beat the bush—(also: beat the bushes) 1. search through all likely areas: Pennsylvania hunters have been accustomed to beating the bush in search of bucks. 2. try hard to get or achieve smth.: A few years ago everyone was beating the bushes for top properties in Santiago. beat it • it beats me beat it—1. (sl., often imper.) go away immediately: Mike yelled at them and told them to beat it . He then returned to comfort his children. 2. (coll.) surpass or do better: Tell the dealer what you’ve already secured in terms of the interest rate and ask if he can beat it . Cf.: you can’t beat it—said of smth. of the highest quality and unlikely to be surpassed: We have an ap- preciation for good food, and you can’t beat it in places like Trattoria Milanese. it beats me —(coll., also: it beats my time) it surpasses my un- derstanding; it leaves me puzzled: It beats me how this pres- tigious project can be awarded to such a poor architect. beat one’s brains out • blow one’s brains out beat one’s brains out—1. (also: dash one’s brains out) kill one- self by smashing one’s head: There would be nothing to stop me from plunging down the well of the staircase and beating my brains out . 2. (coll.) think hard; struggle with a difficult task (also: beat one’s brains): I’ve been beating my brains out all day over that report. blow one’s brains out—(coll.) kill oneself by shooting in the head: When his wife left him, Peter thought there was nothing left for him to do but blow his brains out . beat someone to the draw • beat someone to the punch beat someone to the draw—1. shoot quicker than an opponent in a gun fight: He called me out in Tucson and I beat him to the draw , placing a bullet right through his heart. 2. get some- where or obtain smth. before smb. else does: I beat him to the draw and reported him to the superintendent myself, and gave my version of the story. beat someone to the punch—1. (Boxing ) land a blow before one’s opponent can strike: I beat Hanley to the punch and he went down on his haunches. 2. = beat someone to the draw 2: Once in possession of those weapons, the tyrant would be un- deterrable. The national security depended on beating him to the punch . Note: Neither expression is equivalent in meaning to the phrase beat someone to the wire—(UK also: beat someone to ribands) defeat smb. in a race or contest; show oneself superior to a person: I’ve been teased a few times over the years by the boy jockeys, but once I beat them to the wire a few times they quit teasing me so much. beat someone’s time • it beats my time beat someone’s time1. (Sport) improve on a person’s achieve- ment: Samson wins the race, but Xena, off in the women’s Olympics, beats his time anyway. 2. (coll.) obtain or achieve smth. ahead of another: Well, I thought I was up for that pro- motion but he beat my time with his latest project. 3. (coll.) start a romantic relationship with smb.’s partner: Suppose Celia was in love with some man and Elspeth beat her time with him. it beats my time —(coll., also: it beats me) it surpasses my un- derstanding; it leaves me mystified: When she took up the pan she was puzzled to find that several biscuits were missing. “It beats my time ,” she said, aloud. beat the band • to beat the band beat the band —(coll.) be most improbable or extraordinary (also: beat all): I have heard of unretentive memories but that beats the band . to beat the band —(U.S. coll.) to an extreme degree: Guests can use their brainpower to beat the band and win a free drink for every right answer. beat the clock • beat the time beat the clock —complete the task before a stated time: Any job is much harder if you are trying to beat the clock . Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase flog the clock—(Nautical) move the hands of the clock forward (to quit one’s job before the due time): I got suspicious that the clock was being flogged in the interest of making the time of those in the mate’s watch shorter. beat the time—1. (Music) mark or follow the rhythm with the feet, a baton, etc. (also: beat time): The captain joined in with a long raucous song, beating time on the tea tray. 2. (Sport) improve on smb.’s achievement: He’s hoping to ride two hundred miles in less than eight and a half hours, beating the time set by an eccentric Yorkshireman in 1831. beat the socks off someone • knock someone’s socks off beat the socks off someone—(coll., also: beat someone’s pants off ) win decisively over an opponent in a competition: The true bingo professionals — like us — will beat the socks off the amateurs every time. knock someone’s socks off(U.S. coll.) impress smb. greatly; amaze or stun a person: You wouldn’t expect teenagers to sing opera, but these kids will knock your socks off . See also: pull one’s socks up / work one’s socks off. beat the target • hit the target beat the target—do better than planned: It provides incen- tives to adopt new technologies to meet the target and to beat the target . hit the target—meet the target; achieve the intended results: Will the government hit the target this time? At least it has the power… beat the wind • hit the breeze beat the wind—(also: beat the air) continue to make futile attempts: We are beating the wind : the foreign public is not eager to listen to our talks however truthful they may be. hit the breeze—(U.S. sl.) go away promptly; make off at once: Bob Tidball was never to “hit the breeze ” again. The deadly .45 of the false friend cracked and filled the gorge with a roar. beaten to death • dead beaten beaten to death —1. killed by beating: The magazine quoted a report which stated that prisoners were routinely starved or beaten to death . 2. (also: flogged to death) discussed so many times that it is not interesting any more: No sporting event is beaten to death more than the Sugar Bowl—it is analyzed again and again by the commentators. dead beaten —(also: dead beat) extremely tired; utterly ex- hausted: When I saw him arrive in the same hostel as us, he was dead beaten , after having traveled for over 24 hours. beauty sleep • sleeping beauty beauty sleep —an afternoon nap or rest taken to improve the appearance: I remember my grandmother always took her “beauty sleep ”—heaven knows how she managed it with all she did. sleeping beauty —a business company which is a prime target for takeover because it has a high profit potential: The inter- esting thing with Zenith is that the company was a sleeping beauty . become history • go down in history become history—said of a past event, etc. that has lost its – 45 – become history