{v. phr.} 1. To destroy by fire or by overheating. •/Mr.
Jones burned out the clutch on his car./ 2. To destroy someone’s house or
business by fire so that they have to move out. •/Three racists burned out
the Black family’s home./ 3a. To go out of order; cease to function because
of long use or overheating. •/The light bulb in the bathroom burned out, and
Father put in a new one./ •/The electric motor was too powerful, and it
burned out a fuse./ 3b. To break, tire, or wear out by using up all the
power, energy, or strength of. •/Bill burned himself out in the first part of
the race and could not finish./ •/The farmer burned out his field by
planting the same crop every year for many years./
[burn-out]
{n.} A point of physical or emotional exhaustion. •/There
are so many refugees all over the world that charitable organizations as well
as individuals are suffering from donor burn-out./
[burn rubber]
{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To start up a car or a
motorcycle from dead stop so fast that the tires leave a mark on the road.
•/The neighborhood drag racers burned a lot of rubber — look at the marks on
the road!/ 2. To leave in a hurry. •/I guess I am going to have to burn
rubber./
[burnt child dreads the fire]
or [once bitten, twice shy] A person who
has suffered from doing something has learned to avoid doing it again. — A
proverb. •/Once Mary had got lost when her mother took her downtown. But a
burnt child dreads the fire, so now Mary stays close to her mother when they
are downtown./
[burn the candle at both ends]
{v. phr.} To work or play too hard
without enough rest; get too tired. •/He worked hard every day as a lawyer
and went to parties and dances every night; he was burning the candle at both
ends./
[burn the midnight oil]
{v. phr.} To study late at night. •/Exam time
was near, and more and more pupils were burning the midnight oil./
[bum to a crisp]
{v. phr.} To burn black; burn past saving or using
especially as food. •/While getting breakfast, Mother was called to the
telephone, and when she got back, the bacon had been burned to a crisp./
[burn up]
{v.} 1. To burn completely; destroy or be destroyed by fire.
•/Mr. Scott was burning up old letters./ •/The house burned up before the
firemen got there./ 2. {informal} To irritate, anger, annoy. •/The
boy’s laziness and rudeness burned up his teacher./ •/The breakdown of his
new car burned Mr. Jones up./
[burn up the road]
{v. phr.}, {informal} To drive a car very fast.
•/In his eagerness to see his girl again, he burned up the road on his way to
see her./ •/Speed demons burning up the road often cause accidents./
[burst at the seams]
{v. phr.}, {informal} To be too full or too
crowded. •/John ate so much he was bursting at the seams./ •/Mary’s album
was so full of pictures it was bursting at the seams./
[burst into]
{v. phr.} 1. To enter suddenly. •/Stuart burst into the
room, screaming angrily./ 2. To break out. •/The crowd burst out cheering
when the astronauts paraded along Fifth Avenue./