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beading
beading: n.
1 decoration in the form of or resembling a row of beads, esp. lacelike looped edging.
2 Archit. a bead moulding.
3 the bead of a tyre.

breakfast
breakfast: n. & v. --n. the first meal of the day. --v.intr. have breakfast. breakfaster n. [BREAK(1) interrupt + FAST(2)]

blizzard
blizzard: n. a severe snowstorm with high winds. [US 'violent blow' (1829), 'snowstorm' (1859), perh. imit.]

bellows
bellows: n.pl. (also treated as sing..
1 a device with an air bag that emits a stream of air when squeezed, esp.: a (in full pair of bellows) a kind with two handles used for blowing air on to a fire. b a kind used in a harmonium or small organ.
2 an expandable component, e.g. joining the lens to the body of a camera. [ME prob. f. OE belga pl. of belig belly]

buoy
buoy: n. & v. --n.
1 an anchored float serving as a navigation mark or to show reefs etc.
2 a lifebuoy. --v.tr.
1 (usu. foll. by up) a keep afloat. b sustain the courage or spirits of (a person etc.); uplift, encourage.
2 (often foll. by out) mark with a buoy or buoys. [ME prob. f. MDu. bo(e)ye, ult. f. L boia collar f. Gk boeiai ox-hides]

became
became: past of BECOME.

brood
brood: n. & v. --n.
1 the young of an animal (esp. a bird) produced at one hatching or birth.
2 colloq. the children in a family.
3 a group of related things.
4 bee or wasp larvae.
5 (attrib.) kept for breeding (brood-mare). --v.
1 intr. (often foll. by on, over, etc.) worry or ponder (esp. resentfully).
2 a intr. sit as a hen on eggs to hatch them. b tr. sit on (eggs) to hatch them.
3 intr. (usu. foll. by over) (of silence, a storm, etc.) hang or hover closely. broodingly adv. [OE brod f. Gmc]

blood
blood: n. & v. --n.
1 a liquid, usually red and circulating in the arteries and veins of vertebrates, that carries oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.
2 a corresponding fluid in invertebrates.
3 bloodshed, esp. killing.
4 passion, temperament.
5 race, descent, parentage (of the same blood).
6 a relationship; relations (own flesh and blood; blood is thicker than water).
7 a dandy; a man of fashion. --v.tr.
1 give (a hound) a first taste of blood.
2 initiate (a person) by experience. bad blood ill feeling. blood-and-thunder (attrib.) colloq. sensational, melodramatic. blood bank a place where supplies of blood or plasma for transfusion are stored. blood bath a massacre. blood-brother a brother by birth or by the ceremonial mingling of blood. blood coun.
1 the counting of the number of corpuscles in a specific amount of blood.
2 the number itself. blood-curdling horrifying. blood donor one who gives blood for transfusion. blood feud a feud between families involving killing or injury. blood group any one of the various types of human blood determining compatibility in transfusion. blood-heat the normal body temperature of a healthy human being, about 37 C or 98.4 F. blood horse a thoroughbred. one's blood is up one is in a fighting mood. blood-lettin.
1 the surgical removal of some of a patient's blood.
2 joc. bloodshed. blood-lust the desire for shedding blood. blood-mone.
1 money paid to the next of kin of a person who has been killed.
2 money paid to a hired murderer.
3 money paid for information about a murder or murderer. blood orange an orange with red or red-streaked pulp. blood-poisoning a diseased state caused by the presence of micro-organisms in the blood. blood pressure the pressure of the blood in the circulatory system, often measured for diagnosis since it is closely related to the force and rate of the heartbeat and the diameter and elasticity of the arterial walls. blood-red red as blood. blood relation (or relative) a relative by blood, not by marriage. blood royal the royal family. blood serum see SERUM . blood sport sport involving the wounding or killing of animals, esp. hunting. blood sugar the amount of glucose in the blood. blood test a scientific examination of blood, esp. for diagnosis. blood transfusion the injection of a volume of blood, previously taken from a healthy person, into a patient. blood-vessel a vein, artery, or capillary carrying blood. blood-wort any of various plants having red roots or leaves, esp. the red-veined dock. first bloo.
1 the first shedding of blood, esp. in boxing.
2 the first point gained in a contest etc. in one's blood inherent in one's character. make one's blood boil infuriate one. make one's blood run cold horrify one. new (or fresh) blood new members admitted to a group, esp. as an invigorating force. of the blood royal. out for a person's blood set on getting revenge. taste blood be stimulated by an early success. young bloo.
1 a younger member or members of a group.
2 a rake or fashionable young man. [OE blod f. Gmc]

