bathing suit
98
'bathing suit also 'bathing ,costume BrE — n becoming rare
a SWIMSUIT
'bath mat n a washable mat used in a bathroom to protect
the floor from water
ba·thos /'beɪθɒs||-θɑːs/ n [U] a sudden change from very
beautiful or noble ideas; words etc to very ordinary or
foolish ones
bath·robe /'bɑːθrəʊb||'bæθ-/ n 1 a garment like a loose coat
worn before and after having a bath etc 2 AmE for DRESSING
GOWN
bath·room /'bɑːθruːm, -ruːm||'bæθ-/ n 1 a room containing
a bath and usually a TOILET 2 AmE a TOILET: Is there a
bathroom in this restaurant? → see TOILET (USAGE)
'bathroom ,tissue n [U] fml TOILET PAPER
baths /bɑːðz, baːθs||bæðz, bæθs/ n pl. baths [C+sing./pl. v]
especially BrE a public building with an indoor swimming pool
and/or bathrooms: the public baths
'bath salts n [P] mineral salts that are added to bath water to
soften it and make it smell nice
'bath sheet n a very large TOWEL
bath·tub /'bɑːθtʌb||'bæθ-/ also tub infml — n especially AmE a
BATH → see BATH² (USAGE)
bath·y·scaph /'bæθɪskæf/ n a ship that can be driven deep
into the sea, used in scientific tests
bath·y·sphere /'bæθɪsfɪə/ n a strongly built container
used for going deep into the sea for the purpose of watching
plant life, animal life etc
ba·tik /bə'tiːk, 'bætɪk/ n [U] (cloth decorated by) an Indone-
sian method of printing coloured patterns on cloth by
putting WAX on the part that is not to be coloured
Ba·tis·ta, Ful·gen·ci·o /bə'ti:stə, ful'hensɪəʊ/ (1901–73) a
Cuban politician who was in control of the country during
the 1950s. He put many of his opponents in prison, and
became very rich by using his political power. In 1959, Fidel
CASTRO led an army against him and forced him to leave the
country.
bat·man /'bætmən/ n pl. -men /mən/ an officer's personal
servant in the British armed forces
Bat·man /'bætmæn/ trademark a popular character in CARTOON
STRIPS, films, and television programmes, who fights crimi-
nals and protects ordinary people. He has a partner called
Robin who sometimes helps him. Batman wears a large black
CAPE and a black MASK, and he drives a car called the
Batmobile, which contains a lot of clever equipment and can
travel very fast. When Batman has a good idea Robin usually
says 'Good thinking, Batman!' People sometimes use this
phrase humorously when someone suggests a plan.
bat mitz·vah /ˌbɑt 'mɪtsvə/ n [C] 1 a religious ceremony
held when a Jewish girl reaches the age of 12 and is
considered an adult in her religion → compare BAR MITZ-
VAH 2 a girl for whom this ceremony is held
bat·on /'bætɒn||bæ'tɑːn, bæ-/ n 1 a short thin stick used by a
CONDUCTOR (=the leader of a group of musicians) to show
the beat of the music 2 a short thick stick used as a weapon
by a policeman; TRUNCHEON: riot police with batons | a baton
charge 3 a short stick showing that the person who carries
it has some special office or rank: a General's baton 4 a stick
passed by one member of a team of runners to the next
runner 5 a light metal tube with decorated ends which is
spun, thrown into the air, and caught by a MAJORETTE
'baton ,charge /ˌl. . . ,/ n a charge by police carrying batons,
made in order to break up a crowd or a violent DEMONSTRA-
TION
bats /bæts/ adj [F] infml, especially BrE slightly mad; BATTY
bats·man /'bætsmən/ n pl. -men /mən/ a person who BATS²
in cricket → compare BATTER³
bat·tal·ion /bə'tæliən/ n [C+sing./pl. v] a group of usually
500–1000 soldiers made up of four or more companies (COM-
PANY): The second battalion is/are going abroad.
