Confusing Words Clarified Group B

Confusing Words Clarified Group B

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/4333/?letter=C&spage=20

A classic story tells how Plato had defined man as a featherless two-tooted animal, and his students agreed. The next day, Diogenes pulled the feathers off a cock and took it to Plato.

"Here's Plato's man," he said.

It was an embarrassing moment for Plato. Thereafter he corrected the definition to "a featherless two-footed animal with flat nails".

Ever since Plato's description, man has never ceased to define man, and has constantly sought a more meaningful self-definition. Voltaire altered the Platonic version, in Candide, to "man is a featherless biped with a soul".

Another unknown author created, "Man is the only animal that eats when he is not hungry, and drinks when he is not thirsty."

Compiled from the "Foreword" of

Esar's Comic Dictionary by Evan Esar;

Doubleday & Company, Inc.; Garden City, New York; 1983.

 
Efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of various words that may be confusing so you can utilize them with greater accuracy in your communication.

babble, babel, bauble, bubble
babble (BAB uhl)
1. To talk rapidly or at length about things that seem irrelevant or foolish; to jabber or to prattle: "The salesman kept going on with his babble until we shut the door in his face."
2. To say something rapidly and incoherently without pausing, usually because of excitement or fear: "She babbled something about a car accident and then ran out to take a closer look."
3. Clamor, hubbub, din: "The speaker shouted over the babble of the crowd."
4. Gurgle, murmur, coo: "The baby babbled happily."
Babel, babel (BAY buhl, BAB uhl)
Tumult, confusion, bedlam, clamor: "The political convention became a babel of conflicting opinions."
The term Babel comes from the Biblical "Tower of Babel", the tower which according to Genesis 11:4-9 was started by the descendants of Noah to reach heaven but it was abandoned when God confused the language of the builders into many mutually incomprehensible languages. The city of Babel in Shinar is now thought to be Babylon.
bauble (BAW buhl)
A trinket, ornament, usually cheap, or an inexpensive piece of jewelry: he wore the red bauble that she obtained when she visited the gypsy’s tent at the fair.
bubble (BUB uhl)
1. A small globe of gas floating in a liquid: "The bubble floated upwards in the lava lamp."
"The child loved to try to blow a big bubble in his milk using a straw."
2. To become lively or effervescent: "She seemed to bubble with laughter and happiness."
3. Anything that lacks firmness or permanence of substance or that may involve excessive speculation; often fraudulent: "The investment officer encouraged his clients to invest in the real estate bubble.
Attending a conference of salespeople was like attending the building of the Tower of Babel; all babble and babble. It made me think that the whole thing was just a bubble of enthusiasm; however, the organizers gave us a charming bauble to take home as a memento.
 
bad, bade, badly
bad (BAHD)
1. Not good, poor, inferior, below standard; faulty, defective: "She's a very bad singer."
"Your car won't start if the battery is bad."
2. Immoral, unethical, wrong: "Lying is a bad thing."
3. Erroneous, wrong, incorrect: "Her bad spelling kept her from becoming a secretary."
bade (BAYD, BAHD)
To tell, say, to wish: "He bade us farewell."
"He bade his mother good-bye."
badly (BAHD lee)
1. Poorly, improperly, incorrectly: "He did the work very badly."
2. Immorally, unethically, corruptly: "The army behaved badly toward the war prisoners."
3. Very much, greatly, intensely: "My tooth hurts badly."
"The boy wanted a new bicycle badly."
She bade us good bye after we had a very bad meal. In fact, when I got home, my stomach was behaving badly and I felt ill for the rest of the night.
 
bail, bale
bail (BAYL)
1. A bond, a surety: "The accused are being held on $10,000 bail."
2. Post bond for, post bail for: "The accused’s brother was going to bail him out of jail."
3. Scoop, throw water out: "Bail the water out of the boat as quickly as possible."
bale (BAYL)
1. A large amount of material; such as, hay, wood, paper, cotton, etc. which is pressed together tightly and often tied or wrapped: "The farmer loaded the big bale of hay on to the truck."
"The stevedore hauled one bale of cotton after another from the ship."
2. That which causes ruin or sorrow: "She was suffering the bale of woe and torment in her mental anguish."
When he dropped a bale of cotton on his foot, it caused the bale of his career as a runner. So, he got a job with a small boat organization in the harbor to bail out the water that splashed into the boats so they could be used by people without getting their feet wet.
 
bait, bate
bait (BAYT)
1. Food or other enticement placed, as a lure, on a hook, or in a trap: "The fisherman put an earthworm as bait on the fishing hook."
2. To torment with persistent insult or ridicule: "Neighborhood toughs would constantly bait minority groups with racist remarks."
3. To get someone excited by exposing something desirable to that person while keeping it out of reach: "He wanted to bait his wife by showing her a tantalizing necklace."
bate (BAYT)
To decrease, to lessen the force or intensity of, to moderate: "He was about to bate, or to become less active, in his exercise routines."
 
baited, bated, batted
baited (BAYT'D)
Lured, as food, that is placed on a hook or in a trap and used in the catching of animals: "They bated their hooks in expectation that they would catch many fish."
bated (BAT'D)
In a nervous and excited state because it is not known what will happen: "They waited for the answer with bated breath; that is, they nervously waited for the answer."
batted (BAT'D)
1. To hit with or as if with a club or bat: "When he batted the ball that day, he set a record."
2. Informal, to produce hurriedly: "She batted out a speech in a short time."
3. To discuss or consider at some length: "They batted the idea around."
4. To wink or flutter: "She batted her eyelashes."
 
bald, balled, bawled
bald (BAWLD)
1. No hair on the head; bald-headed, bald-pated, hairless, smooth: "When he became bald, he bought a toupee."
2. Lacking a natural or usual covering; bare, without cover, treeless, denuded, barren: "The mountain is bald above the tree line."
3. Open, bare, undisguised: "That is a bald falsehood!"
balled (BAWLD)
1. To form something into a round shape: "I stood up quickly and balled the letter in my hands and threw it in the trash."
2. A state of confusion or things in a tangle and a mess: "Because the overseer did not check all the details before giving the order, the workers balled up the project."
bawled (BAWLD)
1. Past tense of bawl (cried loudly); cried, wailed, weeped: "The nursery was full of babies who bawled for long periods."
2. Cried out noisily; shouted, bellowed, yelled: "The captain bawled for the sergeant to come immediately."
3. Something said loudly; shouted by using a very loud voice: "The manager shouted, 'Come in here, now!' and the salesman was bawled out for showing up late."
The man was so upset by the letter from the doctor confirming that he was going bald that he bawled out loud and then balled the letter up and threw it into the trash.
 
baleful, baneful
baleful (BAYL fuhl)
1. Threatening harm or great evil; ominous: "He turned and gave us a baleful, or sinister, glare."
2. Harmful or deadly; full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious: "They experienced the baleful effects of water pollution on their health."
baneful (BAYN fuhl)
Causing harm, ruin, and death: "On television, we have been witnessing the baneful results of war as Israel attacks Hamas in Gaza."
In ordinary use, baleful and baneful are interchangeable, although baneful also means "poisonous" and is normally applied to substances, causes, and influences that result in death.
"The gathering clouds promised a baleful storm."
"Some poisons are merely injurious, but others are baneful."
No one is likely to be arrested if he or she gives a rival a baleful glance, but watch out if anyone gives him a baneful dose of arsenic.

Compiled from information found in

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions by Harry Shaw;

McGraw-Hill Book Company; New York; 1987; page 88.

 
ball, ball, bawl
ball (BAWL)
1. Round mass, sphere, globe: "The cat played with the ball of twine."
2. Games which may involve using a round object to hit or to kick: "Four boys were playing ball in the field."
3. Shot, bullets, projectiles: "Each musket was loaded with powder and ball."
ball (BAWL)
1. Dance, dancing party, prom: "The banquet was followed by a ball."
2. A large formal party for dancing: "All of the students were invited to the university ball."
bawl (BAWL)
1. Cry, wail, howl, weep: "The little boy was so upset that he began to bawl for his mother."
2. To speak very loudly: "The children were misbehaving so badly and the father was so frustrated, that he could only bawl at them to settle down."
We got into a terrible brawl over the ball game we were playing and my fried started to bawl.
Later in the evening, we all went to the ball at the hotel and had a ball, dancing and eating fine food.
 
ballad, ballet, ballot
ballad (BAL uhd)
1. A narrative poem or a narrative verse: "He read the class a great English ballad."
2. Folk song, a song: "We sat around the campfire, while a folk singer sang a wonderful ballad."
ballet (bal LAY)
An intricate group dance with pantomime that tells a story: "The famous ballet was attended by hundreds of patrons."
ballot (BAL uht)
An act or method of voting; a ticket, a list of candidates to be voted on: "Three candidates for mayor are listed on the ballot."
The ballet was based on a famous ballad about a community that used the ballot to elect law enforcement officers.
 
balloon, balloon, balloon payment
balloon (buh LOON)
1. An extremely large bag filled with a lighter-than-air gas (such as helium) and used as a form of air transport, carrying passengers or equipment in a suspended basket or gondola: "We decided to take a ride in a balloon to see the country side from a different perspective."
2. A rounded outline with a point directed toward a character in a cartoon that encloses the text of the character's speech or thought: "Cartoonists often use one balloon after the other to express each character's spoken words or thoughts."
balloon (buh LOON)
1. A sac that is inserted into a body cavity or tube and distended with air or gas for therapeutic purposes; such as, with angioplasty: "The doctor explained that he would inflate a balloon within the blood vessel so it would expand and permit the normal flow of blood again."
"Another physician explained that the surgeon would use balloon angioplasty to open the obstructed blood vessel by threading a small balloon-tipped catheter into the vessel to keep the blood flowing properly."
2. To become bigger quickly: "The monthly report indicated that their credit card debt would balloon at least three times more than normally and, in addition, there was the ballooning costs of a college education to consider."
balloon payment (buh LOON PAY muhnt)
A final payment that is much larger than any earlier payment made on a debt: "We agreed to pay $1,000 a year for ten years and then make a balloon payment of $60,000 at the end of the period."
Balloonists are constantly defying gravity and they must continually be aware of the highs and hazards of their hot-air ballooning activities.
 
balm, bomb
balm (BOM)
An aromatic preparation, often made from tropical evergreen trees, used for healing: "I gave my son a soothing balm which had a good odor as well as a calming result."
"The doctor prepared a balm using the resins and oils from various plants which helped the patient become more comfortable and quiet."
bomb (BOM)
1. As a military device, usually round, filled with an explosive substance which may be dropped on a subject with the intent of injury or destruction: "The pilot sought to bomb the decoy ship while learning to fly the jet."
2. A container to store substances: such as, gas, paint, etc. stored under pressure: "The store carried a paint bomb in several shades of red."
3. A blob of lava exploded from a volcano: "The lava bomb in the farmer’s field made plowing very difficult."
 
banco; banco, banko
banco (BANG koh)
A bet in certain gambling games, as baccarat and chemin de fer, for the entire amount allowed by the casino banker: "The gambler made a banco that matched the full amount in the bank, to the exclusion of all of his previous lower bets."
banco, banko (BANG koh)
An African term for mud (local earth/clay plus water) mixed with straw and/or husks of cereals (plus cow dung which hardens to a smooth solid) and is used for coating walls and ceilings: "The buildings which utilize banco mudbricks are found in several areas of Africa and the use of banco is characterized by its cooling properties for those who live in such structures."
This African banco term which refers to such "earthen construction practices" came from Manding, a widespread language group in West Africa.

