(also: history of the Four Kings, the): Playing cards were origi- nally called “the Books of the Four Kings ,” while chess was known as “the Game of the Four Kings.” border on something • border something border on something—1. be next to smth.; lie close to smth.: The old park borders on the shores of the lake. 2. (of a country) share a boundary with another country: Soviet territory facing the West borders on Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. 3. resemble smth.; verge upon smth.: What you are doing bor - ders on the ridiculous. border something—form a border along the edge of smth.: The climate of the land bordering the sea varies from being tropical in the south and sub-tropical in the north. bother about something • bother with something bother about something—be concerned about smth.; worry about smth.: Meditation is so beautiful, who bothers about the result? And if you bother about the result, meditation is not possible. bother with something—concern oneself with smth.; preoc- cupy oneself with smth.: “So you just grab breakfast and get on the train?” “No I never bother with breakfast, I grab a coffee on the train.” bottom dollar • top dollar bottom dollar —(coll.) one’s last dollar: When he got down to his bottom dollar it was time to head back into the moun- tains for another year’s worth of trapping. top dollar —(coll.) a high or the highest price: A lot of those guys had paid him top dollar to buy their enlistment in the six months’ program. bottom drawer • top drawer bottom drawer—the collection of articles for the home that a girl gathers before she gets married: I got some lovely towels at the sale, mum. I can’t make up my mind whether to start using them or put them in my bottom drawer . top drawer —(coll.) the upper ranks of society: I don’t know anything about art, and I haven’t met any grand people. I’m not what he calls out of the top drawer . bottom line • bottom of the line bottom line— the final determining factor; the essence of the argument: George Murphy and Ronald Reagan certainly qualified because they have gotten elected. I think that’s the bottom line . Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase down line—(Railroad) a single track of rails in a double line of railway (for trains traveling from right to left): Originally the east line was the up line and the west line was the down line , giving conventional left hand running. bottom of the line—said of the lowest quality, especially in merchandise: We offer quality products for a price competitive to what our competitors sell their bottom of the line products for. See also: top line / up line. bottom up • bottoms up bottom up—upside down: A yawl-boat was landed bottom up from the hurricane-deck upon the heads of those below. bottoms up—(usually used as a toast) finish one’s drink to the last drop: The old priest drank his highball almost bottoms up . bound up in something • bound up with some- thing bound up in something—very busy with smth.; deeply de- voted to smth.: He is so bound up in his work and the details of craftsmanship that he seems unreasonable to his siblings. bound up with something—closely connected or associated with smth.: His artistic career is bound up with the develop- ments of New Ink Painting in Hong Kong. bow oneself out • bow out bow oneself out—bow (to a superior) as one leaves the place: The maids turned as one, saw their emperor and swiftly bowed themselves out of the room. bow out—1. leave a party, a group of people, etc.: Waving a hand absently, her mother dismissed Miss Jones, who quickly bowed out of the room. 2. give up a prominent position in politics, on the stage, etc.: So Sir Harold bows out , at the end of a distinguished career in broadcasting. Box Day • Boxing Day Box Day—1. (Scot.) one of the days during vacation ap- pointed in the Court of Session on which pleading may be filed: Box day is a day when the courts of law being closed, lawyers and litigants can hand in papers. 2. (UK) first weekday after Christmas Day observed as a holiday: I’ll see Jean and her family on Box Day , but I promised Wylie next year we would have Christmas with him. Boxing Day — = Box Day 2: On Christmas Day and Boxing Day all inland telegram deliveries will be suspended. boy, oh boy • boys will be boys boy, oh boy —an exclamation used as an expression of a range of emotions such as excitement, surprise, etc.: So my friend, Krista, came for a visit last week and boy-oh-boy was I ready for a vacation! boys will be boys—is used to say that boys or even grown- up men are expected to act noisy or misbehave: Well, boys will be boys , you know; we were just the same ourselves when we were young. boy toy • boy’s toy boy toy —1. said of smth. that provides enjoyable pastime to grown-up men: Dive propulsion vehicles or underwater scoot- ers have traditionally been a boy toy . 2. (sl., also: toy boy) a woman’s very young lover: So what if your man is a boy toy ? Enjoy it while you need it to last! boy’s toy— = boy toy 1: A car is a boy’s toy that a man is posses- sive about, hence he relates to his car more than a woman does. boys on the bus, the • man on the bus, the boys on the bus, the—(U.S. coll.) members of the press who travel with campaigning politicians (also: boys and girls on the bus, the): Columnist Jules Witcover, one of “the boys on the bus ” concluded that the candidates’ entourage was about the last place to be these days. man on the bus, the—the ordinary person of either sex; “the man in the street”: The complex matters involve concepts such as illiquid investments … none of which will mean much to the man on the bus who may be, with reason, worrying about his pension. Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase man on the Clapham omnibus, the—(UK) 1. = man on the bus, the: If you ask the man on the Clapham om - nibus he will typically think that things are getting better. 2. (Law) a legal term for a “normal,” reasonably educated person: If the average person, or as legally defined “the man on the Clapham omnibus ,” would find something unreasonable, a court may be satisfied… See also: bus boy / busman. branch off • branch out branch off —deviate from an original direction: At the bridge a little road branches off from the highway and follows the river. – 55 – branch off