brothel
brothel: n. a house etc. where prostitution takes place. [orig. brothel-house f. ME brothel worthless man, prostitute, f. OE breothan go to ruin]

bluster
bluster: v. & n. --v.intr.
1 behave pompously and boisterously; utter empty threats.
2 (of the wind etc.) blow fiercely. --n.
1 noisily self-assertive talk.
2 empty threats. blusterer n. blustery adj. [16th c.: ult. imit.]

backlog
backlog: n.
1 arrears of uncompleted work etc.
2 a reserve; reserves (a backlog of goodwill).

brigade
brigade: n. & v. --n.
1 Mil. a a subdivision of an army. b a British infantry unit consisting usu. o.
3 battalions and forming part of a division. c a corresponding armoured unit.
2 an organized or uniformed band of workers (fire brigade).
3 colloq. any group of people with a characteristic in common (the couldn't-care-less brigade). --v.tr. form into a brigade. [F f. It. brigata company f. brigare be busy with f. briga strife]

butterfly
butterfly: n. (pl. -flies.
1 any diurnal insect of the order Lepidoptera, with knobbed antennae, a long thin body, and four usu. brightly coloured wings erect when at rest.
2 a showy or frivolous person.
3 (in pl.) colloq. a nervous sensation felt in the stomach. butterfly net a fine net on a ring attached to a pole, used for catching butterflies. butterfly nut a kind of wing-nut. butterfly stroke a stroke in swimming, with both arms raised and lifted forwards together. butterfly valve a valve with hinged semicircular plates. [OE buttor-fleoge (as BUTTER, FLY(2))]

building
building: n.
1 a permanent fixed structure forming an enclosure and providing protection from the elements etc. (e.g. a house, school, factory, or stable).
2 the constructing of such structures. building line a limit or boundary between a house and a street beyond which the owner may not build. building site an area before or during the construction of a house etc. building society Brit. a public finance company which accepts investments at interest and lends capital for mortgages on houses etc.

blacking
blacking: n. any black paste or polish, esp. for shoes.

brachial
brachial: adj.
1 of or relating to the arm (brachial artery).
2 like an arm. [L brachialis f. bra(c)chium arm]