Hatumere: Islamic design in West Africa;
by Labelle Prussin; University of California Press;
Berkeley, California; 1986; page 137.

The Manding languages are a fairly mutually intelligible group of dialects or languages in West Africa, belonging to the Mande languages.
Their best-known members are Bambara (the most widely spoken language in Mali), Mandinka (the main language of Gambia), Maninka (or Malink? a major language of Guinea), and Dioula (Dyula or Jula) (an important language of the northern C d'Ivoire and western Burkina Faso).

"Manding languages", Wikipedia.

 
band, banned
band (BAND)
1. A group, company, party, crowd: "A band of students brought their grievances before the dean."
2. Orchestra, ensemble, group: "The band played until midnight."
3. To unite, join, gather: "If we band together, we can give our complaints greater strength."
4. A strip, circlet, strap; belt, collar, girdle: "Her hair was held in place by a velvet band."
"A dark band of clouds was on the horizon."
banned (BAND)
Prohibited, restricted, barred, excluded, banished: "Bicycles are banned from the new superhighway."
"They threatened to have the book banned."
The rock group was so bad that the audience wanted the untalented band to be banned.
 
bandage, Band-Aid
bandage (BAND dij)
1. A covering; such as, a strip of cloth that protects or supports part of the body that has been injured: "The doctor wrapped a bandage around the boy's arm after he fell off his bicycle."
2. To cover or to wrap a wound or other injury with a strip of cloth: "The girl's mother had to bandage her daughter's knee to stop the bleeding."
Band-aid (BAND ayd")
1. A trademark used for an adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to protect minor wounds: "After I cut my finger with my pocket knife, I was able to put on a Band-Aid to stop the bleeding."
2. Always used before a noun, disapproving; able to help or to improve something only for a short time: "The government could only provide a Band-Aid solution to the problem of unemployment."
"True welfare reform is being bypassed by the U.S. Congress with Band-Aid solutions."
 
bands, banns, bans
bands (BAHNZ)
Small groups of musicians who play popular music together: "The drummers of bands are a significant part of rock-and-roll bands and jazz bands."
banns (BAHNZ)
A public statement which announces that two people are going to be married: "The banns of marriage were posted in the church."
bans (BAHNZ)
Statements, usually official, forbidding people from using or from doing something: "The city has bans against smoking in all public buildings."
There were two announcements made today: The banns for my friends who are planning to be married next year and the municipal bans on bands playing loudly in the public park after midnight.
 
bank, bank, bank
bank (BANGK)
1. A piled-up mass, as of snow or clouds: "A bank of dark clouds could be seen in the western sky and a bank of fog was also moving into our area."
2. A slope or higher ground adjoining a body of water, especially along a river, lake, or channel: "We sat near the bank of the river to watch the boats going past."
bank (BANGK)
1. A business establishment in which money is kept for saving or commercial purposes or is invested, supplied for loans, or exchanged; as well as, the building where such a business operates: "Our paychecks are deposited into the bank automatically."
"How much money do we have in our bank account?"
2. A place where something is stored until it is needed: "Information is stored in the computer's memory bank until we need it for the yearly report."
bank (BANGK)
1. As a verb, to cause something; such as, an airplane to tilt or to lean to one side when turning: "The pilot will bank the plane to the left and then level it out to land."
2. To cause something; such as a ball to bounce off a surface: "The basketball player tried to bank the ball off the backboard."
3. To put money in a commercial organization so it will hopefully be safer: "I will bank the extra money in a separate account for emergencies."
Someone told me that a bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it starts to rain.
 
banking, banking
banking (BANG king)
The business of operating a bank: "They are both in the banking business and their daughter is also preparing for a banking career."
banking (BANG king)
1. To count on; to depend on; to trust, and to have confidence in: "I am banking on him to hand us a reasonable bill for his services"
"Are you sure it is safe to be banking on banks as reliable places to keep our money?"
 
barbarian, barbaric, barbarism, barbarous
barbarian (bar BAIR ee uhn)
1. Savage, alien, outlander: "The city barricaded itself against the invading barbarians."
2. Hoodlum, roughneck: "Young barbarians have defaced public buildings throughout the city."
3. Anti-intellectual, lowbrow, illiterate: "Barbarians in the audience jeered the composer’s new work."
4. Uncultivated, uncultured, crude: "The artist accused the public of having barbarian tastes."
barbaric (bar BAIR ik)
1. Uncivilized, savage, wild: "The Huns were notorious for their barbaric cruelty."
"The tribal dance was a spectacle of barbaric splendor."
2. Coarse, uncouth, crude, ill-mannered, vulgar, rude: "His behavior to the guests was barbaric and embarrassing."
barbarism (BAR bur iz'm)
1. An instance, act, trait, or custom marked by coarseness or brutality: "When he slapped the child with such harshness, his barbarism resulted in his arrest by the police."
2. The use of words or forms felt to be incorrect or nonstandard; a specific word or form so used: "Using the word ain't is considered a barbarism."
barbarous (BAR bur uhs)
1. Cruel, brutal, harsh: "It is barbarous to keep a large dog cooped up like that."
2. Coarse, crude, vulgar: "The complaining letter was written in barbarous English."
 
barbel, barbell
barbel (BAHR buhl)
One of the soft thread-like appendages to the jaws, chin, or nostrils of certain fish; functioning as an organ of touch: "In the aquarium we saw a large freshwater fish with more than one barbel hanging from its mouth."
barbell (BAHR bel")
A metal bar with weights at each end that is used for exercise and in weight lifting: "He kept lifting the barbell until he was able to lift more weight than the other guys."
 
bard, barred
bard (BAHRD)
1. Poet-singer, a poet: "The Homeric poems were composed and sung by one bard after another."
2. A narrative poet, writer, minstrel: "A local bard read his poetry to the audience."
barred (BAHRD)
1. To obstruct or impede; to block: "The gate to the estate barred visitors from access to the house."
2. To keep out; to exclude: "The guard barred their unauthorized entrance to the building."
The poet was ostracized by the university, or in other words, they barred the bard.
 
bare, bear, bear
bare (BAIR)
1. Stripped naked, undressed, unclothed, uncovered, unclad: "The engineers worked bare to the waist in the broiling sun."
2. Empty, void, vacant; unadorned: "We wanted to hang up some paintings on those bare walls."
"The kitchen cupboard was bare."
3. Lacking full threads, bald, thin: "The carpet was worn bare from years of use."
4. Just enough, scant, meager: "We existed on nothing but the bare necessities for six months."
bear (BAIR), as a noun.
1. The animal, also known as a bruin: "The bear was catching salmon in the river."
2. A person who expects the price of stocks to go down and who sells them to avoid losing money: "As a bear, he is hoping to sell his stocks before the market goes even lower."
bear (BAIR), as a verb.
1. Support, sustain, maintain: "These columns bear the weight of the roof."
"Our office will bear the brunt of the work."
2. To transport, to carry, to tote, to haul, to take: "The donkeys had to bear supplies up the steep mountain trail."
3. To give birth to, to bring into being, to bring forth: "Yes, his mother did bear three fine sons."
"Is it really possible that a woman could bear eight babies as stated in the news?"
4. To go, to move, or to turn in a specified direction: "When you get into town, bear to the north at the first street."
A large quadruped bruin normally has thick fur but if it loses this covering because of some kind of skin disease, it could certainly be a bare bear that will simply have to bear its handicap.
 
bareness, baroness
bareness (BAR nes)
A lack of usual covering or furnishings: "The bareness of the room in the motel was depressing."
baroness (BAR uh nis)
1. A woman who is a member of a low rank of British nobility: "The baroness was married to a baron."
2. A female industrialist or financier: "The baroness of the computer company dealt in a fair manner with all who worked with her."
 
baring, barring, bearing
baring (BAIR ing)
Uncovering, exposing: "He was so disturbed that he could not stop baring his innermost feelings."
"He stood hatless, baring his head to the rain."
barring (BAHR ing)
As a preposition, excepting for, excluding; as a verb, to obstruct or impede; to keep out, to exclude: "Barring any adverse weather, we will walk the full distance."
"Barring trouble, we will be finished soon."
bearing (BAIR ing)
Carrying; enduring; an attitude or behavior: "He kept bearing the shock of the loss of his youngest child and he is bearing his emotions well."
 
baron, barren
baron (BAR uhn)
1. A lord or nobleman; a peer who is a member of the lowest rank of British nobility: "The term baron is not used as a form of address, but instead he is usually referred to as 'Lord'."
2. A person with great power, wealth, and influence in some sphere: "Because of his substantial accumulation of silver, he was considered the silver baron of the country."
barren (BAR uhn)
1. Producing no offspring, childless: "The couple decided to adopt a child when they realized that she was barren."
2. Incapable of producing offspring; sterile: "The farmer realized that he was cheated when he bought the barren cow."
3. Lacking vegetation, as barren fields; unproductive, unfruitful, depleted: "No one could raise crops on this barren land."
 
