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17-letter words starting with b

  • basement membrane — a thin, extracellular membrane underlying epithelial tissue.
  • basic proposition — protocol (def 6).
  • basic service set — (networking)   (BSS) A wireless local area network and all the wireless devices (e.g. PCs and laptops) that are associated with it. A BSS may or may not include an access point and is identified by a BSSID.
  • basketball player — someone who plays basketball
  • bathroom fittings — plumbing fixtures or accessories suitable for use in a bathroom
  • battle of britain — (in World War II) the series of aerial combats that took place between British and German aircraft during the autumn of 1940 and that included the severe bombardment of British cities.
  • battle-ax culture — a late Neolithic to Copper Age culture of northern Europe marked especially by the production of pottery bearing the imprint of cord and by the use of battle-axes as burial accouterments.
  • bbc microcomputer — A series of 6502-based personal computers launched by Acorn Computers Ltd. in January 1982, for use in the British Broadcasting Corporation's educational programmes on computing. The computers are noted for their reliability (many are still in active service in 1994) and both hardware and software were designed for easy expansion. The 6502-based computers were succeeded in 1987 by the Acorn Archimedes family.
  • be a box of birds — to be very well indeed
  • be black and blue — If you say that someone is black and blue, you mean that they are badly bruised.
  • be just sb's luck — If you say it is just your luck that something unpleasant has happened to you, you mean that this is quite normal because unpleasant things are always happening to you.
  • be off one's head — If you say that someone is off their head, you mean that they have taken so many drugs that they do not know what they are doing.
  • be on tenterhooks — If you are on tenterhooks, you are very nervous and excited because you are wondering what is going to happen in a particular situation.
  • be on the rebound — If you say that someone is on the rebound, you mean that they have just ended a relationship with a girlfriend or boyfriend. This often makes them do things they would not normally do.
  • be one's own boss — If you are your own boss, you work for yourself or make your own decisions and do not have anyone telling you what to do.
  • be out of the way — When something is out of the way, it has finished or you have dealt with it, so that it is no longer a problem or needs no more time spent on it.
  • be over sb's head — If something such as an idea, joke, or comment goes over someone's head, it is too difficult for them to understand.
  • be over the limit — If someone is over the limit, they have drunk more alcohol than they are legally allowed to when driving a vehicle.
  • be running scared — If you say that a person or group is running scared, you mean that they are frightened of what someone might do to them or what might happen.
  • be sitting pretty — If you say that someone is sitting pretty, you mean that they are in a good, safe, or comfortable position.
  • be that as it may — You say 'Be that as it may' when you want to move onto another subject or go further with the discussion, without deciding whether what has just been said is right or wrong.
  • be well out of it — If you say to someone who is no longer involved in a situation that they are well out of it, you mean that it is a good thing they are no longer involved and they should be pleased about this.
  • be well rid of sb — If you say that someone is well rid of someone, you think it is good that the person has gone because you did not like them or you think they caused a lot of problems.
  • be your own woman — If you say that a woman is her own woman, you approve of the fact that she makes her plans and decisions herself, and does not depend on other people.
  • beardmore glacier — one of the largest glaciers, in central Antarctica. About 125 miles (200 km) long.
  • beat a dead horse — to argue an issue that is already settled
  • beat one's brains — to try hard to remember, understand, or solve something
  • beat one's breast — to display guilt and remorse publicly or ostentatiously
  • beat the drum for — to attempt to arouse interest in
  • beat to the punch — to be quicker than (another) in doing something, as in striking a blow
  • beauty specialist — a person who helps someone to improve their beauty, such as a make-up artist
  • bed and breakfast — Bed and breakfast is a system of accommodation in a hotel or guest house, in which you pay for a room for the night and for breakfast the following morning. The abbreviation B&B is also used.
  • bed-and-breakfast — an accommodation offered by an inn, hotel, or especially a private home, consisting of a room for the night and breakfast the next morning for one inclusive price.
  • beefsteak begonia — an ornamental plant, Begonia erythrophylla, having light-pink flowers and nearly round, thick, fleshy leaves that are red on the underside.
  • beer and skittles — enjoyment or pleasure
  • before one's time — prematurely
  • behaviour therapy — any of various means of treating psychological disorders, such as desensitization, aversion therapy, and instrumental conditioning, that depend on the patient systematically learning new modes of behaviour
  • behind one's back — without one's knowledge; secretly or deceitfully
  • behind the scenes — happening or conducted out of view of the general public: The behind-the-scenes preparations made the convention a huge success.
  • behind-the-scenes — If something is done behind the scenes, it is done secretly rather than publicly.
  • believe it or not — You can use believe it or not to emphasize that what you have just said is surprising.
  • bell laboratories — One of AT&T's research sites, in Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA. It was the birthplace of the transistor, Unix, C and C++ and the current home of research on Plan 9 and ODE.
  • bell-hanger's bit — a bit for drilling small holes through studs or the like.
  • bell-shaped curve — bell curve
  • belleville spring — a spring having the form of a washer or dished disk with an open center, used for cushioning heavy loads with short motion.
  • bellflower family — the plant family Campanulaceae, characterized by chiefly herbaceous plants having simple, alternate leaves and solitary or clustered flowers with a bell-shaped, five-lobed, often blue or purple corolla, and including the harebell, Canterbury bells, and balloon flower.
  • belted kingfisher — a grayish-blue, North American kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon, having a white breast marked with a grayish-blue band.
  • benefit of clergy — sanction by the church
  • benevolent sexism — a theory that sexism toward women is multidimensional, one form (hostile sexism) reflecting negative views of women who challenge traditional gender roles, and the other form (benevolent sexism) reflecting positive views of women who conform to these roles.
  • benjamin banneker — Benjamin, 1731–1806, U.S. mathematician, natural historian, and astronomer.
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