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biography
billy-o n like billy-o BrE old-fash slang a lot; very strongly, fast,
or fiercely: to run like billy-o
Billy the 'Kid (1859-81) a famous criminal in southwest US
who killed many people and stole cattle until he was finally
caught and killed. There are many stories and films about
him.
bil-tong /'bɪltɒŋ||-tɔːŋ/ n [U] S AfrE meat dried in the sun
bim-bo /'bɪmbə/ n infml an attractive but unintelligent
young woman, especially one who has a sexual relationship
with a politician or other public figure: He's been seen with
some blonde bimbo at nightclubs around town, and his wife is
furious.
bi-month·ly /baɪ'mʌnθli/ adv, adj appearing or happening
a) every two months: a bimonthly magazine b) twice a
month
bin¹ /bɪn/ n [(often in comb.)] 1 a large storage container, e.g. for
grain or coal 2 BrE a wide-mouthed container (especially
one with a lid) used in the home for bread, flour etc, or for
waste: a bread bin | a rubbish bin → see also DUSTBIN, LITTER
BIN, LOONY BIN
bin² v -nn- [T] BrE to put into a container for things to be
thrown away: 'What shall I do with this letter?' 'Just bin it.'
bi·na·ry /'baɪnəri/ adj tech 1 consisting of two things or
parts; double 2 (of a system of counting) using the two
numbers, 0 and 1, as a base. The binary system is used in
computers because the two numbers, 0 and 1, can be
represented by an electrical signal that is either off or on.
binary 'weapon n a weapon made of two different chemicals
which are stored separately and are harmless when they
are separate, but which can kill people when they are
combined
bind¹ /baɪnd/ v bound /baʊnd/ 1 [T] usually fml or lit to tie
together, especially with rope: Bind the prisoner's arms. | The
hostages were bound hand and foot. (=tied by their hands
and feet) | Bind the prisoner to her chair. | (fig.) shared
commercial interests that bind the two companies together |
(fig.) We feel bound together by our past experiences. 2 [T(UP)] to
tie up firmly: She bound (up) her hair. | to bind up a wound
with bandages 3 [T] to fasten (a book) together and enclose
it in a cover 4 [T] to strengthen or decorate with a border of
material: to bind the edges of a rug 5 [I;T(TOGETHER)] to (cause
to) stick together in a mass: This flour mixture isn't wet
enough to bind properly. | The rain will help to bind the earth
(together). 6 [T] fml to cause to obey, especially by a law or a
solemn promise; have a duty (to): I am bound by my
promise. | [+obj+to-v] They bound him to remain silent → see
also BOUND
bind sbdy. over phr v [T] BrE law to order (someone) to cause
no more trouble under threat of legal punishment: The two
young offenders were bound over to keep the peace for 18
months.
bind² n [S] infml an annoying or difficult situation: Their
refusal to sign the contract has put us in a bit of a bind. → see
also DOUBLE BIND
bind·er /'baɪndər/ n 1 [C] a machine or person that binds,
especially books: Your book is still at the binder's. 2 [C]
especially AmE a usually removable cover, especially for holding
sheets of paper, magazines etc → see also RING
BINDER 3 [C,U] a substance that makes things stick
together 4 [C] AmE an agreement involving a payment of
money (DEPOSIT) by someone to show that they intend to
buy some property
binder paper n [U] AmE paper used by students to write
notes on, with small holes in the left side so that it can be
put in a binder
bind·ing¹ /'baɪndɪŋ/ n 1 [C] a book cover: The binding of
this book is torn. 2 [U] material sewn or stuck along the edge
of something, such as a dress, for strength or decoration
binding² adj (of something written) having the power to
demand obedience (e.g. to a law) or fulfilment (e.g. of a
promise): a binding agreement | The contract is binding on
everyone who signed it.
bind·weed /'baɪndwiːd/ n [U] a plant which curls itself
round other plants
binge¹ /bɪndʒ/ n 1 infml a period of drinking, wild behaviour
etc: They went on a binge and didn't get back until three in the
morning! 2 tech a period of eating a very large amount of
food, done by someone suffering from an EATING DISORDER →
compare JAG
binge² v [(on)] to eat a lot of food very quickly, especially as a
result of an EATING DISORDER (=a medical condition in which
you either eat too much or too little): She used to binge on
chocolate and cookies.