big
big: adj. & adv. --adj. (bigger, biggest.
1 a of considerable size, amount, intensity, etc. (a big mistake; a big helping). b of a large or the largest size (big toe; big drum).
2 important; significant; outstanding (the big race; my big chance).
3 a grown up (a big boy now). b elder (big sister).
4 colloq. a boastful (big words; big mouth). b often iron. generous (big of him). c ambitious (big ideas).
5 (usu. foll. by with) advanced in pregnancy; fecund (big with child; big with consequences). --adv. colloq. in a big manner, esp..
1 effectively (went over big).
2 boastfully (talk big).
3 ambitiously (think big). Big Apple US sl. New York City. big band a large jazz or pop orchestra. big bang Stock Exch. (in the UK) the introduction in 1986 of important changes in the regulations and procedures for trading, esp. the widening of membership, the relaxation of rules for brokers, and the introduction of computerized communications. big bang theory the theory that the universe began with the explosion of dense matter. Big Ben the great clock tower of the Houses of Parliament and its bell. Big Board US colloq. the New York Stock Exchange. Big Brother an all-powerful supposedly benevolent dictator (as in Orwell's 1984). big bud a plant disease caused by the gall-mite. big bug sl. = BIGWIG. big business large-scale financial dealings, esp. when sinister or exploitative. Big Chief (or Daddy) sl. = BIGWIG. big deal! sl. iron. I am not impressed. big dippe.
1 a fairground switchback.
2 US = the Great Bear (see BEAR(2) )). big end (in a motor vehicle) the end of the connecting-rod that encircles the crankpin. big game large animals hunted for sport. big gun sl. = BIGWIG. big-head colloq. a conceited person. big-headed colloq. conceited. big-headedness colloq. conceitedness. big-hearted generous. big hous.
1 the principal house in a village etc.
2 sl. a prison. big idea often iron. the important intention or scheme. big money large amounts; high profit; high pay. big name a famous person. big noise (or pot or shot) colloq. = BIGWIG. big smoke Brit. sl.
1 London.
2 any large town. big stick a display of force. Big Three (or Four etc.) the predominant few. the big time sl. success in a profession, esp. show business. big-timer sl. a person who achieves success. big top the main tent in a circus. big tree US a giant evergreen conifer, Sequoiadendron giganteum, usu. with a trunk of large girth. big whee.
1 a Ferris wheel.
2 US sl. = BIGWIG. come (or go) over big make a great effect. in a big wa.
1 on a large scale.
2 colloq. with great enthusiasm, display, etc. look (or talk) big boast. think big be ambitious. too big for one's boots (or breeches) sl. conceited. biggish adj. bigness n. [ME: orig. unkn.]

burning
burning: adj.
1 ardent, intense (burning desire).
2 hotly discussed, exciting (burning question).
3 flagrant (burning shame). burning bus.
1 any of various shrubs with red fruits or red autumn leaves (with ref. to Exod. 3:2).
2 fraxinella. burningly adv.

biology
biology: n.
1 the study of living organisms.
2 the plants and animals of a particular area. biologist n. [F biologie f. G Biologie (as BIO-, -LOGY)]

basketball
basketball: n.
1 a game between two teams of five or six, in which goals are scored by making the ball drop through hooped nets fixed high up at each end of the court.
2 the ball used in this game.

boar
boar: n.
1 (in full wild boar) the tusked wild pig, Sus scrofa, from which domestic pigs are descended.
2 an uncastrated male pig.
3 its flesh.
4 a male guinea-pig etc. [OE bar f. WG]

boogie
boogie: v. & n. --v.intr. (boogies, boogied, boogying) sl. dance enthusiastically to pop music. --n.
1 = BOOGIE-WOOGIE.
2 sl. a dance to pop music. [BOOGIE-WOOGIE]

bacon
bacon: n. cured meat from the back or sides of a pig. bring home the bacon colloq.
1 succeed in one's undertaking.
2 supply material provision or support. [ME f. OF f. Frank. bako = OHG bahho ham, flitch]

brow
brow: n.
1 the forehead.
2 (usu. in pl.) an eyebrow.
3 the summit of a hill or pass.
4 the edge of a cliff etc.
5 colloq. intellectual level. browed adj. [OE bru f. Gmc]

breadth
breadth: n.
1 the distance or measurement from side to side of a thing; broadness.
2 a piece (of cloth etc.) of standard or full breadth.
3 extent, distance, room.
4 (usu. foll. by of) capacity to respect other opinions; freedom from prejudice or intolerance (esp. breadth of mind or view).
5 Art unity of the whole, achieved by the disregard of unnecessary details. breadthways adv. breadthwise adv. [obs. brede, OE brdu, f. Gmc, rel. to BROAD]

business
business: n.
1 one's regular occupation, profession, or trade.
2 a thing that is one's concern.
3 a a task or duty. b a reason for coming (what is your business?).
4 serious work or activity (get down to business).
5 derog. a an affair, a matter (sick of the whole business). b a structure (a lath-and-plaster business).
6 a thing or series of things needing to be dealt with (the business of the day).
7 buying and selling; trade (good stroke of business).
8 a commercial house or firm.
9 Theatr. action on stage. 10 a difficult matter (what a business it is!; made a great business of it). business card a card printed with one's name and professional details. the business end colloq. the functional part of a tool or device. business park an area designed to accommodate businesses and light industry. business person a businessman or businesswoman. business studies training in economics, management, etc. has no business to has no right to. in busines.
1 trading or dealing.
2 able to begin operations. in the business o.
1 engaged in.
2 intending to (we are not in the business of surrendering). like nobody's business colloq. extraordinarily. make it one's business to undertake to. mind one's own business not meddle. on business with a definite purpose, esp. one relating to one's regular occupation. send a person about his or her business dismiss a person; send a person away. [OE bisignis (as BUSY, -NESS)]

