• BANNA
n. 1994 W. Indies teen usage – a young man or woman
• BANNALANNA
n. Bk1910 Ireland – a woman who sells ale over the counter
• BANNANNER
n. 1867 Amer. dial. – a banana
• BANNED
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – of persons: having had the banns of marriage published
• BANNEE
vb. 1746 Eng. dial. – to contradict rudely
• BANNEOUR
n. 1297 obs. – a banner-bearer, a standard-bearer
• BANNER
n. 1. 19C Brit. sl. – the female pubic hair
n. 2. 1925 Sc. – a banner-bearer
vb. 1948 Amer. dial. – to challenge, to dare; to goad
• BANNER-BEARER
n. c1440 – a standard-bearer, an ensign
• BANNER CARRIER
n. Bk1945 criminals’ sl. – a tramp who walks the street all night
• BANNERER
n. 1. c1340 obs. exc. hist. – one who carries a banner; a standard-bearer
n. 2. 1484 obs. – a knight conferred for valiant deeds
• BANNERET
n. 1297 – orig. a knight able and entitled to bring a company of vassals into the field under his own banner, and who ranked next to a baron and above other knights; commonly used as a title or rank of dignity, and contrasted with ‘knight’, though sometimes with ‘bachelor’
• BANNERMAN
n. a1500 Sc. arch. – a standard-bearer, an ensign
• BANNEROL
n. 1562 – a long narrow flag with cleft end, flying from the mastheads of ships, carried in battle, etc.
• BANNER STATE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – Texas
• BANNICK
vb. 1. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to thrash, to beat soundly
vb. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to chase, to hunt about
• BANNICKING
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a thrashing
• BANNIEL
n. 1858 Sc. – a bundle, a package
• BANNIER
n. Bk1880 obs. – a banner-bearer
• BANNING
n. 1678 Sc. – swearing, curses
• BANNISTER
n. Bk1891 sl. – a traveller in distress
• BANNITION
n. a1644 obs. – banishment, expulsion, esp. from a university
• BANNITUS
n. Bk1708 obs. – an outlaw, or banished man, an exile
• BANNOCK
vb. 1. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to thrash, to beat soundly
vb. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to lounge about idly
• BANNOCK-FACED
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – having a flat face and a short nose
• BANNOCK-HIVE
n. 1. 1790 Sc. – corpulence induced by eating plentifully; a corpulent person
n. 2. Bk1898 Sc. – a corpulent person
• BANNOCKING
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a thrashing
• BANNO-DISTY
adj. 1929 Sc. – ill-humoured
• BANNS
n. 1. a1328 – proclamation or public notice given in church of an intended marriage, in order that those who know of any impediment thereto may have opportunity of lodging objections
n. 2. 1440 obs. – proclamation or prologue of a play
• BANNUT
n. 1. c1450 obs. – the filbert
n. 2. 1790 Eng. dial. – the walnut; also applied to the growing tree itself
• BANQUEROUT
n. Bk1880 obs. – a bankrupt
• BANQUET
n. 1. 1509 obs. – a slight repast between meals
n. 2. 1523 obs. – a course of sweetmeats, fruit, and wine, served either as a separate entertainment, or as a continuation of the principal meal; in the latter case usually in a different room; a dessert
n. 3. 1534 obs. – a sweetmeat; a dainty dish; collectively, sweetmeats, dessert
n. 4. 1535 obs. – a wine-drinking carousal
• BANQUETANT
n. 1615 obs. rare – the giver of a banquet; a host, an entertainer
• BANQUET-BEAGLE
n. Bk1891 sl. – a glutton
• BANQUETEER
n. 1821 – a guest at a banquet; a feaster; a reveller
• BANQUETER
n. 1. 1534 – a broker, a trafficker
n. 2. 1542 obs. – the giver of a banquet; a host, an entertainer
n. 3. 1549 – a guest at a banquet; a feaster; a reveller
• BANQUETTE
n. 1841 Amer. dial. – a raised sidewalk or footpath
• BANQUIER
n. Bk1888 obs. – an old name for goldsmiths in London
• BANSEL
vb. 1674 Eng. dial. – to drive, to know about; to bang, to beat
• BANSELA
n. Bk1913 S. Afr. – a tip, a gratuity
• BANSHEE
n. 1769 Sc. & Eng. dial. – a supernatural being, in the form of a woman, who is supposed to wail outside a house to announce the approaching death of a member of the family
• BANSMAN
n. 1879 Sc. – a bondsman, a servant
• BANT
