13-letter words containing a, k, i
- backing store — a computer storage device, usually a disk, that provides additional storage space for information so that it can be accessed and referred to when required and may be copied into the processor if needed
- backing track — a recorded instrumental or vocal accompaniment for a pop singer or pop number
- backpedalling — to retard the forward motion by pressing backward on the pedal, especially of a bicycle with coaster brakes.
- backstitching — Present participle of backstitch.
- backwardation — the difference between the spot price for a commodity, including rent and interest, and the forward price
- baedeker raid — one of the German air raids in 1942 on places of cultural and historical importance in England
- bag of tricks — a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch.
- baking powder — Baking powder is an ingredient used in cake making. It causes cakes to rise when they are in the oven.
- balkanization — If you disapprove of the division of a country into separate independent states, you can refer to the Balkanization of the country.
- banister back — a back of a chair or the like, usually having semicircular spindles between the top rail and the cross rail or seat.
- bank discount — interest on a loan deducted from the principal amount when the loan is made and based on the loan's face value
- bank examiner — a public official appointed under U.S. state or federal laws to inspect and audit the operations and accounts of banks in the examiner's jurisdiction.
- bank of issue — a bank, as a Federal Reserve Bank, empowered by a government to issue currency.
- banker's bill — a banknote
- banking hours — the hours during which a bank is open for business
- banking house — a more formal term for a bank
- banzai attack — a mass attack of troops, without concern for casualties, as practised by the Japanese in World War II
- barnsbreaking — noisy and exuberant activity; boisterous mischief-making
- basket dinner — a group social gathering, as of church members, to which participants contribute casseroles or other dishes to share.
- basking shark — a very large plankton-eating shark, Cetorhinus maximus, often floating at the sea surface: family Cetorhinidae
- beaking joint — a straight joint made by several members, as strips of flooring, ending at the same line.
- 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
- beta-blocking — acting to inhibit the activity of the nerves that are stimulated by adrenaline
- bewick's swan — a white Old World swan, Cygnus bewickii, having a black bill with a small yellow base
- bielsko-biala — a city in S Poland.
- bielsko-biała — a town in S Poland: created in 1951 by the union of Bielsko and Biała Krakowska; a leading textile centre since the 16th century. Pop: 356 000 (2005 est)
- birthday cake — a special cake eaten at a birthday party
- black crappie — a dark, spotted crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)
- black diamond — coal (sense 1)
- black disease — an infectious necrotic hepatitis in sheep and occasionally cattle caused by toxins produced by infection with species of Clostridial. Secondary to liver fluke infestation, the disease is characterized by sudden death. So-called because of the black discolouration of subcutaneous tissues due to congestion and haemorrhage seen at post-mortem
- black english — the group of related dialects of American English spoken variously by many black people in the U.S.
- black hickory — a species of smooth-barked hickory, Carya tomentosa, with fragrant foliage that turns bright yellow in autumn
- black muslims — (esp in the US) a political and religious movement of Black people who adopt the religious practices of Islam and seek to establish a new Black nation
- black pudding — Black pudding is a thick sausage which has a black skin and is made from pork fat and pig's blood.
- black russian — a drink made from one part coffee liqueur and two parts vodka, served over ice.
- black section — (in Britain in the 1980s) an unofficial group within the Labour Party in any constituency that represented the interests of local Black people
- black skimmer — a black and white New World skimmer, Rynchops nigra, having a bill with a reddish-orange base.
- black studies — a program of studies in black history and culture offered by a school or college, often including Afro-American history and black literature.
- black-a-vised — having a dark complexion.
- blacksmithing — the work of a blacksmith.
- block capital — a sans-serif letter with lines of uniform weight.
- block diagram — a diagram showing the interconnections between the parts of an industrial process
- boat neckline — a wide, high neckline that follows the curve of the collarbone and ends in points on the shoulder seams.
- bodvar bjarki — the greatest of Rolf Kraki's heroes, often fighting in the likeness of a bear: probably identical with Beowulf.
- book learning — knowledge gained from books rather than from direct personal experience
- book-learning — knowledge acquired by reading books, as distinguished from that obtained through observation and experience.
- booking agent — an agent who makes bookings, as reservations for travel or the theater or engagements for performers, for clients.
- boomerang kid — a young adult who, after having lived on his or her own for a time, returns to live in the parental home, usually due to financial problems caused by unemployment or the high cost of living independently
- brahminy kite — a common kite, Haliastur indus, of southern Asia and the southwest Pacific islands, having reddish-brown plumage with a white head and breast.
- brain-picking — the act of obtaining information or ideas by questioning another person.