baby tooth
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when they are learning to talk 2 the way adults sometimes talk to babies, often repeating words or sounds or using words with no meaning
baby tooth n Amt for MILK TOOTH
ba-by-walk-er /bebi, weike/ n a WALKER
Ba-call, Lau-ren /bə'kxi, 'loran/ (1924-) an American actress who was married to Humphrey Bogart. She appeared with him in the films To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep.
Ba-car-di /bə'ka:dill-ar-/ trademark a type of white RUM, which people often drink with Coca-Cola
bac-ca-lau-re-ate / bæke leriet/ n 1° for BACHELOR'S DEGREE 2 an examination in a range of subjects that stu- dents do in their final school year in France and some other countries, and in some international schools
bac-ca-rat, -ra /'bækəra:1|‚bækə'ra:/ n [U] a çard game usually played for money
bac-cha-nal /bekə'næl, 'bekənal/ n especially lit a noisy party with a lot of drinking and disorderly behaviour, perhaps including sex ➡ see also BACCHUS.—~ian /beka'neilian/ adj
Bac-chus /'bǝks/ in Roman MYTHOLOGY, the god of wine and FERTILITY. He is usually connected with uncontrolled behaviour involving lots of drinking, parties, and sex. In Greek mythology his name is DIONYSUS.
bac-cy /'bæki/ n [U] slang tobacco
bach /bætʃ/ v [I] AmE infml (of a man) to cook, keep house etc without the help or presence of a woman; to live as a BACHELOR: He's baching while his wife is in the hospital.
Bach, Jo-hann Se-bas-ti-an /baik, bax, jaohan sa'bæstilſ'jouha:n sa'bæst fan/ (1685-1750) a German musician, one of the most famous and admired European COMPOSERS. He is especially well known for his ORGAN music and his religious CHORAL music (=for musicians and singers), which is typical of the BAROQUE style.
Bach-a-rach, Burt /'bakəræk, b3:t|lb3:rt/ (1929-) an American SONGWRITER whose music is in the EASY LISTENING style and which has been recorded by many different singers and musicians. His songs include Walk on By and I Say a Little Prayer.
bach-e-lor /'bætʃalar/ n 1 an unmarried man: He's a con- firmed bachelor. (=he's unlikely to get married.) | an eligi- ble bachelor (=who is regarded as very suitable to be chosen as a husband) | a bachelor flat ➡ compare SPINSTER
CULTURAL NOTE If you describe a man as a bachelor, rather than as 'single', you are suggesting that he is someone who may never get married, especially because he does not want the responsibility of being a husband or father. ➡ compare Cultural Note at SPINSTER
2 (often cap.) a person, male or female, who has a bachelor's degree: a Bachelor of Arts | a Bachelor of Science
'bachelor, party n Ant a party for a man who is about to get married, in which he and his male friends celebrate together, often on the night before the wedding
CULTURAL NOTE Bachelor parties usually involve a lot of silly uncontrolled behaviour, and everyone drinks a lot of alcohol. In British English, this is called a 'stag party'.
'bachelor's de gree also bachelor's » a first university degree ➡ see also BA, BSC
ba-cil-lus /ba'silas/ n pl. -cilli /'silar/ tech any of several kinds of rod-shaped bacteria, some of which carry disease
back¹ /bæk/n 1 the part of a person's or animal's body that is the side opposite the chest, and goes from the neck to the bottom of the SPINE or the tail: She was carrying the baby on her back. | You'll make your back ache if you carry those heavy buckets. | He was (flat) on his back (=ill in bed) for three months. ➡ see picture at HORSE 2[(of) usually sing.] the part furthest from the direction that something moves in or faces: Sit at the back of the aircraft. | The back of the house looks out onto the river. | He wrote 'Just Married' on the back of their car. | Three people can sit in the back of this car. (=in the seats behind the driver) | There's a garden at the back of/ (AmE) in back of the house. (=behind it) | (fig.) It was at the back of my mind that I had to phone you, but I completely forgot. 3 [(of) usually sing.] the less important side or surface of something: She scribbled some notes on the back of an envelope. | The back of the knife won't cut. ➡ compare BACKSIDE 4 [(of)] the part of a chair that one leans against when sitting 5 [(of) usually sing.] the end of a book or news-paper: There is a lot of useful information at the back of the dictionary. 6 (in games like football) one of the defending players in a team ➡ compare FORWARD5, CENTRE 7 at one's back supporting one: Caesar marched into Rome with an army at his back. 8 back to back: a) with the backs facing each other: Stand back to back and we'll see which of you is taller. b) especially AmE happening one after the other: two football games played back to back 9 back to front: BrE a) in such a way that the back and front are opposite in position: You've got your sweater on back to front. b) thor- oughly: She knows the system back to front. 10 behind someone's back unknown to the person concerned: This decision was taken behind my back. 11 get off someone's back infml to stop putting unwanted pressure on someone to do something: I wish the boss would get off my back and let me do the job in my own way. 12 have/with one's back to the wall infml (to be) in a position of great difficulty: With the continuing fall in demand, the steel producers really have their backs to the wall. 13 know somewhere like the back of one's hand infml to know somewhere very well: She knows New York like the back of her hand. 14 put one's back into to work very hard at: If we really put our backs into the job we can finish it today. 15 put someone's back up infml to annoy someone 16 turn one's back on to avoid or refuse to help, especially unfairly or unkindly: He's always been kind to me-I can't just turn my back on him, now that he needs my help. 17 someone is on someone's back used in order to say that someone is criticizing or complaining about the way someone is behaving: So I'd got no money left, and my parents were on my back for spending too much. | They've been on his back about leaving the car out on the main road. 18 watch your back used in order to tell someone to be careful because someone may be trying to cause trouble for them or harm them: A word of warning: watch your back with Connolley - I don't trust him. | She had to watch her back, like any politician. 19 you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours used about a situation in which people are helping each other, especially by doing things for each other that they are not supposed to do: After all, You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' was not an unknown saying in this city. | I realized what Fred was trying to tell me; it was 'You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.'—back-scratching It's a back-scratching exercise - he collects debts for the bank, they give him access to information. ➡ see also BACK OF BEYOND, SHORT BACK AND SIDES, break the back of (BREAK¹), see the back of (SEE¹), the straw that breaks the camel's back (STRAW)
back2 adv 1 in or into the place or position where someone or something was before: Put the book back on the shelf when you've finished it. | Back in Nigeria (where I come from) we used to play a lot of tennis. | She came back to get the box that she'd left behind. | I bought a paper on the way back from school. | I came out of the mosque and put my shoes back on. She was away for three weeks but she's back at work now. | (fig. Hats are back in fashion/are coming back into fash ion. 2 towards or at the back; away from the front: Sit well back or you won't be able to fasten your seat belt. | The police kept the crowd back as the President's car passed. 3 away from the speaker: Stand back! This dog bites. 4 towards o in an earlier time: We met him three years back/back in 1980. to put the clock back (=so that it shows an earlier time) | She's been working there as far back as I can remember. | Lookin back on it, it was a mistake. 5 in return; in reply: Phone m back when you know the answer: | I'll pay her back for he rudeness 6 towards the beginning of a book: There's picture six pages further back. 7 so as to be delayed or mad slower: His bad health has kept/held him back at school.
back³ adj [A] 1 at the back: the back yard/garden | the bac wheel of a bicycle ➡ see also BACK DOOR, BACK BURNER 2 c or from the past: back pay/back rent (=money owed from a earlier time) | a back copy/back issue of a magazine (=n the most recent one) 3 tech (of a vowel sound) made b raising the tongue at the back of the mouth ➡ opposi FRONT