bluff 138
You can also use the system to connect a MOBILE PHONE to a computer without using wires.
bluff¹ /blʌf/ v 1 [I;T(into)] to try to frighten or persuade (someone) by pretending to be stronger, cleverer, braver etc than one actually is: The terrorists say they'll blow up the plane if their demands are not met, but the police think they're only bluffing. | He bluffed the police into thinking that his gun was loaded. 2 bluff it out infml to escape trouble by continuing a deception: George, here comes my husband; do you think we can bluff it out? 3 bluff one's way out (of) to get out of (a difficult situation) by bluffing
bluff² n [S;U] the action of bluffing: She threatened to sack me, but it's all (a) bluff. → see also DOUBLE BLUFF, call someone's bluff (CALL¹)
bluff³ adj (of a person or manner) rough, cheerful, and direct, perhaps without considering the feelings of others; HEARTY: He has a kind heart in spite of his bluff manner. —ly adv —ness n [U]
bluff⁴ n a high steep bank or cliff: They sat on a bluff and watched the sea.
blu·ish /'blu:ɪʃ/ adj slightly blue
Blume, Ju·dy /blu:m, 'd3u:di/ (1938-) a US writer, whose NOVELS for TEENAGERS (=young people aged between 13 and 19) are very popular because they deal with problems that often affect teenagers, such as DIVORCE or having sex for the first time. Her novels include Are You There God? It's me, Margaret (1970) and Forever... (1975).
blun·der¹ /'blʌndə/ n a stupid unnecessary mistake: I made an awful blunder - switched off his computer while he was working on it.
blunder² v [I] 1 to make a blunder 2 [+adv/prep] to move awkwardly or unsteadily, as if blind: He blundered through the dark forest. —er n
blun·der·buss /'blʌndəbʌs||-ər-/ n a type of gun used in former times, which has a barrel with a wide mouth and fires a quantity of small SHOT for a short distance
Blun·kett, David /'blʌŋkɪt/ (1947-) a British politician in the Labour Party who became Home Secretary (=the government minister in charge of DOMESTIC matters) in 2001. He is the first blind person to be a member of the CABINET (=the committee containing the prime minister and the most senior ministers of the government) in the UK.
blunt¹ /blʌnt/ adj 1 (of a knife, pencil etc) not sharp: My pencil's blunt - can I borrow your sharpener? 2 speaking roughly and plainly, without trying to be polite or to hide unpleasant facts: a blunt man | To be quite blunt, I think the government has made a complete mess of things. —ly adv: To put it bluntly, I think your chances of passing the exam are almost non-existent. —ness n [U]
blunt² v [T] to make less sharp or forceful: The bad weather has rather blunted their enthusiasm for going camping.
Blunt, Anthony (1907-83) a British man who was a well-known PROFESSOR of the History of Art at the University of London, and who was employed by the Queen to be in charge of her art collection. In 1979 it was discovered that he had been working as a SPY (=someone who secretly collects information for an enemy country) for the Russians, together with three other men, Guy BURGESS, Donald MACLEAN, and Kim PHILBY.
blur¹ /blɜ:r/ n [S] something whose shape is not clearly seen: The houses appeared as a blur in the mist. | (fig.) My memory of the accident is only a blur.
blur² v -rr- [T] 1 to make (something) difficult to see or see through clearly: Tears blurred my eyes. | windows blurred with rain | a very blurred photograph 2 to make less clear or noticeable: The newspaper report deliberately blurs the distinction between the union's members and its leadership.
