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breeze
bat the breeze
To chat or converse aimlessly or casually, without any serious topic of conversation. Customers always want to bat the breeze with me in the store before they buy something. I just batted the breeze with John for a while when he passed me on the street.
in a breeze
Easily; handily; without much or any effort. Enjoying the benefit of a week off between games, the home team won this match in a breeze.
breeze along
Fig. to travel along casually, rapidly, and happily; to go through life in a casual and carefree manner. Kristine was just breezing along the road when she ran off onto the shoulder. We just breezed along the highway, barely paying attention to what we were doing. Don't just breeze along through life!
breeze away
to leave quickly or abruptly. She said nothing more. She just breezed away. I breezed away without stopping to say good-bye.
breeze in
(from some place) Go to sweep in (from some place).
breeze in (to some place)
to enter a place quickly, in a happy and carefree manner. She breezed into the conference room and sat down at the head of the table. Jerry breezed in and said hello.
breeze off
to leave quickly or abruptly. Don't just breeze off! Stay and talk. Lily breezed off in a huffy manner.
breeze out (of some place)
to leave a place quickly. She was here for a moment and then suddenly breezed out. She breezed out of the room in an instant.
breeze through
(something) 1. Fig. to complete some task rapidly and easily. I breezed through my calculus assignment in no time at all. It was not hard. I just breezed through.
2. Fig. to travel through a place rapidly. They breezed through every little town without stopping. We didn't stop. We just breezed through.
fan the breeze
Fig. to chat or gossip. We're just fanning the breeze, so you didn't interrupt anything. Stop fanning the breeze and get to work.
hands down
easily; unquestionably. She won the contest hands down. They declared her the winner hands down.
shoot the breeze
Fig. to chat casually and without purpose. We spent the entire afternoon just shooting the breeze. It was good to shoot the breeze with you, Mary.
breeze through something
to do something easily or quickly Lisa breezed through her homework, then started practicing for the play.
breeze through somewhere
to move through a place quickly Folks living close to the border could breeze through customs in those days.
shoot the breeze
to have a relaxed conversation Hank and his pals spend a lot of time drinking beer, shooting the breeze, and thinking about girls.
hands down
very easily
The last time we played tennis he beat me hands down. That leader is hands down the biggest threat to peace in the region. Usage notes: often used in the form win something hands down: If there were an award for bad luck, you'd win it hands down.
shoot the breeze/bull
(American informal) to talk in a relaxed way about things that are not important We sat out on the porch until late, just shooting the breeze.
win (something) hands down
to win easily She won the debate hands down.
breeze in
1. Arrive in a casual way, as in She breezed in, two hours late. This phrase transfers the blowing of a light wind to human entrances. [Colloquial; c. 1900]
2. Win easily, as in A fine golfer, he breezed in first. This usage at first alluded to horse racing but soon was transferred to more general use. [c. 1900]
hands down
1. Also, in a breeze; in a walk. Easily, without effort, as in She won the election hands down, or They won in a breeze, 10-0, or The top players get through the first rounds of the tournament in a walk. All of these expressions originated in sports. Hands down, dating from the mid-1800s, comes from horse racing, where jockeys drop their hands downward and relax their hold when they are sure to win. In a breeze, first recorded in a baseball magazine in 1910, alludes to the rapid and easy passage of moving air; in a walk, also from baseball, alludes to taking a base on balls, that is, reaching first base without having hit a pitched ball because of the pitcher's mistakes.
2. Unquestionably, without a doubt, as in Hands down, it was the best thing I've ever done.
in a breeze
shoot the breeze
Also, shoot or throw the bull . Talk idly, chat, as in They've been sitting on the porch for hours, just shooting the breeze, or The guys sit around the locker room, throwing the bull. The first of these slangy terms, alluding to talking into the wind, was first recorded in 1919. In the variant, first recorded in 1908, bull is a shortening of bullshit, and means "empty talk" or "lies."
win hands down
Also,
win in a walk or breeze . See under
hands down.
breeze through
v.1. To pass through some place swiftly and without lingering: The couple breezed through the room before anyone could say hello to them.
2. To make progress with something swiftly and effortlessly: The smart student breezed through the test.
breeze
n. an easy task. Nothing to it. It was a breeze.
fan the breeze
tv. to chat or gossip. We’re just fanning the breeze, so you didn’t interrupt anything.
hands down
mod. easily; unquestionably. She won the contest hands down.
shoot the breeze
tv. to chat casually and without purpose. We spent the entire afternoon just shooting the breeze.
hands down
1. With no trouble; easily.
2. Indisputably; unquestionably.
shoot the breeze
/bull Slang To spend time talking in an idle manner; talk idly.