Glossary.
Letter B
- BACCARE
- keep back
- BACKWARD
- the hinder part; hence, when applied to time, the past
- BAFFLE
- embarrass
- BALKED
- heaped, as on a ridge
- BALLOW
- a cudgel
- BALM
- the oil of consecration
- BAN
- to curse
- BANK
- to sail by the banks
- BARM
- yeast
- BARN
- a child
- BARNACLE
- a shellfish, supposed to produce the sea-bird of the same name
- BASE
- a game, sometimes called Prisoners' base
- BASES
- an embroidered mantle worn by knights on horseback, and reaching from the middle to below the knees
- BASILISK
- a kind of ordnance
- BASTA
- enough
- BASTARD
- raisin wine
- BATE
- to flutter, as a hawk
- BATE
- to except
- To abate
- BAT-FOWLING
- catching birds with a clap-net by night
- BATLET
- a small bat, used for beating clothes
- BATTLE
- army
- BAVIN
- used as an a piece of waste wood, applied contemptuously to anything worthless
- BAWCOCK
- a fine fellow
- BAWD
- procurer
- BAY
- the space between the main timbers of the roof
- BEADSMAN
- one who bids bedes, that is, prays prayers for another
- BEARING-CLOTH
- a rich cloth in which children were wrapt at their christening
- BEAT
- to flutter as a falcon, to meditate, consider earnestly
- BEAVER
- the lower part of a helmet
- BEETLE
- a mallet
- BEING
- dwelling
- BEING
- since, inasmuch as
- BE-METE
- to measure
- BE-MOILED
- daubed with dirt
- BENDING
- stooping under a weight
- BERGOMASK
- a rustic dance
- BESHREW
- evil befal
- BESTRAUGHT
- distraught, distracted
- BETEEM
- to pour out
- BETID
- happened
- BEZONIAN
- a beggarly fellow
- BIDING
- abiding-place
- BIGGEN
- a night-cap
- BILBERRY
- the whortleberry
- BILBO
- a sword, from Bilboa, a town in Spain where they were made
- BILBOES
- fetters or stocks
- BILL
- a bill-hook, a weapon
- BIN
- been, are
- BIRD-BOLT
- a bolt to be shot from a crossbow at birds
- BIRDING
- part. hawking at partridges
- BISSON
- blind
- BLANK
- the white mark in the middle of a target; hence, metaphorically, that which is aimed at
- BLENCH
- to start aside, flinch
- BLENT
- blended
- BLOOD-BOLTERED
- smeared with blood
- BLOW
- to inflate
- BOARD
- to make advances to; accost
- BOB
- a blow, metaph. a sarcasm
- BOB
- to strike, metaph. to ridicule, or to obtain by raillery
- BODGE
- to botch, bungle
- BODIKIN
- a corrupt word used as an oath. 'Od's Bodikin,' God's little Body
- BOITIER VERT
- green box
- BOLD
- to embolden
- BOLLEN
- swollen
- BOLTED
- sifted, refined
- BOLTER
- a sieve
- BOLTING-HUTCH
- a hutch in which meal was sifted
- BOMBARD
- a barrel, a drunkard
- BOMBAST
- padding
- BONA-ROBA
- a harlot
- BOND
- that to which one is bound
- BOOK
- a paper of conditions
- BOOT
- help, use
- BOOT
- to help, to avail
- BOOTLESS
- without boot or advantage, useless
- BOOTS
- bots, a kind of worm
- BORE
- calibre of a gun; hence, metaph. size, weight, importance
- BOSKY
- covered with underwood
- BOSOM
- wish, heart's desire
- BOTS
- worms which infest horses
- BOURN
- a boundary
- A brook
- BRACE
- armour for the arm, state of defence
- BRACH
- a hound bitch
- BRAID
- deceitful
- BRAVE
- handsome, well-dressed
- BRAVE
- boast
- BRAVERY
- finery
- Boastfulness
- BRAWL
- a kind of dance
- BREAST
- voice
- BREATHE
- to exercise
- BREATHING
- exercising
- BREECHING
- liable to be whipt
- BREED-BATE
- a breeder of debate, a fomenter of quarrels
- BREESE
- the gadfly
- BRIBE-BUCK
- a buck given away in presents
- BRING
- to attend one on a journey
- BROCK
- a badger, a term of contempt
- BROKE
- to act as a procurer
- BROKEN
- having lost some teeth by age
- BROKEN MUSIC
- the music of stringed instruments
- BROKER
- an agent
- BROTHERHOOD
- trading company
- BROWNIST
- a sectary, a follower of Brown, the founder of the Independents
- BRUIT
- noise, report, rumour
- BRUIT
- to noise abroad
- BRUSH
- rude assault
- BUCK
- suds or lye for washing clothes in
- BUCK-BASKET
- the basket in which clothes are carried to the wash
- BUCKING
- washing
- BUCK-WASHING
- washing in lye
- BUG
- a bugbear, a spectre
- BULLY-ROOK
- a bragging cheater
- BURGONET
- a kind of helmet
- BURST
- to break
- BUSKY
- bushy
- BUTT-SHAFT
- a light arrow for shooting at a target
- BUXOM
- obedient