Blur a British popular music group whose singer is Damon Albarn, and whose music is an example of BRITPOP. Their songs include Girls and Boys and Parklife.
blurb /blɜ:b||blɜ:rb/ n 1 a short description of the contents of a book, printed on the cover or in advertisements 2 infml printed information, often in JARGON which is produced by officials to provide details of something, especially for people who may not know much about it: estate agents' blurb | I can't be bothered to read all the blurb!
blurt /blɜ:t||blɜ:rt/ v blurt sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T] to say suddenly and without thinking, especially from nervousness or excitement: Peter blurted out the news.
blush¹ /blʌʃ/ v [I] to become red in the face, from shame or because people are looking at one: He blushed (with embarrassment) when the girls whistled at him in the street. | It made me blush when the teacher told everyone how good my work was. | Here comes the blushing bride. | (fig.) When I see the prices that tourists are charged, it makes me blush. (=I feel ashamed) | I blush to think of the things I did when I was younger. —ingly adv
blush² n 1 a case of blushing: His remark brought a blush to my cheeks. | You shouldn't say such nice things about me → spare my blushes! (=don't make me blush) 2 at first blush fml or lit at the first sight: It seemed a good idea at first blush, but its drawbacks soon became apparent.
blush·er /'blʌʃər/ n [C;U] (a container of) a cream or powder for colouring the cheeks
blus·ter¹ /'blʌstər/ v [I] 1 to speak loudly and roughly, in a noisy or BOASTFUL way 2 (of wind) to blow roughly —er n
bluster² n [U] 1 noisy or BOASTFUL talk 2 the noise of rough wind or waves: the bluster of the storm
blus·ter·y /'blʌstəri/ adj (of weather) rough, windy, and violent: a blustery winter day
Blu-Tack /'blu:tæk/ trademark a blue sticky material used to fix paper to a wall
blvd written abbrev. for BOULEVARD
Bly·ton, E·nid /'blaɪtn, 'i:nɪd/ (1897-1978) an English writer of books for children, who invented the characters NODDY, the FAMOUS FIVE, and the Secret Seven. Her books are very popular with children, but they have sometimes been criticized for showing women and girls in an old-fashioned way, for being RACIST, and for using very simple language.
BM¹ /,bi: 'em/ abbrev. for BRITISH MUSEUM
BM² n abbrev. for Bachelor of Medicine; the lowest level of medical degree. BM is sometimes written after someone's name to show that they have this degree.
BMA, the /,bi: em 'eɪ/ abbrev. for the British Medical Association; an organization that represents medical doctors in the UK. There is a similar organization in the US called the A.M.A. The BMA also produces a well-known medical magazine, The British Medical Journal, that contains articles and papers written by doctors.
BMJ, the /,bi: em 'dʒeɪ/ abbrev. for the British Medical Journal; a magazine for DOCTORS, NURSES, and others in the medical profession
BMOC /,bi: em əʊ 'si:/ n AmE abbrev. for BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
B-mov·ie /'bi: ˌmu:vi/ n [C] a cheaply-made film of low quality
BMW /,bi: em 'ʌbəlju:/ trademark a type of high quality expensive German car, often driven by people who want to show how successful they are. BMW also make very powerful MOTORCYCLES.
BMX /,bi: em 'eks/ trademark a type of bicycle designed to be ridden over rough ground, with a strong frame and small wide wheels. These bicycles are ridden especially by young people, who often perform tricks while riding them. † compare MOUNTAIN BIKE
B'nai B'rith /bəˌneɪ 'bri:θ/ an international organization of Jewish people that works to oppose ANTI-SEMITISM (=unfair treatment of Jewish people or violence against them) and that helps Jewish people all over the world
BNP, the /,bi: en 'pi:/ abbrev. for BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY
BO /,bi: 'əʊ/ n [U] abbrev. for body odour; an unpleasant smell that comes from someone's body, especially from under the arms, and is caused by SWEAT
bo·a¹ /'bəʊə/ also 'boa con,strictor n a large non-poisonous South American snake, that kills animals and people by crushing them
boa² also feather boa n a long snake-shaped garment (a kind of STOLE) made of feathers, worn round a woman's neck especially in former times
Bo·a·di·ce·a /ˌbəʊədi'si:ə/ → see BOUDICCA