Be-all and end-all, the
The most important element or purpose, as in Buying a house became the be-all and end-all for the newlyweds. Shakespeare used this idiom in Macbeth (1:6), where Macbeth muses that “this blow might be the be-all and the end-all” for his replacing Duncan as king. [ Late 1500s ]
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- Bevy
a group of birds, as larks or quail, or animals, as roebuck, in close association. a large group or collection: a bevy of boisterous sailors. Contemporary Examples In any event, the chief justice overlooked the inconvenient fact that the framing generation actually enacted a bevy of mandates. Chief Justice John Roberts’s Ruling Restores Faith in […]
- Be-have
to act in a particular way; conduct or comport oneself or itself: The ship behaves well. to act properly: Did the child behave? to act or react under given circumstances: This plastic behaves strangely under extreme heat or cold. to conduct or comport (oneself) in a proper manner: Sit quietly and behave yourself. Historical Examples […]
- Be-held
simple past tense and past participle of behold. to observe; look at; see. look; see: And, behold, three sentries of the King did appear. Historical Examples The proph-et’s keen vi-sion, trans-pierc-ing the a-ges, be-held us to 5. Birth of a Reformation Andrew Byers He turn-ed his eyes a-round, and be-held, much to his dis-may, a […]
- Be-little
to regard or portray as less impressive or important than appearances indicate; depreciate; disparage. Historical Examples The Baroness, when she desired to be-little the doctor, always called her a female. Is He Popenjoy? Anthony Trollope In saying these things there is no desire to be-little the reputation of any man; the facts were as here […]