base, bass, bass
base (BAYS)
1. Support, bottom, foundation, substructure: "The lamp stands on a circular base."
2. Foundation, essence, core, source: "The base of his argument is that our price is too high."
3. Camp, station, post, billet, installation: "The weary troops marched back to their base."
4. Inferior, poor quality; adulterated, impure: "Zinc and brass are base metals."
5. Lacking proper social values or moral principles; not honest or good: "His base motives were soon obvious when he walked off with all of the money people had entrusted to him for their investments.
bass (BAYS)
1. The range of the lowest male voice, below baritone: "He sang bass in the quartet."
2. A low, deep sound or tone, as of a voice or a musical instrument: "Her father had a bass voice that stood out from any other man that I have ever heard."
bass (BAHS)
A kind of fresh or salt-water fish: "They caught five large bass for tonight’s fish dinner."
The bass swam around the bass drum in the river where another bass was painted on the base of that bass drum.
The villainous singer sang his song in his base bass voice.
 
based, baste
based (BAYS'd)
A fundamental principal upon which is formed the foundation of an idea, a construct, or undertaking: "The theme of the novel is based on the idea of social justice."
baste (BAYST)
1. To sew together in a temporary fashion: "The seamstress will baste the skirt before the client tries it on to be sure it fits correctly."
2. To moisten periodically with the juice or fat from the meat being cooked: "The cook would baste the roast from time to time to be sure it was juicy and delicious."
 
bases, basis
bases (BAY suhz) Plural of basis and base.
1. Supports, underpinnings, substructures: "The tall building utilizes several kinds of bases or foundations to hold it solidly in place."
2. Camps, stations, posts, billets, installations, garrisons: "U.S. military units still have several bases in Europe."
basis (BAY seez)
Base, foundation, fundamental, essential: "Charity toward others is the basis of her philosophy and way of life."
 
bastard, bastardly; dastard, dastardly
bastard, bastardly (BAS tuhrd, BAS tuhrd lee)
1. An offensive term which should be avoided, meaning someone whose parents were not married to each other when he or she was born; in other words, an illegitimate child: "The girl was the bastard child of the woman who was having an extramarital affair with the politician who was still married to another woman."
2. Someone who is held to be mean or disagreeable: "Most people thought he was a bastardly cruel man who deserved the prison term of life without parole."
3. Something that is of irregular, inferior, or of dubious origin; impure, irregular, inferior: "It was a bastard style of architecture and the architect even spoke bastardly with the French construction crew."
dastard, dastardly (DAS tuhrd, DAS tuhrd lee)
1. A sneaking, malicious coward: "None of the investors ever thought that this dastard, Bernie Madoff, would become the $19 Billion Con Man."
2. Very cruel; using tricks or deceitful maneuvers to hurt people: "She wrote about a dastardly villain who made dastardly attacks on innocent people."
"As far as some people were concerned, Bernard L. Madoff was an affable, charismatic man who moved comfortably among power brokers on Wall Street and in Washington, a winning financier who turned out to be a dastardly investor losing billions of dollars for his clients."
3. A cowardly, sneaky, base, vile, despicable, and atrocious person: "The woman who shot and killed the teachers in an Alabama school recently is probably considered by some people to be a dastardly person who should be prosecuted to the limit of the law."
"The dastardly act included three teachers who were killed, at least three others were wounded, and a suspect (another teacher) was in custody Friday after a shooting on the campus of the University of Alabama; Huntsville, Alabama, officials said (February 12, 2010)."
Although bastard was a common term that was used in the past, it is now considered to be unacceptable and vulgar by many people and it is recommended that its usage should be avoided!
In legal usage, illegitimacy is the more usual term to replace bastard, and the preferable one for avoiding unduly derogatory connotations.
While dastardly is not used as a vulgar term, it still has shameful, villainous, and despicable applications to individuals who do dastardly things.

More Recent Definitions for Dastard and Dastardly

Dastard is commonly muddled because of the sound association with its harsher rhyme, bastard and modern writers tend to use dastard as a printable euphemism for the more widely objectionable epithet.
Recent American dictionaries record one meaning of dastard as being "dishonorable, despicable" or "treacherously underhanded". So the new meaning should probably now be considered standard.
Like the noun form, the adjective dastardly has been subjected to a slipshod extension. Although most dictionaries define it merely as "cowardly", it is now often used as if it means "sneaky, underhanded; treacherous".

The last three paragraphs were compiled from information provided by
Bryan A. Garner in his Garner's Modern American Usage book;
Oxford University Press; New York; 2009; page 224.

 
bastille, bastion
bastille (ba STEEL)
1. When not capitalized, a prison or jail: "The president decided to close the bastille located on a small island."
2. When capitalized, July 14, observed in France in commemoration of the storming of the Paris prison in 1789, a citizens' victory at the outset of the French Revolution: "The destruction of the Bastille is celebrated yearly in France."
bastion (BAS chuhn, BAS tee uhn)
1. A fortified area or stronghold, frequently implying a rampart or irregular fortification surrounding the base of a structure: "The castle was considered a bastion of safety during the Middle Ages."
2. An institution serving as an example of strength: "Her home was considered a bastion of respectability and good taste."
 
bat, batt
bat (BAT)
1. A stout wooden stick used in sports such as cricket and baseball: "The baseball player picked up a bat and scored a home run."
2. To hit or to strike with a stout wooden stick: "We saw the player bat the ball over the fence for a home run."
3. Any of an order of Chiroptera or flying mammals with modified front legs which form wings: "The bat is an mammal that has wings and a furry body like a mouse."
"A bat flying around in the garden is a good thing because it will eat many insects."
batt (BAT)
Pieces of fabric used as lining when making quilts: "The women used a thick cotton batt when making the beautiful quilts which they sold."
 
bath, bathe
bath (BATH)
1. That which is associated with the process or equipment for washing the body or an item: "The Roman Bath in the city attested to the resourcefulness of the citizens, using natural waters to fill the bath."
"We tried to give the dog a bath in the bathtub."
2. A chemical solution in which to immerse something: "The scientist prepared a acid bath in which to immerse the metal object."
bathe (BAYTH)
To immerse in water or other liquid for the purpose of refreshment or cleaning oneself with a sponge or cloth and soap: "During the hot weather, it felt good to bathe one face frequently with scented water."
"We'll bathe the baby after she eats."
 
bathos, pathos
bathos (BAY thos")
Something that is ridiculously melodramatic, commonplace, or mawkish; particularly when someone is striving for a much more exalted effect: "The serious message of the film is ruined by the bathos of its ridiculous ending."
"The lady walked across the street, lifting her skirts to avoid the puddle, only to create a picture of bathos by stepping into the manure left by a passing horse."
pathos (PAY thos)
Something that genuinely evokes pity or sorrow: "Our knowledge of his tragic end adds an element of pathos to the story of his early success."
"The stage play, based on the story of a farm boy, created a sense of pathos in the audience, as they remembered their own experiences."
 
baton, batten
baton (buh TON, BAT'n)
1. A slender wooden stick or rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra or band: "The orchestra conductor raised his baton to start the music."
2. A hollow metal rod with a heavy rubber tip or tips that is wielded and twirled by a drum major or drum majorette: "The majorette twirled the baton as she led the marching band."
3. A short staff carried certain public officials as a symbol of office: "The mayor passed the baton or gave the job and responsibility on to the new mayor."
4. A cudgel or heavy stick carried by some police officers: "The standard police equipment in our town also includes a heavy baton.

batten (BAT'n)
1. To prepare for possible trouble or difficulty: "The city is ready to batten down for the weekend's scheduled protests."
2. To thrive and to prosper, especially at another person's expense: "He could only batten like a leech on the financial savings of other people."
 
batter, batter
batter (BAT uhr)
1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows in a way that causes much damage or injury: "The sun, wind, and rain will continue to batter those mountain tops just as they have for thousands of years."
2. The player at bat in baseball and cricket: "He does equally well as both a left-handed and a right-handed batter."
batter (BAT uhr)
A liquid, or semiliquid mixture, as of flour, milk, and eggs, used in cooking and which is used to cover food before it is fried: "Dip the fish in a batter of flour, milk, and eggs and then fry it."
 
bazaar, bizarre
bazaar (buh ZAR)
1. An Oriental market place; shopping quarter; marketplace, trade center: "We bought this rug at the bazaar in Marrakesh."
2. Awe-inspiring, awesome, wondrous: "The astronauts know the bazaar expanse of the solar system."
bizarre (bi ZAR)
Strange, weird, outlandish, odd, unusual: "Children like to wear bizarre costumes on Halloween."
Remember the differences between these words: "A woman wore a rather bizarre dress as she bought a cake at the village bazaar."
Bazaar is a word for a charity sale spelled in a bizarre way.
 
BB, be, bee
BB (BEE BEE)
A tiny ball, or shot, measuring .18 of an inch (.46 centimeters) in diameter and which is fired from an air rifle (a BB gun) or shotgun: "His target practice consisted of shooting one BB at a time."
be (BEE)
1. The verb "to be"; to exist in actuality: "He will be here later."
2. To have reality in one's life: "Shakespeare’s character, Hamlet, pondered reality: 'To be or not to be...'."
bee (BEE)
1. An insect, solitary or social in habit, some species of which produce honey: "He had bee hives so he could harvest the honey."
"The bee flew from flower to flower collecting pollen which would be made into honey."
2. A get together or gathering of people for a specific purpose; such as, a competition between schools or the completion of a joint project: "The sixth grade students won the spelling bee."
"The women met once each month for a quilting bee."
A bee is an insect that teaches us two lessons: One is not to be idle and the other is not to get stung.

Evan Esar

 
beach, beech
beach (BEECH)
The sloping shore of a body of water: "The family planned a picnic on the beach at the local lake."
beech (BEECH)
A kind of tree that grows in temperate regions with smooth, ash-gray bark and bearing an edible nut: "The squirrels in the garden loved to collect the beech nuts that fell to the ground."
A beach is the seaside where people rarely bother to hide their hides.

