be welcome • be welcomed be welcome—1. be gladly accepted in a particular place: You will always be welcome here in our Academy, as a spectator or a participant. 2. be generously permitted to do or have smth.: If you and your family need the money that badly you are welcome to it. 3. (ironic) be allowed to have smth. burdensome or unwanted: If you think you can do this job any better, you are welcome . be welcomed—be warmly greeted: As the Pope traveled through the streets of Nazareth, he was welcomed by thou- sands who crowded the streets cheering. be well away • be well off be well away —1. be a long way off (from a place): We truly were well away from civilization, wild Africa at its very best! 2. (coll.) be very drunk: Bristow had a bottle of whisky and I had one of gin so we were well away . be well off —be financially comfortable: By central European standards they are quite well-off . They have their own flat and drive new cars. be well connected • have a good connection be well connected—have relatives who hold important posi- tions: He learnt from other sources that the Ernscliffes were well connected . have a good connection—have many customers, clients, etc.: He set up in business and soon had a good connection . be whole of mind • be whole-minded be whole of mind —(arch., formal) be mentally normal; be of sound mind (used in wills and trusts): I Richard Ballard of Orbye being whole of mind and perfect of remembrance make my last will and testament. Note: a) The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase whole of mind and body—safe and sound; unharmed: We just hoped that he would come home from his tour whole of mind and body . b) The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase have half a mind—feel tempted or inclined to do something: I had half a mind to drown myself then; but an odd wish to see the whole adventure out … restrained me. be whole-minded —be completely dedicated to smth.: Even if Bu Kiwon was crazy (which, of course, he was not), he ob- viously was whole-minded enough to create trouble for the League! be wide of the mark • come short of the mark be wide of the mark—(also: be off the mark) be inaccurate or erroneous in one’s judgment: The idea that the Israelis are anxious to dictate a Carthaginian peace is ludicrously wide of the mark . come short of the mark—(also: fall short of the mark) fail to attain some desired object or end: A perfectly good talk can be ruined if your answers to questions come short of the mark . be worth doing something • be worthy of doing something be worth doing something —be good enough to justify spend- ing one’s time on: This book is worth reading, but keep in mind the saying “you shouldn’t believe everything you read.” be worthy of doing something —be of high level of excellence to deserve smth.: I am still of the opinion that it is worthy of reading by people who enjoy a good science fiction book. be written in black and white • see something in black and white be written in black and white —be put down in writing (as a proof of smth.): The fact that I am gay is written down in black and white . I came out at teaching college and the fact was put down in my personal file. see something in black and white —see complex issues in sim- ple terms of right and wrong: That is not, any more, an ac- curate portrait of the society. People do not see these things purely in black and white . bear a resemblance to something • bear a sem- blance of something bear a resemblance to something—(also: have a resemblance to something ) seem similar to smth., especially in external ap- pearance: Both in the treatment of the face and in the pose of the body the figure bears a resemblance to certain Kushan sculpture. bear a semblance of something—(also: have a semblance of something ) have a slight, superficial and often deceptive sim- ilarity to smth.: After many years, life here bears a semblance of normality and farmers have had a bumper crop. bear down on something • bear on something bear down on something—move towards smth.; approach smth. quickly: With the wind blowing strongly behind, the boat bore down on the harbor. bear on something—have relation to smth.; be connected with smth.: That bears on what you were saying about the problem. bear market • bull market bear market—(Stock Market) a period of time when the prices of securities are falling or are expected to fall, and in- vestors pull out their money: Two months before the end of the bear market , Business Week ran an article titled “Running scared from stocks.” bull market—(Stock Market) a period when investment seems promising and people are keen to do it: While the bull market in Asian growth is far from over, there is also a lot of Latin American growth that is going unnoticed. bear someone • bear with someone bear someone—1. (usually Passive) give birth to a child: She bore three children in three years. 2. (usually negat.) tolerate or endure smb.: She could not bear the man Joe she was living with. bear with someone—put up with a person; show patience towards smb.: Bear with me while I try to remember exactly what he said. beard the lion in his den • walk into the lion’s den beard the lion in his den—confront a person of power coura- geously on his own ground: Seeking to give Robbie’s father a piece of her mind she elects to beard the lion in his den —or rather his business office. walk into the lion’s den—find oneself in a difficult situation in which one has to face unfriendly or aggressive people: After the failure of the negotiations, he had to walk into the lion’s den and face the Press. beat a dead horse • work off the dead horse beat a dead horse—(also: flog a dead horse) pursue a futile goal; try to revive interest in a dead issue: Son, we talked about this and the decision was “no.” You are beating a dead horse . work off the dead horse—(also: work out the dead horse) do work for which payment has already been made: The sailor was advanced one month’s pay…. During the first month out, he was “working off the dead horse .” beat about the bush • beat the bush beat about the bush—(also: beat around the bush) approach the subject indirectly; refuse to come to the point: Why should you beat about the bush when asking for better wages? be welcome – 44 –