT OF ONE'S PANTS.
[by the skin of one's teeth] <adv. phr.> By a narrow margin; with no room to spare; barely. * /The drowning man struggled, and I got him to land by the skin of my teeth./ * /She passed English by the skin of her teeth./ Compare: SQUEAK THROUGH, WITHIN AN ACE OF or WITHIN AN INCH OF.