n. 1856 Eng. dial. – vigour, strength, endurance, ‘go’
vb. 1. 1875 Eng. dial. – to conquer, to achieve, to manage
vb. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to beat down in price; to haggle
• BANTAM
n. 1. 1860 US sl. – a young inexperienced man
n. 2. 1883 Aust. & US sl. – a lover; a womanizer
n. 3. Bk1891 sl. – a pert boy or youth
n. 4. Bk1919 services’ sl. – a very short British soldier; a short or small man
n. 5. 1924 Aust. sl. – a person with a hot temper
n. 6. 1944 African-American sl. – a young girl, a slender young woman
n. 7. 20C Amer. sl., World War II usage – a jeep
• BANTAM DOUGHBOY
n. Bk2004 Amer. sl., World War I usage – an American who fell under the regulation height but was allowed to enter the service
• BANTAM WEIGHT
n. 1884 – in boxing: a boxer weighing more than 8 stone, but not more than 8 stone 6 pounds
• BANTER
n. 1. 1719 obs. – a matter of ridicule or jest
n. 2. 1840 Amer. dial. & Ireland – a challenge, dare
n. 3. 1859 Amer. dial. – a match or contest; a shooting-match
n. 4. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a haggling about prices
n. 5. Bk1942 US sl. – a young girl, a slender or pretty young woman
vb. 1. a1688 arch. – to impose upon a person, orig. in jest; to delude, to cheat, to trick, to bamboozle
vb. 2. 1704 obs. – to ridicule, to make a jest of a thing
vb. 3. 1793 Eng. & Amer. dial. – to cheapen, to haggle
vb. 4. 1810 Amer. dial. – to challenge, to dare; to goad
vb. 5. 1820 Sc. – to rebuke, to scold, to drive away by scolding
vb. 6. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to squabble, to tease, to taunt
• BANTER ABOUT
vb. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to potter about, to bustle about
• BANTER DOWN
vb. 1. 1864 Eng. dial. – to beat down in price
vb. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to get the better of in a dispute of any kind
• BANTERER
n. 1709 arch. – one who imposes on, or bamboozles
• BANTER PLAY BUILT ON A COKE FRAME
n. 1930s African-American sl. – an attractive woman with a good figure
• BANTIN
n. 1825 Sc. – a strutting little man fond of fighting
• BANTIN COCK
n. 1825 Sc. – a strutting little man fond of fighting
• BANTING
n. 1. 1828 Sc. – a bantam fowl
n. 2. Bk1883 – one who diets himself to prevent fatness
n. 3. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – haggling
n. 4. 19C – slimming by avoiding eating sugar, starch, and fat
• BANTINGISM
n. 19C – slimming by avoiding eating sugar, starch, and fat
• BANTLIN; BANTLING
n. 1593 – a young or small child; a brat; often used depreciatively, formerly used as a synonym of ‘bastard’
• BANTON
n. 1825 Sc. – a strutting little man fond of fighting
• BANTRY
n. 1892 Sc. – bantering, teasing
• BANT-SCRAPER
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a fiddler
• BANTUM
n. 1924 – a small but aggressive person
• BAN-TWIVY TWIST
adv. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – askew, awry
• BANTY
adj. 1927 Amer. dial. – bowlegged
n. 1. 1877 Eng. dial. – a bantam
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a small, strutting, conceited person; a small, aggressive person
n. 3. 1948 US – a young or small child; a brat; often used depreciatively, formerly used as a synonym of ‘bastard’, an illegitimate child
n. 4. 1948 Irish sl. – a bow-legged person
• BANTY-COCK
n. 1. 1891 Eng. dial. – a bantam cock
n. 2. 1891 Eng. dial. – a small, conceited person; a small, aggressive person
• BANTY-HEN
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a bantam hen
• BANTY-LEGGED
adj. 1927 Amer. dial. – bowlegged
• BANYA
n. 1941 Amer. dial. – a bath-house
• BANYAN
n. Bk1855 – a Hindu merchant or shopkeeper
• BANYAN DAY
n. 1932 Sc. – a day on which little food is to be had, or only scraps left over from the days before
• BANYAN DAYS
n. 1929 Sc. – hard times
• BANYEL
n. 1. 1858 Sc. – a bundle, a package
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a crowd of people
n. 3. Bk1898 Sc. – a slovenly, idle fellow
vb. 1866 Sc. – to crowd, to move in a confused crowd
• BANYER
n. Bk1855 obs. – a standard-bearer
• BANZELL
n. Bk1855 Eng. dial. – a long, lazy fellow
• B.A.P.