baptism
baptism: n.
1 a the religious rite, symbolizing admission to the Christian Church, of sprinkling the forehead with water, or (usu. only with adults) by immersion, generally accompanied by name-giving. b the act of baptizing or being baptized.
2 an initiation, e.g. into battle.
3 the naming of ships, church bells, etc. baptism of fir.
1 initiation into battle.
2 a painful new undertaking or experience. baptismal adj. [ME f. OF ba(p)te(s)me f. eccl.L baptismus f. eccl.Gk baptismos f. baptizo BAPTIZE]

bizarre
bizarre: adj. strange in appearance or effect; eccentric; grotesque. bizarrely adv. bizarreness n. [F, = handsome, brave, f. Sp. & Port. bizarro f. Basque bizarra beard]

brewerbronze
bronze: n., adj., & v. --n.
1 any alloy of copper and tin.
2 its brownish colour.
3 a thing made of bronze, esp. as a work of art. --adj. made of or coloured like bronze. --v.
1 tr. give a bronzelike surface to.
2 tr. & intr. make or become brown; tan. Bronze Age Archaeol. the period preceding the Iron Age, when weapons and tools were usu. made of bronze. bronze medal a medal usu. awarded to a competitor who comes third (esp. in sport). bronzy adj. [F f. It. bronzo, prob. f. Pers. birinj copper]

barometer
barometer: n.
1 an instrument measuring atmospheric pressure, esp. in forecasting the weather and determining altitude.
2 anything which reflects changes in circumstances, opinions, etc. barometric adj. barometrical adj. barometry n.

bastardybloodhound
bloodhound: n.
1 a large hound of a breed used in tracking and having a very keen sense of smell.
2 this breed.

baba
baba: n. (in full rum baba) a small rich sponge cake, usu. soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. [F f. Pol.]

bleeding
bleeding: adj. & adv. Brit. coarse sl. expressing annoyance or antipathy (a bleeding nuisance). bleeding hear.
1 colloq. a dangerously soft-hearted person.
2 any of various plants, esp. Dicentra spectabilis having heart-shaped crimson flowers hanging from an arched stem.

bathroom
bathroom: n.
1 a room containing a bath and usu. other washing facilities.
2 esp. US a room containing a lavatory.

broken
broken: past part. of BREAK(1). --adj.
1 that has been broken; out of order.
2 (of a person) reduced to despair; beaten.
3 (of a language or of speech) spoken falteringly and with many mistakes, as by a foreigner (broken English).
4 disturbed, interrupted (broken time).
5 uneven (broken ground). broken chord Mus. a chord in which the notes are played successively. broken-dow.
1 worn out by age, use, or ill-treatment.
2 out of order. broken-hearted overwhelmed with sorrow or grief. broken-heartedness grief. broken home a family in which the parents are divorced or separated. broken reed a person who has become unreliable or ineffective. broken wind heaves (see HEAVE n. 3). broken-winded (of a horse) disabled by ruptured air-cells in the lungs. brokenly adv. brokenness n.

because
because: conj. for the reason that; since. because of on account of; by reason of. [ME f. BY prep. + CAUSE, after OF par cause de by reason of]

benchmark
benchmark: n. & v. --n.
1 a surveyor's mark cut in a wall, pillar, building, etc., used as a reference point in measuring altitudes.
2 a standard or point of reference.
3 a means of testing a computer, usu. by a set of programs run on a series of different machines. --v.tr. evaluate (a computer) by a benchmark. benchmark test a test using a benchmark.

