95
basic
Bar·ton, Cla·ra /'bɑ:tn||'bɑ:r-, 'klærə/ (1821-1912) a US nurse who worked in army camps during the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. She started the American Red Cross in 1881.
Bart's /bɑ:ts||bɑ:rts/ St Bartholomew's Hospital; a very old and famous hospital in London, which also trains doctors and nurses. It was originally established in 1123.
Ba·rysh·ni·kov, Mi·khail /bə'rɪʃnɪkɒf||-kɔ:f, mɪ'kaɪl/ (1948–) a Russian BALLET dancer and CHOREOGRAPHER (=someone who decides what movements dancers will do to a piece of music) who left the Soviet Union to live in the US
bas·alt /'bæsɔ:lt, bə'sɔ:lt||'bæ-, 'ber-/ n [U] a dark greenish-black rock
base¹ /beɪs/ n 1 [(the) S (of)] the lowest part of something, especially the part on which something stands: the base of a mountain/statue/pillar | Draw a square with the line 'xy' as its base. | The coccyx is a small bone at the base of the spine. 2 [C usually sing.] the original part or substance from which something develops or from which a mixture is made: Many languages have Latin as their base. | soup with a vegetable base | a paint with an oil base 3 [C] a centre from which something is controlled and where plans are made: After we had reached the top of the mountain, we returned to our base camp. | Our company's base is in London, but we have branches all over the world. | a military/naval base | a cruise missile base 4 [C] something that provides the conditions which are necessary for a particular activity or situation: The party's main power base (=the group that provides support for its political power) is the middle class and the skilled manual workers. | the nation's manufacturing base (=its factories, systems for producing important materials etc) | The company is hoping to expand its customer base to include large business customers. To finance these plans, the government will have to broaden the tax base. (=to get tax from different kinds of people or activity) 5 [C] tech a chemical substance which combines with an acid to form a salt 6 [C] (in the game of BASEBALL) any of the four points which a player must touch in order to make a run 7 [C usually sing.] tech a line from which to calculate the distances and positions of distant points when making maps 8 [C usually sing.] tech the number in relation to which a number system or table is built up: Ordinary numbers use base 10, but most computers work to base 2. → see also DATABASE 9 off base AmE infml completely wrong: You're way off base if you think I'm going to do that much overtime. 10 touch base AmE spoken to talk to someone briefly to find out what has happened since the last time you spoke to them (often used in business and politics): If he's so interested in getting the votes, it's time he touched base with the voters in his area. | I asked her to call the father who complained to touch base with him, just to keep up good relations with the parents.
base² v [T+obj+adv/prep; usually pass.] to place or establish; provide with a base or centre: Where is your company based? | It's based overseas/based in Paris. | a London-based firm | land-based missiles
base sthg. on/upon sthg. phr v [T] to form or make (something) using (something else) as the starting point: Their marketing strategy is based on a study of consumer spending. | They based their estimate on the figures for the last three years. | The film is based on a novel by D.H. Lawrence.
base³ adj especially lit (of people, actions etc) showing a complete lack of moral principles; dishonourable: base motives | base conduct → see also BASE METAL ——ly adv ——ness n [U]
base·ball /'beɪsbɔ:l/ n [U] a game played with a BAT and ball (the baseball) between two teams of nine players each, on a large field which has four bases which a player must touch in order to make a RUN: a baseball player/team → see LITTLE LEAGUES, MAJOR LEAGUES, MINOR LEAGUE, NATIONAL LEAGUE, REFEREE (USAGE) → see colour photo on page A45
CULTURAL NOTE Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the US and the professional baseball season lasts from April to September. The professional baseball teams are known together as the Major Leagues and they are divided into two groups called the AL (= American League) and the NL (= National League). Both the AL and NL have three DIVISIONS (=groups of teams). These divisions compete with each other during the season, and the winners from each division compete against each other in the POSTSEASON games (=games after the official season ends). The winner of the American League Championship then plays against the winner of the National League Championship in games called the World Series. Many people in the US watch baseball games on television or listen to them on the radio. Some people are very serious about supporting their favourite teams, but people go to the games as a social event. Because baseball is so popular, people in the US often call it the national PASTIME.
'baseball ,cap also 'baseball ,hat n a brightly coloured hat which fits close to the head and has a part that sticks out in front to shade the eyes
'baseball ,card n in the US, a small stiff piece of paper with a picture of a baseball player on the front and information about that player on the back: a baseball card collector | children trading baseball cards
'baseball ,glove also 'baseball ,mitt, mitt n a thick large leather hand covering worn to protect the hand when playing baseball → see picture at GLOVE
base·board /'beɪsbɔ:d||-bɔ:rd/ n AmE for SKIRTING BOARD
'base hit n (in BASEBALL) an action of hitting the ball so that one reaches the first BASE (one of the four points a player must touch to win a point)
BASE jumping, base jumping /'beɪs ˌdʒʌmpɪŋ/ n [U] abbrev. for Building, Antenna, Span, Earth jumping; a dangerous sport in which people jump off tall objects such as buildings, bridges, or cliffs, using a PARACHUTE
Ba·sel /'bɑ:zəl/ also Basle, Bâle the second largest city in northern Switzerland, on the River Rhine
base·less /'beɪsləs/ adj without a good reason: baseless fears/accusations
base·line /'beɪslaɪn/ n 1 [C usually sing.] a line or level used as a base, for example when measuring or making comparisons 2 [the] the back line at each end of a court in games like tennis
base·man /'beɪsmən/ n pl. -men /mən/ (in BASEBALL) the player who defends first, second, or third BASE¹: Cey is the third baseman tonight.
base·ment /'beɪsmənt/ n a room or rooms completely or partly below street level: She lives in a basement/in a basement apartment. → compare CELLAR
,base 'metal n old use a metal such as iron or lead which is not regarded as precious
'base rate n the standard rate of interest on which a bank bases its charges for lending and interest on borrowing → compare DISCOUNT RATE
bas·es /'beɪsi:z/ pl. of BASIS
bash¹ /bæʃ/ v [T] infml 1 [(IN, UP)] to hit hard so as to crush, break, or hurt: She bashed her head (on the door). | They bashed the door in and rushed into the room. 2 infml, especially BrE to attack with words; find fault with: The Prime Minister is always bashing the unions.
bash² n usually infml 1 a hard or painful blow: He gave me a bash on the nose. 2 infml old-fashioned an enjoyable party with a lot of noise, laughter etc 3 have a bash (at) BrE infml to make an attempt (at): I've never rowed a boat before, but I don't mind having a bash (at it).
bash·ful /'bæʃfəl/ adj uncomfortable in social situations; shy; SELF-CONSCIOUS: a bashful smile | bashful teenagers ——ly adv ——ness n [U]
Ba·shir, Martin /bə'ʃɪər/ (1963–) a British JOURNALIST who is best known for his television INTERVIEWS with famous people such as Diana, Princess of Wales, who spoke in 1995 about her marriage to Prince Charles. He also made a DOCUMENTARY about Michael Jackson in which the POP SINGER talked about his private life. After the interview was broadcast in 2003, Jackson complained that the programme was not fair in the way it showed him.
'Bash Street ,Kids, The a group of SCHOOLCHILDREN who are characters in a CARTOON STRIP (=set of drawings that tell a funny story) in The Beano, a British COMIC. The children are difficult to control and enjoy playing tricks on their teacher.
ba·sic /'beɪsɪk/ adj 1 [(to)] more necessary than anything else;