12-letter words containing b, o
- battleworthy — capable of engaging in combat; ready for battle: a decline in the nation's battleworthy forces.
- battological — tending to repeat words unnecessarily
- bay of fundy — an inlet of the Atlantic in SE Canada, between S New Brunswick and W Nova Scotia: remarkable for its swift tides of up to 21 m (70 ft)
- bayonet bulb — an electric light bulb which is inserted into the socket against spring pressure and turned so that pins on its side engage in slots in the socket
- be at a loss — If you say that you are at a loss, you mean that you do not know what to do in a particular situation.
- be done with — to end relations with
- be in embryo — Something that is in embryo is at a very early stage of its development.
- be let loose — If you say that someone has been let loose in a place or situation, you mean that they have been given complete freedom to do what they like in that place or situation, and you suggest that this may be risky.
- be no picnic — If you say that an experience, task, or activity is no picnic, you mean that it is quite difficult or unpleasant.
- be no slouch — If you say that someone is no slouch at a particular activity, you mean that they are skilful at it or are willing to work hard at it.
- be on a roll — to have a series of successes; go from success to success
- be one thing — You can say that the first of two ideas, actions, or situations is one thing when you want to contrast it with a second idea, action, or situation and emphasize that the second one is much more difficult, important, or extreme.
- be queer for — to have a strong liking for; be obsessed with
- beach-comber — a person who lives by gathering salable articles of jetsam, refuse, etc., from beaches.
- beachcombers — Plural form of beachcomber.
- beachcombing — The action of a beachcomber.
- beacon light — a light signal for shipping
- beaconsfield — a town in SE England, in Buckinghamshire. Pop: 12 292 (2001)
- bead molding — bead (def 12).
- beam compass — an instrument for drawing large circles or arcs, consisting of a horizontal beam along which two vertical legs slide
- bean counter — You can describe people such as accountants and business managers as bean counters if you disapprove of them because you think they are only interested in money.
- bean sprouts — the sprouts of newly germinated mung beans, eaten as a vegetable, esp in Chinese dishes
- bean-shooter — peashooter.
- bear down on — to press down on; exert pressure on
- beardtongues — Plural form of beardtongue.
- bearing down — to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.
- beat up (on) — to give a beating to; thrash
- beaufort sea — part of the Arctic Ocean off the N coast of North America
- beaumontague — a cement-like substance used to fill in and hide cracks and holes in woodwork and metalwork
- beauty salon — A beauty salon is the same as a beauty parlour.
- beaver cloth — beaver1 (def 8).
- becomingness — The state or quality of becoming.
- bed moulding — a moulding in an entablature between the corona and the frieze
- bed of nails — a situation or position of extreme difficulty
- bed of roses — If you say that a situation is not a bed of roses, you mean that it is not as pleasant as it seems, and that there are some unpleasant aspects to it.
- bed-blocking — the use of hospital beds by elderly patients who cannot leave hospital because they have no place in a residential care home
- bedford cord — a heavy corded cloth, similar to corduroy
- bedfordshire — a county of S central England, administered since 2009 by the unitary authorities of Bedford and Central Bedfordshire: mainly low-lying, with the Chiltern Hills in the south: the geographical county includes Luton, which became a separate unitary authority in 1997. Area (excluding Luton): 1192 sq km (460 sq miles)
- bedroom eyes — sexy eyes
- beehive tomb — a type of subterranean tomb of the Mycenaean civilization consisting of a domed chamber entered by a passage through a hillside.
- beer o’clock — the time of day when it is acceptable or customary to start drinking alcohol
- beer parlour — a room in a tavern, hotel, etc in which beer is served
- begging bowl — If a country or organization approaches other countries or organizations with a begging bowl, it asks them for money.
- behaviorally — manner of behaving or acting.
- behaviourism — Behaviourism is the belief held by some psychologists that the only valid method of studying the psychology of people or animals is to observe how they behave.
- bell bottoms — Also, bell-bottomed. (of trousers) wide and flaring at the bottoms of the legs.
- bell housing — A bell housing is a bell-shaped extension of an engine crankcase, that contains the flywheel and the clutch.
- bell-bottoms — Bell-bottoms are trousers that are very wide at the bottom of the leg, near your feet.
- belle epoque — the period of comfortable well-established life in Europe before World War I
- belleau wood — a forest in N France: site of a battle (1918) in which the US Marines halted a German advance on Paris