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Bal·mor·al /bælˈmɒrəl‖ˈmɔːr-/ a castle in Scotland that the British royal family often use for their summer holidays
balm·y /ˈbɑːmɪlˈbɑmi, ˈbæːlmi/ adj apprec (of air) soft and warm; MILD: a balmy breeze | balmy days
ba·lo·ney /bəˈləʊni/ n [U] slang BOLONEY
bal·sa /ˈbɔːlsə/ n [C;U] (the very light wood of) a tropical American tree
bal·sam /ˈbɔːlsəm/ n [C;U] (a tree that produces) BALM
bal·sam·ic vin·e·gar /bɔːlˌsæmɪk ˈvɪnɪgər/ n [U] an expensive kind of dark VINEGAR used especially in SALADS and Italian dishes. It is considered very fashionable.
bal·ti /ˈbɒːlti/ n [U] BrE a type of Indian cooking that was first developed in England, in which the food is cooked and served in small bowl-shaped pans
Bal·tic, the /ˈbɔːltɪk/ a sea that is part of the Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded by Denmark, Sweden, the Baltic States, and Poland
Baltic 'States, the [P] Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania considered together as one group
Bal·ti·more /ˈbɔːltɪmɔːr/ a city on the East Coast of the US, in the state of Maryland. Baltimore is one of the busiest sea ports in the US.
bal·us·trade /ˌbæləˈstreɪd‖ˈbæləstreɪd/ n a row of upright pieces of stone or wood with a bar along the top, guarding the outer edge of any place from which people might fall
Bal·zac, Hon·o·ré de /ˈbælzæk‖ˈbɔːl-, ˈɒnəreɪ dælˌɑːnəˈreɪ-/ (1799–1850) a French writer who wrote about French society, and is famous for his set of novels called La Comédie Humaine which includes the books Le Père Goriot and Eugénie Grandet
bam /bæm/ interj 1 used to show that something happens quickly: He made a run for it and, bam, they shot him in the leg. 2 used to show that something has hit something else 3 used to make the sound of a gun
Bam a historic city in southern Iran, built around an ancient FORTRESS (=a big strong building used for defending a place). In 2003 an EARTHQUAKE (=a sudden shaking of the earth's surface) destroyed a large part of the city, including the fortress, and over 40,000 people died.
Bam·bi /ˈbæmbi/ a CARTOON film by Walt DISNEY about a young DEER named Bambi. Bambi is a gentle and attractive animal, and the film is remembered for being very sad.
bam·boo /ˌbæmˈbuː/ n pl. -boos [C;U] a tall tropical plant of the grass family or its hard hollow jointed stems, which are used for example for making furniture
Bamboo 'Curtain, the old-fash an expression used to describe all the political limits, difficulties etc that separated China from other powerful countries, especially during the time when Mao Zedong was its leader ➔ compare IRON CURTAIN
bam·boo·zle /bæmˈbuːzəl/ v [T(into, out of)] slang to deceive; trick; HOODWINK
ban¹ /bæn/ v -nn- [T(from)] 1 to forbid, especially by law: The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. | After the accident, he was banned from driving. | banned books/films 2 Ban the Bomb a phrase used by people who marched in protests against the use of NUCLEAR WEAPONS especially in the 1960s
ban² n [on] an order banning something: The union has imposed (=established) a ban on overtime/lifted (=removed) the ban on overtime. | an alcohol ban ➔ see also TEST BAN
ba·nal /bəˈnɑːl, bəˈnæl/ adj derog uninteresting because very common; lacking new or original ideas: a banal remark —ity /bəˈnælɪti/ n [C;U]
ba·na·na /bəˈnɑːnə‖-ˈnæ-/ n 1 a long thick curved tropical fruit, having a yellow skin and a soft sweet inside when ripe ➔ see picture at FRUIT 2 top banana AmE infml the most important person in an organization; the BOSS: He's the top banana at a record company.
