• B.B.
n. 1. 1910s US sl. – a bedbug
n. 2. 20C sl. – a male homosexual (Bum Boy)
• B-BALL
n. 1960s African-American sl. – basketball
vb. 1960s African-American sl. – to play basketball
• B.B.B. CROP
n. 1940s UK prison sl. – a very short haircut (Bad Borstal Boy)
• B.B.-BRAINED
adj. 1960s US sl. – stupid
• B BOY
n. 1. Bk1944 services’ sl. – playful allusion to a mess sergeant
n. 2. 20C teen & high school sl. – a rap music devotee (B = Beat)
• B-BOY STANCE
n. 20C teen & high school sl. – a defiant pose typically taken by crossing both arms across the chest; common to rap music
• B-BROAD
n. 1930s sl., orig. US – a part-time prostitute, who frequents bars and uses them as a base for soliciting
• B-CASE
n. 1930s sl. – a charge of soliciting
• B.D.T.
n. 1915 Amer. dial. – diarrhoea (BackDoor Trot)
• BE ABLE TO BITE A PUMPKIN THROUGH A RAIL FENCE
vb. 1966 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO EAT A PUMPKIN THROUGH A CRACK IN A BOARD FENCE
vb. 1950 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO EAT A PUMPKIN THROUGH A KNOTHOLE
vb. 1950 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO EAT AN APPLE THROUGH A KNOTHOLE
vb. 1966 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO EAT CORN OFF A COB THROUGH A KNOTHOLE
vb. 1978 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO EAT CORN THROUGH A PICKET FENCE
vb. 1985 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO EAT CORN-ON-THE-COB THROUGH A PICKET FENCE
vb. 1980 Amer. dial. – to have buck teeth
• BE ABLE TO SLEEP ON BOTH EARS
vb. a1663 obs. – to be free from anxiety
• BE ABRAM
vb. Bk1902 sl. – to be naked
• BE A BUTTON SHORT
vb. M19 sl. – to not be very intelligent
• BEACH BUM
n. 1962 sl. – someone, esp. a youth, who hangs about on beaches
• BEACH CLOUDS
n. 1967 Amer. dial. – long trailing clouds high in the sky
• BEACHCOMB
vb. World War II Amer. sl. – to search for female companionship
• BEACH-COMBER
n. 1. 1847 – a long wave rolling in from the ocean
n. 2. 1885 Eng. nautical sl. – one who hangs about the seashore or river-band on the lookout for jobs
n. 3. Bk2004 Amer. World War I sl. – (usually as ‘beachcomber’) a tramp or bum who hung around saloons and begged sailors for money or drinks
n. 4. Bk2004 Amer. World War II sl. – a sailor on shore leave
• BEACH COMBERS
n. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – poor natives who live on the sea and what they can poach, steal, or smuggle
• BEACHED
adj. World War II Amer. sl. – without funds
• BEACHMAN
n. 1881 – one who earns his living on the beach
• BEACHMASTER
n. World War II Amer. sl. – a sailor very fond of women
• BEACH POUNDER
n. World War II Amer. sl. – a member of the Coast Guard, i.e. one who patrols or ‘pounds’ the shore
• BEACH WHISTLE
n. 20C teen & high school sl. – a tampon tube washed up on the beach
• BEACHWOOD
n. 1965 Amer. dial. – driftwood
• BEACON
n. 1. c950 obs. – a sign, a portent
n. 2. a1000 obs. – an ensign, a standard
n. 3. World War II Amer. sl. – a sailor’s home
vb. 1835 – to give light and guidance to; to lead
• BEAD
n. 1. c885 obs. – a prayer
n. 2. 1958 Amer. dial. – in marbles: a cheap marble
n. 3. 1968 Amer. dial. – a squirt of tobacco juice
vb. 1790 Eng. dial. obs. – to pray
• BE A DAG AT
vb. 1890s Aust. sl. – to be extremely good or expert at
• BE-ADDLED
adj. 1917 Amer. dial. – confused, mixed up
• BE A DEADER
vb. 20C sl., orig. US – to be recently dead
• BEAD-FOLK
n. 1465 – people who pray for a benefactor
• BEADFUL
adj. c1200 obs. – prayerful
• BEADHOUSE
n. 1. c1160 – orig. a house of prayer, hence alms-house, the inmates of which were to pray for the soul of the founder