Evan Esar

 
beat, beet
beat (BEET)
1. To hit or to strike repeatedly; to flog: "The cruel captain on the ship would beat the sailors who disobeyed him."
2. Indicating a tempo for music: "The violinist used a metronome to set the beat for her practice sessions."
3. To speak about or to discuss something in a round about way: "He tried to beat around the bush instead of providing a direct answer."
"The politician beat around the bush when trying to explain the proposed policy."
beet (BEET)
A vegetable; the fleshly, succulent root of a biennial herb of the crowfoot family used as a vegetable (beta vulgaris): "The chef created a beet salad for the menu."
"The bulbous root of the beet is characteristically dark red."
When I saw the chopped up purple vegetable on my plate, it looked like a beat beet.
 
beatify, beautify
beatify (be AT uh figh)
1. In the Roman Catholic Church, to proclaim (a deceased person) to be one of the blessed and thus worthy of public religious veneration in a particular region or religious congregation: "The Pope will beatify her after more than a hundred years since her death."
2. To make happy; to bless with the completion of celestial enjoyment: "She was blessed with spirits that beatify one's life."
beautify (BYOO tuh figh)
Enhance, adorn, dress up; to make or to become beautiful: "Planting flowers along the streets will help to beautify our town."
 
beau, bow
beau (BOH)
The boyfriend, sweetheart, or lover of a girl or a woman: "She was waiting for her beau to pick her up."
bow (BOH)
1. A decorative knot: "He adjusted his bow tie before leaving for the dance."
2. A weapon made from a strip of elastic wood, bent by a string and used to project arrows: "The boy was practicing his skills by shooting arrows at the target with his bow."
3. As a verb, to curve or to bend: "He was trying to bow the flexible piece of steel."
 
beaut, butte
beaut (BYOOT)
A slang term for something beautiful or outstanding: "The boy exclaimed, 'Now, that was some beaut' when the red car drove by."
butte (BYOOT)
A conspicuous hill; one with steep sides and a flat top: "The explorers stood on the butte and admired the river below."
 
been, bin
been (BIN)
Past participle of the verb "be": "He has been here all morning."
bin (BIN)
A box or an enclosed place or large receptacle for holding meal, coal, etc.: "He replaced the coal in the bin because it was almost gone."
 
beer, bier
beer (BIR)
An alcoholic drink consisting of a fermented beverage made from malt and hops: "After work, the women from the factory got together for a beer before going home."
bier (BIR)
1. A coffin together with its stand prior to burial: "The undertaker arranged the coffin and the bier for the funeral reception or wake."
2. A framework for carrying a dead body to the grave: "The mourners followed the bier to the cemetery."
 
beetle, betel
beetle (BEET'l)
1. A type of insect with wings that form a hard cover on its back when it is not flying: "The student was excited to find a rare beetle for her insect collection."
2. A heavy mallet with a large wooden head used to mash potatoes or to hammer cobblestones into place: "The workers completing the road repair used a beetle to set the stones into place."
3. Jutting; overhanging: "His beetle eye brows were quite a site to behold."
betel (BEET'l)
A climbing pepper plant producing leaves which Asians chew: "To relax after a hard day, the men gathered at the town square and chewed betel leaves and nuts."
 
believe, feel
believe (bi LEEV)
1. To accept as true or real: "Many people seem to believe that theory, but I find it difficult to accept."
2. To understand and accept on faith; to have an opinion or conviction as to the truth of something: "Looking out the window, the man saw enough to believe that it would rain today."
3. To have trust in the ability, worth, etc., of someone or something: "The football team hasn't won a championship in many years, but their fans still believe that they will win one day."
4. To regard the existence of God as a fact or to have religious beliefs: "She went to church because her family expected it, but she didn't really believe."
feel (FEEL)
1. To perceive as a physical sensation: "She wants to feel the material to determine if it is wool or cotton."
2. To learn about and to experience something through touch or physical exploration: "To read Braille, the student will feel the raised dots on the page."
3. To be aware of, to be conscious of a state of mind or impression, to experience sympathy or compassion with respect to a situation or individual: "I feel great sympathy with individuals who have recently lost their jobs."
4. To believe or to think something: "I feel that I really ought to say something about the behavior of the neighbor's dog when no one is home."
 
bell, belle
bell (BEL)
1. A hollow metallic instrument, usually cup-shaped, which gives forth a musical tone when struck: "The large sonorous bell was hanging in the church tower."
2. Something that rings: "The fire bell woke us in the middle of the night."
belle (BEL)
A pretty woman or a beautiful girl: "That gown will make you the belle of the ball."
 
bellow, bellows, billow
bellow (BEL oh)
1. To make a loud, bawling noise: "The cow began to bellow when the farmer was late to milk her."
2. To shout in a deep voice: "He was heard to bellow orders to one of his employees."
bellows (BEL ohz)
A device that produces a strong current of air when its sides are pressed together: "He used a bellows to help start the fire."
billow (BIL oh)
1. A surge or swell of water, a rolling mass of something; such as, smoke which resembles the movement of water: "The billow of smoke on the horizon worried the fire watch."
2. To swell out or to balloon through the action of the wind: "The sails on the ship will billow when the wind comes up."
3. To move as a large cloud or mass: "Clouds of smoke were seen to billow up from the chimney."
The billow of smoke caused by the blacksmith's bellows caused the cattle in the barn to bellow loudly because the fumes hurt their eyes and throats.
 
benediction, malediction
benediction (ben" i DIK shuhn)
1. An invocation of divine blessing, usually at the end of a church service: "The minister concluded the church meeting with a prayer of benediction."
2. An expression of good wishes; something that encourages goodness or well being: "At the conclusion of the meeting of the members of the committee, the chairperson spoke a brief benediction, wishing everyone a safe summer holiday."
malediction (mal" i DIK shuhn)
The calling down of a curse or an expression of slander: "The old patriarch uttered a malediction against the rival clan."
 
beneficent, beneficial
beneficent (buh NEF i suhnt)
Characterized by or performing acts of kindness or charity: "Many organizations that give aid to the poor grew out of the beneficent activities of the wives of wealthy manufacturers."
beneficial (ben" uh FISH uhl)
1. Producing or promoting a favorable result; advantageous: "A good health care plan is beneficial to everyone."
"Exercise is beneficial to good health."
2. Receiving or having the right to receive proceeds or other advantages: "A good trade agreement can be beneficial to all of the countries involved."
 
benevolence, malevolence
benevolence (buh NEV uh luhns)
An inclination to perform kind, charitable acts: "The queen's benevolence, or kindness and generosity, was known throughout the kingdom."
malevolence (muh LEV uh luhns)
Having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious: "His reputation has been damaged by the malevolence of those who wanted to destroy his political career."
 
berg, burg
berg (BURG)
A great mass of ice; short for iceberg: "The news is shocking, but we may find out that the stories we've heard so far are just the tip of the berg."
burg (BURG)
Slang for a small town: "There are no more opportunities for me in this burg."
 
berry, bury
berry (BER ee)
A small succulent fruit containing few, or many, seeds: such as tomato, grape, gooseberry, strawberry, raspberry, etc.: "Berry jam may be made of a single fruit; for example, blue berry jam, or a mixture of fruits."
bury (BER ee)
1. To cover over and to conceal: "When playing on the beach, the children tried to bury their father in the sand."
2. To place in a tomb, grave, etc.: "The funeral procession walked slowly to the cemetery to bury the popular mayor of the city."
3. To hide something in the ground: "I could see the dog in the backyard trying to bury a bone."
4. To hide something so it cannot be seen or is difficult to see: "She has learned to bury her feelings."
"The newspaper covered the story, but they tried to bury it in the back of section C."
 
berth, birth
berth (BURTH)
1. A bunk or bed in a vessel, sleeping car, camper etc.: "He found his berth on the train and fell asleep almost immediately."
2. Any place in which a vessel may lie at anchor or at a dock: "The ship tied up at the appointed berth."
birth (BURTH)
1. The fact or act of being born: "His wife was about to give birth to their first child."
2. The bringing forth of an offspring: "The new father announced the birth of a son."
Once a woman wrote to a travel agent about a cruise she was planning to go on asking that he make sure that she would have a comfortable birth because she was susceptible to seasickness.
The travel agent responded with a note saying, "We can get you a comfortable berth, but as for the birth part, I'm afraid that is beyond our capabilities."
 
beseech, besiege
beseech (bi SEECH)
To beg or request in an urgent and anxious manner: "Falling to her knees, the princess cried, 'Please, kind knight, I beseech you to let me go.' "
"I could hear her beseech the vet not to put her poor dog to 'sleep.' "
besiege (bi SEEJ)
1. To worry, harass, distress, or to present a request: "The city counselors sought to besiege the mayor to repair the roads before winter."
"Reporters would besiege the winner of the contest for interviews until he could stand it no longer and so he finally gave in."
2. In warfare, to surround with hostile armed forces: "The king army sought to besiege the castle before nightfall."
 
beside, besides
beside (bi SIGHD)
A preposition meaning at the side of, next to, near: "He was seen sitting beside the road."
besides (bi SIGHDZ)
A conjunction meaning furthermore, moreover or in addition to: "What would you like to do besides going to the park after lunch?"
 
better, bettor
better (BET uhr)
The comparative for of good; good, better, best: "She played the piano better today than she did last week."
bettor (BET uhr)
Someone who places a wager on the outcome of some action: "The bettor made a bet that his political choice of candidates would win the election."
As a more skillful wager, or gambler, my friend was known as a better bettor among his friends.
 
bewilder, perplex, puzzle
bewilder (bi WIL duhr)
To confuse, perplex, or to lose one's bearings: "The many choices of activities in the city served only to bewilder the traveler."
perplex (puhr PLEKS)
To be unable to think logically or clearly about something; to make intricate or involved: "The situation served only to perplex and to confuse the two sisters."
puzzle (PUZ uhl)
1. A question or problem that requires thought, skill, or cleverness to be answered or solved: "Researchers are close to finding a solution, but they haven't found the final pieces of the puzzle."
2. To confuse someone or to be difficult for anyone to understand: "The situation continued to puzzle the police."
3. A problem or situation that is difficult to solve: "On Saturday afternoon, the family worked on the cross-word puzzle that was in the newspaper."
"The cause of the accident was a real puzzle for the investigators to resolve."
 
