• BAN
n. 1. 1297 – a summons by public proclamation; a public proclamation or edict
n. 2. 1596 – an imprecation of a curse; an execration or malediction expressing anger
n. 3. Bk1888 Sc. – a woman
n. 4. 1909 Irish sl. – a Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
vb. 1. a1000 obs. – to summon by proclamation
vb. 2. 1205 obs. – to call forth, to call for things
vb. 3. a1275 arch. – to curse, to imprecate damnation upon
vb. 4. 1340 Eng. dial. – to scold; to chide; to address with angry and maledictory language, to curse, to swear
vb. 5. 1721 Sc. – to vow, to promise with oaths
• BANAFAN
n. Bk1997 Irish sl. – a chubby youngster
• BANAG
n. Bk1888 Sc. – a busy little woman
• BANANA
n. 1. 19C sl. – the penis
n. 2. 1919 US sl. – a stupid or worthless person; a simpleton; a silly or crazy individual
n. 3. 1930s US criminals’ sl. – a homosexual
n. 4. 1944 African-American sl. – a light-skinned Black person, esp. an attractive woman
n. 5. 1948 colloq., chiefly Amer. – orig. a stage comedian having a specified position within a team or act; later, any person capable of being ranked in order of importance or preference within a group (usually with preceding word denoting the position or ranking)
n. 6. 1964 baseball usage – in baseball: a good player; a prospect that makes the team
n. 7. 1970 sl., chiefly Can., depreciative – a person of Asian birth or descent who subscribes to typically western values and attitudes; an oriental person regarded, esp. by other Orientals, as adopting or identifying with White culture
n. 8. 1985 US sl. – in US casinos: a $20 chip
n. 9. 1989 UK sl. – a corrupt policeman
n. 10. 1991 Amer. political sl. – a person opposed to all land development, esp. near residential area
n. 11. Bk1994 sl. – a hospital patient with jaundice
n. 12. Bk1998 NZ sl., disparaging – a New Zealand-born Chinese, used by immigrants about local Chinese
• BANANA BELT
n. 1. 1898 Amer. dial. – the warmer parts of a region which is regarded as severely cold
n. 2. 1958 Amer. dial. – an open winter, softer weather than usual
• BANANA-BENDER
n. 1. 1976 Aust. jocular usage – someone from Queensland
n. 2. 1992 UK sl. – a fool
• BANANA BOAT
n. 1940s baseball usage – a player who has played winter ball in Latin American
• BANANA BOY
n. 1. 1890 Aust. sl. – a native or resident of Queensland
n. 2. 1954 S. Afr. sl. – a resident or native of Natal
n. 3. 1960s sl. – a boy from one of Dr. Barnardo’s homes for orphaned and deprived children
n. 4. 1979 African-American sl. – a Black male who prefers White girls
• BANANA CAKE
n. 1975 Amer. sl. – a crazy or eccentric person
• BANANA-EATER
n. 1955 Aust. sl. – an inhabitant of Queensland, Australia
• BANANA FROM SAVANNAH
n. Bk1945 jive usage – a female mulatto
• BANANA GIRL
n. 1. 1954 S. Afr. sl. – a resident or native of Natal
n. 2. 1960s sl. – a girl from one of Dr. Barnardo’s homes for orphaned and deprived children
• BANANA HAMMOCK
n. Bk2006 US sl. – a bikini for a male
• BANANAHEAD
n. 1949 US sl. – a simpleton, a fool, an idiot, a stupid person
• BANANA HORSE
n. 1973 US sl. – in horse racing: a horse that is part of a cheating scheme in a fixed race
• BANANALAND
n. 1898 Aust. colloq. – Queensland
• BANANALANDER
n. 1. 1887 Aust. jocular usage – someone from Queensland
n. 2. 1968 S. Afr. sl. – an inhabitant of Natal
• BANANA MAN
n. 1868 Aust. sl. – an inhabitant of Queensland
• BANANA NOSE
n. 1920 Amer. sl. – a person having a large hooked nose
• BANANA OIL
n. 1. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – nonsense
n. 2. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – something worthless
• BANANA PEDDLER
n. 1916 Amer. sl., derogatory – an Italian immigrant
• BANANA PEELERS
n. Bk1992 drug culture sl. – those who dry and smoke banana peels in an attempt to get high, often mixing them with marijuana