brochure
brochure: n. a pamphlet or leaflet, esp. one giving descriptive information. [F, lit. 'stitching', f. brocher stitch]

beach
beach: n. & v. --n. a pebbly or sandy shore esp. of the sea between high- and low-water marks. --v.tr. run or haul up (a boat etc.) on to a beach. beach-ball a large inflated ball for games on the beach. beach buggy a low wide-wheeled motor vehicle for recreational driving on sand. beach plu.
1 a maritime N. American shrub, Prunus maritima.
2 its edible fruit. [16th c.: orig. unkn.]

beery
beery: adj. (beerier, beeriest.
1 showing the influence of drink in one's appearance or behaviour.
2 smelling or tasting of beer. beerily adv. beeriness n.

bursitis
bursitis: n. inflammation of a bursa.

bunny
bunny: n. (pl. -ies.
1 a child's name for a rabbit.
2 Austral. sl. a victim or dupe.
3 (in full bunny girl) a club hostess, waitress, etc., wearing a skimpy costume with ears and a tail suggestive of a rabbit. [dial. bun rabbit]

baselybraiderbumper
bumper: n.
1 a horizontal bar or strip fixed across the front or back of a motor vehicle to reduce damage in a collision or as a trim.
2 (usu. attrib.) an unusually large or fine example (a bumper crop).
3 Cricket a ball rising high after pitching.
4 a brim-full glass of wine etc. bumper car = DODGEM.

bogle
bogle: n.
1 = BOGEY(2).
2 a phantom.
3 a scarecrow. [orig. Sc. (16th c.), prob. rel. to BOGEY]

blonde
blonde: adj. & n. --adj. (of a woman or a woman's hair) blond. --n. a blond-haired woman. [F fem. of blond; see BLOND]

background
background: n.
1 part of a scene, picture, or description, that serves as a setting to the chief figures or objects and foreground.
2 an inconspicuous or obscure position (kept in the background).
3 a person's education, knowledge, or social circumstances.
4 explanatory or contributory information or circumstances.
5 Physics low-intensity ambient radiation from radioisotopes present in the natural environment.
6 Electronics unwanted signals, such as noise in the reception or recording of sound. background music music intended as an unobtrusive accompaniment to some activity, or to provide atmosphere in a film etc.

battalion
battalion: n.
1 a large body of men ready for battle, esp. an infantry unit forming part of a brigade.
2 a large group of people pursuing a common aim or sharing a major undertaking. [F battaillon f. It. battaglione f. battaglia BATTLE]

bah
bah: int. an expression of contempt or disbelief. [prob. F]

beginning
beginning: n.
1 the time or place at which anything begins.
2 a source or origin.
3 the first part. the beginning of the end the first clear sign of a final result.

bailey
bailey: n. (pl. -eys.
1 the outer wall of a castle.
2 a court enclosed by it. [ME, var. of BAIL(2)]

bipolar
bipolar: adj. having two poles or extremities. bipolarity n.

bibliography
bibliography: n. (pl. -ies.
1 a a list of the books referred to in a scholarly work, usu. printed as an appendix. b a list of the books of a specific author or publisher, or on a specific subject, etc.
2 a the history or description of books, including authors, editions, etc. b any book containing such information. bibliographer n. bibliographic adj. bibliographical adj. bibliographically adv. bibliographize v.tr. (also -ise). [F bibliographie f. mod.L bibliographia f. Gk (as BIBLE, -GRAPHY)]

bubble
bubble: n. & v. --n.
1 a a thin sphere of liquid enclosing air etc. b an air-filled cavity in a liquid or a solidified liquid such as glass or amber.
2 the sound or appearance of boiling.
3 a transparent domed cavity.
4 a visionary or unrealistic project or enterprise (the South Sea Bubble). --v.intr.
1 rise in or send up bubbles.
2 make the sound of boiling. bubble and squeak Brit. cooked cabbage fried with cooked potatoes or meat. bubble bat.
1 a preparation for adding to bath water to make it foam.
2 a bath with this added. bubble car Brit. a small motor car with a transparent dome. bubble chamber Physics an apparatus designed to make the tracks of ionizing particles visible as a row of bubbles in a liquid. bubble gum chewing-gum that can be blown into bubbles. bubble memory Computing a type of memory which stores data as a pattern of magnetized regions in a thin layer of magnetic material. bubble over (often foll. by with) be exuberant with laughter, excitement, anger, etc. bubble pack a small package enclosing goods in a transparent material on a backing. [ME: prob. imit.]

