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**beautiful**
*bush AmE* — to delay talking about the most important part of a subject: *I wish you’d stop beating about the bush and tell me what you really want.* **7 beat a path** to come rushing in large numbers: *If you invent a cheaper way of doing it, people will beat a path to your door.* (=will be very eager to buy it from you) **8 beat a retreat** to go away quickly so as to avoid something unpleasant: *When they saw the teacher coming, they beat a (hasty) retreat.* **9 Beat it!** *slang* Go away at once! **10 beat one’s brains out** *informal* to spend a lot of time thinking or worrying about something: *I’ve been beating my brains out trying to think what to do about my elderly mother.* **11 beat one’s breast** *literary* to show (too) great grief **12 beat someone hollow** *informal* to defeat someone completely, especially in a game or competition **13 beat someone’s brains out** *informal* to beat someone very hard, especially on the head **14 beat the heat** *AmE informal* to try to become cooler: *We’re going swimming in the lake to beat the heat.* **15 beat the pants off someone** *informal* to defeat someone completely, for example in a game or competition **16 beat the rap** *AmE informal* to escape criminal charges or punishment: *The police got him for illegal possession, but he beat the rap.* **17 beat time** to make regular movements or noises by which the speed of music can be measured **18 Can you beat that/it!** *slang* Have you ever seen/heard anything as strange or surprising as that! **19 if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em** *informal* if you cannot win in a situation, it is better to join the other side and gain whatever advantages you can **20 to beat the band** *AmE informal* in large amounts or with great force: *It’s raining to beat the band.* **21 beat/play someone at their own game** to do something or try to do something more successfully than someone else does, even though they are very good at it: *The problem for the non-commercial stations was whether or not to play commercial TV at its own game.* | *Gorbachev was a dynamic new Soviet leader who had beaten Reagan, the Great Communicator, at his own game.* ➔ see also BEATEN, BEATING, beat one's head against a brick wall (HEAD¹)
**beat sbdy.** ⇔ **down** *phr v [T(to)] informal* to persuade (someone) to reduce a price: *He wanted £10 for the dress, but I beat him down (to £8.50).*
**beat off** *phr v* **1** [*T(beat sbdy./sthg.* ⇔ *off)]* to prevent (an attack or attacker) from succeeding; drive back; REPULSE: *The police beat off the demonstrators to let the President’s car through.* | *The company managed to beat off an attempted take-over.* **2** *AmE taboo slang [I]* to MASTURBATE **3** *AmE taboo slang [T(beat sbdy.* ⇔ *off)]* to MASTURBATE (a male)
**beat sthg.** ⇔ **out** *phr v [T]* **1** to sound by beating: *The drums beat out a rhythm.* | *The drummer beat out the rhythm on the drums.* **2** to put out (a fire) by beating
**beat sbdy.** ⇔ **up** *phr v [T] informal* to wound (someone) severely by hitting: *The boys robbed the old man and beat him up. | He claimed that he had been beaten up by the police.*
**beat²** *n* **1** [C] a single stroke or blow, as part of a group: *one beat of the drum every 60 seconds* | *a heartbeat* **2** [C usually sing.] a regular sound produced (as if) by repeated beating: *the beat of marching feet* **3** [C usually sing.] regular STRESS in music or poetry: *music with a strong beat* | *Every member of the band must follow the beat.* **4** [C usually sing.] the usual path followed by someone on duty, especially a policeman
**beat³** *adj [F] informal* very tired: *I’m (dead) beat after all that work!*
**beat·en** /'biːtn/ *adj [A]* **1** (of metal) shaped by beating with a hammer: *The doors of the palace were of beaten gold.* **2** (of a path, track etc) given shape by the feet of those who pass along it: *We followed a well-beaten path through the forest.* **3 off the beaten track/path** not well known; not often visited: *Let’s go somewhere off the beaten track this summer.*
**beat·er** /'biːtə/ *n* **1** [(often in comb.)] someone or something which beats: *an egg beater | a carpet beater | a wife beater* **2** (especially in Britain) a person who drives wild birds or animals towards the guns of those waiting to shoot them **3** *AmE* an old car in poor condition
**Beat Gene,ra,tion, the** a group of young people in the 1950s, including the writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, who did not accept the traditional values of Western society, especially on matters such as work, sexual relationships, and money. They had a lot of influence on the hippies (HIPPY) in the 1960s and 1970s.