n. 1992 US sl. – an upwardly mobile Black achiever, usually from the Black middle class (Black American Prince/Princess)
• BAP
n. 1. 1513-75 Sc. – a small loaf or ‘roll’ of bakers’ bread, made of various sizes and shapes
n. 2. 1842 South Asian & Caribbean – a father; in Caribbean use, any older man, esp. one of South Asian descent
n. 3. 1929 Sc. – a stupid person
vb. 1970 Amer. dial. – to open and close the eyes quickly
• BAPA
n.1966 Amer. dial. – a grandfather
• BAPHEAD
n. 2001 UK teen sl. – a fool
• BAPPER
n. Bk1898 Sc. – a vulgar name for a baker
• BAPPLE
n. Bk2006 sl., chiefly UK – a baby of affluent professional parents
• BAPP-NOSE
n. c1890 Sc. – a nose threatening to meet the chin
• BAPPO
n. 1972 Aust. sl. – a Baptist
• BAPS
n. 20C sl. – a woman’s breasts
• BAPSOUSE
vb. 1906 Amer. dial. – to baptize
• BAPTISM OF FIRE
n. 1. 1857 – a difficult or frightening introduction to something; the undergoing of any severe ordeal or painful experience
n. 2. 1881 – a soldier’s first experience ‘under fire’ in battle
• BAPTIST
n. 1. c1200 – one who baptises
n. 2. 1823 UK sl. – a pickpocket who has been caught and ducked or ‘baptized’
• BAPTIST DAM-BREAKER
n. 1966 Amer. dial. – a sudden heavy rain
• BAPTISTE
n. 1460 obs. rare – baptism
• BAPTISTERY
n. 1. 1460 – the part of a church in which baptism is administered; in early times, it was a separate building contiguous to the church
n. 2. 1835 – a receptacle containing water for the baptismal rite
n. 3. 1851 – baptism
• BAPTISTICAL
adj. 1658 obs. rare – belonging to baptism
• BAPTISTRY
n. 1. 1460 – the part of a church in which baptism is administered; in early times, it was a separate building contiguous to the church
n. 2. 1835 – a receptacle containing water for the baptismal rite
n. 3. 1851 – baptism
• BAPTIZATION
n. 1470 obs. – baptism
• BAPTIZE
n. a1300 obs. rare – baptism
• BAPTIZED
adj. 1. E19 Aust. sl. – drowned
adj. 2. E20 US sl. – pert. to adulterated liquor
adj. 3. M20 US sl. – saturated with alcohol; drunk
• BAPTIZED BY FIRE
adj. 20C Amer. sl., World War II usage – to have been under enemy fire for the first time; to have received one’s first wounds
• BAPTIZEE
n. 1871 rare – a recipient of baptism; a baptized person
• BAPTIZEMENT
n. 1818 rare – baptism
• BAPU
n. 1930 Anglo-Indian – one’s father; a father
• BAQUERO
n. 1922 Amer. dial. – one who herds cattle or breaks wild horses; a cowboy
• BAR
n. 1. 1297 obs. rare – a baron
n. 2. 1531 – an obstruction, an obstacle; a barrier
n. 3. 1545 obs. – a kind of false die, on which certain numbers are prevented from turning up
n. 4. 1603 obs. – a defensive barrier; a bulwark
n. 5. a1661 – a local judge amongst miners, a barmaster
n. 6. 1695 Eng. dial. – the gate of a town or city
n. 7. 1835 US – a mosquito net
n. 8. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a gate across a road, generally for the purpose of collecting tolls
n. 9. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a streak of colour on an animal
n. 10. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a crowbar
n. 11. 1911 Brit. sl. – a pound; usually in the phrase ‘half a bar’ – ten shillings
n. 12. 1915 Amer. dial. – a gelded hog
n. 13. 1998 US drug culture sl. – a mixture of codeine-infused cough syrup and soda
vb. 1. c1430 obs. – to surround with a barrier or fence
vb. 2. 1865 Eng. dial. – to claim a privilege or possession
• BARABAS
n. Bk1891 sl. – thief
• BARABBAS
n. Bk1891 journalists’ usage – a publisher
• BARAGAN TAILOR
n. Bk1890 tailors’ usage – a rough tailor
• BARATHRUM
n. 1. 1520 – the abyss, hell
n. 2. 1609 – anything that swallows up or devours; the belly; an insatiable extortioner or glutton
n. 3. 1849 – a deep pit at Athens into which criminals condemned to death were thrown
• BARATOUR
n. Bk1855 – a quarrelsome person; a brawler; a rowdy; a rioter
• BARATRESS
n. Bk1881 – a female quarreller or fighter; a female warrior
• BARB
n. 1. c1340 obs. rare – the edge of an axe
n. 2. c1450 obs. rare – the beard of a man
n. 3. 1900 US college sl. – a student who is not a member of a Greek-letter fraternity
n. 4. 1914 US college sl. – a student or officer of instruction opposed to Greek-letter fraternities
n. 5. M20 US drug culture sl. – a barbiturate tablet or capsule
vb. 1. 1483 – to clip wool, cloth, coin, etc.
vb. 2. 1508 obs. – to carve a lobster
vb. 3. 1587 obs. – to shave or trim the beard of a person
vb. 4. 1601 – to mow grass, etc.