beneficial
beneficial: adj.
1 advantageous; having benefits.
2 Law relating to the use or benefit of property; having rights to this use or benefit. beneficially adv. [ME f. F bnficial or LL beneficialis (as BENEFICE)]

beyond
beyond: prep., adv., & n. --prep.
1 at or to the further side of (beyond the river).
2 outside the scope, range, or understanding of (beyond repair; beyond a joke; it is beyond me).
3 more than. --adv.
1 at or to the further side.
2 further on. --n. (prec. by the) the unknown after death. the back of beyond see BACK . [OE beg(e)ondan (as BY, YON, YONDER)]

bulletin
bulletin: n.
1 a short official statement of news.
2 a regular list of information etc. issued by an organization or society. bulletin-board US a notice-board. [F f. It. bullettino dimin. of bulletta passport, dimin. of bulla seal, BULL(2)]

booty
booty: n.
1 plunder gained esp. in war or by piracy.
2 colloq. something gained or won. [ME f. MLG bute, buite exchange, of uncert. orig.]

badminton
badminton: n.
1 a game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is played back and forth across a net.
2 a summer drink of claret, soda, and sugar. [Badminton in S. England]

baseball
baseball: n.
1 a game played esp. in the US with teams of nine, a bat and ball, and a circuit of four bases which the batsman must complete.
2 the ball used in this game.

backstairs
backstairs: n.pl.
1 stairs at the back or side of a building.
2 (also backstair) (attrib.) denoting underhand or clandestine activity.

backstitch
backstitch: n. & v. --n. sewing with overlapping stitches. --v.tr. & intr. sew using backstitch.

bullet
bullet: n. a small round or cylindrical missile with a pointed end, fired from a rifle, revolver, etc. bullet-headed having a round head. [F boulet, boulette dimin. of boule ball f. L bulla bubble]

brother
brother: n.
1 a man or boy in relation to other sons and daughters of his parents.
2 a (often as a form of address) a close male friend or associate. b a male fellow member of a trade union etc.
3 (pl. also brethren) a a member of a male religious order, esp. a monk. b a fellow member of the Christian Church, a religion, or (formerly) a guild etc.
4 a fellow human being. brother german see GERMAN . brother-in-law (pl. brothers-in-law.
1 the brother of one's wife or husband.
2 the husband of one's sister.
3 the husband of one's sister-in-law. brother uterine see UTERINE 2. brotherless adj. brotherly adj. & adv. brotherliness n. [OE brothor f. Gmc]

bandwidth
bandwidth: n. the range of frequencies within a given band (see BAND(1) ) n. 3a).

brose
brose: n. esp. Sc. Cookery a dish of oatmeal with boiling water or milk poured on it. [Sc. form of brewis broth: ME f. OF bro(u)ez, ult. f. Gmc]

bulk
bulk: n. & v. --n.
1 a size; magnitude (esp. large). b a large mass, body, or person. c a large quantity.
2 a large shape, body, or person (jacket barely covered his bulk).
3 (usu. prec. by the; treated as pl.) the greater part or number (the bulk of the applicants are women).
4 roughage.
5 Naut. cargo, esp. unpackaged. --v.
1 intr. seem in respect of size or importance (bulks large in his reckoning).
2 tr. make (a book, a textile yarn, etc.) seem thicker by suitable treatment (bulked it with irrelevant stories).
3 tr. combine (consignments etc.). break bulk begin unloading (cargo). bulk-buyin.
1 buying in large amounts at a discount.
2 the purchase by one buyer of all or most of a producer's output. in bul.
1 in large quantities.
2 (of a cargo) loose, not packaged. [sense 'cargo' f. OIcel. blki; sense 'mass' etc. perh. alt. f. obs. bouk (cf. BUCK(3))]

beautiful
beautiful: adj.
1 delighting the aesthetic senses (a beautiful voice).
2 pleasant, enjoyable (had a beautiful time).
3 excellent (a beautiful specimen). beautifully adv.

