back o bourke




back o bourke :


plan B

an alternative strategy

1999 - 8 Days - And if that doesn't work, well, there's always Plan B.



babes in the wood

inexperienced people in a situation calling for experience

The babes in the wood are characters in an old ballad The Children in the Wood which dates from the 16th century. The two children are abandoned in the wood by their wicked uncle who wishes to steal their inheritance. The children die of starvation and robins cover their bodies with leaves. The uncle and his accomplice are subsequently brought to justice.



be someone's baby

(of a project) be instigated and developed by one particular Person

be someone's creation or special concern - informal



be left holding the baby

be left with an unwelcome responsibility, often without warning.

A US variant of this expression is be left holding the bag.



throw the baby out with the bathwater

Discard something valuable along with other things that are inessential or undesirable.

This phrase is based on a German saying recorded from the early 16th century but not introduced into English until the mid 19th century, by Thomas Carlyle. He identified it as German and gave it in the form….You must empty out the bathing-tub, but not the baby along with it.

1998 - New Scientist - It is easy to throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to UFO books - there are some seriously bad titles out there.



at the back of your mind

not consciously or specifically thought of or remembered but still part of your general awareness.



back in the day

in the past

some time ago



a back number

an issue of a periodical before the current one

a person whose ideas or methods are out of date and who is no longer relevant or useful



back o'Bourke

the outback - Australian informal

Bourke is the name of a town in north west New South Wales.



the back of beyond

a very remote or inaccessible place

1998 - Sanjida O'Connell - Angel Bird - This is London, Niall, not some poky wee place in the back of beyond.



back to the drawing board

used to indicate that an idea or scheme has been unsuccessful and a new one must be devised

An architectural or engineering project is at its earliest phase when it exists only as a plan on a drawing board.

1991 - Discover - Even as Humphries fine-tunes his system, however, he realizes that NASA could send him back to the drawing board.


back o bourke :







back o bourke To HOME PAGE


Idioms Index – Previous Page




Related Links : back o bourke