• BARBADIAN
n. 1732 – an inhabitant of Barbados
• BARBAL
adj. 1650 – belonging to the beard
• BARBAR
adj. 1535 obs. – barbarous
n. 1. 1382 obs. – a barbarian
n. 2. 1382 obs. – a foreigner, one whose language and customs differ from the speaker’s
• BARBARA AND HER BARNS
n. 1883 Eng. dial. – a formation of clouds in which there is a thick band across the west with smaller bands above and below; a sign of stormy weather
• BARBARA HUTTON
n. 1981 US sl. – in hold ’em poker: a five and ten, as the first two cards dealt to a player
• BARBARELLA
n. Bk1972 homosexual sl. – a man-hungry homosexual
• BARBARESQUE
adj. 1823 – barbarous in style, esp. in reference to art
n. 1804 – a native of Barbary in Africa
• BARBARIAN
n. 1. 1549 – a foreigner, one whose language and customs differ from the speaker’s
n. 2. 1572 obs. – a native of Barbary in Africa
n. 3. 1604 – a rude, wild, uncivilized person; a brutal monster
n. 4. 1757 – an uncouth, uncultured person, or one who has no sympathy with literary culture
• BARBARIANESS
n. 1868 – a female barbarian
• BARBARIANIZE
vb. 1856 – to make barbarian, to barbarize
• BARBARIC
n. 1. 1388 obs. – a foreigner, one whose language and customs differ from the speaker’s
n. 2. 1388 obs. rare – a barbarian
• BARBARIOUS
adj. 1570 obs. – barbarous
• BARBARISM
n. 1603 obs. – barbarous cruelty, barbarity
• BARBARIZE
vb. 1702 Sc. obs. – to act as a barber, to shave
• BARBAROCRACY
n. 1866 – government or rule by barbarians, as that of Italy by the German emperors
• BARBARY
n. 1. 1509 obs. – uncultivated speech as opposed to a classical language or classic diction
n. 2. 1564 obs. – barbarity, barbarism, barbarousness
• BARBARY HEN
n. c1597 obs. – a prostitute
• BARBARYN
n. 1382 obs. – a barbarian
• BARBATERIA
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a barber shop
• BARBATORIUM
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a barber shop
• BARBATULOUS
adj. 1600 obs. – having but a small beard
• BARBECUE
n. 1927 US sl. – an attractive female; a woman who looks good enough to eat
• BARBED
adj. 1693 obs. rare – bearded
• BARBED-WIRE DISEASE
n. Bk2004 Amer. sl., World War I usage – a nervous breakdown brought about by imprisonment
• BARBED-WIRE PIE
n. 1942 Amer. dial. – something utterly disagreeable
• BARBEQUE
n. 1927 US sl. – an attractive woman, esp. one who enjoys or offers oral sex (such a woman is a ‘hot piece of meat’)
• BARBER
n. 1. c1320 – a man, or more rarely a woman, whose business it is to shave or trim the beards, and cut and dress the hair, of customers; formerly, the barber was also a regular practitioner in surgery and dentistry
n. 2. 1592 sl. – a prostitute diseased with syphilis
n. 3. 1609 – one who clips or cuts short; a curtailer
n. 4. c1890 – in Canada: a storm accompanied by snow and spray which freezes upon the face; also, the vapour rising from the water on a frosty day
n. 5. 1898 Aust. sl. – a shearer
n. 6. 1927 US sl. – a tediously talkative person; a fool, esp. in sports usage
n. 7. 1939 US criminals’ sl. – a pimp
n. 8. 1941 Aust. sl. – a hotel manager or owner
n. 9. 1943 Aust. sl. – a tramp
n. 10. 1945 Aust. criminals’ sl. – a thief
n. 11. Bk1975 Amer. sl. – a baseball pitcher who is willing and able to force batters away from the plate by pitching fast balls close to their heads
n. 12. Bk1997 – in karaoke: someone who joins in on every tune
vb. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – to shave
• BARBER-BAIT
n. 1945 US sl. – a recruit
• BARBER CHIRURGEON
n. Bk1795 – one who practices the lower operations of surgery, such as bleeding and drawing of teeth, together with e trade of a barber
• BARBERER
n. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a barber