• BANANA PUSHER
n. 1969 Amer. dial., derogatory – an Italian
• BANANA RACE
n. 1967 US sl. – a fixed horse race
• BANANA RING
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – in marbles: everybody puts maybe one marble and make like a banana in the mud, and then you each take a shot at any one of the marbles in the banana ring, say from about four feet back; if you hit a marble and knock it out of the banana ring, it’s your marble
• BANANAS
adj. 1957 sl., orig. US – insane, mad
n. 1. Bk1984 US criminals’ sl. – a homosexual
n. 2. 20C sl. – yellow $20 gambling tokens used in baccarat
• BANANA SPLIT
n. 1. 1968 Amer. dial. – in marbles: everybody puts maybe one marble and make like a banana in the mud, and then you each take a shot at any one of the marbles in the banana ring, say from about four feet back; if you hit a marble and knock it out of the banana ring, it’s your marble
n. 2. 1968 US drug culture sl. – amyl nitrite; an ampoule of amyl nitrite
n. 3. 2002 UK drug culture sl. – a variety of MDMA, ecstasy
• BANANA TRUCK
n. Bk2007 US sl. – a crazy person
• BANANA WIGGLER
n. 1969 Amer. dial. – a worm used as bait in fishing
• BANATEE
n. 1961 Irish sl. – a housewife
• BANAUSIC
adj. 1876 rare – merely mechanical; proper to a mechanic
• BAN-BEGGAR
n. 1883 Eng. dial. – a beadle, a constable
• BANBURY
n. 1894 sl. – a promiscuous or loose woman
• BANBURY-BLOOD
n. 1909 UK sl. – a Puritan; hence, a hypocrite
• BANBURY MAN
n. Bk1889 obs. – a Puritan; a bigot; a sour or severe man; a hypocrite
• BANBURY TALE
n. 1886 Eng. dial. – silly talk
• BANBURY-WIFE
n. Bk1891 sl. – a whore
• BANCO
n. 1. 18C – a call in gambling games such as chemin de fer and baccarat by a player or bystander who wishes to bet against the entire bank
n. 2. 1876 US sl. – a swindle perpetrated by means of card-sharping or some form of confidence trick
• BANCOMANIA
n. 1837 – a craze for establishing banks
• BANCO-STEERER
n. 1876 US sl. – a swindler; a sharper, a confidence-trick man
• BAND
n. 1. c1200 arch. – anything with which one’s body or limbs are bound, in restraint of personal liberty; a shackle, chain, fetter, manacle
n. 2. a1300 obs. – confinement, imprisonment, custody
n. 3. c1394 obs. – a side or flitch of bacon
n. 4. a1440 arch. – an agreement or promise, binding on him who makes it; now ‘bond’
n. 5. 1513 – a ridge of a hill
n. 6. 1596 obs. – security, pledge
n. 7. 1631 obs. – a state of union or connection
n. 8. 1733 Sc. & Eng. dial. – a hinge or joint
n. 9. 1790 Sc. & Eng. dial. – string, twine, cord; a string for leading or tying, or other purposes
n. 10. 1824 Amer. dial. – a herd of buffalo
n. 11. 1859 Eng. dial. – free play, liberty, scope for action
n. 12. 1903 Amer. dial. – a herd of cattle
n. 13. 1929 Amer. dial. – a group of horses
n. 14. 1934 African-American – a woman
n. 15. 1949 Aust. & US sl. – a woman of easy morals; a prostitute
n. 16. 1967 Amer. dial. – a flock of about two thousand sheep
n. 17. M20 Aust. sl. – a brothel
vb. 1. 1580 obs. – to bandy
vb. 2. 1878 Amer. dial. – to form into a herd or flock
• BANDA
n. 1994 African-American sl. – a poor, ghetto child
• BANDADUDEUMS
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – large pieces of broken ice in salt water
• BANDAGE
n. Bk1893 sl. – the ‘menstrual cloth’
• BANDAGE FACTORY
n. 1941 Amer. sl. – a hospital
• BAND-AID
n. 1. 1968 colloq. – something that provides a temporary solution to a problem
n. 2. 1975 sl., orig. US military – a medic or corpsman; a doctor
• BAND-AID BABY
n. Bk2014 colloq. – a child conceived to strengthen a faltering relationship
• BANDAR
n. Bk2014 Hindi – an impudent or mischievous man or boy
• B. AND B.
adj. M20 US sl. – pert. to magazines featuring female nudity; ‘Breast and Buttock’
• BAND-BOX
n. 20C Brit. sl. – a brothel
• B. AND D.
