12-letter words containing b, a, l, k
- blister pack — a type of packet in which small items are displayed and sold, consisting of a transparent dome of plastic or similar material mounted on a firm backing such as cardboard
- block caving — a method of mining a large block of ore by systematically undercutting so the ore will cave. Compare cave (def 5a).
- block heater — an electrically operated immersion heater fitted either to enter the water hose or the water jacket surrounding the cylinder block of a motor to warm the coolant in cold weather.
- block island — an island off the coast of and a part of Rhode Island, at the E entrance to Long Island Sound.
- block signal — a fixed railroad signal governing the movements of trains entering and using a given section of track.
- blue-sky law — a state law regulating the trading of securities: intended to protect investors from fraud
- boating lake — a lake in a park where rowing boats can be hired
- boilermaking — metal-working in heavy industry; plating or welding
- booklet pane — Philately. any of a number of panes or small pages of postage stamps, stapled together into a booklet for the convenience of users.
- bracket lamp — a wall light that is attached to the wall by a bracket
- brake lining — a curved thin strip of an asbestos composition riveted to a brake shoe to provide it with a renewable surface
- break a leg! — good luck!
- brooks's law — (programming) "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later" - a result of the fact that the expected advantage from splitting work among N programmers is O(N) (that is, proportional to N), but the complexity and communications cost associated with coordinating and then merging their work is O(N^2) (that is, proportional to the square of N). The quote is from Fred Brooks, a manager of IBM's OS/360 project and author of "The Mythical Man-Month". The myth in question has been most tersely expressed as "Programmer time is fungible" and Brooks established conclusively that it is not. Hackers have never forgotten his advice; too often, management still does. See also creationism, second-system effect, optimism.
- brown hackle — an artificial fly having a peacock herl body, golden tag and tail, and brown hackle.
- bulk carrier — a ship that carries unpackaged cargo, usually consisting of a single dry commodity, such as coal or grain
- bullamakanka — an imaginary very remote and backward place
- bullock cart — a cart pulled by one or two bullocks
- burj khalifa — a slender tapering skyscraper in Dubai; completed in 2009; the world's tallest man-made structure, standing at 828m (2716 ft)
- bushelbasket — a rounded basket with a capacity of one bushel
- carbon black — a black finely divided form of amorphous carbon produced by incomplete combustion of natural gas or petroleum: used to reinforce rubber and in the manufacture of pigments and ink
- cavity block — a precast concrete block that contains a cavity or cavities
- central bank — a national bank that does business mainly with a government and with other banks: it regulates the volume and cost of credit
- channel back — an upholstered chair or sofa back having deep vertical grooves.
- clickability — (computing) The quality of being clickable, of causing a particular action when clicked.
- cocktail bar — a bar which serves cocktails
- cricket ball — the ball used to play cricket
- culebra peak — a peak in S central Colorado, in the Culebra Range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. 14,069 feet (4288 meters).
- cyberstalker — (Internet) A stalker who operates online.
- dak bungalow — (in India, formerly) a house where travellers on a dak route could be accommodated
- dasher block — a block at the end of a yard or gaff for supporting a signal or ensign halyard.
- double track — two railways side by side, typically for traffic in two directions
- draw a blank — (of paper or other writing surface) having no marks; not written or printed on: a blank sheet of paper.
- drinkability — The state or property of being drinkable.
- duke of alba — Duke of, Alva, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo.
- fall back on — to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
- fire blanket — a large blanket-like piece of fire-resistant material such as fibreglass used in smothering a fire
- geelvink bay — former (Dutch) name of Sarera Bay.
- go walkabout — to wander through the bush
- gondola back — a chair or couch back curving forward and downward to form arms.
- in the black — lacking hue and brightness; absorbing light without reflecting any of the rays composing it.
- jailbreaking — Present participle of jailbreak.
- jodrell bank — site of a radio astronomy observatory (Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories) in NE Cheshire, England, that operates a 250-foot (76-meter) radio telescope.
- kerb-crawler — a man who drives slowly looking to entice a prostitute into his car for sexual purposes
- kit-cat club — a club of Whig wits, painters, politicians, and men of letters, including Robert Walpole, John Vanbrugh, William Congreve, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Godfrey Kneller, that flourished in London between 1703 and 1720.
- kit-kat club — a club of Whig wits, painters, politicians, and men of letters, including Robert Walpole, John Vanbrugh, William Congreve, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Godfrey Kneller, that flourished in London between 1703 and 1720.
- kite balloon — a barrage balloon intended for use in information-gathering and observation; it is usually tethered to the ground and has lobes to keep it stable and pointing into the wind
- knowableness — the quality of being knowable
- knowledgable — possessing or exhibiting knowledge, insight, or understanding; intelligent; well-informed; discerning; perceptive.
- knuckle ball — a slow pitch that moves erratically toward home plate, usually delivered by holding the ball between the thumb and the knuckles of the first joints of the first two or three fingers.
- knuckleballs — Plural form of knuckleball.