14-letter words containing o, n, b
- 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.
- brachydiagonal — the shorter lateral axis of a rhombic prism
- brachypinakoid — the side parallel to the shorter horizontal axis in a crystal
- branch officer — (in the British navy since 1949) any officer who holds warrant
- branchiostegal — of or relating to the operculum covering the gill slits of fish
- brazing solder — an alloy of copper and zinc for joining two metal surfaces by melting the alloy so that it forms a thin layer between the surfaces
- breaking point — If something or someone has reached breaking point, they have so many problems or difficulties that they can no longer cope with them, and may soon collapse or be unable to continue.
- brecknockshire — a historic county in S Wales, now part of Powys, Gwent, and Mid Glamorgan.
- breech-loading — (of a firearm) loaded at the breech
- breeding stock — animals specifically kept to breed from
- bring onstream — To bring onstream a plant, mine, oilfield, etc. is to start production there.
- bring sth home — To bring something home to someone means to make them understand how important or serious it is.
- bring to light — something that makes things visible or affords illumination: All colors depend on light.
- bring to terms — to reduce to submission; force to agree
- britannia coin — any of four British gold coins introduced in 1987 for investment purposes; their denominations are £100, £50, £25, and £10
- british legion — (in Britain) a national social club for veterans of the armed forces.
- brobdingnagian — gigantic; huge; immense
- broken consort — a musical ensemble with instruments of different types or families, as string and woodwind, especially for Renaissance music.
- broken society — a perceived or apparent general decline in moral values
- broken-hearted — Someone who is broken-hearted is very sad and upset because they have had a serious disappointment.
- bronchial tube — Your bronchial tubes are the two tubes which connect your windpipe to your lungs.
- bronchiectasis — chronic dilation of the bronchi or bronchial tubes, which often become infected
- bronchodilator — any drug or other agent that causes dilation of the bronchial tubes by relaxing bronchial muscle: used, esp in the form of aerosol sprays, for the relief of asthma
- bronchorrhagia — hemorrhage from the bronchial tubes.
- bronchospastic — of or relating to bronchospasms
- brother-in-law — Someone's brother-in-law is the brother of their husband or wife, or the man who is married to their sister.
- brown bullhead — a freshwater catfish, Ictalurus nebulosus, of eastern North America, having an olive to brown body with dark markings on the sides.
- brown stem rot — a disease of soybeans, characterized by brown discoloration and decay of internal tissues of the stem and leaf, caused by a fungus, Cephalosporium gregatum.
- brown thrasher — a common large songbird, Toxostoma rufum, of the eastern U.S., having reddish-brown plumage.
- brownie guider — the adult leader of a pack of Brownie Guides
- brownie points — a credit toward advancement or good standing gained especially by currying favor.
- browntail moth — kind of moth
- brushed cotton — cotton fabric that is brushed to remove excess lint and fibres to leave a soft, smooth finish
- bubble company — a company whose shares are highly valued and then plummet
- bubonic plague — Bubonic plague is a serious infectious disease spread by rats. It killed many people during the Middle Ages.
- bucking bronco — an untamed horse that cowboys try to ride in a rodeo
- buckwheat note — shape note.
- 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
- buffalo indian — a member of any of the American Indian tribes, as those of the Algonquian, Athabascan, Caddoan, Kiowa, Siouan, or Uto-Aztecan linguistic families, that formerly inhabited the Great Plains. All were more or less nomadic, following the buffalo, and were often in touch with one another so that the development among them of common culture traits is noticeable.
- buffer overrun — buffer overflow
- builder's knot — clove hitch
- building block — If you describe something as a building block of something, you mean it is one of the separate parts that combine to make that thing.
- building works — construction projects
- bulk transport — the transport of large quantities of goods or commodities in lorries, ships, or by rail
- bull-nosed bow — a bow having a bulbous forefoot.
- bulletin board — A bulletin board is a board which is usually attached to a wall in order to display notices giving information about something.
- bullion fringe — a thick gold or silver wire or fringed cord used as a trimming, as on military uniforms
- bunching onion — a multistemmed onion plant resembling the scallion that does not form a real bulb, used in Asian cookery.
- burn-in period — 1. (testing) A factory soak test intended to increase the chance that components that fail early due to infant mortality will fail before the system leaves the factory. 2. (jargon) When one is so intensely involved in a new project that one forgets basic needs such as food, drink and sleep. Excessive burn-in can lead to burn-out. See hack mode, larval stage.
- burnt offering — a sacrificial offering burnt, usually on an altar, to honour, propitiate, or supplicate a deity