ba,nana re'public n infml derog a small country, especially in Central or S America, that is industrially underdeveloped, politically unsteady, and often dependent on financial support from abroad
ba·na·nas /bəˈnɑːnəz‖-ˈnæ-/ adj slang 1 mad, crazy: Everyone on the block thinks Mr Allan is bananas because he walks his dog at midnight. 2 go bananas become wild or angry: Dad will go bananas when he sees the mess you've made with his tools.
ba'nana skin n BrE infml an event or situation likely to cause difficulty or make one look foolish (from a typical humorous situation in British COMEDY in which a person slips on a banana skin and falls over): This incident could turn into another banana skin for the government.
ba,nana 'split n a sweet dish made of a banana split in two with ICE CREAM, chocolate liquid (SAUCE), whipped cream and nuts
Ban·bu·ry Cross /ˌbænbəri ˈkrɒs‖-beri ˈkrɔːs/ a stone cross in the small English town of Banbury, near Oxford, which is mentioned in a popular British NURSERY RHYME (=old song or poem for young children): Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
band¹ /bænd/ n 1 a flat narrow often endless piece of material a) for fastening things together or for putting round something to strengthen it: She tied her hair back with a rubber band. b) forming part of an article of clothing: the neckband of a shirt | the waistband of a pair of trousers 2 a line of a colour or pattern different to that of the area or material on either side of it; STRIPE: There was an orange band along the snake's back. 3 a range of values, amounts, radio waves etc: people within the $20,000–$30,000 income band
band² n [C+sing./pl. v] 1 a group of people formed for some common purpose and often with a leader: a band of robbers 2 a group of musicians, especially a group that plays popular music: a dance band | a brass band | a rock/jazz band ➔ compare ORCHESTRA; see also ONE-MAN BAND; see to beat the band (BEAT¹)
band³ v
band together phr v [I(against)] to unite with some special purpose: The two parties banded together to form an alliance
Ban·da, Hastings /ˈbændə/ (1905–97) a politician from Malawi who helped his country become independent from the UK. He was made President in 1966, but he became more and more unpopular and was defeated in elections in 1994.
ban·dage¹ /ˈbændɪdʒ/ BrE || also gauze AmE — n 1 a long narrow piece of material, usually cloth, for tying round a wound or round a part of the body that has been hurt 2 AmE also Band-Aid trademark a type of PLASTER
bandage² v [T(UP)] to tie up or bind round with a bandage: The doctor bandaged (up) her broken ankle. | a bandaged arm
'Band Aid trademark an organization set up by Bob Geldof in 1984 to collect money for people dying of hunger in Ethiopia. This was done by getting many famous popular musicians to make a record together called Do They Know It's Christmas? and by organizing the LIVE AID concerts in London and Philadelphia.
'Band-Aid AmE trademark a piece of thin material that is stuck to the skin to cover cuts and other small wounds; PLASTER¹ BrE ELASTOPLAST BrE
ban·da·na, -dana /bænˈdænə/ n a large brightly coloured handkerchief, worn round the neck or head
Ban·da·ra·na·i·ke, Mrs Siri-ma·vo /ˌbændərəˈnaɪkə sɪriˈmɑvəʊ/ (1916–2000) a Sri Lankan politician who became the world's first woman Prime Minister in 1960, after the death of her husband, Solomon Bandaranaike
B and B, b and b /ˌbiː ænd biː/ abbrev for BED AND BREAKFAST
Ban·der·as, An·to·ni·o /bænˈdeərəs, ˌænˈtəʊniəʊ/ (1960–) a Spanish actor who first became famous after appearing in Spanish films by Pedro Almodovar, including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! His other films include The Mask of Zorro and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). He is married to the actress Melanie Griffiths.
ban·dit /ˈbændɪt/ n an armed robber, especially one of an armed band who attack travellers in wild places ➔ see also ONE-ARMED BANDIT
band·lead·er /ˈbændliːdər/ n someone who CONDUCTS a band, especially a dance or JAZZ band