blockbuster
blockbuster: n. sl.
1 something of great power or size, esp. an epic film or a book.
2 a huge bomb capable of destroying a whole block of buildings.

bawl
bawl: v.
1 tr. speak or call out noisily.
2 intr. weep loudly. bawl out colloq. reprimand angrily. bawler n. [imit.: cf. med.L baulare bark, Icel. baula (Sw. bla) to low]

bacteria
bacteria: pl. of BACTERIUM.

blouse
blouse: n. & v. --n.
1 a a woman's loose, usu. lightweight, upper garment, usu. buttoned and collared. b the upper part of a soldier's or airman's battledress.
2 a workman's or peasant's loose linen or cotton garment, usu. belted at the waist. --v.tr. make (a bodice etc.) loose like a blouse. [F, of unkn. orig.]

bikini
bikini: n. a two-piece swimsuit for women. bikini briefs women's scanty briefs. [Bikini, an atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific where an atomic bomb was exploded in 1946, from the supposed 'explosive' effect]

bottle
bottle: n. & v. --n.
1 a container, usu. of glass or plastic and with a narrow neck, for storing liquid.
2 the amount that will fill a bottle.
3 a baby's feeding-bottle.
4 = hot-water bottle.
5 a metal cylinder for liquefied gas.
6 Brit. sl. courage, confidence. --v.tr.
1 put into bottles or jars.
2 preserve (fruit etc.) in jars.
3 (foll. by up) a conceal or restrain for a time (esp. a feeling). b keep (an enemy force etc.) contained or entrapped.
4 (as bottled adj.) sl. drunk. bottle bank a place where used bottles may be deposited for recycling. bottle-brus.
1 a cylindrical brush for cleaning inside bottles.
2 any of various plants with a flower of this shape. bottle-green a dark shade of green. bottle party a party to which guests bring bottles of drink. bottle tree any of various Australian trees of the genus Brachychiton with a swollen bottle-shaped trunk. hit the bottle sl. drink heavily. on the bottle sl. drinking (alcoholic drink) heavily. bottleful n. (pl. -fuls). [ME f. OF botele, botaille f. med.L butticula dimin. of LL buttis BUTT(4)]

barker
barker: n. a tout at an auction, sideshow, etc., who calls out for custom to passers-by. [BARK(1) + -ER(1)]

brack
brack: n. Ir. cake or bread containing dried fruit etc. [abbr. of BARMBRACK]

birthday
birthday: n.
1 the day on which a person etc. was born.
2 the anniversary of this. birthday honours Brit. titles etc. given on a sovereign's official birthday. in one's birthday suit joc. naked.

billboard
billboard: n. esp. US a large outdoor board for advertisements etc.

browse
browse: v. & n. --v.
1 intr. & tr. read desultorily.
2 intr. (often foll. by on) feed (on leaves, twigs, or scanty vegetation).
3 tr. crop and eat. --n.
1 twigs, young shoots, etc., as fodder for cattle.
2 an act of browsing. browser n. [(n.) f. earlier brouse f. OF brost young shoot, prob. f. Gmc; (v.) f. F broster]

bandbacillus
bacillus: n. (pl. bacilli.
1 any rod-shaped bacterium.
2 (usu. in pl.) any pathogenic bacterium. [LL, dimin. of L baculus stick]

batman
batman: n. (pl. -men) Mil. an attendant serving an officer. [OF bat, bast f. med.L bastum pack-saddle + MAN]

bronchitis
bronchitis: n. inflammation of the mucous membrane in the bronchial tubes. bronchitic adj. & n.

burner
burner: n. the part of a gas cooker, lamp, etc. that emits and shapes the flame. on the back (or front) burner colloq. receiving little (or much) attention.

