15-letter words containing b, n
- animal behavior — behavior (def 2).
- anne de beaujeu — (Anne de Beaujeu) 1460–1522, daughter of Louis XI of France: regent during the minority of her brother Charles VIII 1483–91.
- anne of bohemia — 1366–94, queen consort of Richard II of England
- annulled branch — delayed control-transfer
- annus mirabilis — a year of wonders, catastrophes, or other notable events
- antarctic beech — any tree of the genus Nothofagus, related to the beech and native to temperate Australasia and South America, esp Nothofagus cunninghamii of SE Australia or Nothofagus moorei of NE Australia
- anteprohibition — before prohibition.
- anthony burgess — Anthony, 1917–93, English novelist and critic.
- anthropobiology — the biological study of the human species
- anti-globalizer — a political activist who challenges the concept of globalization and promotes practices that do not cause environmental damage
- anti-liberalism — the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.
- anti-republican — of, relating to, or of the nature of a republic.
- antiabortionist — An antiabortionist is someone who wants to limit or prevent the legal availability of abortions.
- antibureaucracy — Opposed to bureaucracy.
- antifashionable — not conforming to mainstream fashion
- antilibertarian — opposed to libertarianism
- antilock brakes — brakes fitted to some road vehicles that prevent skidding and improve control by sensing and compensating for overbraking
- antimetabolites — Plural form of antimetabolite.
- antituberculous — (medicine) Acting to combat or counteract tuberculosis.
- anybody's guess — a person of some importance: If you're anybody, you'll receive an invitation.
- apartment block — building: flats, apartments
- appeal tribunal — An appeal tribunal is a special court or committee that is formed to reconsider a decision made by another court or committee.
- arabian jasmine — a climbing shrub, Jasminum sambac, of India, having hairy branches and very fragrant white flowers that turn purple with age, used in making jasmine tea; sampaguita.
- arabic numerals — the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and the 0 (zero) that originated in India; Hindu-Arabic numerals
- arbitration bar — a bar of cast iron used as a sample for the batch to which it belongs.
- archaeobotanist — A person engaged in archaeobotany.
- argyll and bute — a council area in W Scotland on the Atlantic Ocean: in 1975 the historical counties of Argyllshire and Bute became part of Strathclyde region; in 1996 they were reinstated as a single unitary authority. Argyll and Bute is mountainous and includes the islands of Bute, Mull, Islay, and Jura. Administrative centre: Lochgilphead. Pop: 91 300 (2003 est). Area: 6930 sq km (2676 sq miles)
- ariboflavinosis — a condition resulting from a dietary deficiency of riboflavin
- around the bend — to force (an object, especially a long or thin one) from a straight form into a curved or angular one, or from a curved or angular form into some different form: to bend an iron rod into a hoop.
- arthur brisbane — Arthur, 1864–1936, U.S. journalist.
- as best one can — If someone does something as best they can, they do it as well as they can, although it is very difficult.
- asbestos cement — a compound of asbestos fiber and Portland cement formerly used for various nonstructural building purposes.
- assemblypersons — Plural form of assemblyperson.
- at sb's bidding — If you do something at someone's bidding, you do it because they have asked you to do it.
- at sbs instance — If you do something at someone's instance, you do it because they have ordered or requested you to do it.
- atrabiliousness — The state or quality of being characterized by melancholy or glumness.
- audubon society — a North American organization devoted to the conservancy of birds
- authenticatable — to establish as genuine.
- autocannibalism — The eating of part of one's own body.
- babinski effect — the reflex curling upwards of the toes (instead of inwards) when the sole of the foot is stroked, normal in infants below the age of two but a pathological condition in adults
- bacchanalianism — the practice of bacchanalian behaviour; drunken revelry
- back plastering — the introduction of partitions of lath and plaster between the inner and outer surfaces of a stud wall in order to improve the insulating properties of the wall.
- back projection — a method of projecting pictures onto a translucent screen so that they are viewed from the opposite side, used esp in films to create the illusion that the actors in the foreground are moving
- back-scratching — a reciprocal exchange of favors, aid, or compliments
- backup rotation — (operating system) Any system for re-using backup media, e.g. magnetic tape. One extreme would be to use the same media for every backup (e.g. copy disk A to disk B), the other extreme would be to use new media every time. The trade-off is between the cost of buying and storing media and the ability to restore any version of any file. One example is the Grandfather, Father, Son (GFS) scheme.
- baconian method — induction (def 4a).
- baconian theory — the theory attributing the authorship of Shakespeare's plays to Francis Bacon.
- badminton court — the court on which games of badminton are played
- bag and baggage — with all one's belongings
- bag on the side — An extension to an established hack that is supposed to add some functionality to the original. Usually derogatory, implying that the original was being overextended and should have been thrown away, and the new product is ugly, inelegant, or bloated. Also "to hang a bag on the side [of]". "C++? That's just a bag on the side of C." "They want me to hang a bag on the side of the accounting system."