bi-, buy, by, bye, bye-bye
bi- (BIGH)
A prefix meaning two: "Humans are considered to be bi-peds; that is, having two feet."
"The festival was scheduled to be a bi-annual affair."
buy (BIGH)
To acquire the ownership of something, for money or other equivalent; to purchase: "They went to the bank for a loan so they could buy the house."
by (BIGH)
Next to; near; beside: "Please, put the chair by the table."
bye (BIGH)
1. An informal way of saying goodbye or an expression of farewell: "Bye. I'll see you tomorrow."
Standing next to the car, the children waved bye to the visitors.
2. A secondary matter, a side issue: "The day was so lovely they drove on all the bye roads to get to the village."
3. The position of someone who draws no opponent for a round in a tournament and so advances to the next round: "She got a bye into the second round of the tennis tournament."
bye-bye (BIGH-BIGH)
1. A farewell often used by children or when speaking to children: "Let's go darling. Say bye-bye to grandma and grandpa."
2. In the United States, a very informal meaning, to go away, which is used in imitation of children's speech: "When the company went bankrupt, investors watched their money go bye-bye."
 
bi-, semi-
bi- (BIGH)
1. Two, occurring every two [times]: "They came to visit us bimonthly."
2. Coming or happening two times: "It occurred on a biannual basis; that is happening twice a year."
semi- (SEM igh, SEM ee)
1. Half of: "The teacher was clever and could draw a perfect semicircle free hand."
2. Occurring halfway through a designated period of time: "My semiannual visit to my cousin took place twice a year."
"The festival was held on a semiannual basis."
3. Partial or incomplete: "We wanted to visit the semitropical area on our next vacation."
"After the accident, the patient was only semiconscious."
 
biannual, biennial, perennial
biannual (bigh AN yoo uhl)
Occurring twice a year; semiannual: "The family got together on a biannual basis to celebrate birthdays."
biennial (bigh EN ee uhl)
Occurring every two years: "Electing senators occurs on a biennial basis."
perennial (puh REN ee uhl)
Persistent over a period of several years; continuing without interruption: "The flowers in the border around the garden were of a perennial nature, ensuring bright colors year after year."
 
biased, bigoted, intolerant, prejudiced
biased (BIGH uhs't)
1. A prejudiced outlook or perception of something or someone: "His opinion was biased by the books he had read on the subject."
2. In statistics, a tendency to yield one outcome more frequently in a statistical exercise: "The outcome of the research appeared to be biased, based on the teacher review of the statistics."
bigoted (BIG uh tid)
Stubborn or intolerant adherence to one’s opinions or perceptions or prejudices: "The old farmer maintained a bigoted position about hiring certain neighbors to work on his farm."
intolerant (in TOL uhr uhnt)
An unwillingness to ensure that others have the equal freedom of basic rights; such as, religion, social, political, or profession: "The laws of the county appeared to be intolerant of new ideas and activities."
prejudiced (PREJ uh dis)
An irrational attitude or judgment or action that is based on incomplete information or without just grounds or a biased strong personal opinion: "Much of the violence that was observed in the county was the result of prejudiced behavior of the residents."
 
bibliography, biography
bibliography (bib" lee AHG ruh fee)
A listing, often descriptive, of materials, with information relating to a specific subject: "The student compiled an extensive bibliography of materials available in the library to give to the professor."
biography (bigh AHG ruh fee)
Usually the written account of a person's life: "Elizabeth Gaskell wrote the biography of Charlotte Bronte at the request of the Bronte family."
 
bid, bide
bid (BID)
1. To make an offer for the price for something; often in the context of an auction: "During the auction of furniture, the housewife made the highest bid for the set of chairs for the kitchen."
2. An invitation or an expression offered as a greeting or benediction: "When they met on the street, the older woman bid her friends to join her for tea in the shop."
"After their tea, the women bid each other farewell as they went on their various ways."
3. An offer to do a job for a particular price: "The company is accepting the man's bid for the renovation project."
4. An attempt to win, to get, or to do something: "The company is facing a takeover bid by someone who is trying to gain control of the company by buying most of its stock."
bide (BIGHD)
1. To wait for an opportunity: "The philosopher often said that if you work hard and bide your time, you may become famous for the books you write."
2. To wait for the right time before doing something: "He will bide his time waiting for the right opportunity before asking his parents for a loan."
 
bidding, biding
bidding (BID ing)
To offer to pay a particular amount of money for something that is being sold: "He plans to stop bidding on the painting if the bids go over $1,000."
biding (BIGH ding)
Waiting for the right time before doing something: "He is biding his time before asking the bank for a loan."
 
bigamy, monogamy, polygamy
bigamy (BIG uh mee)
The act of being married to two spouses at the same time: "The women were horrified to realize they were the victims of bigamy when they discovered they were both married to the same man."
monogamy (muh NAHG uh mee)
Marriage to only one person at a time: "In many cultures, monogamy is the typical practice of marriage with just one spouse at a time."
polygamy (puh LIG uh mee)
Plural marriage; having more than one wife or husband at the same time: "Occasionally there are articles in the newspapers about obscure religious groups that practice polygamy; for example, one man with thirteen wives."
Bigamy is proof that two rites make a wrong.

Evan Esar

Monogamy is a monopoly.

Anonymous

 
billed, build
billed (BILD)
1. A charge or written statement of an amount owing for an item or service: "The hotel billed the traveler for the cost of his room and his meals."
2. A written announcement of a public notice: "The actor was billed to play Romeo in the upcoming play."
build (BILD)
1. To form or construct an edifice or a thought by assembling the necessary pieces: "The carpenters will build a garage for the car once the lumber has been delivered."
2. The shape and size of a person's body: "He has a strong and muscular build."
 
birr, burr
birr (BUR)
1. Force or momentum; vigor: "The birr of the winds swept down from the canyons."
2. A whirring sound: "The bag pipes make a birr when the players are attempting to tune them."
burr (BUR)
1. A roughness or rough edge; especially, one left on metal after casting or cutting: "The apprentice used the tools to remove the burr on the finished bust."
2. A rough or prickly part of a plant that easily sticks to a passerby: "After walking through the rough grass, the traveler noticed that there was a burr sticking here, there, and every where on his trouser legs."
 
bisect, dissect
bisect (BIGH sekt", bigh SEKT)
To cut or to divide into two parts; especially, two equal parts: "The lines on the map served to bisect the property into two sections."
dissect (di SEKT, digh SEKT, DIGH sekt")
To separate into sections for close scientific analysis or interpretation: "The students in the biology class each had a frog to dissect as their class project."
 
bisected, dissected
bisected (BIGH sekt'd)
1. Having cut or divided something into two parts: "The city was bisected by the highway."
2. Having split or forked: "The driver noticed that the highway was bisected by the median which was planted with trees."
dissected (DIGH sekt'd)
1. Having cut apart or separated (tissue), especially for anatomical studies: "As part of the anatomy class, the students dissected a large worm which smelled awful."
2. To have examined, analyzed, or criticized in minute details: "They dissected the company plan afterward to learn why it failed."
"The panel dissected each point of his argument."
 
bite, byte
bite (BIGHT)
1. To cut, tear, or grip with or as if with the teeth: "The nature film showed how the lion will bite and snarl while he is eating."
2. A stinging or smarting sensation: "The negative comment made by the supervisor had a distinctive bite to it and made the employee unhappy."
byte (BIGHT)
In computer science, a unit of computer information that is equal to eight bits; a bit being a single unit of computer information that is represented as either 1 or 0: "He has a computer with a six gigabyte hard drive meaning that he has a unit of computer information equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes."
 
blast, blast
blast (BLAST), noun
1. A mass of air that moves very fast and forcefully or a very strong gust of wind or air and the effect of such a gust: "During the winter storm, she experienced a cold blast when she opened the door."
2. A forcible stream of air, gas, or steam from an opening: "They were hit by a blast of water from the hose."
3. A violent explosion, as of dynamite or a bomb: "There was a strong blast that destroyed the power plant that was under construction."
4. An informal expression indicating a very enjoyable and exciting experience: "We had a blast when we went on a trip to the mountains."
blast (BLAST), verb
1. To knock down or to shatter by or as if by an explosion; to smash: "The construction crew will have to blast a tunnel through the hill before they can continue building the highway."
2. To kill or to destroy by hitting or shooting; or to have a harmful or destructive effect on: "The navel gunship will blast the enemy submarine in order to stop the torpedoing."
3. To criticize or to attack someone or something vigorously; especially, in public: "Several human rights groups plan to blast the government for its treatment of terrorist prisoners."
4. At full speed, volume, or capacity; to make a loud and usually unpleasant sound: "The neighbors next door are always turning the TV up full blast even late into the night."
 
blatant, flagrant
blatant (BLAYT'nt)
1. Disagreeably loud or boisterous; offensively noisy; clamorous: "At the party next door, they were so blatant as they played their music."
2. Glaringly conspicuous, very obvious and offensive: "He showed a blatant disregard for the safety of other drivers."
flagrant (FLAY gruhnt)
Conspicuously bad, offensive, outrageous, or reprehensible: "The corrupt mayor demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the law."
"Flagrant applies to anything that is so obviously bad or wrong as to be notorious; such as, a flagrant violation of the law."
 
bleak, blink
bleak (BLEEK)
1. Gloomy and somber: "The future looks bleak for many people."
2. Providing no encouragement; depressing: "We are obviously in a bleak global-economic situation."
3. Exposed to the elements; unsheltered and barren: "The bleak weather is cold, rainy, and dark."
"We could see the bleak, treeless regions of the high mountains behind us."
blink (BLINGK)
1. To close and to open one or both of the eyes rapidly: "He had to blink his eyes when the bright light shined on his face."
2. To waver or back down, as in a contest of wills: "During the international meeting, the U.S. was expected to be one of the counties that would blink and agree to remove the missiles."
 
bleu, blew, blue
bleu (BLOO)
1. A reference to people who are able to cook food to the highest standard: "He was described as a cordon (ribbon) bleu chef."
2. A French word for blue: "We had cordon bleu cuisine for our evening meal."
3. A cheese containing a blue mold; such as, a semi-soft cheese made of cow's milk and having a greenish-blue mold and a strong flavor: "At the end of our French meal, we had some bleu cheese."
blew (BLOO)
The past tense of blow: "The wind blew hard during the night."
blue (BLOO)
A color: "He wore a blue shirt with a matching blue tie."
The wind blew my blue napkin onto the bleu cheese on the picnic table.
 
