Thomas Davidson

“ Boil, boil, v.i. to bubble up from the action of heat: to be hot: to be excited or agitated.—v.t. to heat to a boiling state: to cook or dress by boiling.—ns. Boil′er, one who boils: that in which anything is boiled: a vessel in which steam, usually for a steam-engine, is generated: a vessel for heating water for baths, &c.; Boil′ing, the bubbling up of any liquid by the application of heat: the act of dressing food by boiling water.—adj. ”

“ Blue′-throat, or Blue′-breast, a beautiful and melodious bird, nearly allied to the nightingale; Blue′-wing, a kind of duck, either a sub-genus of Anas, or a special genus Cyanopterus—the best-known species, the Common or Lunate Blue-wing, the Blue-winged Teal of the United States.—adj. Blū′ish, slightly blue.—Blue blood, aristocratic blood—the sangre azul of the Spanish hidalgoes; Blue bonnet, a round flat cap of blue woollen, much worn in Scotland: a blue-bonneted Scotch peasant or soldier; Blue-bottle fly, the meat-fly or blow-fly ”

“ Black′-wash, a lotion of calomel and lime-water: anything that blackens.—Black and blue, with the livid colour of a bruise in the flesh; Black book, an official book bound in black, a book recording the names of persons deserving punishment; Black eye, an eye of which the iris is dark—a point of beauty: a discoloration around the eye due to a blow or fall; Black fellow, a native in Australia.—In black and white, in writing or in print: in art, in no colours but black and white.—To be black in the face, to have the face purple through strangulation, passion, or effort ”

“ Blood′shed, the shedding of blood: slaughter.—adjs. Blood′shot (of the eye) , red or inflamed with blood; Blood′-sized, sized or smeared with blood.—n. Blood′-spav′in, a disease of horses consisting of the swelling of a vein on the inside of the hock, from a checking of the blood.—adj. Blood′-stained, stained with blood: guilty of murder.—ns. Blood′-stone, a dark-green variety of quartz, variegated with blood-like spots of red jasper, the heliotrope; a brown ore of iron, hematite; Blood′-suck′er, an animal that sucks blood, esp. a leech: an extortioner, one who sponges upon another.—adj. ”

“ Black′balling, the act of so rejecting a candidate; Black′-band, iron ore containing enough of coal to calcine it; Black′-bee′tle, a cockroach; Black′berry, the berry of the bramble; Black′bird, a species of thrush of a black colour: a current name for a negro or Polynesian kidnapped for labour; Black′birding, the kidnapping of such; Black′board, a board painted black, used in schools for writing, forming figures, &c.—adjs. Black′-bod′ing, of evil omen; Black′-browed, having black eyebrows: sullen.—ns. Black′-cap, a bird, a species of warbler, so called from its black crown: (cook.) ”

“ Book′selling; Book′shelf, a shelf on which books are placed; Book′shop, a shop where books are sold; Book′-stall, a stall or stand, generally in the open air, where books are sold; Book′-stand, a book-stall: a stand or support for holding up a book when reading; Book′-trade, the trade of dealing in books; Book′worm, a worm or mite that eats holes in books: a hard reader: one who reads without discrimination or profit.—To be upon the books, to have one's name in an official list; To bring to book, to bring to account; To take a leaf out of another's book, to follow the example of some one ”

“ In hot or cold blood, under or free from excitement or sudden passion. [A.S. blód—root blówan, to bloom; cog. with Old. Fris. blód, Ger. blut.]
Bloom, blōōm, v.i. to put forth blossoms: to flower: to be in a state of beauty or vigour: to flourish: to give a bloom or warm tint to anything.—n. a blossom or flower: the opening of flowers: rosy colour: the prime or highest perfection of anything: the first freshness of beauty of anything: the flush or glow on the cheek— (Spens.) ”

“ Bonfire, bon′fīr, n. a large fire in the open air on occasions of public rejoicing, &c.—originally a fire in which bones were burnt. [Not Fr. bon, good, and Fire.]
Bongrace, bon′grās, n. a shade from the sun once worn by women on the front of the bonnet: a broad-brimmed hat or bonnet. [Fr.]
Bonhomie, bon′o-mē, n. easy good-nature. [Fr.; bon homme, a good fellow.] ”

“ Blood′-thirst′y, having a thirst or desire to shed blood.—ns. Blood′-ves′sel, a vessel in which blood circulates, a vein or artery; Blood′-worm, a small red earthworm used by anglers.—adj. Blood′y, of the nature of blood: stained with blood: murderous, cruel: vulgarly, as an adj. emphasising anger or the like: as an adv. employed as a mere intensive—most prob. from the habits of the 'bloods' about the beginning of the 18th century (Etheredge, 'bloody-drunk') .—v.t. to make bloody.—n. Blood′y-bones, a phrase, together with Rawhead, applied to a children's bugbear.—adjs. Blood′y-eyed ”

