Thomas Davidson

“ Bow, bow, v.i. to bend the body in saluting a person, acknowledging a compliment, &c.: to submit.—v.t. to bend or incline downwards, to crush down (with down, to, in or out, up or down) .—n. a bending of the body in saluting a person.—adj. Bow′-backed, crook-backed.—A bowing acquaintance, a slight acquaintance.—To make one's bow, to retire ceremoniously, to leave the stage. ”

“ Bound, bownd, n. a limit or boundary: the limit of anything, as patience—'to break bounds,' to go beyond what is reasonable or allowable: (pl.) a border-land, land generally within certain understood limits, the district.—v.t. to set bounds to: to limit, restrain, or surround.—n. Bound′ary, a visible limit: border: termination.—p.adj. ”

“ Box, boks, n. a tree remarkable for the hardness and smoothness of its wood—also Box-tree (Shak.) : a case or receptacle for holding anything: the contents of a box: a small house or lodge, as a shooting-box, &c.: in a theatre, a small enclosure with several seats—the boxes = their occupants, the ladies: an old square pew or similar enclosure, as a sentry-box, signal-box, &c.: the driver's seat on a carriage: the case in which the ship's compass is kept.—v.t. to put into or furnish with boxes: (slang) to overturn a watchman in his box.—ns. ”

“ To have one's heart in one's boots, to be in a state of extreme terror. [O. Fr. bote (mod. botte) —Low L. botta, bota, of dubious origin.]
Boot, bōōt, v.t. to profit or advantage.—n. advantage: profit: any reparation or compensation paid, like the man-bote of old English law: (Shak.) ”

“ Bric-à-brac, brik′a-brak, n. old curiosities, or other articles of value. [Acc. to Littré, formed after the phrase de bric et de broc, 'by hook and by crook.']
Brick, brik, n. an oblong or square piece of burned clay: a loaf of bread in the shape of a brick: (slang) a reliable friend, a good fellow.—v.t. to lay or pave with brick.—ns. Brick′bat, a piece of brick; Brick′clay, a clay used in making bricks; Brick′-dust, dust made by pounding bricks, a colour like that of brick-dust; Brick′-earth, earth used in making bricks; Brick′-field, a place where bricks are made ”

“ Breathe, brēth, v.i. to draw in and expel breath or air from the lungs: to take breath, to rest or pause: to live.—v.t. to draw in and expel from the lungs, as air: to infuse: to give out as breath: to utter by the breath or softly, to whisper: to express: to keep in breath, to exercise: to tire by some brisk exercise.—ns. ”

“ Bott′le-wash′er, one whose business it is to wash out the bottles, a factotum generally.—A three-bottle man, one who could drink three bottles without losing his decorum.—To bottle off, to draw from the cask and put into bottles; To bottle up (one's wrath, &c.) , to keep enclosed as in a bottle; To bring up on the bottle, to rear an infant artificially rather than by the breast; To pass the bottle, to make the drink go round; To pass the bottle of smoke, to acquiesce in some falsehood, to make pretence. ”

“ Bread′-root, a herbaceous perennial plant of North America, with a carrot-like root which is used as food; Bread′-stud′y, any branch of study taken up as a means of gaining a living; Bread′-stuff, the various kinds of grain or flour of which bread is made; Bread′-tree, a tree of South Africa which has a great deal of starch in its stem, and is used as bread by the natives; Bread′-win′ner, one who earns a living for a family.—Bread buttered on both sides, very fortunate circumstances.—To take the bread out of one's mouth, to deprive of the means of living. ”

“ Brick′layer, one who lays or builds with bricks; Brick′laying; Brick′maker, one whose trade is to make bricks; Brick′-tea, tea pressed into cakes; Brick′-work, a structure formed of bricks.—Like a brick, with good-will. [Fr. brique, from root of Break.] ”

“ Box′-keep′er, an attendant who opens the doors of boxes at theatres or other places of public amusement; Box′-lobb′y, the lobby leading to the boxes in a theatre; Box′wood, wood of the box-tree.—In the wrong box, in a false position, in a scrape.—To be in a box, to be in a fix; To box Harry, to take a beefsteak, mutton-chop, or bacon and eggs with tea or ale, instead of the regulation dinner of the commercial traveller; To box the compass, to name the 32 points in their order and backwards, hence to make a complete roundabout in any opinion. ”