blob, blobs; blog, blogs; flog, flogs
blob, blobs (BLAHB, BLAHBZ)
1. A soft, amorphous mass; an indistinct or shapeless form or object: "Cave bugs and blobs rewrite the story of the beginning of life."
2. A usually small amount of something thick and wet: "He still must clean up the blobs of paint that he dropped on the floor."
blog, blogs (BLAHG, BLAHGZ)
To write entries in, add material to, or maintain a web log or web logs: "There are thousands of blogs being created by hundreds of thousands of people on the internet; both private and business."
"She was writing a daily blog about her personal opinions, activities, and experiences."
flog, flogs (FLAHG, FLAHGZ)
1. To beat or whip someone severely: "The guard was about to flog the prisoner as punishment for trying to escape."
2. Used in a figurative sense: "The press is expected to flog the police chief for his failure to take appropriate action against the criminal elements in his city."
3. The practice of public whipping, or beating, was often administered in historical times as a form of punishment and is still being done in some countries; especially, to women: "The TV news reveals flogs being administered to women in certain countries even in these modern days."
There are some people who believe that there are way too many blobs (indistinct shapeless forms) of blogs on the internet and there are those who believe that a few flogs from the press would be a good idea.
 
bloc, block
bloc (BLAHK)
A group, as of politicians, nations, etc., combined to foster special interests: "The coastal nations formed a bloc to advocate for fishing rights."
block (BLAHK)
1. A solid piece of wood, metal, etc.; usually with one or more flat sides: "The mechanic from the auto repair shop used a block to raise the car so he could change the flat tire."
2. To obstruct or to prevent passage: "That fallen tree will block the road for several hours."
3. To get in the way or to interfere with an activity, e.g. sports: "The football player tried to block the player of the other team who was trying to make a touchdown."
 
blond, blonde
blond (BLOND)
A boy or man with light hair, blue eyes, and fair skin: "The use of 'blond' in the past was limited to a male; however, now it is used interchangeably for both genders."
blonde (BLOND)
A girl or woman with light hair, blue eyes, and fair skin: "Some people have been using blonde instead of blond for female genders."
 
boar, Boer, boor, bore
boar (BOHR)
A male swine or pig: "We just saw a wild boar running into the woods."
Boer (BOHR)
A Dutch colonist or descendant of a Dutch colonist in South Africa: "An Afrikaner is another name for a Boer or a person who was born, raised, or lived in South Africa, whose first language is Afrikaans, and whose ancestors were Dutch."
boor (BOOR)
A person with rude, clumsy manners, and little refinement; often referred to as a peasant: "Because the farmer often acted like a boor, the people in the village usually tried to stay away from him."
bore (BOHR)
1. To make weary by being dull, repetitive, monotonous, or tedious: "That film was one big bore."
2. To make a hole in or through something as with a drill: "He wanted to bore a hole in the door frame."
When the hunter talks about hunting boar, he may be considered a bore by others.
A male pig that has nothing to do but lie around is just a boar that is a bore.
A bore is a person who talks when we wish he would listen.

Ambrose Bierce

 
board, bored
board (BORD, BOHRD)
1. A flat, thin slab of sawed wood: "They nailed a board over the broken window."
2. An organized group of people who manage or direct a company or organization: "She sits on the bank's board of directors; so, now she's a board member at our bank."
3. Daily meals which one can pay for when he/she is paying to stay at a hotel, school, etc.: "He's looking for a place that provides board and lodging as he starts his trip."
4. As a verb, to get into or onto an airplane, a bus, a train, etc.: "Everyone must have a ticket in order to board the train."
"The pirates tried to board the ship, but they were fought off by an armed guard."
5. To cover or to close something with pieces of wood: "The caretaker wanted to board up the window before it got too late."
bored (BORD, BOHRD)
Wearied by being in the company of someone who is dull, tedious, long-winded, etc.: "I hate to tell you but I am bored to death by long meetings."
I appreciate that my friend is a good sounding board and not sounding bored in response.
It would appear that the uninterested directors of a business are nothing more than a bored board.
Parents are people who bear infants, bore teen-agers, and board newlyweds.

McKenzie

 
boarder, border
boarder (BOR dur, BOR duhr)
1. A lodger, a bed and breakfast, a resident: "The ranch has boarder vacationers during the summer."
2. A lodger who receives meals regularly at a fixed price: "To earn extra money, they took in a boarder."
3. Someone who enters, gets on, or embarks: "The passenger was a boarder of the plane at noon after having been a boarder of a bus that delivered him to the airport."
border (BOR dur, BOR duhr)
1. An edge, a rim, a perimeter: "Summer cottages were built all around the border of the lake."
2. A frontier, a boundary: "Do you need a passport to cross the Canadian border?"
3. To be next to, to adjoin: "California has a border with the Pacific Ocean."
4. A trim, a hem: "The seamstress sewed a border of flowers on the dress."
A renter's boundary, or limitation, in a room and board situation is said to be a boarder border.
 
boat, ship
boat (BOHT)
A water born vessel which is propelled by means of oars, paddles, power: "The students paddled their small red boat on the river, winning the race."
ship (SHIP)
1. A large water born vessel; for example, sea going, that is propelled by power or sail: "The large ship, carrying fruit, sailed carefully through the Panama Canal."
2. To transport on a water born vessel: "I will ship my new car by freighter to England."
3. To send away: "The plan is to ship the boys off to boarding school when they are older."
 
bode, bowed
bode (BOHD)
1. Past tense of the verb bide. To wait or to continue in a state or condition: "Due to the weather, the travellers had to bode the completion of their travels until the ice storm ended."
2. To anticipate or to foretell; to predict: "The reading of the astrological signs bode great happiness for the newlywed couple."
bowed (BOU'd, BOH'd)
1. To incline one’s head and back, bending forward from the waist: "As the hearse passed by, the villagers bowed respectfully."
2. To submit, to yield, to stoop: "The old baroness felt bowed by the responsibilities of her position in the castle."
3. To play a stringed musical instrument; such as, a violin: "The young girl bowed her violin with precision, creating lovely music."
 
bogey, bogy
bogey (BOH gee)
One stroke over par in a game of golf: "The champion claimed a bogey over her closest competition."
bogy, bogey, bogie (BOH gee)
A goblin; an evil spirit: "The children huddled in their beds after listening to stories about a bogy."
2. A person or thing which is feared: "Tales abound about a bogy who rides a black horse on dark, moonless nights."
 
bold, bowled
bold (BOHLD)
1. Having courage, fearless, daring: "The captain of the ship was bold in the face of pirates who tried to board his ship."
"This area was settled by bold pioneers."
2. Unduly forward; brazen: "The mother cautioned her small child not to be bold when talking with older people."
"If I may be so bold, I'd like to offer a few points of criticism."
bowled (BOHLD)
1. To roll a ball or rounded object as in bowling: "The team cheered when the last player bowled a perfect score."
2. In the game of cricket, to deliver the ball to the batsman: "The batsman bowled the final round to win the cricket competition."
3. To surprise: "Her arrival completely bowled her mother over as she was not expecting her daughter until the next day."
 
bolder, boulder
bolder (BOHL duhr)
1. More daring and resistant: "If you want to be noticed, perhaps you need to be a little bolder."
2. Showing or needing confidence or lack of fear: "Few politicians have been bolder than those who want to cut taxes."
boulder (BOHL duhr)
A very large stone or rounded piece of rock: "The road was blocked by a boulder."
When the man was removing rocks from the hill with his earth moving machine, he was thinking that he could see a boulder that was bolder than the others because it resisted the pressures which he was using to bring it down.
 
boll, bowl
boll (BOHL)
A seed pod of cotton or flax: "Sometimes the multiple existence of the cotton boll looks like a bunch of snow balls in the fields."
bowl (BOHL)
1. A round dish: "We put the cereal in the bowl for breakfast."
2. A building or stadium shaped like a round dish: "They went to the Rose Bowl to see this year's game."
 
boors, bourse
boors (BOORZ)
Plural of boor, an insensitive or rude person: "'I'm exhausted', she exclaimed, 'I have never met so many boors in one place in my life'."
bourse (BOORS)
A specialized sale; such as, numismatic or philatelic, typically at a convention where the items would be displayed on a table: "The collector set up his booth at the bourse which is held two times per year."
 
boos, booze
boos (BOOZ)
Sounds uttered to show contempt, scorn, or disapproval: "There were loud boos from the crowd at the end of the speech."
"The announcement was greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers."
booze (BOOZ)
A casual expression describing an alcoholic beverage: "After the big football game, the boys went to the bar for a quick booze before going home."
"They bought some chips and booze for the party."
There were a lot of boos when the bar ran out of booze.
 
boot, boots; boot, boots
boot, boots (BOOT, BOOTS), noun
1. A covering for the entire foot and the lower part of the leg usually made of leather or rubber: "He had to put a boot on each foot before he went out into the winter snow and his wife wore her boots, too."
2. A forceful kick with the foot: "He gave the football a boot through the goal posts and won the game."
3. Getting fired, or dismissed, from a job: "She got the boot because she told the press about her company secrets."
boot, boots (BOOT, BOOTS), verb
1. To kick something with great force: "The teenager was determined to boot the ball from one end the field to the other end."
2. Forcing someone to leave a place or situation: "The voters decided to boot him out of office."
3. To start a computer: "The new computer boots up much faster than my old one did."
"I was told that I don't need all of those applications to open every time I boot my computer."
 
booty; booty, bootee, bootie
booty (BOO tee)
1. Money or goods stolen or taken in war: "Historically, conquering forces have been known to take a great deal of booty from their foes."
2. A valuable gain or prize: "Her booty from the the auction included some rare antiques."
booty, bootee, bootie (BOO tee, boo TEE)
1. A small child's little shoe or boot: "His mother asked her little son where he hid his other booty."
2. A baby's knitted woolen boot: "The mother put a new bootee on each of the baby's feet."
3. A light, half boot, for women: "Her mother showed her daughter a bootie in the closet that she used to wear before the girl was born."
 
