Babbitt (noun)
A person likened to the character George Babbitt (Sinclair Lewis), especially a materialistic, complacent businessman who conforms unthinkingly to the views and standards of his social set. (OED)
A person and especially a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards. (MW)
Also: Babbittry (noun)
A person likened to the character George Babbitt (Sinclair Lewis), especially a materialistic, complacent businessman who conforms unthinkingly to the views and standards of his social set. (OED)
A person and especially a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards. (MW)
Also: Babbittry (noun)
bacchanalian (adjective)
Characterized by or given to drunken revelry; riotously drunken. (OD)
Especially of a party, involving a lot of drinking of alcohol, uncontrolled behavior, and possibly sexual activity. (CD)
Involves noisy and uncontrolled enjoyment and usually a lot of alcohol or sex. (MD)
A child. (OD)
balderdash (noun)
Senseless talk or writing; nonsense. (OD)
Senseless, stupid, or exaggerated talk or writing; utter nonsense. (WN)
See: drivel, guff, malarkey, piffle, taradiddle
balikbayan (noun)
Philippines
Tagalog word for: A Filipino visiting or returning to the Philippines after a period of living in another country. (OD)(NOA)
balkanize (verb)
To break up (a region, a group, etc.) into smaller and often hostile units. Divide, compartmentalize. (MW)
noun: balkanization
balm and benison (phrase)
balm (noun): A healing, soothing, or softly restorative, agency or influence. (OED)
benison (noun): Blessing, beatitude. (OED)
Note: As best I can find, originally from Charles Spurgeon’s Autobiography, 1898, referring to the divinity of old books.
balter (verb)
To dance artlessly, without any particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment. To dance or tread clumsily, though usually happily. (WN)
bamboozle (verb)
To deceive by underhanded methods; dupe, hoodwink. To confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely. (MW)
To deceive by trickery, hoax. To mystify, perplex, confound. (OED)
banter (verb, noun)
verb: To speak to or address in a witty and teasing manner. (MW)
Exchange remarks in a good-humored teasing way. (OD)
noun: The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks. (OD)
Good-natured and usually witty and animated joking. (MW)
balkanize (verb)
To break up (a region, a group, etc.) into smaller and often hostile units. Divide, compartmentalize. (MW)
noun: balkanization
balm and benison (phrase)
balm (noun): A healing, soothing, or softly restorative, agency or influence. (OED)
benison (noun): Blessing, beatitude. (OED)
Note: As best I can find, originally from Charles Spurgeon’s Autobiography, 1898, referring to the divinity of old books.
balter (verb)
To dance artlessly, without any particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment. To dance or tread clumsily, though usually happily. (WN)
bamboozle (verb)
To deceive by underhanded methods; dupe, hoodwink. To confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely. (MW)
To deceive by trickery, hoax. To mystify, perplex, confound. (OED)
banter (verb, noun)
verb: To speak to or address in a witty and teasing manner. (MW)
Exchange remarks in a good-humored teasing way. (OD)
noun: The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks. (OD)
Good-natured and usually witty and animated joking. (MW)
barangay (noun)
Tagalog word for: In the Philippines, a small territorial and administrative district forming the most local level of government. (OD)
Note: Barangay is not quite equivalent to village; more like precinct or ward.
bedraggle (verb)
To make disheveled, wet, and dirty. (Vocabulary.com)
To wet thoroughly. (MW)
bedraggled (adjective)
Soiled and stained by or as if by trailing in mud; left wet and limp by or as if by rain; dilapidated (e.g. buildings). (MW)
Disheveled.
bemuse (verb)
To make confused; puzzle, bewilder. To occupy the attention of; distract, absorb. To cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement. (MW)
bemused: Marked by confusion or bewilderment; dazed. Lost in thought or reverie. Having or showing feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing. (MW)
benign (adjective)
Gentle; kindly. Of a climate or environment: Mild and favorable. Not harmful to the environment. (OD)
benignity (noun): Kindness or tolerance toward others. (OD)
benignly (adverb)
bedraggle (verb)
To make disheveled, wet, and dirty. (Vocabulary.com)
To wet thoroughly. (MW)
bedraggled (adjective)
Soiled and stained by or as if by trailing in mud; left wet and limp by or as if by rain; dilapidated (e.g. buildings). (MW)
Disheveled.
