Glossary
Terms starting with B
312 definitions · page 4 of 6.
- blink comparator
- An instrument that allows astronomers to view two images of the same region of sky simultaneously. Objects that have changed their brightness or position appear to stand out of the plane of the picture.
- Blinkers
- Device that hinders a horse from seeing things on either side. It prevents the horse from shying from objects and other horses and they focus a horse’s attention on running.
- BLOCKBUSTING
- The illegal practice of inducing homeowners to sell their properties by making representations regarding the entry or prospective entry of persons of a particular race or national origin into the neighborhood.
- Blog
- A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.
- Blog
- (Slang term for a Weblog) This is a publicly accessible personal journal for an individual. Similar to a personal diary, but shared over the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically…
- blue note
- In blues singing or jazz, the deliberate offpitch lowering of certain pitches.
- BLUE-SKY LAWS
- Common name for those state and federal laws that regulate the registration and sale of investment securities.
- Bluefin tuna
- Regarded as the highest grade tuna, bluefin tuna is used in top-class restaurants for sashimi and sushi. However, the southern blue-fin tuna is endangered, so be very choosy about what exactly you're buying.
- blues
- (I)A form of African-American folk music, characterized by simple, repetitive structures and a highly flexible vocal delivery; (2) the style of singing heard in the blues.
- blueshift
- a decrease in the wavelength of light coming from an object due to its motion toward Earth
- Bluetooth
- Radio technology that connects electronic devices without using a cable. Data and voice can be exchanged at ranges of up to 10 meters without the need for devices to be lined up together.
- Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
- Revolutionizes the personal connectivity market by providing freedom from wired connections - enabling links between mobile computers, mobile phones, portable hand-held devices, and connectivity to the internet.
- blunt-end ligation
- The ligating or attaching of blunt-ended pieces of DNA by T4 DNA ligase. Used in creating hybrid vectors.
- BMP
- (pronounced "bimp"): It's a bitmap, an image made up of little dots.
- BNC
- Different sources expand BNC as Bayonet Navy Connector, British Naval Connector, Bayonet Neill Concelman or Bayonet Nut Connection. A connector widely used in the CCTV industry, usually for coaxial cable. Easy to install and reliable with little video signal…
- BODILY INJURY LIABILITY COVERAGE
- Portion of an auto insurance policy that covers injuries the policyholder causes to someone else.
- Body
- The part of an email message that contains the actual text of the message.
- BOILER
- A closed vessel in which water is converted to pressurized steam.
- BOILER AND MACHINERY INSURANCE
- Often called Equipment Breakdown, or Systems Breakdown insurance. Commercial insurance that covers damage caused by the malfunction or breakdown of boilers, and a vast array of other equipment including air conditioners, heating, electrical, telephone, and…
- BOILING WATER REACTOR
- BWR) A nuclear power unit in which water used as a coolant is allowed to boil at the core. The resulting steam may be used to drive electric turbines.
- Bok choi
- Closely related to the pak choi, this leafy green Chinese vegetable belongs to the cabbage family (although it tastes nothing like cabbage!). It has fleshy, white, slightly ribbed leaf stalks and soft, oval green leaves. The leaves and stems are best suited…
- Bok globule
- a small, dark nebula thought to be a region of star formation
- bolero jacket
- A loose, waist-length jacket open at the front.
- Bolete boletus
- The name of a large group of (mostly edible) fungi, which includes the cep (cépe). Boletes are characterised by the sponge-like texture of the bottom side of the cap. Boletes are found in most parts of the world from Europe to China and Africa. Despite…
- bolide
- a brilliant meteor or fireball that explodes in mid-air
- bolides
- brilliant meteors or fireballs that explode in mid-air
- Bollito misto
- An Italian dish of various kinds of meat - usually chicken, ox tongue and pigs' trotters - boiled in stock. It's served with sauces that vary from region to region, but salsa verde and mostarda di frutta (a whole fruit preserve with hot mustard in sweet…
- Bolognese sauce
- Ragù Bolognese, often known simply as ragù, is the all-purpose thick Italian sauce made from minced beef and tomatoes. It can form the basis of lasagne or be served with spaghetti. Slow cooking is the key, until the sauce has reduced to a thick, mahogany…
- Bombay duck
- Also called bummalo, this isn't a duck at all, but a small dried fish from India and Bangladesh. The fish are landed, then hung on racks on the beach to dry in the sun. In cooking, Bombay duck is usually heated in the oven or fried until it is crisp enough…
- Bona fide
- Genuine, sincere, in good faith.