n. M20 US sl. – a form of sadism and masochism ; ‘Bondage and Discipline’
• BANDED
adj. 1. 1601 – confederated, leagued, allied
adj. 2. Bk1892 Eng. thieves’ sl. – hungry
• BAND-END
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – anything worthless and useless; a person of no importance
vb. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to thrash
• BAND-ENDER
n. 1884 Eng. dial. – a worthless person; a ne’er-do-well
• BAND-ENDING
n. 1889 Eng. dial. – a thrashing
• BANDER
n. 1. 1563 obs. – one who is leagued with others in a bond or covenant
n. 2. 1866 Eng. dial. – a border; the boundary line of a parish or farm
n. 3. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – the mouth; used derisively
n. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – one of a band of musicians
• BANDERILLERO
n. 1864 – a bull-fighter who uses ‘banderillas’, little darts ornamented with a banderole (long, narrow flag), which bullfighters stick into the neck and shoulders of the bull
• BANDEROLE
n. 1562 – a long narrow flag with cleft end, flying from the mastheads of ships, carried in battle, etc.
• BANDGE
vb. 1914 Amer. dial. – to idle about, to loaf; to take advantage of another’s hospitality
• BANDGEING-PLACE
n. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – a lounging place, as a country store
• BAND-HOUSE
n. 1. 1942 US criminals’ sl. – a prison
n. 2. 20C Brit. sl. – a brothel
• BAND-HOUSE PLAYER
n. Bk1997 Irish sl. – a bad card-player
• BANDICOOT GUNYAH
n. Bk1999 Aust. sl. – a makeshift shelter
• BANDIDO
n. 1898 Amer. dial. – an outlaw, esp. one of Mexican origin
• BANDIET
n. 1974 S. Afr. prison sl. – a prisoner
• BANDING
n. 1854 Eng. dial. – string; cord
• BANDING-STUFF
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – binding materials, such as string
• BANDISH
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a bandage
• BANDIT
n. 1. 1594 – one who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand; usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infested the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, and Turkey; also, in modern use: a gangster, a member of a criminal gang, esp. one involved in organized crime
n. 2. Bk1795 – a ruffian, a desperate fellow
n. 3. Bk1975 Amer. prison sl. – an aggressive homosexual who often resorts to violence
n. 4. 1970 UK sl. – a villain, a criminal
n. 5. Bk1975 Amer. sl. – any enemy
n. 6. 1981 UK sl. – a homosexual male
n. 7. 20C Amer. sl., World War II usage – an enemy aircraft
n. 8. Bk2002 UK police sl. – a derisory term for the small-time or unsuccessful thief
vb. 1611 obs. – to banish, to outlaw
• BANDITTO
n. Bk1708 – an outlawed person in Italy turned robber; a highwayman
• BANDLE
n. 1623 – an Irish measure of two feet in length
• BANDLESS
adj. Bk1898 Sc. – abandoned to wickedness
• BANDLESSLY
adv. Bk1898 Sc. – regardlessly
• BANDLESSNESS
n. Bk1898 Sc. – the state of abandonment to wickedness
• BAND-MAKER
n. Bk1868 Eng. dial. – a twine-spinner or rope-maker
• BAND MAN
n. 1946 jazz usage – a jazzman who excels in ensemble playing, though is not necessarily a distinguished soloist
• BAND-MEMBER
n. Bk1972 homosexual sl. – a fellator
• BANDO
n. 1598 obs. – a public proclamation
• BANDOBAST
n. 1776 – an arrangement, a settlement; preparation
• BAND OF HOPE
n. Bk1958 Eng. sl. – a spinster who hopes to marry an eligible man, esp. a clergyman
• BANDOG
n. 1. c1425 – a dog tied or chained up, either to guard a house or on account of its ferocity; hence generally, a mastiff, a bloodhound
n. 2. 1605 UK sl. – a bailiff or bailiff’s assistant
n. 3. a1826 UK sl. – a ruffian
n. 4. 1885 sl., orig. Aust. – a policeman
• BANDOG-BAILIFF
n. 1700 – a bailiff or bailiff’s assistant
• BANDOLERO
n. 1832 – a highwayman or robber
• BANDON
n. c1230 obs. – jurisdiction, authority, dominion, control; power of disposal, full discretion, or authority to deal with
vb. 1. a1300 obs. – to give oneself up
vb. 2. c1450 obs. – to have under control, to subdue
vb. 3. 1587 obs. – to forsake, to abandon
vb. 4. 1592 obs. – to banish
• BANDONEES
n. Bk1890 Eng. dial. – horseless tramps, wanderers
• BANDONLY
adv. c1470 obs. rare – recklessly, daringly
• BANDORE
n. L17 – a widow’s head-dress, worn to signify her mourning state
• BANDOWZER
n. E19 sl. – a heavy blow
• B & P
n. L19 sl. – an effeminate young man (Boulton and Park)
• B-AND-Q
n. 1990s US drug culture sl. – a mixture of bonita and quinine sold as counterfeit heroin
• BAND RAT
n. 1940s sl. – a woman who associates herself with musicians usually offering sex in return for proxy celebrity
• BANDROL
n. 1562 – a long narrow flag with cleft end, flying from the mastheads of ships, carried in battle, etc.
