13-letter words containing a, b, e, r
- batch-process — to perform batch processing on (files)
- bathtub curve — Common term for the curve (resembling an end-to-end section of one of those claw-footed antique bathtubs) that describes the expected failure rate of electronics with time: initially high, dropping to near 0 for most of the system's lifetime, then rising again as it "tires out". See also burn-in period, infant mortality.
- baton twirler — someone who twirls a baton, esp a drum major or majorette
- battered wife — See under battered woman syndrome.
- battering ram — A battering ram is a long heavy piece of wood that is used to knock down the locked doors of buildings.
- battering-ram — an ancient military device with a heavy horizontal ram for battering down walls, gates, etc.
- batting order — the sequence in which hitters will bat in a given game, determined in advance by the team manager.
- battlecruiser — A large warship of a type built in the early 20th century, carrying similar armament to a battleship but faster and more lightly armored.
- battlegrounds — Plural form of battleground.
- bazillionaire — (humorous) An incredibly rich person.
- be hard going — If you say that something is hard going, you mean it is difficult and requires a lot of effort.
- bead and reel — a convex molding having the form of elongated beads alternating with disks placed edge-on, or with spherical beads, or with both.
- beaded lizard — a large, stout-bodied, venomous lizard, Heloderma horridum, inhabiting western Mexico, having black, beadlike scales with yellow to pinkish spots and splotches.
- beam splitter — a system that divides a beam of light, electrons, etc, into two or more paths
- beanbag chair — a chair like a large beanbag covered with vinyl, fabric, etc. and filled with foam pellets, as of polystyrene, that shift about to fit one's body
- bear the palm — to be the winner; take the prize
- bear's-breech — a widely cultivated S European acanthus plant, Acanthus mollis, having whitish purple-veined flowers
- bearer cheque — a cheque payable to the person who has it
- bearing plate — a heavy metal plate for receiving and distributing concentrated weight, as from a column or one end of a truss.
- bearing sword — a large sword carried for its owner by a squire or servant because of its size.
- beast of prey — any animal that hunts other animals for food
- beat the drum — a musical percussion instrument consisting of a hollow, usually cylindrical, body covered at one or both ends with a tightly stretched membrane, or head, which is struck with the hand, a stick, or a pair of sticks, and typically produces a booming, tapping, or hollow sound.
- beau brummell — any dandy or fop
- beauty editor — the person in charge of a section of newspaper or magazine devoted to cosmetics, etc
- beauty parlor — A beauty parlor is a place where women can go to have beauty treatments, for example, to have their hair, nails, or makeup done.
- beaux esprits — bel esprit
- beaux-esprits — plural of bel-esprit.
- bed and board — sleeping accommodation and meals
- bedroom farce — a light comedy about sexual relationships
- beetlebrained — stupid
- beggar's-lice — any of several plants, esp the stickseed, having small prickly fruits that adhere to clothing, fur, etc
- behavioristic — the theory or doctrine that human or animal psychology can be accurately studied only through the examination and analysis of objectively observable and quantifiable behavioral events, in contrast with subjective mental states.
- behaviourally — from a behavioural point of view
- beige toaster — Macintosh
- beleaguerment — a blockade or siege
- bell purchase — a tackle consisting of two standing single blocks, two running single blocks, a fall, and a runner, so arranged that it gives a mechanical advantage of six, neglecting friction.
- bench warrant — a warrant issued by a judge or court directing that an offender be apprehended
- beneficiary's — a person or group that receives benefits, profits, or advantages.
- benefit fraud — the illegal activity of claiming benefit payments which a person is not entitled to
- benito juarez — Benito (Pablo) [be-nee-taw pah-vlaw] /bɛˈni tɔ ˈpɑ vlɔ/ (Show IPA), 1806–72, president of Mexico 1857–72.
- benton harbor — a city in SW Michigan, on Lake Michigan.
- berber carpet — a type of plain coloured carpeting, usually cream, oatmeal or light brown
- berbice chair — large armchair with long arms that can be folded inwards to act as leg rests
- berchtesgaden — a town in Germany, in SE Bavaria: site of the fortified mountain retreat of Adolf Hitler. Pop: 7667 (2003 est)
- bergamot mint — an aromatic herb, Mentha piperita citrata, having a lemonlike odor when crushed.
- bering strait — a strait between Alaska and Russia, connecting the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean
- berkeleianism — the philosophical system of George Berkeley, holding that objects exist only when perceived, that God's perception sustains the universe, and that there is no independent substratum or substance in which these perceptions inhere
- berkeley yacc — (tool) (byacc, previously Zeus, then Zoo) Probably the best variant of the Yacc parser generator. Written by Robert Corbett <[email protected]>.
- bermuda grass — a widely distributed grass, Cynodon dactylon, with wiry creeping rootstocks and several purplish spikes of flowers arising from a single point: used for lawns, pasturage, binding sand dunes, etc
- bermuda onion — a large white or yellow onion with a mild flavor, grown in Texas, California, etc.