“ Breast′summer, Bres′summer, a summer or beam supporting the whole front of a building in the same way as a lintel supports the portion over an opening; Breast′-wall, a retaining wall; Breast′-wheel, a water-wheel which is turned by water delivered upon it at about half its height; Breast′work, a hastily constructed earthwork.—To make a clean breast of, to make a full confession. [A.S. bréost; Ger. brust, Dut. borst.]
Breath, breth, n. the air drawn into and then expelled from the lungs: power of breathing: life: the time occupied by once breathing: a very slight breeze.—adjs. ”

“ Breath′er, one who breathes or lives: a spell of exercise; Breath′ing, the act of breathing: aspiration, secret prayer: respite.—adj. life-like.—ns. Breath′ing-time, time to breathe or rest; Breath′ing-while, time sufficient for drawing breath: any very short period.—To breathe again, to be relieved from an anxiety; To breathe freely, to be at ease; To breathe upon, to tarnish or soil. [See Breath.]
Breccia, brech′ya, n. a conglomerate rock composed of angular and unworn fragments, cemented together by lime or other mineral substance.—adj. ”

“ Borax, bō′raks, n. a mineral salt used for soldering, as a flux in metallurgy, in enamelling and glazing, as a mordant in dyeing, as a substitute for soap, and also in medicine.—adj. Borac′ic, of or relating to borax.—ns. Bor′acite, a mineral composed of boracic acid and carbonate of magnesia ”

“ Break the heart, to destroy with grief; Break the ice (fig.) , to get through first difficulties: Break up, to break open; Break upon the wheel, to punish by stretching a criminal on a wheel and breaking his bones; Break wind, to void wind from the stomach; Break with, to fail out, as friends may do. [A.S. brecan; Ger. brechen.]
Break, Brake, brāk, n. a large wagonette: a carriage frame, all wheels and no body, used in breaking in horses. [Break, v.t.]
Breaker, brāk′ėr, n. a small water-cask, used on shipboard. ”

“ Brawn′y, fleshy: muscular: strong. [O. Fr. braon, from Old Ger. brato, flesh (for roasting) , Old Ger. brâto (Ger. braten) , to roast.]
Braxy, brak′si, n. and adj. a Scotch name loosely used for several totally different disorders of sheep.—Braxy mutton, the flesh of a braxy sheep; also, generally, of any sheep that has died of disease or accident. [Prob. the original form is bracks, the sing. of which is a variant of Break.]
Bray, brā, v.t. to break, pound, or grind small, as in a mortar.—n. Bray′er, an instrument to grind or spread ink in printing. ”

“ To have two (or more) strings to one's bow, to have other alternatives. [A.S. boga; cog. with Ger. bogen.]
Bow, bow, n. the general name for the stem and forepart of a ship, or that which cuts the water—often used in pl., the ship being considered to have starboard and port bows, meeting at the stem.—ns. Bow′er, Bow′er-anch′or, an anchor at the bow or forepart of a ship—usually two, the best-bower and the small-bower; Bow′-oar, the oar nearest the bow.—A bold, or bluff, bow, a broad bow; A lean bow, a narrow one.—On the bow, within 45° of the point right ahead. ”

“ Bream, brēm, v.t. to clean, as a ship's bottom, by burning off seaweed, shells, &c. [Prob. conn. with Broom, Dut. brem.]
Breare, Brere, brēr, n. (Spens.) . Same as Brier.
Breast, brest, n. the forepart of the human body between the neck and the belly: one of the two mammary glands in women, forming soft protuberances on the chest: the corresponding part of any animal: (fig.) conscience, disposition, affections.—v.t. to bear the breast against: to oppose manfully: to mount.—n. Breast′-bone, the bone running down the middle of the breast, to which the first seven ribs are attached.—adv. ”

