bow

bow and scrape

Fig. to be very humble and subservient. Please don't bow and scrape. We are all equal here. The salesclerk came in, bowing and scraping, and asked if he could help us.

See also: and, scrape

bow before someone or something 

1. Lit. to bend or curtsy in respect to someone or something. I will not bow before any king or queen. Henry insisted that I bow before him.

2. Fig. to submit to someone or something; to surrender to someone or something. Our country will never bow before a dictator's demands. We will not bow before such a corrupt politician.

See also: before

bow down (to someone or something) and bow to someone or something

1. Lit. to bend or curtsy to someone or something. Do you expect me to bow down or something when you enter? He bowed down low to the duchess. She faced forward and bowed to the altar.

2. Fig. to submit to someone or something; to yield sovereignty to someone or something. I will not bow down to you, you dictator! We will never bow to a foreign prince.

bow out (of something)

Fig. to retire or resign as something. It's time to bow out as mayor. I think I will bow out and leave this job to someone else.

See also: out

bow out (of something)

Fig. to retire or resign as something. It's time to bow out as mayor. I think I will bow out and leave this job to someone else.

See also: out

bow to someone's demands

Fig. to yield to someone's demands; to agree to do something that someone has requested. In the end, they had to bow to our demands. We refused to bow to their demands that we abandon the project.

See also: demand

bow to the porcelain altar

Sl. to vomit, especially as a result of drinking too much alcohol. (The porcelain altar is a euphemism for a toilet bowl.) He spent the whole night bowing to the porcelain altar. I have the feeling that I will be bowing to the porcelain altar before morning.

See also: altar, porcelain

take a bow

to bow and acknowledge credit for a good performance. At the end of the concerto, the pianist rose and took a bow. The audience applauded wildly and demanded that the conductor come out and take a bow again.

See also: take

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another string to your bow  (British & Australian)

an extra skill or qualification which you can use if you cannot use your main one If you can teach English as well as yoga, it's another string to your bow. (British & Australian)

See also: another, string

bow and scrape

to try too hard to please someone in a position of authority (often in continuous tenses) It's embarrassing to see staff bowing and scraping to the new Prime Minister.

See also: and, scrape

fire a shot across somebody's/the bows  (slightly formal)

if you fire a shot across someone's bows, you do something in order to warn them that you will take strong action if they do not change their behaviour Airline staff have fired a warning shot across the company's bows by threatening strike action if higher pay increases are not offered.

See also: across, fire, shot

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a shot across the bow

a warning to stop doing something The lawsuit is a shot across the bow to businesses that are competing unfairly.

Etymology: based on the military practice of aiming a shot across the bow ( a small explosion in front of a ship) to force it to stop

See also: across, shot

bow down (to somebody/something)

to obey someone or something The old man expects me to bow down to him, but I won't do it.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of bow down (to show obedience or respect by bending the head down or the body forward)

bow out (of something)

to not to do something you said you would do An accident forced Billy to bow out of the show just before the first performance.

See also: out

bow to something

to accept something without really wanting to The government says it will not bow to pressure to allow untested drugs to be used.