'binge drinking n [U] infml, derog the activity of drinking a
large amount of alcohol in a short period of time
bingo /'bɪŋgəʊ/ n, interj 1 [U] a game played for money or
prizes, in which numbers chosen by chance are called out
and players cross out these numbers if they appear on their
own cards. The first player to cross out all the numbers on
his or her card shouts out 'Bingo!' or 'House!'
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain, bingo is generally thought of as
a game played by working-class women in the evening. In
the US, it is usually played by older people and games are
often run by the Catholic Church or take place on
RESERVATIONS (=land owned by Native Americans). Bingo
is illegal in some American states because it is considered
to be gambling (GAMBLE).
2 infml (an expression of pleasure at a sudden successful
result): Bingo! That will make a great photo!
Bin La·den, O·sa·ma /bɪn 'lɑːdɪn, əʊ'sɑːmə/ (1956-) a
BUSINESSMAN and political leader originally from Saudi
Arabia, who is regarded by the governments of many countries,
especially the US and Britain, as a TERRORIST. He
founded al-Qaeda in 1988 and operated a military camp in
Afghanistan, training people to take part in the JIHAD (=holy
war) against the US. American officials believe that he is
responsible for many terrorist attacks, including the attack
on the WORLD TRADE CENTER in New York City in 2001. Bin
Laden is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan. →
see AL-QAEDA
'bin-liner n BrE a plastic bag which is placed inside a DUSTBIN
and used to collect waste
bin·man /'bɪnmæn/ n pl. -men /mæn/ BrE infml one of the men
who come to people's houses to empty their DUSTBINS
bi·noc·u·lars /bɪ'nɒkjʊləz, baɪ-||-'nɑːkjʊ-|'lɑːrz/ n [P] a pair of
glasses like short TELESCOPES for both eyes, used for looking
at distant objects: I watched the horse-race through my bin-
oculars. → see PAIR (USAGE) —binocular adj
bi·nocular 'vision n [U] tech the ability to FOCUS both eyes
on one object, possessed by humans, monkeys, and some
birds
bi·no·mi·al /baɪ'nəʊmiəl/ n, adj tech (an expression) consist-
ing of two numbers, letters etc connected by the sign + or the
sign - (like a+ b or x - 7)
bio- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
bi·o·chem·ist /ˌbaɪəʊ'kemst/ n someone who studies or
works in biochemistry
bi·o·chem·is·try /ˌbaɪəʊ'kemɪstri/ n [U] (the scientific
study of) the chemistry of living things
bi·o·da·ta /'baɪəʊˌdeɪtə, -,dɑːtə/ n [U] a short piece of
writing giving information about someone's life and work,
used especially to tell you about the writer of a book or
article
bi·o·de·gra·da·ble /ˌbaɪəʊdɪ'gredəbᵊl/ n tech, usually
apprec. able to be broken down into harmless products by the
natural action of living things (e.g. bacteria): biodegradable
packaging
bi·o·di·ver·si·ty /ˌbaɪəʊdaɪ'vɜːsɪti, -dɪ-||-'vɜːr-/ n [U] all the
different types of plant and animal that live in an area, used
especially when you are talking about protecting the
environment: a new international agreement to preserve the
forest's biodiversity
bi·o·feed·back /ˌbaɪəʊ'fiːdbæk/ n [U] a method of learning
to consciously control usually unconscious physical tension,
by using an electronic machine to measure this tension
(such as blood pressure) and watching which of various
mental and physical exercises are successful at reducing it
bi·og·ra·pher /baɪ'ɒgrəfər||-'aɪg-/ n a writer of biography:
Dr Johnson's famous biographer, James Boswell
bi·og·ra·phy /baɪ'ɒgrəfi||-'aɪg-/ n 1 [C] an account of a
person's life written by someone else: Boswell wrote a
B