12-letter words containing s, o, n
- blanket toss — a game in which a person is repeatedly tossed into the air and caught on an open blanket by a group of people who hold the blanket at its edges and stretch and relax it for each toss and catch.
- blastulation — the process of blastula formation
- blind-emboss — blind-stamp.
- block island — an island off the coast of and a part of Rhode Island, at the E entrance to Long Island Sound.
- block signal — a fixed railroad signal governing the movements of trains entering and using a given section of track.
- blockbusting — A blockbusting film or book is one that is very successful, usually because it is very exciting.
- blood spavin — a disease of the hock joint of horses in which enlargement occurs because of collected fluids (bog spavin) bony growth (bone spavin) or distention of the veins (blood spavin)
- bloodstained — Someone or something that is bloodstained is covered with blood.
- bloodsucking — any animal that sucks blood, especially a leech.
- blossom into — the flower of a plant, especially of one producing an edible fruit.
- blue stilton — a rich cheese made from whole milk, blue-veined and very strong in flavour
- bluestocking — A bluestocking is an intellectual woman.
- boardsailing — windsurfing
- boatsmanship — seamanship as applied to boats, especially rowboats and motorboats.
- body english — a follow-through motion of the body, as after bowling a ball, in a semi-involuntary or joking effort to control the ball's movement
- body scanner — a machine using X-rays and a computer, used in medicine to look for signs of disease, or in security operations to look for drugs, weapons, etc
- bog-standard — If you describe something as bog-standard you mean that is an ordinary example of its kind, with no exciting or interesting features.
- bognor regis — a resort in S England, in West Sussex on the English Channel: electronics industries. Regis was added to the name after King George V's convalescence there in 1929. Pop: 62 141 (2001)
- bond servant — a person who serves in bondage; slave.
- bond washing — a series of deals in bonds made with the intention of avoiding taxation
- bonded goods — goods which have been deposited in a bonded warehouse
- bone density — the degree of compactness of bone
- bonnet glass — monteith (def 2).
- bonnet-glass — a large punch bowl, usually of silver, having a notched rim for suspending punch cups.
- bonus number — (in the National Lottery) a number announced after the normal six numbers which influences the amount of prize money paid
- bonus scheme — a scheme in a company or other organization according to which employees receive a bonus if they meet specified targets
- book signing — a prearranged and publicized event at which an author signs copies of their latest book, often with individual dedications to purchasers
- bookcrossing — the practice of deliberately leaving books in places where they will be found and read by other people
- bootlessness — the quality of being useless or ineffective
- bosom friend — an intimate friend
- bounce flash — a flash lamp designed to produce a bounced flash.
- bourbon rose — a hybrid rose, Rosa borboniana, having dark, carmine-colored flowers, cultivated in many horticultural varieties.
- bourne shell — (sh, Shellish). The original command-line interpreter shell and script language for Unix written by S.R. Bourne of Bell Laboratories in 1978. sh has been superseded for interactive use by the Berkeley C shell, csh but still widely used for writing shell scripts. There were even earlier shells, see glob. [Details?]
- brainstormer — a person who brainstorms
- brassfounder — a person who makes things from brass
- brisbane box — a broad-leaved evergreen tree, Tristania conferta, native to Australia, having a deciduous outer bark.
- broadcasting — Broadcasting is the making and sending out of television and radio programmes.
- bronchoscope — an instrument for examining and providing access to the interior of the bronchial tubes
- bronchoscopy — an examination by means of a bronchoscope.
- bronchospasm — an abnormal contraction of the bronchi resulting in restriction of the airway
- broncobuster — (in the western US and Canada) a cowboy who breaks in broncos or wild horses
- brontosaurus — any very large herbivorous quadrupedal dinosaur of the genus Apatosaurus, common in North America during Jurassic times, having a long neck and long tail: suborder Sauropoda (sauropods)
- brooks range — a mountain range in N Alaska. Highest peak: Mount Isto, 2761 m (9058 ft)
- brown-nosing — If you accuse someone of brown-nosing, you are saying in a rather offensive way that they are agreeing with someone important in order to get their support.
- browser skin — a changeable decorative background for a browser
- buenos aires — the capital of Argentina, a major port and industrial city on the Río de la Plata estuary: became capital in 1880; university (1821). Pop: 13 349 000 (2005 est)
- bull session — A bull session is an informal conversation among a small group of people.
- bunco artist — a confidence trickster or con artist
- burkina faso — an inland republic in W Africa: dominated by Mossi kingdoms (10th–19th centuries); French protectorate established in 1896; became an independent republic in 1960; consists mainly of a flat savanna plateau. Official language: French; Mossi and other African languages also widely spoken. Religion: mostly animist, with a large Muslim minority. Currency: franc. Capital: Ouagadougou. Pop: 17 812 961 (2013 est). Area: 273 200 sq km (105 900 sq miles)
- by reason of — If one thing happens by reason of another, it happens because of it.