bemuse (verb)
To make confused; puzzle, bewilder. To occupy the attention of; distract, absorb. To cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement. (MW)
bemused: Marked by confusion or bewilderment; dazed. Lost in thought or reverie. Having or showing feelings of wry amusement especially from something that is surprising or perplexing. (MW)
benign (adjective)
Gentle; kindly. Of a climate or environment: Mild and favorable. Not harmful to the environment. (OD)
benignity (noun): Kindness or tolerance toward others. (OD)
benignly (adverb)
best practices (noun)
Commercial or professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective. (OED)
Note: I personally believe that best practices also encompass high competence and high integrity practices, along with high ethical standards.
bien pensant (adjective)
Conventional or orthodox in attitude. (OD)
bien-pensant (noun)
A conventional or orthodox person. (OD)
A correct-thinking person.
billet-doux (noun)
A love letter. (OD)
A sweet note. (WN)
bien pensant (adjective)
Conventional or orthodox in attitude. (OD)
bien-pensant (noun)
A conventional or orthodox person. (OD)
A correct-thinking person.
billet-doux (noun)
A love letter. (OD)
A sweet note. (WN)
BIPOC (acronym)
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Note: While this acronym is not conceptually ridiculous like the term cisgender, the same type of people, lefty bien-pensants, seem to flock to both terms.
blatherskite (noun)
A person who talks at great length without making much sense. (OD)
One who blathers.
blithe (adjective)
Showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper. (OD)
Lacking due thought or consideration; casual, heedless. Of a happy lighthearted character or disposition. (MW)
blithely (adverb)
bolo knife (noun)
A large cutting tool of Philippine origin similar to the machete. The primary use for the bolo is clearing vegetation, whether for agriculture or trail blazing. The bolo is common in the countryside due to its use as a farming implement. Normally used for cutting coconuts, it is also a common harvesting tool for narrow row crops such as rice. (Wikipedia)
Bombay (city)
Former name (until 1995) for Mumbai. (NOA)
boobery (noun)
The action or fact of doing something foolish, especially making foolish mistakes; foolishness, stupidity. Also, an instance of this; a foolish act or thing. With the and plural: Foolish people considered as a class. (OED)
Example: The boobery who watch reality television.
bona fides (noun)
Documentary evidence showing a person’s legitimacy; credentials. (OD)
Evidence of one's good faith or genuineness; evidence of one's qualifications or achievements. (MW)
bonhomie (noun)
Good-natured easy friendliness (MW)
Cheerful, friendliness; geniality (OD)
Cheerful, good natured, pleasant friendliness. (WN)
bovine (adjective)
Of a person or their manner, sluggish or stupid. (OD)
Having qualities (such as placidity or dullness) characteristic of oxen or cows. (MW)
bread and circuses (political figure of speech)
A diet of entertainment or political policies on which the masses are fed to keep them happy and docile. (OD)
From the Latin: panem et circenses.
Bread and circuses or (more generally) food and entertainment, regarded as typically satisfying the desires of the mass of the people; hence used allusively of anything which pleases and pacifies the people, thus helping a government to further its political ends. (OED)
In a political context, the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace – by offering a palliative: For example food (bread) or entertainment (circuses). (Wikipedia)
brief (noun)
An official letter or mandate; a specific instruction or responsibility. (MW)
A set of instructions given to a person about a job or task. (OD)
A letter of authority. A writing issued by official or legal authority; a royal letter or mandate. (OED)
See: purview, remit
brumal (adjective)
Of, belonging to, or characteristic of winter; wintry. (OED)
See: hiemal (winter), estival (summer), vernal (spring)
brumous (adjective)
Filled with heavy clouds or fog. Relating to winter and cold, sunless days. Foggy and wintery. (WN)
bucolic (adjective)
Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life; pastoral; an idyllic rural life. (WN)
bumbledom (noun)
The actions and mannerisms of pompous but inefficient government officials. (MW)
Petty local bureaucracy; officious and pompous behavior by minor officials; officials of this type collectively. (OED)
bumptious (adjective)
Presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive; obtrusive. (MW)
burble (verb)
Make a continuous murmuring noise. Speak continuously and at length in an unintelligible or confused way. (OD)
Typically: He burbled on about….
Burma (country)
Former name (until 1989) of Myanmar. (OD)
business model (noun)
A plan for the successful operation of a business, typically identifying sources of revenue, intended customer base, products, and details of financing. (OED)