bang (redirected from bangs up)

Bang goes something! (informal)

something that you say when you have just lost the opportunity to do something. I've just been told I'm working late this evening. Oh well, bang goes the cinema!

See also: goes

a bang up job (American, informal)

a very successful piece of work. You've done a bang up job clearing out the garage.

See also: job

bang/beat the drum

to speak eagerly about something that you support. Once again she was banging the drum for pre-school nurseries. (often + for) The opposition parties are always beating the environmental drum.

See also: beat, drum

be bang on (informal)

to be exactly correct. You said she'd be in her early forties, didn't you? You were bang on.

be banging/hitting your head against a brick wall

to keep asking someone to do something which they never do. I've been trying to get the rules changed for years now but I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. He never listens to me - sometimes I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

See also: against, brick, head, hit, wall

catch/have someone dead to rights (British, American & Australian, British)

to have enough proof to show that someone has done something wrong. I was driving way above the speed limit and the police radar caught me dead to rights.

See also: catch, dead, right

come (back) down to earth (with a bang/bump/jolt)

to have to start dealing with the unpleasant or boring things that happen every day after a period of excitement and enjoyment. We came down to earth with a bump when we got back from our holidays to find we had a burst pipe.

See also: come, down, earth

go with a bang (British & Australian, informal, American, informal)

if an event, especially a party, goes with a bang, it is very exciting and successful. A karaoke machine? That should help your party go with a bang!

[more/a bigger etc.] bang for your buck (American, informal)

if something that you buy gives you more bang for your buck, you get more value for your money by buying this product than from buying any other. If all you want is death-benefit cover, this type of insurance policy will give you more bang for your buck.

See also: big, buck, more

smack-bang (British, American & Australian, informal, American, informal)

exactly in a particular place, especially in the middle of somewhere. She lives smack-bang in the middle of London. (always + adv/prep)

not with a bang but with a whimper (literary)

if something ends not with a bang but with a whimper, it ends in a disappointing way. The concert ended not with a bang but with a whimper, the rain forcing the performance to stop fifteen minutes early.

See also: but

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bang away

1. to use the keys of a computer or piano. We found this old piano and started banging away.

2. to emphasize something. This book bangs away at the seriousness of the situation.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of bang away (= to make a loud noise by repeatedly hitting something)

See also: away

bang for the buck

value in exchange for money or effort. This is a great little red wine that gives you plenty of bang for the buck.

Usage notes: often used with more, bigger, and other adjectives: For most users, these new computers provide more bang for the buck.

Etymology: based on the slang meaning of bang (= excitement ) and buck (= money)

See also: buck