• BAND RUBBER
n. 1968 Amer. dial. – a rubber band
• BANDRUMS
n. Bk1911 Sc. – a cat
• B AND S
n. M19 sl. – brandy and soda
• BANDS
n. 1. Bk1892 Aust. sl. – hunger
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – banns of marriage
• BAND-SCRAPER
n. 1894 Eng. dial. – a fiddler
• BANDS-END
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – anything worthless and useless; a person of no importance
• BANDSMAN
n. 1852 – a miner, from the circumstance of working in connection with the ‘band’ or flat rope by which the coal, etc. is hoisted
• BANDSTER
n. 1932 Sc. – that one of a party of harvesters who binds the sheaves
• BANDUDELUMS
n. 1. 1968 Amer. dial. – large pieces of broken ice in salt water
n. 2. 1969 Amer. dial. – ice that will bend when you step on it, but not break
• BANDULU
n. 20C W. Indies Rasta – a bandit, a criminal, one who lives by guile
• BAND UP
vb. 1917 Amer. dial. – to bandage
• B. AND W.
n. Bk1913-17 Amer. navy sl. – bread and water
• BANDWIDTH HUGGER
n. Bk2006 Amer. Internet sl. – someone who fights spam; so called because he or she won’t yield any bandwidth to junk email
• BANDY
adj. Bk1911 Sc. – impudent; obstinate
n. 1. 1598 obs. – in tennis: a stroke with a racket; a ball of struck; a ‘return’ at tennis
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a hare
n. 3. Bk1903 sl. – sixpence
n. 4. 1914 Amer. dial. – a stunt or feat; feats of agility or strength
vb. 1. 1588 – to contend, to strive, to fight
vb. 2. 1591 obs. – to toss, drive, or throw aside or away
vb. 3. 1597 obs. – to band together, to league, to confederate
vb. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to wander or roam about
• BANDY-HEWIT
n. 1746 Eng. dial. – a contemptuous name for a dog of any kind; a cur
• BANDYING
n. 1689 obs. – confederation; league
• BANDYLAN
n. 1. 1808 Eng. dial. – a woman of bad character; an outcast; a virago
n. 2. Bk1873 Eng. dial. – a woman of dissolute character, a prostitute
• BANDY-LEGGED
adj. 1688 – bow-legged
• BANDYLOW
n. Bk1873 Eng. dial. – a woman of dissolute character, a prostitute
• BANDY-SHANKED
adj. 1908 Amer. dial. – bandy-legged; having thin crooked legs; bowlegged
• BANDYWALLOP
n. 20C Aust. colloq. – an imaginary town, far from civilization
• BANE
int. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a mild expletive
n. 1. a800 obs. – a slayer or murderer; one who causes the death or destruction of another
n. 2. a1000 obs. – that which causes death or destroys life
n. 3. c1175 obs. – murder, death, destruction
n. 4. c1440 obs. – a prelude of a play
n. 5. 1499 obs. – a proclamation of a marriage
n. 6. 1580 Eng. dial. – poison
n. 7. 1580 Eng. dial. – ruin
n. 8. c1782 Sc. – a person, each member of a group
n. 9. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – an industrious, diligent, persevering man
vb. 1. 1578 obs. – to kill; said esp. of poison
vb. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to wither
• BANED
adj. 1. 1568 obs. – ruined, destroyed; injured, hurt
adj. 2. 1821 Sc. obs. – evil-disposed, envious
• BANES
n. 1746 Eng. dial. – the banns of matrimony
• BANEMAN
n. 1870 arch. – a murderer
• BANEOUR
n. 1825 Sc. – a standard-bearer
• BANER
n. 1605 rare – he who kills, poisons, destroys, or ruins
• BANERMAN
n. 1825 Sc. – a standard-bearer
• BANES
n. 1746 Eng. dial. – the banns of matrimony
• BANESMAN
n. 1870 arch. – a murderer
• BANEUR
n. Bk1862 – a standard-bearer
• BANFF BAILIES
n. 1881 Sc. – the large, white snowy-looking clouds that rise along the horizon; looked upon as the forerunners of foul weather
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