14-letter words containing b, e, t, d
- bib and tucker — an outfit of clothes (esp in the phrase best bib and tucker)
- bide sb's time — If you bide your time, you wait for a good opportunity before doing something.
- bidialectalism — the state of being bidialectal
- big red switch — (jargon) (BRS) IBM jargon for the power switch on a computer, especially the "Emergency Pull" switch on an IBM mainframe or the power switch on an IBM PC where it really is large and red. "This [email protected]%$% bitty box is hung again; time to hit the Big Red Switch." It is alleged that the emergency pull switch on an IBM 360/91 actually fired a non-conducting bolt into the main power feed; the BRSes on more recent mainframes physically drop a block into place so that they can't be pushed back in. People get fired for pulling them, especially inappropriately (see also molly-guard). Compare power cycle, three-finger salute, 120 reset; see also scram switch.
- billiard table — the rectangular table used for playing billiards
- binding rafter — a timber for supporting rafters between their extremities, as a purlin.
- binding strake — a very strong, heavy strake of planking, especially one next to a sheer strake.
- biodegradation — to decay and become absorbed by the environment: toys that will biodegrade when they're discarded.
- bioremediation — the use of plants to extract heavy metals from contaminated soils and water
- black redstart — a small, Passerine bird, Phoenicurus ochruros, found in Central and S Europe
- bladder ketmia — plant with pale yellow flowers
- bladder ketmie — flower-of-an-hour
- bleeding heart — If you describe someone as a bleeding heart, you are criticizing them for being sympathetic towards people who are poor and suffering, without doing anything practical to help.
- blind register — (in the United Kingdom) a list of those who are blind and are therefore entitled to financial and other benefits
- blind staggers — the staggers
- blister-packed — presented in a blister pack
- blood platelet — any of the minute, disklike, colorless elements of the blood that are essential for normal clotting
- blood relation — A blood relation or blood relative is someone who is related to you by birth rather than by marriage.
- board of trade — (in the United Kingdom) a ministry within the Department of Trade: responsible for the supervision of commerce and the promotion of export trade
- body beautiful — a beautiful body
- body corporate — a group of persons incorporated to carry out a specific enterprise
- border dispute — a disagreement between countries about where the border between them should be drawn
- border terrier — a small rough-coated breed of terrier that originated in the Borders
- bored to death — very weary and lack stimulation
- born yesterday — brought forth by birth.
- bosworth field — the site, two miles south of Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, of the battle that ended the Wars of the Roses (August 1485). Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor was crowned king as Henry VII
- botanic garden — a place in which plants are grown, studied, and exhibited
- bottom-feeding — the activities of a bottom feeder.
- bound moisture — Bound moisture is liquid in a solid, which exerts a vapor pressure that is less than the pure liquid would do at the same temperature.
- boundary-stone — a stone marking a boundary, sometimes giving information such as the initials of the local authority in whose jurisdiction the boundary is
- boxed comments — (programming) Comments that occupy several lines by themselves; so called because in assembler and C code they are often surrounded by a box in a style similar to this: /************************************************* * * This is a boxed comment in C style * *************************************************/ Common variants of this style omit the asterisks in column 2 or add a matching row of asterisks closing the right side of the box. The sparest variant omits all but the comment delimiters themselves; the "box" is implied. Opposite of winged comments.
- bradley effect — the distortion of opinion polls caused by the reluctance of respondents to admit to a preference that is regarded as socially unacceptable
- brandy snifter — snifter (def 1).
- bread poultice — a poultice made from breadcrumbs
- break the mold — If you say that someone breaks the mold, you mean that they do completely different things from what has been done before or from what is usually done.
- breakfast food — any prepared cereal for breakfast
- breast-feeding — to nurse (a baby) at the breast; suckle.
- breathe a word — to say something or anything
- breeding stock — animals specifically kept to breed from
- bridge circuit — any of several networks, such as a Wheatstone bridge, consisting of two branches across which a measuring device is connected. The resistance, capacitance, etc, of one component can be determined from the known values of the others when the voltage in each branch is balanced
- bridge fluting — (on the stem of a drinking glass) flutes or facets continuing onto the underside of the bowl.
- broad-spectrum — effective against a wide variety of diseases or microorganisms
- broken-hearted — Someone who is broken-hearted is very sad and upset because they have had a serious disappointment.
- brood parasite — a young bird hatched and reared by birds of a different species as a result of brood parasitism.
- brushed cotton — cotton fabric that is brushed to remove excess lint and fibres to leave a soft, smooth finish
- bucket brigade — a line of persons passing buckets of water along in trying to put out a fire
- budget account — an account with a department store, etc, enabling a customer to make monthly payments to cover his or her past and future purchases
- budget deficit — the amount by which government expenditure exceeds income from taxation, customs duties, etc, in any one fiscal year
- budget heading — a heading in a budget under which an expenditure is listed
- budget surplus — the amount by which government income from taxation, customs duties, etc, exceeds expenditure in any one fiscal year