- BOND
- A security that obligates the issuer to pay interest at specified intervals and to repay the principal amount of the loan at maturity. In insurance, a form of suretyship. Bonds of various types guarantee a payment or a reimbursement for financial losses…
- BOND RATING
- An evaluation of a bond’s financial strength, conducted by such major ratings agencies as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service.
- Bonito
- Large fish from the same family as tuna and mackerel. Bonito is an oily fish and is prepared in the same way as tuna. It's labelled as skipjack tuna when tinned.
- Bonus Ball
- A seventh ball drawn in the UK National Lottery. Matching 5 numbers and the 'Bonus Ball' wins the second highest prize.
- BOOK OF BUSINESS
- Total amount of insurance on an insurer's books at a particular point in time.
- Bookmark
- a link stored in a Web browser for future reference.
- Bookmark
- A way of storing a frequently visited website address. It is then easier to access the website in the future.
- Boolean Logic
- A type of mathematical logic named after its designer George Boole. This binary algebraic system is used primarily in switching circuits and database searches. Search engines use logical operators called, Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT). AND: Narrows a…
- BOOT
- Money or property given to make up any difference in value or equity between two properties in an exchange.
- Boot Disk
- A diskette from which you can boot your computer. Normally, your computer boots from a hard disk, but if the hard disk is damaged (for example, by a virus), you can boot the computer from a bootable diskette. For this reason, it's a good idea to make sure…
- boot-cut
- Cut below the belly button and slightly flares from the knee to the ankle.
- Borlotti beans
- A variety of kidney bean, this is a large, plump bean, pinkish brown in colour with reddish brown streaks, widely used in Italian cooking. You can buy borlotti beans dried or tinned - cannellini beans make a good replacement if you can't find them. They have…
- Borsch or borscht
- Eastern European soup usually made with beetroot and served with a good dollop of soured cream and, sometimes, dumplings.
- Bose-Einstein condensate
- atoms crowded close together in ultra-low temperatures that behave as if they were one fluid-like superatom
- Bot
- An automated piece of software that can be used in chat rooms or to crawl the web.
- BOTTLED GAS
- The liquified petroleum gases propane and butane, contained under moderate pressure (about 125 pounds per square inch and 30 pounds per square inch respectively), in cylinders.
- bottleneck
- A brief reduction in size of a population which usually leads to random genetic drift.
- Bottom Quark
- The fifth flavor of quark (in order of increasing mass), with electric charge of -1/3.
- BOTTOMING CYCLE
- A means to increase the thermal efficiency of a steam electric generating system by converting some waste heat from the condenser into electricity rather than discharging all of it into the environment.
- Bouillabaisse
- A fish stew made of a variety of fish, flavoured with saffron and tomatoes. It's traditionally associated with the Provence region of France, particularly Marseilles. There are innumerable recipes for 'authentic' bouillabaisse and arguments rage about what…
- BOUNCE BACK COUPON
- A coupon given to the customer after the sale, enticing them to come back. It is usually has a seven to thirty day expiration date.
- Bouquet garni
- A small bunch of herbs, classically a bay leaf, a few parsley sprigs and a few sprigs of thyme, wrapped in a leek leaf or bunched with a piece of celery and tied with string. It's ideal for flavouring soups, stews and stocks during cooking and is removed…
- bow
- In string playing, a bundle of bleached horsehairs stretched tautly between the ends of a wooden stick. To produce a sound, the bow is drawn over one or more of the strings.
- Box Bet or Boxed
- A way of betting a three or four digit number that will pay off if those three or four numbers are drawn in any order. For example 245, 452, 425 would win if the selected number is 542.
- box-pleated
- Two folds of fabric brought together to form a pleat.
- Boxing
- A system used to play more digits than you could normally play in a three or four digit numbers game.
- boy-leg
- Shorts, undergarments, or swimwear that has a close fitting leg that reaches half way down the thigh.
- BPA
- (short for Bonneville Power Administration) - One of five federal power marketing administrations that sell low-cost electric power produced by federal hydro electric dams to agricultural and municipal users. BPA serves Idaho, Oregon, and Washington as well…
- brachydactyly
- A human phenotype of unusually short digits, generally inherited as an autosomal dominant.
- branch migration
- 1. The process in which a crossover point between two DNA duplexes slides along the duplexes. 2. The process by which a single invading DNA strand extends its partial pairing with its complementary strand as it displaces the resident strand from a DNA duplex.