“ Black′-chalk, a variety of clay-slate of a bluish-black colour, used for drawing, and also for making black paint; Black′cock, a species of grouse, common in the north of England and in Scotland; Black′-curr′ant, a garden shrub with black fruit used in making preserves; Black′-death, a name given to the plague of the 14th century from the black spots which appeared on the skin; Black′-draught, the popular name for a purgative medicine consisting chiefly of senna and Epsom salts; Black′-drop, a liquid preparation of opium, vinegar, and sugar.—v.t. Black′en, to make black: to defame.—adj. ”

“ Blow′er, a metal plate put upon the upper part of a fireplace, so as to increase the draught through the fire: a machine for driving a blast of air, as into a furnace; Blow′-fly, or Flesh-fly, an insect of the order Diptera, and of the large family Muscidæ, to which the common house-fly and blue-bottle belong.—p.adj. ”

“ Bogie, Bogey, bōg′i, n. a low truck on four wheels, so constructed as to turn easily, a trolly: a revolving under-carriage, as in a locomotive engine. [Ety. unknown; perh. conn. with Bogy, a fiend.]
Bogle, bōg′l, n. a spectre or goblin: a scarecrow: a bugbear, or source of terror—also Bogg′le.—Bogg′ard is a common form in the North country. [Scot. bogle, a ghost; W. bwg, a goblin. See Bug.]
Bogus, bō′gus, adj. counterfeit, spurious. [An American cant word, of very doubtful origin—it may possibly be ult. related to Bogy.] ”

“ Blucher, blōōch′ėr, n. a strong leather half-boot or high shoe, named from Marshal Blücher, the Prussian general at Waterloo.
Bludgeon, blud′jun, n. a short stick with a heavy end to strike with. [First in 18th century; origin very obscure; from a cant word conn. with Blood.]
Blue, blōō, n. the colour of the sky when unclouded—hence the sea, the sky, as in 'a bolt from the blue:' one of the seven primary colours.—adj. of the colour blue: learned, pedantic: indecent or obscene, as in blue stories.—ns. ”

“ Black′ing, a substance used for blacking leather, &c.—adj. Black′ish.—ns. Black′-jack, a vessel for holding drink, originally made of leather: (naut.) the flag of a pirate; Black′-lead, a black mineral (plumbago, not lead) used in making pencils, blacking grates, &c.; Black′leg, a low, gambling fellow: a turf-swindler: a term applied by strikers to men willing to work for the wages against which themselves have struck—also Black′-neb ”

“ Boat′-house, a house or shed for a boat: Boat′ing, the art or practice of sailing in boats; Boat′man, a man who has charge of a boat: a rower.—In the same boat, in the same circumstances.—To have an oar in another's boat, to meddle with the affairs of others. [A.S. bát; Dut. boot; Fr. bateau.]
Boatswain, bōt′swān (colloq. bō′sn) , n. a petty officer on board ship who looks after the boats, rigging, &c., and calls the seamen to duty with a whistle. [Boat, and swain, Scand. sveinn, a boy.]
Bob, bob, v.i. to move quickly up and down, to dangle: to fish with a bob.—v.t. ”

“ Blind′-side, the side on which a person is blind to danger: weak point; Blind′worm, a small reptile, like a snake, having eyes so small as to be supposed blind.—Blind-man's buff, a game in which one of the party is blindfolded and tries to catch the others. ”

“ Blee, blē, n. (Mrs Browning) complexion, colour. [A.S. bléo.]
Bleed, blēd, v.i. to lose blood: to die by slaughter: to issue forth or drop as blood: to have money extorted from one: to feel great pity for, as in the phrase, 'the heart bleeds:' to be as red as blood.—v.t. to draw blood from, esp. surgically: to extort sums of money from:—pa.t. and pa.p. bled.—n. Bleed′ing, a discharge of blood: the operation of letting blood.—adj. full of compassion: emitting sap: terribly weakened by war: (Shak.) bloody. [A.S. blédan. See Blood.] ”

“ Bladd′erwort, a genus of slender aquatic plants, the leaves floating. [A.S. blǽdre—blawan; Old Ger. blahan, blajan, to blow; Ger. blase, bladder—blasen, to blow; cf. L. flat-us, breath.]
Blade, blād, n. the leaf or flat part of grass or corn: the cutting part of a knife, sword, &c.: the flat part of an oar: a dashing fellow.—n. Blade′bone, the flat bone at the back of the shoulder: the scapula.—adj. Blad′ed. [A.S. blæd; Ice. blad, Ger. blatt.]
Blae, blā, adj. blackish or blue in colour: livid: bleak.—n. Blae′berry, Scotch name for the bilberry or whortleberry. [M. E. blo, bloo—Scand. blá.] ”

“ Blew, blōō, pa.t. of Blow.
Blewits, blū′its, n. a kind of mushroom. [Fr. Blue.]
Blight, blīt, n. a disease in plants, which blasts or withers them: anything that injures or destroys.—v.t. to affect with blight: to blast: to frustrate.—p.adj. Blight′ing, withering, blasting. [Dr Murray notes that it first appears in literature in the 17th century; prob. orig. of Scand. origin; cf. Ice. blettr, a stain; perh. related to Bleach, Bleak.]
Blin, blin, v.t. (Spens.) to cease.—n. cessation: stoppage. [A.S. blinnan, to cease, pfx. be-, and linnan, to cease.]
Blind, blīnd, adj. ”