born, borne
born (BORN)
Brought forth, or into, being; offspring: "Her daughter was born yesterday at the hospital."
borne (BORN)
To carry, support, or to hold up: "He has borne a gift for the family from Africa."
 
borough, borrow, burro, burrow
borough (BUR oh)
A village or a political division of a city or an incorporated town or municipality, that is smaller than a city which may be perceived as part of a larger metropolitan area: "In the metropolis of New York, Queens is a borough where many people live."
burro (BUR oh)
A small donkey often used as a pack animal: "The miners used a burro to carry their mining equipment over the mountains."
borrow (BOR oh)
1. To take for one's use: "I went to the library to borrow a few books."
2. To use an idea, saying, etc. that was thought up by someone else: "The speaker decided to borrow several phrases in his presentation that came from Winston Churchill."
burrow (BUR oh)
1. A small hole made in the ground as by a rabbit for habitation and refuge: "Beatrice Potter story book character of Peter Rabbit and his family lived in a comfortable burrow."
2. To tunnel by digging either by hand or with machinery: "The engineers used a large bore to burrow through the hillside while building the railroad."
 
bough, bow
bough (BOU)
A branch of a tree, often the largest or main branch: "The tree surgeon noted the bough of the walnut tree was very old and needed to be removed."
bow (BOU)
1. As a noun, a bending: "The man made a bow to the king."
2. The front part of a vessel: "The bow of the ship was crushing through the winter ice."
3. As a verb, to bend in greeting or to submit one's self: "She had to bow to the queen's wishes."
 
bouillon, bullion
bouillon (BOOL yahn, BOOL yuhn)
A thin, clear soup; usually of beef: "At the dinner party, the host served bouillon as the first course."
bullion (BOOL yuhn)
Gold or silver in bars or plates, but not in coin formats: "The mules hauled the miners' bullion over the mountains in a special wagon."
 
bourgeois, proletariat
bourgeois (boor ZHWA, BOOR zhwa")
An individual or group which is perceived socially and economically as middle class; a tendency towards material interests and respectability: "By living in town, the farmer attempted to be a bourgeois in his life style."
proletariat (pro" li TAR ee it)
Of or pertaining to the lower social or economic class in a community; such as, industrial workers or laborers: "The proletariat attempted to form a union at the linen mill in an effort to improve their living standards."
 
boy, buoy
boy (BOI)
A young-male child: "They brought their boy to the concert, too."
buoy (BOO ee, BOI)
1. A warning float moored on a dangerous rock or shoal or at the edge of a channel: "The buoy in the harbor was painted red and white and had a bell on the top of its head to attract the attention of the sailors."
2. A cork belt or jacket to keep a person from sinking: "All ships and boats should carry one buoy or life jacket for each passenger and crew member."
3. As a verb, To hold up; to encourage: "The good news will buoy up our hopes for the results of the elections."
I have never heard that there is such a thing as a "female float" or girl buoy, but isn't it possible to say that there is such a thing as a "male float" called a boy buoy?
One thing is certain, a girl can either buoy up the self confidence of a boy or she can mutilate his ego.
When a sea gull swooped and lit on a buoy that bobbed in the bay, he said, "As here I sit, buoy meets gull. Hey, hey."
 
braid, brayed
braid (BRAYD)
1. To create a hair style or a decorative band by the interweaving of three strands of (hair, narrow ribbon, etc.): "Her hair style was very simple; that is, just a braid tied with a colored ribbon."
2. Decorative ribbons worn on clothing or indicating a military rank or achievement: "The officer had braid on his uniform to indicate that he has been enlisted in the military service for several years."
brayed (BRAYD)
Past tense of the verb bray; the loud, harsh call or noise uttered by a donkey: "At day break, as the farmer went out to feed the horses, the donkey brayed for attention in the pasture."
 
braise, brays, braze
braise (BRAYZ)
To cook (meat) by searing it until it is brown, then simmering it in a covered pan: "The hostess said she would braise the short ribs before putting them in the oven."
brays (BRAYZ)
1. To make the loud harsh cry of a donkey: "The farmer could hear the brays of the donkeys which were in the pasture."
2. To utter or sound loudly and harshly: "His voice was harsh and reminded her of the brays of a donkey."
braze (BRAYZ)
To solder with a hard solder like brass: "The blacksmith attempted to braze the decorative piece for the saddle which had been broken."
 
brake, break
brake (BRAYK)
1. A device for slowing or stopping a vehicle or wheel; especially, by friction: "The hand brake failed to stop the car."
2. An instrument for separating the fiber of flax, hemp, etc. by bruising or crushing it: "The museum had a fine example of a brake for flax in the weaving house."
break (BRAYK)
1. To separate into parts or fragments; to shatter: "Such a strong vibration will break the glasses."
2. To crack without separating something into parts: "He knocked the glass over and it had a slight break on one side."
 
braking, breaking, breaking
braking (BRAY king)
Using a device for slowing or stopping something; such as, a vehicle: "The vehicle in front of us was braking suddenly when a cat ran across the street in front of him."
breaking (BRAY king)
Separating something into parts or pieces often in a sudden and forceful or violent way: "She was so upset that she was throwing and breaking dishes on the floor out of frustration."
breaking (BRAY king)
To make something; such as, news publicly known for the first time: "The television station often presents Breaking News; sometimes excessively."
 
brazen, brazen, brazen
brazen (BRAY zuhn)
Acting or done in a very open and shocking way without shame or embarrassment; impudent: "A lawyer was shot and killed Monday in a brazen daylight assassination in central Moscow, officials said."
brazen (BRAY zuhn)
Harsh sounding; such as, if someone were hitting something made of brass: "A person who is brazen is described as being overly loud, harsh, and offensive."
brazen (BRAY zuhn)
Something made of brass, or resembling it, especially in color or hardness: "A brazen statue of the soldier was seen in the city square."
 
breach, breech
breach (BREECH)
1. An opening made by breaking down something solid; such as, a gap made in a wall or fortification: "There was a breach in several places of the wall so the soldiers could get into the fortress."
2. A breaking or the neglect (of a law, a trust, etc.); an infraction or infringement: "For the guard to leave now would be a breach of duty."
3. A breaking of friendly relations; a quarrel: "A misunderstanding caused a breach between me and my friend."
breech (BREECH)
1. The lower rear portion of the human trunk; the behind, posterior; hind part: "A breech is an old-fashioned word for the 'backside' of the body."
2. The part of a firearm (gun) to the rear of the bore: "Flame flew out of the breech of the gun because of the defective bullets he was using."
 
bread, bred
bread (BRED)
A baked food made of flour or meal: "I just took a loaf of pumpernickel bread from the oven."
bred (BRED)
1. To bring forth offspring or babies: "The horticulturalist bred a new strain of flowers in her garden and took them to the fair."
2. The past tense and past participle form of the verb "to breed": "The farmer took his cow to his neighbor's bull where she was bred in hopes that a new calf would be born in the spring."
3. To train or to inspire good manners: "The teacher worked hard and her students indicated that they had been properly bred by using good manners when they went to the concert."
 
breadth, breath, breathe
breadth (BREDTH)
Width: "The breadth of the prairies is incredible."
breath (BRETH)
Air which is inhaled and exhaled during breathing: "The loss of breath can be a dangerous symptom."
breathe (BREETH)
To inhale and to exhale air into one's lungs: "He rose quickly to the surface of the water and then he could breathe again."
 
Breton, Britain, Briton
Breton (BRET'n)
Relating to Brittany or its people, language (Celtic), or culture: "He emphasized that he was a Breton from Brittany not a Briton from Great Britain."
Britain (BRIT'n)
Great Britain: England, Scotland, and Wales. It is separated from the mainland of Europe by the English Channel and from Ireland by the Irish Sea: "We had a very interesting trip to Great Britain last summer."
Briton (BRIT'n)
A native or inhabitant of Great Britain: "Winston Churchill is considered to have been a noble Briton."
 
brewed, brood
brewed (BROOD)
1. To make ale or beer from malt and hops: "We went to the place where they brewed the beer for our store."
2. To instigate or to incite: "He brewed discontent and trouble with the audience."
brood (BROOD)
1. The young of certain animals; especially, a group of young birds or fowl hatched at one time and cared for together: "The mother hen had a colourful brood of chicks."
2. The children of a family: "The new neighbor has quite a brood of five children."
 
brews, bruise
brews (BROOZ)
1. To create a beverage by steeping or soaking (tea) or by fermentation (beer): "She brews her tea for exactly ten minutes."
"The company brews several different types of beer for the consumer."
2. To bring about or to plot, to contrive: "Trouble brews when the union members are unhappy with their contract."
bruise (BROOZ)
Discoloration on the skin caused by the breaking of blood vessels as the result of an injury: "After the boxer won the round, he had a big bruise over his right eye."
 
bridal, bridle
bridal (BRIGHD'l)
Referring to a bride or a wedding: "She changed her bridal gown right after the marriage ceremony."
bridle (BRIGHD'l)
The head harness, including bit and reins used to guide or to restrain a horse: "The woman had trouble putting the bridle on her restless horse."
Bridal, a harness for a man.

Bailey

A bridle path is associated with grooms, not brides, and with halters, not altars.

