brother

not be your brother's keeper

to not be responsible for what someone does or for what happens to them. It's all too easy for us not to intervene in another country's problems, telling ourselves that we're not our brother's keeper. You shouldn't blame yourself for what's happened to Simon. You're not his keeper, you know.

See also: keeper

Big Brother

1. a government or a large organization which tries to control every part of people's lives and to know everything about them. Many people are concerned about Big Brother having computer files on them to which they do not have access.

((always before noun))

2. Big Brother - a government or a large organization which tries to control every part of people's lives and to know everything about them. Employees have complained because of the 'Big Brother' approach of the new security measures.

See also: big

a blood brother

a man who has promised to treat another man as his brother, often in a ceremony in which they cut themselves and mix their blood together. We were blood brothers - I was ready to die for him.

See also: blood

everyone and his brother (American)

a very large number of people. We couldn't get in to see the movie - everyone and his brother had decided to go.

See also: everyone, his