bead
bead: n. & v. --n.
1 a a small usu. rounded and perforated piece of glass, stone, etc., for threading with others to make jewellery, or sewing on to fabric, etc. b (in pl.) a string of beads; a rosary.
2 a drop of liquid; a bubble.
3 a small knob in the foresight of a gun.
4 the inner edge of a pneumatic tyre that grips the rim of the wheel.
5 Archit. a a moulding like a series of beads. b a narrow moulding with a semicircular cross-section. --v.
1 tr. furnish or decorate with beads.
2 tr. string together.
3 intr. form or grow into beads. draw a bead on take aim at. tell one's beads use the beads of a rosary etc. in counting prayers. beaded adj. [orig. = 'prayer' (for which the earliest use of beads arose): OE gebed f. Gmc, rel. to BID]

biotechnology
biotechnology: n. the exploitation of biological processes for industrial and other purposes, esp. genetic manipulation of micro-organisms (for the production of antibiotics, hormones, etc.).

babel
babel: n.
1 a confused noise, esp. of voices.
2 a noisy assembly.
3 a scene of confusion. Tower of Babel a visionary or unrealistic plan. [ME f. Heb. Babel Babylon f. Akkad. bab ili gate of god (with ref. to the biblical account of the tower that was built to reach heaven but ended in chaos when Jehovah confused the builders' speech: see Gen . 11)]

barbecue
barbecue: n. & v. --n.
1 a a meal cooked on an open fire out of doors, esp. meat grilled on a metal appliance. b a party at which such a meal is cooked and eaten.
2 a the metal appliance used for the preparation of a barbecue. b a fireplace, usu. of brick, containing such an appliance. --v.tr. (barbecues, barbecued, barbecuing) cook (esp. meat) on a barbecue. barbecue sauce a highly seasoned sauce, usu. containing chillies, in which meat etc. may be cooked. [Sp. barbacoa f. Haitian barbaca wooden frame on posts]

boo
boo: int., n., & v. --int.
1 an expression of disapproval or contempt.
2 a sound, made esp. to a child, intended to surprise. --n. an utterance of boo, esp. as an expression of disapproval or contempt made to a performer etc. --v. (boos, booed.
1 intr. utter a boo or boos.
2 tr. jeer at (a performer etc.) by booing. can't (or wouldn't) say boo to a goose is very shy or timid. [imit.]

before
before: conj., prep., & adv. --conj.
1 earlier than the time when (crawled before he walked).
2 rather than that (would starve before he stole). --prep.
1 a in front of (before her in the queue). b ahead of (crossed the line before him). c under the impulse of (recoil before the attack). d awaiting (the future before them).
2 earlier than; preceding (Lent comes before Easter).
3 rather than (death before dishonour).
4 a in the presence of (appear before the judge). b for the attention of (a plan put before the committee). --adv.
1 a earlier than the time in question; already (heard it before). b in the past (happened long before).
2 ahead (go before).
3 on the front (hit before and behind). Before Christ (of a date) reckoned backwards from the birth of Christ. before God a solemn oath meaning 'as God sees me'. before time see TIME . [OE beforan f. Gmc]

blight
blight: n. & v. --n.
1 any plant disease caused by mildews, rusts, smuts, fungi, or insects.
2 any insect or parasite causing such a disease.
3 any obscure force which is harmful or destructive.
4 an unsightly or neglected urban area. --v.tr.
1 affect with blight.
2 harm, destroy.
3 spoil. [17th c.: orig. unkn.]

bramble
bramble: n.
1 any of various thorny shrubs bearing fleshy red or black berries, esp. the blackberry bush, Rubus fructicosus.
2 the edible berry of these shrubs.
3 any of various other rosaceous shrubs with similar foliage, esp. the dog rose (Rosa canina). brambly adj. [OE brmbel (earlier brmel): see BROOM]

biography
biography: n. (pl. -ies.
1 a a written account of a person's life, usu. by another. b such writing as a branch of literature.
2 the course of a living (usu. human) being's life. biographer n. biographic adj. biographical adj. [F biographie or mod.L biographia f. med.Gk]