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baby talk
B,b
B, b /bi:/ pl. B's, b's n 1 [C,U] the second letter of the English alphabet 2 [C,U] the seventh note in the musical SCALE of C MAJOR, or the musical KEY based on this note 3 [C] a mark given to a student's work to show that it is good but not excellent: I got a B in history. 4 [U] used to refer in a short way to one of two different things or people. You can call the first one A: the advantages and disadvantages of choosing product A or B → see also PLAN B 5 B4509/B1049 etc the name of a road in Britain that is smaller than an A-ROAD → see also B-ROAD 6 [U] a common type of blood → see also B-LIST
b. also b BrE — abbrev. for born: Andrew Lanham, b. 1885
BA¹ /ˌbiː ˈeɪ/ n [C] Bachelor of Arts; the title of a first university degree in a subject such as literature, history etc: Susan Potter, BA → compare BSC
BA² abbrev. for British Airways
baa /bɑː/ v baaed [I] to make the sound that a sheep or lamb makes —baa n
,Baa, Baa, 'Black ,Sheep a NURSERY RHYME (=old song or poem for young children):
Baa, baa, black sheep
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.
Baa-der-Mein-hof gang, the /ˌbɑːdə ˈmaɪnhɒf ɡæŋ||ˈdɑːr ˈmaɪnhaʊf-/ the leaders of a group of German TERRORISTS called the 'Red Army Faction', which had extremely LEFT-WING beliefs. During the 1970s, they bombed many buildings and killed several police officers, business leaders, and government officials.
Ba'ath Par·ty, the /bɑːˈɑːθ ˌpɑːti, ˈbɑːθ||ˈbɑː-ɑːθ ˌpɑːr-/ a SECULAR (=not connected with religion) political party that was first started in Syria in the 1940s and whose members believe that individual Arab countries are part of a larger Arab State. Saddam Hussein became an important member of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, and succeeded in taking control of the government in 1968. In the 2003 Iraq War, the Ba'ath Party and Saddam Hussein were defeated by Coalition Forces and lost control of Iraq.
Ba·bar /ˈbɑːbɑː||ˈbɑː-/ the main character in stories for children by Jean de Brunhoff. Babar is an ELEPHANT who is a king.
Bab·bage, Charles /ˈbæbɪdʒ/ (1792–1871) a British MATHEMATICIAN who designed a type of calculating machine which modern computers are based on
Bab·bitt /ˈbæbɪt/ a book by Sinclair Lewis about a businessman called George Babbitt who lives in a small US town. Babbitt is regarded as a boring man, because he thinks only about his own business and his position in local society, and he is not interested in other things in life.
bab·ble¹ /ˈbæbəl/ v 1 [I,T] to say or talk quickly and foolishly or in a way that is hard to understand: She babbled her thanks in a great hurry | What was he babbling on about? | a babbling idiot 2 [I] to make continuous sounds like water running gently over rounded stones: a babbling brook
—bler n
babble² n [S] 1 a confused sound of many people talking at the same time: a babble of voices 2 a sound like that of a stream running gently over rounded stones: the babble of running water
babe /beɪb/ n infml 1 a very attractive young woman or man: Baywatch babes | Have you seen that new guy in the library? What a babe! 2 lit a baby: a babe in arms
babe in the 'woods n infml someone who is very inexperienced and who is easily tricked by other people
ba·bel /ˈbeɪbəl||ˈber-, ˈbæ-/ n [S;U] a scene of confusion, disorder, and the noise of many voices (from story of the Tower of Babel in the Bible): a babel of French, German and Italian voices → see also TOWER OF BABEL
Ba·bel·fish /ˈbeɪbəlfɪʃ/ trademark a type of SOFTWARE used on the Internet, which translates from one language to another.
Babe Ruth → see RUTH, BABE
,Babes in the 'Wood an old story about a young brother and sister who are left in the woods by their evil uncle, who wants to get control of their property. In the UK, many PANTOMIMES are based on this story.
ba·boon /bəˈbuːn||bə-/ n a large monkey of Africa or S Asia
ba·bu, baboo /ˈbɑːbuː/ n Inde 1 usually derog an Indian clerk 2 (used especially formerly as a Hindu title, like Mr)
ba·by¹ /ˈbeɪbi/ n 1 a very young child, especially one who has not yet learnt to speak or walk: a newborn baby | a baby girl | a three-month-old baby | My sister is expecting a baby. (=is PREGNANT) → see CHILD (USAGE) 2 a very young animal or bird: a baby monkey 3 the youngest or smallest of a group: My brother Peter is still at college; he's the baby of our family. 4 usually derog a person who behaves like a baby: Don't be such a baby! Take your medicine. 5 infml something that is the special responsibility of a particular person: I know absolutely nothing about the building contract – that's Robert's baby. 6 AmE infml a person, especially a girl or woman 7 throw the baby out with the bath water to lose the most important part of something when getting rid of the bad or unwanted part
baby² v [T] infml to treat like a baby; give a great deal of care or attention to; MOLLYCODDLE: babying his old car
'baby ,blues n [the P] infml for POSTNATAL DEPRESSION: an attack of the baby blues
'baby-boom n a period when there is a large increase in the number of babies born, especially the period after the SECOND WORLD WAR: the baby-boom of the 1950s
'baby-boomer n a person born during a baby-boom, especially during the 1950s
'baby ,bouncer n a seat hanging from springs fixed to a frame in which a baby can stand with feet touching the floor and legs taking part of the body weight
'baby ,carriage also 'baby ,buggy n AmE for PRAM
Ba·by·cham /ˈbeɪbiʃæm/ trademark a type of sweet CARBONATED alcoholic drink sold in the UK. It is a little like CHAMPAGNE but is much less expensive, and it is often drunk by women.
,baby 'grand n infml a small GRAND PIANO (a piano with its strings set parallel to the ground, not up and down)
Ba·by·gro /ˈbeɪbiɡrəʊ/ BrE trademark a piece of clothing for a baby, that covers their whole body
ba·by·hood /ˈbeɪbihʊd/ n [U] the period of time when one is a baby
ba·by·ish /ˈbeɪbi-ɪʃ/ adj derog (especially of someone who is not a baby) like a baby: It's babyish to cry about having a tooth out at your age!
Bab·y·lon /ˈbæbɪlən, -lɒn||-lɑːn/ 1 an ancient Middle Eastern city that was the capital of Babylonia and was famous for its great wealth. People sometimes use the name Babylon to mean a place of pleasure and immoral behaviour. 2 used by some Afro-Caribbean people, especially Rastafarians, to refer to white society, especially the police
'baby milk n [U] dried milk which is mixed with water and fed to babies instead of breast milk
'baby-,minder n BrE someone who looks after other people's babies, usually when both parents are at work → compare BABY-SITTER
,Baby 'Ruth trademark a type of chocolate bar in the US which contains PEANUTS, CARAMEL, and NOUGAT
,baby's 'breath also babies' breath n [U] a plant with many small white or pink flowers, often dried and used in groups of cut flowers (BOUQUETS) and at weddings
'baby-sit also sit AmE — v -sat present participle -tt- [I(for)] to act as a baby-sitter
'baby-sitter also sitter n 1 a person who takes care of babies or children while their parents are out, especially in the evening. A baby-sitter is usually paid. → compare BABY-MINDER 2 AmE for CHILDMINDER
'baby talk n [U] 1 the speechlike sounds made by babies