**beat·if·ic** /biə'tıfık/ *adj* giving or showing great joy, peace, or blessedness: *a beatific smile on the holy man’s face* —**ally** /-kli/ *adv*
**be·at·i·fy** /bi'ætəfaı/ *v [T]* (in the Roman Catholic Church) to declare (a dead person) officially blessed and holy —**fication** /biˌætəfı'keıʃən/ *n [C,U]*
**beat·ing** /'biːtıŋ/ *n* **1** [C,U] an act of giving repeated blows, usually for punishment: *He was given a severe beating for lying to his father.* **2** [C] a defeat, especially in a game or competition: *The home side got/took quite a beating.*
**be·at·i·tude** /bi'ætətjuːd‖-tuːd/ *n [U] formal* or *literary* a state of great happiness or blessedness
**Be·at·i·tudes, the** /bi'ætətjuːdz‖-tuːdz/ *n [P]* in the Bible, a set of eight statements made by Jesus which list the types of people who are ‘blessed’ (=especially loved by God). Each statement starts with the words ‘Blessed are...’, for example ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’.
**Beat·les, the** /'biːtlz/ a British popular music group who made their first record in 1962 and became the most famous and successful group ever. Their records include *Love Me Do*, *I Want to Hold your Hand, A Hard Day’s Night, Yellow Submarine*, and *Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band*. They had a great influence on the development of popular music. When they separated in 1970, each member of the group continued to make music. The members of the Beatles were George HARRISON, John LENNON, Paul MCCARTNEY, and Ringo STARR. ➔ see colour photo on page A30
**beat·nik** /'biːtnık/ *n* in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a person who showed opposition to the moral standards and ways of life of ordinary society. People often think of beatniks as young people with long hair and dirty clothes.
**Bea·ton, Sir Ce·cil** /’biːtn, ‘sesəl/ (1904–80) a British photographer and designer for fashion, theatre, and film. He is known for his pictures of famous and wealthy people.
**Bea·trice** /'bıətrəs/ the main female character who guides Dante through Paradise in *The Divine Comedy*
**'beat-up** *adj AmE informal* in bad condition: *a beat-up old car*
**beau** /bəʊ/ *n pl.* **beaux** /bəʊz/, **beaus** *old use* or *literary* **1** a fashionable well-dressed man **2** a woman’s admirer or lover
**Beau,fort Scale** /'bəʊfət ˌskeıll-fərt-/ a system used for measuring the speed of wind, in which ‘0’ is the lowest and means no wind, and ‘12’ is the highest and means a HURRICANE
**Beau·jo·lais** /'bəʊʒəleı‖ˌbəʊʒə'leı/ *n [C, U]* a type of French red wine
**Beaujolais nou·veau** /ˌbəʊʒəleı nuː'vəʊ‖ˌbəʊʒəˌleı-/ *n [U]* a type of Beaujolais wine that is drunk almost as soon as it has been made
**CULTURAL NOTE** In the UK there is a competition each year to see who can bring the first bottles from France to England.
**beau monde** /ˌbəʊ 'mɒnd‖-‘mɑːnd/ *n [the]* Fr the world of high society and fashion
**beaut¹** /bjuːt/ *n AmE* and *AustrE informal* someone or something that is very good (or bad); BEAUTY: *That black eye is a real beaut!*
**beaut²** *adj AustrE informal* (of things) nice; good; MARVELLOUS: *The food/weather was beaut.*
**beau·te·ous** /'bjuːtıəs/ *adj poetical* beautiful: *‘It is a beauteous evening, calm and free.’ (Wordsworth)* —**ly** *adv*
**beau·ti·cian** /bjuː'tıʃən/ *n* a person who gives beauty treatments to skin, hair etc
**beau·ti·ful** /'bjuːtəfəl/ *adj* **1** having beauty; giving great pleasure to the mind or senses: *a beautiful girl/lake/sunset* **2** *informal* very good: *The soup was really beautiful.* ➔ see also **small is beautiful (SMALL¹)** —**ly** *adv: a beautifully written novel*
Compare **beautiful, pretty, attractive, handsome, good-looking, cute. Beautiful** and **pretty** can be used about women, children, and things, but not usually about men: *a beautiful girl/house | a pretty child/picture*. **Beautiful** is the strongest word to describe someone’s attractive appearance, and it suggests that the person has almost perfect good looks. **Pretty** means attractive in a more ordinary way. **Handsome** is usually used about