bubble and squeak
A dish of cabbage, potatoes, and sometimes meat, that has been fried together. Often served as leftovers. The name refers to the sounds it makes while cooking. Primarily heard in UK. Bubble and squeak for dinner again? Mum, can't we have something else? No bubble and squeak for me, thanks. I'm not a big fan of cabbage. Ugh, it smells like bubble and squeak in here. Uncle Ed must be coming over then—that's his favorite dinner.
bubble over
1. Literally, of a liquid, to boil so vigorously that it flows out of its container. If you put too much water in the pot, it might bubble over. Please keep an eye on the sauce—I don't want it to bubble over while I run to the bathroom. Turn off the burner before the soup bubbles over!
2. Of an emotion, to be too strong for one to contain or refrain from expressing. Her enthusiasm for the subject she teaches just bubbles over in the classroom. Their excitement at becoming homeowners is bubbling over—no one is usually that interested in discussing recessed lighting! Things got ugly on our family vacation once tensions between my aunts bubbled over.
bubble over with (something)
To exhibit or express some emotion that one is unable to contain. The best teachers are the ones who bubble over with enthusiasm for their subjects. I could tell that he was bubbling over with anger, so I brought him outside to help him calm down a bit. The kids always bubble over with excitement on the last day of school before summer.
bubble under
To grow gradually and inconspicuously in scale, strength, potency, etc. There seems to be a pervasive sense of despair bubbling under in the small country. Word of the company's merger plans have already started to bubble under among most news outlets. Wow, I had no idea there was so much discontent bubbling under in the president's Cabinet.
bubble up
1. Of a liquid, to emerge from something, usually from under a surface, in a bubbling manner. Take a sample of the substance that's bubbling up from the ground. If that's oil bubbling up on your property, you guys are gonna be rich! Whoa, how did you make "lava" bubble up from your volcano for Science class?
2. For an emotion to be exhibited because it is too strong for one to contain. Her enthusiasm for the subject she teaches always bubbles up in the classroom. Their excitement at becoming homeowners is bubbling up—no one is usually that interested in discussing recessed lighting! Things got ugly on our family vacation once tensions between my aunts bubbled up.
3. To become stronger or more intense, especially after having been suppressed. Anger bubbled up in me with each note of criticism from my peers. If coach is standing on the sidelines scowling with his hands on the hips, you can practically see the frustration bubbling up inside him. I had to step out for a few minutes during the eulogy—the emotion bubbling up in me was just too much.
bubble water
slang Champagne. Waiter, two glasses of bubble water, please—we're celebrating. A: "Can I get another glass of this bubble water? It's delicious!" B: "Yeah, and it's also $200 a bottle!" I'm not a big drinker, but I will have a glass of bubble water in honor of this special occasion.
bubblehead
1. A foolish, dumb, or ditzy person. I can't believe I said something so stupid—what a bubblehead. Of course Joe's new girlfriend is a bubblehead—he never dates anyone with more than three brain cells. Did I really write 2 + 2 = 5? Yikes, I was really a bubblehead for a moment there!
2. One who often drinks champagne. Susan's a real bubblehead, so order her a glass of the finest champagne. This champagne is $200 a bottle? Wow, it's expensive to be a bubblehead! I'm no bubblehead, but I will have a glass of champagne in honor of this special occasion.
bubbles
slang Champagne. Waiter, two glasses of bubbles, please—we're celebrating. A: "Can I get another glass of bubbles? It's delicious!" B: "Yeah, and it's also $200 a bottle!" I'm not a big drinker, but I will have a glass of bubbles in honor of this special occasion.
burst (one's) bubble
To bring one back to reality, especially if they are dreaming or fantasizing about something unrealistic. Look, I hate to burst your bubble, but there is no way you're getting into Harvard! You're a C student! Sorry to burst your bubble, Janet, but Sarah only went out on a date with you to make Suzie jealous. A: "Come on, man, don't burst my bubble." B: "I'm sorry, but there's no way Mom and Dad will let you stay out till 11 PM on a school night."
burst the bubble of (someone)
To disprove, ruin, or destroy someone's fantasy, delusion, or misbelief. The Supreme Court ruling is likely to burst the bubble of all the activists who were in favor of overturning the case. I hate to burst the bubble of everyone here, but this period of economic success will not last long. I think the advancing hurricane is going to burst the bubble of a lot of would-be travelers.
bust (one's) bubble
To bring someone back to reality, especially if they are dreaming or fantasizing about something unrealistic. An informal variant of "burst one's bubble." Look, I hate to bust your bubble, but there is no way you're getting into Harvard! You're a C student! Sorry to bust your bubble, Janet, but Sarah only went out on a date with you to make Suzie jealous. A: "Come on, man, don't bust my bubble." B: "I'm sorry, but there's no way Mom and Dad will let you stay out till 11 PM on a school night."
half a bubble off plumb
Strange; silly; crazy. Referring to the bubble inside a level. A: "She's a sweet old lady, but yeah, she's definitely half a bubble off plumb." B: "OK, yeah, I was sort of startled when she started talking to her rosebush." I know some of my students think I'm half a bubble off plumb because of my weird methods. You're half a bubble off plumb if you believe this ridiculous scheme will work.
live in a bubble
1. To remain physically or socially isolated from some threat. Because I have a compromised immune system, my mom basically wants to me to live in a bubble. I know you want to keep your kids safe from drinking and drugs, but it's not like they can live in a bubble.
2. To live life completely absorbed in or insulated by one's limited reality or life experience. The rich all live in a bubble of privilege—that's why they can't understand the plight of the poor in this country. Between his work and his video games, he has been living in a total bubble on his computer lately.
3. To ignore, avoid, or deny reality. Anyone who fails to see the hypocrisy of the governor's actions is living in a bubble.
on the bubble
In a state of uncertainty between two possible outcomes. This phrase is often used in reference to sports teams. I hate being on the bubble. When will the coach finalize the roster already? Several teams are on the bubble and will find out tonight if they made the tournament.
pop (one's) bubble
To disprove, ruin, or destroy someone's fantasy, delusion, or misbelief. A less common variant of "burst (someone's) bubble." Sorry to pop your bubble, Janet, but Sarah only went out on a date with you to make Suzie jealous. Sean took pleasure in popping the environmentalist's bubble, explaining to him that renewable energy devices cause huge environmental damage to produce.
pop the bubble of (someone)
To disprove, ruin, or destroy someone's fantasy, delusion, or misbelief. A less common variant of "burst the bubble of (someone)." The Supreme Court ruling is likely to pop the bubble of all the activists who were in favor of overturning the case.
the bubble bursts
A period of unusually high success ends. A "bubble" describes something, typically a trend or market, that expands until it "pops" (fails). When the bubble bursts on these toys, a lot of people are going to be left with a lot of worthless trinkets. In the '90s, the bubble burst on Internet startups, but that didn't stop the success of online ventures.
thought bubble
A white circular or cloud-shaped outline above one's head that displays one's thoughts. Commonly seen in comics and cartoons, though it can be referred to in conversation as one reveals one's thoughts. The thought bubble above Snoopy's head really added to the humor of the comic strip. After hearing all of that, the thought bubble above my head is just, "Why? Why do you think she doesn't care about you?"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.