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a workhouse
• BEADLE
n. 1. c1000 obs. – one who makes a proclamation on behalf of another; a herald
n. 2. c1400 obs. – the crier or usher of a law-court; a town-crier
n. 3. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a person receiving parish alms
n. 4. 1930 Amer. dial. – a beagle (dog)
• BEADLESS
adj. 1885 Eng. dial. – of persons: intolerant of suffering; impatient of pain
• BEADLE STATE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – Virginia
• BEAD LINE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – the starting line a game of marbles
• BEAD-MASTER
n. 1579 obs. – a religious officer who attends to the poor, a deacon
• BE A-DOING
vb. 1902 Amer. dial. – to do something merely to have something to do; to pass the time
• BEAD-PULLER
n. 1964 Amer. dial. – a Roman Catholic
• BE ADREAMED
vb. 1556 obs. – to be visited by a dream, to dream
• BEAD-ROLL
n. 1. c1500 obs. or arch. – a list of persons to be specially prayed for
n. 2. c1500 obs. or arch. – a list or string of names; a catalogue; a long line, a pedigree; a long series
• BEAD-ROW
n. 1576 obs. – a list or string of names; a catalogue; a long line, a pedigree; a long series
• BEADS
n. c885 obs. – prayers, devotions
• BEADS BIDDING
n. 1387 – the saying of prayers
• BEADSMAN
n. 1. c1230 – a man of prayer; one who prays for the soul or spiritual welfare of another
n. 2. 1377 obs. – a messenger
n. 3. a1524 – one paid or endowed to pray for others; a pensioner or almsman charged with the duty of praying for the souls of his benefactors; hence in later times, in England, and almsman, an inmate of an almshouse
• BEAD-SONG
n. a1524 – a song of prayer
• BEADS-WOMAN
n. c1465 – a woman who prays for a benefactor, an almswoman
• BEADY
adj. 1881 – full of bubbles, frothy
• BEAFT
prep. 1945 Amer. dial. – behind, in back of
• BEAGLE
adj. 1720 Sc. – ugly
n. 1. 1559 – one who makes it his business to scent out or hunt down; a spy, an informer; a constable, a sheriff’s officer, a bailiff, a beadle
n. 2. 1744 Eng. dial. – an opprobrious epithet applied to a depraved, unmanageable, and troublesome person
n. 3. 1821 Sc. – a disagreeable, dirty person; an objectionable person; a sight, a fright
n. 4. Bk1898 Sc. & Eng. dial. – a oddly or grotesque dressed figure; a scarecrow
n. 5. Bk1911 Sc. – an oddly dressed figure
n. 6. Bk1942 Amer. turf sl. – a racehorse
n. 7. Bk1942 Amer. turf sl. – a horse’s nose
• BEAGLE IT!
int. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – a mild imprecation
• BE A GOOD SAILOR
vb. 1833 – to be exempt from sea-sickness
• BEAINER
n. Bk1898 Sc. – a dog
• BEAK
n. 1. 1715 sl. – the nose
n. 2. 1715 sl. – a magistrate or justice of the peace
n. 3. 1888 schoolboys’ sl. – a schoolmaster
n. 4. 1889 – the long snout of a fish
n. 5. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – the brim or peak of a hat or cap; also, the hat itself
n. 6. Bk1911 Sc. – the face
n. 7. Bk1942 Amer. turf sl. – a horse’s nose
n. 8. 2000 sl. – fellatio
n. 9. 2001 UK sl. – cocaine
vb. 1. 2001 UK sl. – to kiss
vb. 2. 1947 Amer. dial. – to talk excessively, loudly, or maliciously; to ‘peck’ at someone
• BEAK COVER
n. Bk2004 Amer. World War I sl. – a gas mask
• BEAKER
n. 1. 1348 now chiefly literary usage – a large drinking vessel with a wide mouth, an open cup or goblet
n. 2. Bk1891 sl. – a fowl
• BEAKING-FULL
adj. Bk1891 sl. – full to repletion
• BEAK-IRON
n. 1795 Eng. dial. – a cooper’s anvil
• BEAKS
n. 1656 obs. – a pair of pincers, a forceps
• BEAKY
adj. 1. 1656 obs. – having a prominent nose
adj. 2. 2000s sl. – nosy, inquisitive
• BEAKY LADY
n. 20C Irish sl. – a truancy officer