bat·ten¹ /'bætn/ n a long board used for fastening other
pieces of wood
batten² v
batten sthg. ↔ down phr v [T] (on ships) to fasten with
boards of wood: There's a storm coming, so let's batten down
the hatches. (=fasten the entrances to the lower parts of the
ship)
batten on/upon sbdy. phr v [T pass. rare] especially lit to live
well by using the work or generosity of (someone) for one's
own advantage; EXPLOIT
Bat-ten-burg /'bætnbɜːg||-bɜːrg/ trademark a type of cake
eaten in the UK, which has a square shape divided into four
pink and yellow squares, and is covered with MARZIPAN
bat·ter¹ /'bætə/ v 1 [T] to damage, break, or cause to lose
shape by continual hard use or beating: The ship was
battered against the rocks/battered to pieces by the storm. | an
increase in the incidence of baby battering (=violence by
parents against small children) | a battered old car/hat (fig.)
to restore one's battered pride 2 [+adv/prep] to beat hard and
repeatedly: The police battered at/on the door. | waves batter-
ing against the shore
batter² n [U] a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, beaten
together and used in cooking: pancake batter
batter³ n a person who BATS² especially in BASEBALL →
compare BATSMAN
bat·tered /'bætəd||-tərd/ adj (of a person) having been
physically harmed, usually by a member of his or her
family: a battered baby | a shelter for battered women
'battered 'wife n a woman who has been physically harmed
by her husband
'battering ,ram also ram n a large heavy log with an iron
end, used formerly in war for breaking through the doors
and walls of castles and towns
Bat·ter·sea Dogs' Home /ˌbætəsiː 'dɒgz həʊm||-tərs
'doːgz/ a place in Battersea in southwest London where dogs
are kept when they have been left by their owners or been
officially taken away from them
Battersea 'Power ,Station a large power station in
Battersea in southwest London, which used to produce
electricity for London. Battersea power station is a famous
LANDMARK on the River Thames. It is a LISTED BUILDING and
many people think it should be looked after properly. There
have been many plans to repair the building and to develop
it as a centre for arts and entertainment, but this has never
actually happened.
bat·ter·y /'bætəri/ n 1 [C] an apparatus for producing electri-
city, consisting of a group of connected electric CELLS: The
car won't start because the battery has gone flat. (=has lost all
its power) | The radio takes four small batteries. → see also
DRY BATTERY; see picture at ENGINE 2 [C] a number of big
guns together with the men who make them work; set of
guns fixed in a warship or fort 3 [C] BrE a line of small boxes
in which hens are kept and specially treated so that they will
lay eggs frequently: battery hens → compare FREE
RANGE 4 [C[of]] a group or set of things like tools, kitchen
containers, knives etc that are kept together: a battery of
cooking utensils 5 [C[of]] a set or number of things of the
same kind coming together, especially things that are difficult
or unpleasant to deal with; ARRAY: He faced a whole battery of
newspaper cameras. | a battery of tests | (fig.) They've hired a
battery of lawyers and experts to prove their case. 6 [U] law
the criminal offence of hitting another person → see also
ASSAULT AND BATTERY
'battery ,farm n BrE a farm on which hens are kept in
batteries (BATTERY)
Battery 'Park a park at the southwestern end of Manhattan,
next to the Hudson River, where people can get on a boat to
the STATUE OF LIBERTY
'batting ,average n 1 (in BASEBALL) a set of numbers which
tells how often a player has hit the ball in comparison with
how many times he has had a chance to hit it: His batting
average is 347. 2 (in CRICKET) a number which shows how
many RUNS a player has scored during a given period as an
AVERAGE 3 a record of performance: His new car doesn't
have much of a batting average – it's broken down twice in the
last week.
bat·tle¹ /'bætl/ n 1 [C|U] a fight between enemy forces,
especially forming part of a larger struggle: The Battle of
Waterloo | It was one of the most crucial battles in the whole
war. | a naval battle | He was killed in battle. → see also
PITCHED BATTLE; compare WAR 2 [C] any struggle between