12-letter words containing o, b, s
- bastardsword — Alternative spelling of bastard sword.
- bastel house — (on the Anglo-Scottish border) a partly fortified house, usually with a vaulted ground floor.
- bastinadoing — Present participle of bastinado.
- bathophilous — (of an organism) living in very deep water
- batter's box — box1 (def 16a).
- battlefronts — Plural form of battlefront.
- battlewagons — Plural form of battlewagon.
- 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 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 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.
- beachcombers — Plural form of beachcomber.
- beaconsfield — a town in SE England, in Buckinghamshire. Pop: 12 292 (2001)
- beam compass — an instrument for drawing large circles or arcs, consisting of a horizontal beam along which two vertical legs slide
- bean sprouts — the sprouts of newly germinated mung beans, eaten as a vegetable, esp in Chinese dishes
- bean-shooter — peashooter.
- beardtongues — Plural form of beardtongue.
- beaufort sea — part of the Arctic Ocean off the N coast of North America
- beauty salon — A beauty salon is the same as a beauty parlour.
- becomingness — The state or quality of becoming.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- bellows fish — snipefish.
- below stairs — People sometimes use below stairs to refer to the servants in a rich household and the things that are connected with them.
- besom pocket — an interior pocket with edging or stitching around the opening.
- besottedness — the state of being besotted
- best in show — an award to the dog, cat, or other animal judged best of all breeds in a competition.
- beta orionis — Rigel
- beta version — beta testing
- betting shop — A betting shop is a place where people can go to bet on something such as a horse race.
- betws-y-coed — a village in N Wales, in Conwy county borough, on the River Conwy: noted for its scenery. Pop: 534 (2001)
- bib overalls — overall (def 3a).
- bible school — a school or study program devoted to Bible study, esp at a church
- bibliologist — a student of bibliology
- bibliopegist — a bookbinder
- bichon frise — a small white poodle-like dog of European origin, with a silky, loosely curling coat
- bicycle shop — a shop that sells and usually repairs bicycles and bicycle parts
- big-sounding — meant to be impressive in scale
- bill of sale — a deed transferring personal property, either outright or as security for a loan or debt
- binding post — one of several metal pegs or rods, fitted into a loose-leaf binder, for holding sheets with prepunched holes.
- bio-organism — a dangerous fast-proliferating organism that could be used as the basis of a biological weapon
- bio-security — the precautions taken to protect against the spread of lethal or harmful organisms and diseases
- bioacoustics — the study of animals' use of sound
- bioastronomy — the branch of biology which deals with the study or the discovery of life forms on other planets or in space
- biochemistry — Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes that happen in living things.