“ Bowels, bow′elz, n.pl. the interior parts of the body, the entrails, the intestines: the interior part of anything: (fig.) the heart, pity, tenderness (the emotions being supposed to be seated in the bowels—B. and Shak.) .—v.t. Bow′el, to take out the bowels. [O. Fr. boel—L. botellus, a sausage, also an intestine.]
Bower, bow′ėr, n. a shady enclosure or recess in a garden, an arbour: an inner apartment, esp. ”

“ Boot′less, without boots: referring also, as in Tennyson's metaphorical use, 'wedded to a bootless calf,' to the ancient custom at a marriage by proxy of the quasi bridegroom putting one unbooted leg into the bride's bed.—n. Boots, the servant at an inn who cleans the boots, runs messages, &c.—in combination, as Lazyboots, Slyboots.—Boot and saddle (a corr. of Fr. bouteselle, place saddle) , the signal to cavalry to mount.—Like old boots (slang) , vigorously, heartily.—Six feet in his boots, quite six feet high.—To die in his boots, to be cut off in the midst of health, as by the rope ”

“ Same as Burgh, Borough.
Bourgeois, bur-jois′, n. a kind of printing type, larger than brevier and smaller than longprimer. [Fr.—perh. from the name of the typefounder.]
Bourgeoisie, bōōrzh′waw-zē, n. the middle class of citizens, esp. traders. [From Fr. bourgeois, a citizen, often taken as a typical word for the mercantile middle class—used also adjectively, like such in manners or ways of thinking.] ”

“ Bott′omry, a contract by which money is borrowed on the security of a ship or bottom.—Bottomless pit—hell.—At bottom, in reality.—From the bottom of the heart, from the very heart.—To be at the bottom of, to be the real origin of; To stand on one's own bottom, to be independent of ”

“ Branks, brangks, n. (seldom in sing.) a scold's bridle, having a hinged iron framework to enclose the head and a bit or gag to fit into the mouth and compress the tongue. [Scot.; ety. very obscure; cf. M. E. bernak, whence Barnacle and Brake; Ger. pranger, the pillory, Dut. prang, a fetter; the Gael. brangus, brangas, is most prob. borrowed.]
Brankursine, brangk′ur-sin, n. the plant Acanthus, called also Bear's-breech. [Low L. branca, ursina, a bear's paw.] ”

“ County borough, a borough of above 50,000 inhabitants, constituted by the Local Government Act of 1888; Rotten borough, one which still returned members to parliament although the constituency had disappeared—all abolished in 1832.—The Scotch terms are grouped under Burgh. [A.S. burg, burh, a city, from beorgan; Ger. bergen, to protect.]
Borrel, bor′el, adj. (Spens.) rustic, clownish. [O. Fr. burel, coarse cloth worn by peasantry.]
Borrow, bor′ō, v.t. to obtain on loan or trust: to adopt from a foreign source: to derive one's authority from another (with from, of) .—p.adj. ”

“ Brickle, brik′l, adj. (Spens. and Scot.) apt to break: weak: troublesome. [Older form of Brittle.]
Bricole, brik′el, or brik-ōl′, n. an ancient engine for throwing stones: the rebound of a ball from the wall of a tennis-court, an indirect stroke. [Fr.—Low L. briccola.]
Bridal, brīd′al, n. a marriage feast: a wedding.—adj. belonging to a bride or a wedding: nuptial. [Bride, and Ale, a feast.]
Bride, brīd, n. a woman about to be married: a woman newly married.—v.i. (Shak.) to act the bride.—ns. Bride′-ale (obs.) —Bridal, the ale-drinking at a marriage feast; Bride′-bed, the marriage bed ”

“ Bride′groom, a man about to be married: a man newly married; Bride′maid, Bride's′-maid, Bride′man, Bride's′-man, young unmarried people who attend the bride and bridegroom at a wedding. [A.S. brýd; Ice. brúdr, Ger. braut, a bride.]
Bridewell, brīd′wel, n. a house of correction: a gaol. [From a palace near St Bride's Well in London.]
Bridge, brij, n. a structure raised across a river, &c., or anything like such: the narrow raised platform whence the captain of a steamer gives directions: a thin upright piece of wood supporting the strings in a violin or similar instrument.—v.t. ”