Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

20 PHRASE If you intend to do something but someone beats you to it , they do it before you do. □  Don't be too long about it or you'll find someone has beaten you to it.

21 PHRASE A police officer on the beat is on duty, walking around the area for which he or she is responsible. □  The officer on the beat picks up information; hears cries for help; makes people feel safe.

22 PHRASE If you beat time to a piece of music, you move your hand or foot up and down in time with the music. A conductor beats time to show the choir or orchestra how fast they should sing or play the music. □  He beats time with hands and feet.

23to beat someone black and blue → see black

24to beat about the bush → see bush

25to beat or knock the living daylights out of someone → see daylights

26to beat the drum for someone or something → see drum

27to beat someone at their own game → see game

28to beat a retreat → see retreat

▸  beat down

1 PHRASAL VERB When the sun beats down , it is very hot and bright.

2 PHRASAL VERB When the rain beats down , it rains very hard. □ [V P ] Even in the winter with the rain beating down, it's nice and cosy in there.

3 PHRASAL VERB If you beat down a person who is selling you something, you force them to accept a lower price for it than they wanted to get. □ [V n P ] A fair employer, when arranging for the pay of a carpenter, does not try to beat him down. □ [V P n] Beat down the seller to the price that suits you.

▸  beat out

1 PHRASAL VERB If you beat out sounds on a drum or similar instrument, you make the sounds by hitting the instrument. □ [V P n] Drums and cymbals beat out a solemn rhythm.

2 PHRASAL VERB If you beat out a fire, you cause it to go out by hitting it, usually with an object such as a blanket. □ [V P n] His brother beat out the flames with a blanket. □ [V n P ] She managed to beat the fire out.

3 PHRASAL VERB If you beat out someone in a competition, you defeat them. [mainly AM ] □ [V P n] Indianapolis beat out nearly 100 other cities as the site for a huge United Airlines maintenance center. □ [V n P ] If we are certain a rival will beat us out, we are wide open to jealousy.

▸  beat out of PHRASAL VERB If someone beats another person out of something, they get that thing by deceiving the other person or behaving dishonestly. □ [V n P P n] If he could beat his uncle out of a dollar he'd do it.

▸  beat up

1 PHRASAL VERB If someone beats a person up , they hit or kick the person many times. □ [V n P ] Then they actually beat her up as well. □ [V P n] The government supporters are beating up anyone they suspect of favouring the demonstrators. ●  beating-up (beatings-up ) N‑COUNT □  There had been no violence, no beatings-up until then.

2 PHRASAL VERB If you beat yourself up about something, you worry about it a lot or blame yourself for it. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n P + about ] Tell them you don't want to do it any more. Don't beat yourself up about it. □ [V n P ] I don't beat myself up. I don't deal with things I can't handle.

▸  beat up on

1 PHRASAL VERB If someone beats up on a person or beats on them, they hit or kick the person many times. [AM ] □ [V P P n] He beat up on my brother's kid one time. [Also V P n]

2 PHRASAL VERB If someone beats up on another person, they threaten them or treat them unkindly. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ [V P P n] She had to beat up on every customer just to get the bills paid. COLLOCATIONS beat NOUN 3