• BEAKY MAN
n. 20C Irish sl. – a truancy officer
• BEAL
n. 1. c1400 obs. exc. Eng. & Amer. dial. – a pustule or boil; an abscess
n. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – the nose; a bird’s bill
vb. 1. 1611 obs. exc. Eng. & Amer. dial. – to suppurate, to fester; to cause to swell; to raise the flesh in blisters
vb. 2. 1768 Sc. – to swell with pain or remorse
vb. 3. 1820 Eng. dial. – to bellow or roar as cattle; to shout
• BE A LADDIE FOR
vb. Bk1902 Eng. dial. – to have a great liking for
• BEALED
adj. 1790 Eng. & Amer. dial. – festered; infected; abscessed
• BEALING
adj. 1. Bk1888 – suppurating
adj. 2. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – noisy
n. 1. a1605 obs. exc. Eng. & Amer. dial. – suppuration; a boil, an abscess
n. 2. 1865 Eng. dial. – a noise, an uproar
• BE A LITTLE UPON THE FAL-LAL
vb. 1754 obs. – to border on the affected
• BE ALKALIED
vb. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – to be an old timer of the desert in Arizona
• BE-ALL
n. 1605 – that which is or constitutes the whole; the whole being
• THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL
n. 1854 sl. – something regarded as the most important element in something
• BE ALL BUCKLED WITH ONE HASP
vb. Bk1902 Sc. – not to be better than one another
• BE ALL DAY WITH ONE
vb. 1836 Amer. dial. – to be a hopeless situation for someone
• BE ALL EARS
vb. Bk1892 Amer. sl. – to give all one’s attention; to listen intently
• BE ALL FLUMMUXED UP
vb. Bk1905 Amer. dial. – to be confused
• BE ALL KEYHOLE
vb. M19 sl. – to be drunk
• BE ALL MAN AND SHIRT
vb. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – to put on consequential airs; to be proud
• BE ALL ON ONE SIDE LIKE MARTON CHAPEL
vb. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – to be much on one side
• BE ALL ON THE GRUMBLES
vb. M19 sl. – to be in a bad mood
• BE ALL OVER SOMEONE
vb. 1. 1912 sl. – to display great or excessive affection
vb. 2. M20 US sl. – to be in close bodily contact
• BE ALL PISS AND WIND
vb. 1922 sl. – to be full of empty bravado
• BE ALL UNCLE REEVE AND COUSIN PUTCH
vb. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – of needlework: to be puckered
• BE ALL UP THE COUNTRY WITH
vb. L19 sl. – to be the ruin of, to be the death for
• BE ALL WET
vb. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – to be wrong, to be mistaken
• BEALS
n. 1990s sl. – an idiot, an unsophisticated person
• BEAM
n. 1. 826 obs. – a tree
n. 2. c1000 obs. poetic usage – a ship, a bark; perhaps, orig. one made from a hollowed trunk
n. 3. 1887 Eng. dial. – a bank of cloud
n. 4. 1929 sl. – the buttocks
vb. 1. c1430 obs. – to shed light upon, to illumine
vb. 2. 1825 Sc. – of a teapot: to warm or season it before putting in the tea
vb. 3. 1893 – of a person: to smile radiantly
vb. 4. 1940s African-American sl. – to look at, to stare
vb. 5. 1940s African-American sl. – to ascertain what is happening
vb. 6. 1990s US juvenile sl. – of a girl’s nipples: to be erect
• BE A MAN OF MANY MORNS
vb. Bk1905 Sc. – to be a procrastinator
• BE A MAN OF ONE’S MEAT
vb. 1891 Sc. – to have a healthy appetite
• BEAMED
adv. 1970s US sl. – staring at, focused on
• BEAMER
n. Bk2007 US sl. – a BMW car
• BEAM-FILLED
adj. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – indulged
• BEAMFUL
adj. a1631 – luminous
• BEAMFULL
adj. Bk1898 Sc. – full or overflowing
• BEAMING HOT
adv. Bk1898 Eng. dial. – intensely hot
• BEAMISH
adj. 1530 arch. – shining brightly, radiant
• BEAMLET
n. 1840 – a little beam or ray of light
• BEAMLING
n. 1598 obs. – a little beam or ray of light
• BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY!