Evan Esar

 
brief, short
brief (BREEF)
A concise statement or letter: "The lawyer prepared a brief in preparation for the trial."
short (SHORT)
1. Being of brief duration, abrupt, passing quickly: "There was a short pause in the speech before the Senator continued."
2. Insufficient: "The supplies in the store room were short several boxes."
3. Containing or cooked with a grease based ingredient; the pie crust was very short, flaky and delicious."
 
bring, take
bring (BRING)
1. To come with something or someone to a place: "I'll bring the money when I come to your house."
2. To move or carry to a place where some action is to occur: "The students were asked to bring the books from the store room to the library to be put on shelves."
take (TAYK)
To get something into one possession or command: "In a moment of passion, the young man attempted to take the young lady hand in his."
 
brink, drink
brink (BRINGK)
The edge at the top of a steep cliff; usually, used figuratively to refer to a point that is very close to the occurrence of something very bad or very good: "The tree grew on the brink of the cliff."
"He nearly lost everything because of his excessive drinking, but his friends were successful in pulling him back from the brink of disaster."
"Medical scientists may be on the brink of finding a cure for this mental disease."
drink (DRINGK)
1. To put a liquid in one’s mouth in order to swallow it: "He held the flask to his mouth to take a drink of water."
2. To absorb or to receive avidly: "The students appeared to drink in all that the professor said in class."
3. A beverage, non-alcoholic or alcoholic: "The students went to the cafe for a drink when they finished their examinations."
 
broach, brooch
broach (BROHCH)
1. A pointed tool for making holes: "The carpenter used a broach to make a smooth hole in the piece of wood."
2. To open by making a hole: "He tried to broach a cask of wine."
3. To begin to talk about something: "He wanted to broach a new topic for the discussion."
brooch (BROOCH, BRUCH)
An ornamental pin used on one's clothing: "She wore a beautiful brooch with a pearl as part of its structure."
 
brochure, leaflet, pamphlet
brochure (broh SHOOR)
A small book or publication containing descriptive or advertising information: "The realtor put a brochure about the new house in the mailbox."
leaflet (LEE flit)
1. Botanical, a small, young foliage: "In the spring, the students examined the leaflet on the branch of the tree."
2. A printed publication usually for distribution free of charge, typically one page in length: "The boy first job was to distribute the leaflet put out by the grocery store to advertise the store sales."
pamphlet (PAM flit)
A printed publication that is unbound or with a soft, paper cover: "The members of the Student Union distributed a pamphlet outlining their concerns to the school administration."
 
brook, brook
brook (BROOK)
To put up with; to tolerate:: "His parents said they would brook no further discussion."
brook (BROOK)
A small stream, often a shallow or intermittent tributary to a river: "The brook was flowing near our back yard out in the country."
 
broom, groom
broom (BROOM)
An implement used for sweeping, usually consisting of a bunch of twigs, straw, or bristles bound together and attached to a stick or handle: "He used a broom to sweep off the sidewalk in front of his house."
groom (GROOM)
1. A person who is employed to take care of horses or a stable for horses: "He will be the groom for the horses that will be used in the coming competition."
2. A man who has just married or is about to be married: "The bride and the groom have just completed the necessary vows for marriage."
3. To remove dirt and parasites from the skin, fur, or feathers of by an animal or for another animal: "The cat can groom itself, but sometimes animals will groom others; such as, one monkey has been seen to groom another one by looking for and eating fleas, etc. from the fur."
4. To prepare someone for a particular job or position: "Someone will groom a new person with the right skills to take over as the head of this department."

Constable or "officer of the stable", the chief groom

In medieval France, the head groom of a stable was called, in Late Latin, comes stabuli, "officer of the stable".
During those times, horses were extremely valuable for their uses in transportation and in war. Being in charge of the horses was an important job; therefore, comes stabuli came to refer to a high officer of a royal or noble household, or to a higher military officer.
The present form of constable now refers to any of various public officers of the peace. In England, a policeman is known as a constable.

Based on information from
Webster's Word Histories; Merriam-Webster, Inc., Publishers;
Springfield, Massachusetts; 1989; page 118.

 
brows, browse
brows (BROUZ)
The superciliary ridge over the eyes, the eyebrows: "The prominent brows on his face accentuated his deep brown eyes."
browse (BROUZ)
1. To inspect leisurely and casually; to read by skimming: "Sitting on a bench in the park, the man liked to browse through the books he carried."
2. To nibble on vegetation; such as, leaves or young shoots: "Everyday the sheep would browse on the grass in the meadow while the shepherd and his dog took care of them."
 
brunt, burnt
brunt (BRUNT)
The principle force or stress: "The dam on the river bore the brunt of the flood waters thus protecting the villages in the valley."
burnt (BURNT)
A scrape or injury caused by heat: "When she fell, the little girl burnt her knees by scraping them on the rough carpet."
 
buccal, buckle
buccal (BUK'l)
The cheek or a reference to the mouth: "The buccal nerve on his right cheek was irritated by the infected tooth."
buckle (BUK'l)
1. A clasp used to fasten the ends of a belt, strap, etc.: "The belt buckle was very fancy, depicting a rider and a horse."
2. A metal ornament for a shoe: "When the king dressed for special occasions, he demanded a gold buckle to be on each of his shoes."
3. As a verb, to fasten: "Be sure to buckle your seat belt when driving in a car."
4. To bend, to bulge, or to wrinkle: "Heat applied to a sheet of plastic will cause it to buckle, distorting its shape."
 
bug, bug
bug (BUHG), noun
1. An insect or similar organism; such as, a centipede or an earwig; usually a small insect: "There's a bug in my soup."
"Please close the door, you're letting the bugs in."
2. A defect in a computer code or with the routine operation of a program: "We found a bug in the word-processing program which makes it impossible to do anything."
"He said he would be trying to work the bug, or bugs, out of the program system as soon as he could find the cause of the bug."
3. An electronic listening device; such as, a hidden microphone or wiretap, used to secretly listen to and to record the conversations of a person or people: "The authorities planted a bug in the suspect's room."
"The secret service put a bug in the man's apartment in case he tried to contact other suspected terroists."
bug (BUHG), verb
1. To bother or to annoy someone: "Please don't bug me about closing the door."
"She told him to bug off and to leave her alone."
2. Putting a hidden microphone in a room in order to secretly hear what people are saying: "The police received the judge's authorization to bug the guy's apartment."
"Everyone should be forewarned that certain governments are continually trying to bug their phones, and their computers are constantly being bugged; as well as, other areas of their living and working areas."
It's amazing how easy it is for a bug to bug us.
 
buggy, buggy
buggy (BUHG ee)
A light carriage that is usually pulled by one horse: "The last time I heard, tourists can still find a horse and buggy for a short ride in New York City."
buggy (BUHG ee)
1. Full of or having many insects: "It's too buggy out here, let's go inside."
2. A computer program, system, etc. that has many problems or errors that prevent the proper operation of the computer: "This buggy software is driving me crazy because I can't do anything with my computer!"
 
bull, bull, bull
bull (BOOL)
1. An adult male bovine mammal of the ox and cow family: "Among cows in the pasture, there is usually at least one bull."
2. The male of certain other large animals, such as the alligator, elephant, whale, or moose: "The bull elephant is also a protector of the younger elephants."
bull (BOOL)
An optimist, especially regarding business conditions, who buys commodities or securities in anticipation of a rise in prices or who tries by speculative purchases to effect such a rise: "Sometimes there is a bull market which for some people may mean an increase in their financial status."
bull (BOOL)
An official document issued by the pope and sealed with a bulla (a round seal affixed to a papal bull): "The bull is an official command or statement written by the Roman Catholic Pope."
 
bump, thump
bump (BUMP)
To strike against something with force: "The truck hit the large stone with a jolting bump."
thump (THUMP)
To hit or to knock with something heavy: "The guests were frightened when they heard a loud thump in the attic which they had been told was caused by a ghost."
 
bundle, bungle
bundle (BUN d'l)
A large number of things or items fastened together for ease of handling: "She went to the store and bought a large bundle of fresh asparagus for the dinner party."
"He had a large bundle of cash in his pocket when he went shopping."
bungle (BUNG guhl)
To mishandle or to act in a clumsy manner: "The boss was very angry, stating that the new employee seemed to bungle the assignment."
 
burger, burgher
burger (BUR guhr)
A sandwich consisting of a bun, a cooked beef patty, and often other ingredients; such as cheese, onion slices, lettuce, or condiments: "She was so hungry that she went to the restaurant and ordered the special burger."
burgher (BUR guhr)
A citizen of a town or borough; or a member of the mercantile class of a medieval European city: "At least one burgher expressed his desire for more security from criminal activities in his community."
 
burglar, robber, thief
burglar (BUR gluhr)
An individual who steals or attempts to take property that does not belong to that person: "The burglar was caught by the police when he attempted to leave the store with the fancy TV set for which he had not paid."
robber (ROB buhr)
An individual who takes property or valuables unlawfully and often with threat of violence: "The robber wore a mask and waved his gun, shouting at the people in the bank to lie on the floor before the he escaped."
thief (THEEF)
An individual who takes property or steals in a very secretive manner: "The thief was careful to create a sense of friendship with the rich man before he took the valuable picture off the wall."
 
burley, burly
burley (BER lee)
A kind of Kentucky tobacco: "At the tobacco market, the plantation owner received a large sum for his fine burley."
burly (BER lee)
Big and strong: "The wrestler appeared to be tall and burly as he stood by the TV announcer."
 
burst, bust
burst (BURST)
1. A sudden breaking apart or explosion: "The dam burst from the pressure of the water accumulated after the torrential rains."
2. An unexpected expression of emotion: "His heart burst with love for the lovely girl whose name he did not know."
3. A short period of producing or doing something that begins suddenly: "He ran hard in a short burst of speed at the end of the race."
bust (BUST)
1. A sculpture depicting the upper portion of the body: "The marble bust of Harriet Smith, founder of the Art Gallery, stood in the foyer of the gallery."
2. To smash or to break up; to ruin; slang: "When the Stock Market collapsed, it marked the bust up of many businesses."
3. A complete failure, a flop; slang: "Although critically acclaimed, the play has been a bust."
4. An occurrence in which the police catch and arrest people who are, or who have been, committing a crime: "There was a big drug bust last week when the police arrested the marijuana dealers."
 
bus, buss
bus (BUS)
1. A long motor vehicle for carrying passengers, usually along a fixed route: "The couple decided to go by bus to the next city so they could visit her parents."
2. A four-wheeled cart for carrying dishes in a restaurant: "The first job the girl had after high school was to push the bus from table to table, clearing off the dirty dishes."
3. A verb form, to transport in a long motor vehicle: "We agreed to bus it to the big city to go to the movies."
buss (BUS)
To kiss, or a kiss: "In their hurried separation, he gave her a quick buss on the cheek to say good-bye."
 
but, butt
but (BUT)
A conjunction: on the other hand; yet; other than; except: "There are usually twelve in a dozen but there are 13 in a baker’s dozen."
butt (BUT)
1. The larger or thicker end of anything: "The butcher said the butt end of the ham would make a great meal when cooked properly."
2. The unused end of a cigar or cigarette: "The street person picked up the butt of the cigar to try to smoke it."
3. A target for abuse or ridicule: "The senator was often the butt of the chairman’s jokes."