• BARBERESS
n. 1611 rare – a female barber
• BARBERLIE
adv. 1580 Eng. dial. – like a barber
• BARBERLY
adv. 1573 obs. rare – with a barber’s methods, by shaving
• BARBER-MONGER
n. 1608 obs. – a constant frequenter of the barber’s shop, a fop
• BARBER OF ROCHDALE
n. 1925 prison sl. – the hangman
• BARBER POLE
n. 1980 US sl. – in casino gambling: a bet comprised of various coloured chips
• BARBER’S BLOCK
n. 1. 1688 – a wooden head for a wig
n. 2. 1876 UK sl. – one who spends much time in barbers’ shops; a showy, overdressed man; a fop
n. 3. E19 sl. – the head
• BARBER’S BREAKFAST
n. 1960s NZ sl. – a cough or dry retch, a glass of water and a cigarette
• BARBER’S CAT
n. 1. 1842 sl. – a gossip, a chatterer, one who prefers talk to action
n. 2. 1864 sl. – a sickly, malnourished person; a skinny man
n. 3. 1930s drug culture sl. – an emaciated opium addict
• BARBER’S CHAIR
n. 1621 obs. – a common prostitute who is used by all customers; a promiscuous woman; a drab, a prostitute, a strumpet
• BARBER’S CLERK
n. 1. 1821 sl. – a conceited, overdressed fellow who apes the manners of a gentleman
n. 2. 1835 US nautical sl. – an irresponsible sailor who is overparticular about his appearance; a fop; one who spends much time in barber’s shops
• BARBER’S-CLOCK
n. Bk1891 sl. – a fop; one who spends much time in barber’s shops
• BARBERSHOPPER
n. 1930 orig. US – a person who performs barbershop or close harmony singing
• BARBER-SURGEON
n. 1626 – formerly, a barber who also drew teeth and bled people for certain illnesses
• BARBERY
n. 1. c1440 obs. – a barber’s shop
n. 2. 1540 – the barber’s art or craft; shaving
• BARBESHELA
n. 1893 Amer. dial. – a very close friend
• BARBET
n. 1. 1606 rare – a small beard
n. 2. 1780 – a little dog with long curly hair; a poodle
n. 3. 1844 Sc. – an arrow
• BARBETTE
vb. c1480 obs. rare – to make inarticulate sounds; to mutter
• BARBIE
n. 1. 1966 derogatory – a young, empty-headed woman who is tall, slim, well-endowed and attractive in a stereotypical way, with peroxide-blonde hair
n. 2. 1976 sl., orig. Aust. – a barbecue
n. 3. 1998 US homosexual sl. – a feminine homosexual who prefers to dress in women’s clothing
• BARBIE DOLL
n. 1966 – a woman who is likened to a Barbie doll, esp. in being pretty or shapely but passive, characterless, or unintelligent; a super-conformist, conventionally attractive woman; a pretty, giddy girl or woman
• BARBIGEROUS
adj. 1731 – bearded, as a man; having a beard, hairy
• BARBING
adj. 1630 – shaving, stripping bare
n. 1485 obs. – shaving, hairdressing; clipping
• BARBIQUEJO
n. 1945 Amer. dial. – the chin strap of a cowboy hat
• BAR-BITCH
n. 2015 US Western sl. – a female bartender
• BARBLY
n. Bk1892 Chinese Pidgin – babble, noise
• BARBOQUEJO
n. 1945 Amer. dial. – the chin strap of a cowboy hat
• BARBOSE
adj. 1716 obs. rare – ? bearded
• BARBOURISE
vb. 1702 Sc. obs. – to act as a barber, to shave
• BAR-BOY
n. Bk1881 – a boy who serves at the bar of a public-house
• BARBS
n. 1601 obs. – the wattles of a cock
• BARBULA
n. 1688 obs. – a small beard
• BARBULYE
n. 1820 Sc. arch. – confusion, perplexity, quandary
vb. c1572 Sc. arch. – to confuse, to muddle, to disorder
• BARBULYIE
n. 1820 Sc. – perplexity, quandary
vb. 1790 Sc. – to confuse, to trouble; to disorder
• BAR-BUMMER
n. 1908 Aust. sl. – one who spends their time in bars; a ‘barfly’; a heavy drinker, a drunkard
• BARB WIRE DEAL
n. 1958 Amer. dial. – a tough situation to handle
• BARBWIRE GARTERS
n. Bk2004 Amer. sl., World War I usage – a mythical award for those who got no special honours or decorations
• BAR BY AND MAIN
vb. 1567 obs. – to prevent entirely; to stop altogether
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