int. 1970s sl. – a request for crack or another stimulating drug
• BEAM ON
vb. 1940s African-American sl. – to look at, to stare
• BEAMSOME
adj. 1595 obs. – shedding beams, radiant
• BEAMY
adj. 1. 1398 – emitting beams of light, radiant
adj. 2. 1974 Amer. dial. – broad, wide, usually of a person; having a big backside
• BEAN
n. 1. 1811 sl. – a coin, a bit of money; a trivial amount of money
n. 2. Bk1903 sl. – £1
n. 3. 1905 sl., orig. US – the head
n. 4. Bk1913-17 Amer. dial. – a term of disparagement
n. 5. 20C World War II Amer. sl. – one dollar, in coin or paper
n. 6. 20C US sl., derogatory – a Mexican or Mexican-American
n. 7. 2003 UK sl. – a capsule of MDMA, the recreational drug known as ecstasy
vb. 1910 sl., chiefly US – to hit or strike someone on the head
• BEAN-BAG
n. Bk2007 UK sl. – a term of abuse among younger schoolchildren
• BEAN-BELLY
n. 1. 1659 – a great eater of beans, a nickname of dwellers in Leicestershire
n. 2. 1678 Eng. dial. – a satirical epithet applied to Leicestershire
• BEAN DAY
n. 1. 1918 Amer. dial. – a day when fishermen catch no fish and must eat beans as a substitute
n. 2. 1926 Amer. dial. – Saturday
• BEANE
adj. a1400 obs. – ready, willing
• BEAN EATER
n. 1. 1919 Amer. sl., derogatory – a person of Mexican origin
n. 2. 20C US sl. – a Bostonian
• BEANER
adj. 1911 Amer. dial. – excellent; first-rate
n. 1. 1911 Amer. dial. – something or somebody who is fine or excellent
n. 2. 1965 Amer. sl., derogatory – a person of Mexican origin
• BEANERY
n. 1888 Amer. dial. – a cheap restaurant
• BEANERY QUEEN
n. 1932 Amer. dial. – a waitress
• BEANEY
n. 1949 Amer. dial. – a small slingshot
• BEAN-FEAST
n. 1. 1882 – an annual dinner given by employers to their work-people
n. 2. 1897 Brit. sl. – a festive meal or other entertainment; in modern use, usually with the implication of indulgence at others’ expense
• BEAN-FED
adj. 1889 – living on the best of everything
• BEAN FLIP
n. 1962 Amer. dial. – a slingshot
• BEAN-FLIPPER
n. 1970 Amer. dial. – a slingshot
• BEAN-HEAD
n. 1919 Amer. sl. – a dull, stupid person; a fool; an oaf
• BEANIE
n. 1. 1955 Amer. dial. – a small or cheap marble
n. 2. 1970 Amer. dial. – in marbles: a shooter
n. 3. 2000 UK sl. – a girl
• BEAN JOCKEY
n. World War II Amer. sl. – a table waiter, on kitchen police duty
• BEAN KING
n. World War II Amer. sl. – an Army mess officer
• BEAN MASTER
n. 1944 Amer. dial. – the cook
• BEANO
n. 1. 1888 sl. – a festive entertainment frequently terminating in a noisy frolic or spree; a large meal
n. 2. 1965 Amer. dial., derogatory – a person of Mexican origin
• BEANPOLE
n. 1837 sl. – a tall, thin person
• BEANPOLISH
adj. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – tall or long and slender; lanky
• BEANS
int. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – nonsense! it is ridiculous
n. 1. M19 US sl. – nothing; nonsense
n. 2. Bk1903 sl. – money
n. 3. Amer. World War I sl. – ammunition
n. 4. Amer. World War I sl. – a commissary sergeant
n. 5. 1956 Amer. dial. – a claim; rights; right of priority; ‘dibs’
• BEAN SHOOTER
n. 1. 1890 Amer. dial. – a slingshot
n. 2. 1890 Amer. dial. – a commissary officer
n. 3. 1890 Amer. dial. – a shotgun; a six-chambered fireman, esp. a revolver
n. 4. Bk1944 services’ sl. – a civilian dietician at Post
• BEAN-SNAPPER
n. 1950 Amer. dial. – a slingshot
• BEAN SPILLER
n. World War II Amer. sl. – an informer; a telltale
• BEANSTICK
n. 1823 – a lanky fellow
• BEAN-SWAUP
n. Bk1898 Sc. – a useless person
• BEAN-TOSSER
n. 19C Brit. sl. – the penis
• BEANTOTE
adv. 1927 criminals’ sl. – soon (French bientôt)
• BEAN TOWN
n. 1. 1927 criminals’ sl. – Boston
n. 2. 1967 Amer. dial. – a part of town where poor people or foreigners live
• BEANTOWN SPECIAL
n. World War II Amer. sl. – Boston baked beans
• BE A NUT ON
vb. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – to be erratic about
• BEANY
adj. 1. 1852 sl. – spirited; fresh
adj. 2. 1914 Amer. dial. – mentally defective, whether feeble-minded or insane; crazy
adj. 3. 1919 Amer. dial. – infatuated
• BEANY HORSE
n. Bk1942 Amer. sl. – a spirited horse
• BE A QUEEN TO
vb. Bk1905 Eng. dial. – to be much superior to
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