| bargeman | (noun) someone who operates a barge | Synonyms: bargee, lighterman |
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| barleycorn | (noun) a grain of barley | Synonyms: barley |
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| (noun) a grain of barley | - |
| barman | (noun) a male employee who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar | - |
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| barn | (noun) an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals | - |
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| (noun) (physics) a unit of nuclear cross section; the effective circular area that one particle presents to another as a target for an encounter | Synonyms: b |
| baron | (noun) a British peer of the lowest rank | - |
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| (noun) a very wealthy or powerful businessman | Synonyms: big businessman, business leader, king, magnate, mogul, power, top executive, tycoon |
| (noun) a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank | - |
| barren | (adjective) providing no shelter or sustenance | Synonyms: bare, bleak, desolate, stark |
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| (adjective) completely wanting or lacking | Synonyms: destitute, devoid, free, innocent |
| (adjective) not bearing offspring | - |
| (noun) an uninhabited wilderness that is worthless for cultivation | Synonyms: waste, wasteland |
| baryon | (noun) any of the elementary particles having a mass equal to or greater than that of a proton and that participate in strong interactions; a hadron with a baryon number of +1 | Synonyms: heavy particle |
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| baseborn | (adjective) illegitimate | Synonyms: base |
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| (adjective) of low birth or station (`base' is archaic in this sense) | Synonyms: base, humble, lowly |
| basidiolichen | (noun) a lichen in which the fungus component is a basidiomycete | - |
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| basilican | (adjective) of or relating to or resembling a basilica | - |
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| basin | (noun) a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids | - |
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| (noun) a bathroom sink that is permanently installed and connected to a water supply and drainpipe; where you can wash your hands and face | Synonyms: lavatory, washbasin, washbowl, washstand |
| (noun) the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet | Synonyms: catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area, drainage basin, river basin, watershed |
| (noun) a natural depression in the surface of the land often with a lake at the bottom of it | - |
| (noun) the quantity that a basin will hold | Synonyms: basinful |
| bassoon | (noun) a double-reed instrument; the tenor of the oboe family | - |
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| bastardisation | (noun) an act that debases or corrupts | Synonyms: bastardization |
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| bastardization | (noun) an act that debases or corrupts | Synonyms: bastardisation |
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| (noun) declaring or rendering bastard | - |
| bastion | (noun) projecting part of a rampart or other fortification | - |
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| (noun) a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle | Synonyms: citadel |
| (noun) a group that defends a principle | - |
| batman | (noun) an orderly assigned to serve a British military officer | - |
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| baton | (noun) a thin tapered rod used by a conductor to lead an orchestra or choir | Synonyms: wand |
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| (noun) a hollow cylinder passed from runner to runner in a relay race | - |
| (noun) a hollow metal rod that is wielded or twirled by a drum major or drum majorette | - |
| (noun) a short staff carried by some officials to symbolize an office or an authority | - |
| (noun) a short stout club used primarily by policemen | Synonyms: billy, billy club, billystick, nightstick, truncheon |
| batrachian | (adjective) relating to frogs and toads | Synonyms: anuran, salientian |
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| (noun) any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species | Synonyms: anuran, frog, salientian, toad, toad frog |
| batsman | (noun) (baseball) a ballplayer who is batting | Synonyms: batter, hitter, slugger |
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| battalion | (noun) an army unit usually consisting of a headquarters and three or more companies | - |
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| (noun) a large indefinite quantity | Synonyms: large number, multitude, pack, plurality |
| batten | (noun) a strip fixed to something to hold it firm | - |
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| (noun) stuffing made of rolls or sheets of cotton wool or synthetic fiber | Synonyms: batting |
| (verb) secure with battens | - |
| (verb) furnish with battens | Synonyms: batten down, secure |
| battlewagon | (noun) large and heavily armoured warship | Synonyms: battleship |
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| bazillion | (noun) a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole) | Synonyms: billion, gazillion, jillion, million, trillion, zillion |
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| beacon | (noun) a radio station that broadcasts a directional signal for navigational purposes | Synonyms: radio beacon |
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| (noun) a tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships | Synonyms: beacon light, lighthouse, pharos |
| (noun) a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance | Synonyms: beacon fire |
| (verb) guide with a beacon | - |
| (verb) shine like a beacon | - |
| beadsman | (noun) a person who is paid to pray for the soul of another | Synonyms: bedesman |
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| bean | (noun) informal terms for a human head | Synonyms: attic, bonce, dome, noggin, noodle |
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| (noun) any of various edible seeds of plants of the family Leguminosae used for food | Synonyms: edible bean |
| (noun) any of various leguminous plants grown for their edible seeds and pods | Synonyms: bean plant |
| (noun) any of various seeds or fruits that are beans or resemble beans | - |
| (verb) hit on the head, especially with a pitched baseball | - |
| beardown | (adjective) with full strength | - |
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| bearskin | (noun) tall hat; worn by some British soldiers on ceremonial occasions | Synonyms: busby, shako |
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| (noun) the pelt of a bear | - |
| beaten | (adjective) formed or made thin by hammering | - |
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| (adjective) much trodden and worn smooth or bare | - |
| beatification | (noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an act of the Pope who declares that a deceased person lived a holy life and is worthy of public veneration; a first step toward canonization | - |
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| (noun) the action of rendering supremely blessed and extremely happy | - |
| (noun) a state of supreme happiness | Synonyms: beatitude, blessedness |
| beautician | (noun) someone who works in a beauty parlor | Synonyms: cosmetician |
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| beautification | (noun) the act of making something more beautiful | - |
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| beckon | (verb) signal with the hands or nod | Synonyms: wave |
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| (verb) summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture | - |
| (verb) appear inviting | - |
| bedamn | (verb) wish harm upon; invoke evil upon | Synonyms: anathemise, anathemize, beshrew, curse, damn, imprecate, maledict |
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| bedesman | (noun) a person who is paid to pray for the soul of another | Synonyms: beadsman |
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| bedizen | (verb) dress up garishly and tastelessly | Synonyms: dizen |
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| (verb) decorate tastelessly | - |
| bedpan | (noun) a shallow vessel used by a bedridden patient for defecation and urination | - |
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| bedridden | (adjective) confined to bed (by illness) | Synonyms: bedfast, bedrid, sick-abed |
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| beechen | (adjective) consisting of or made of wood of the beech tree | - |
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| beggarman | (noun) a man who is a beggar | - |
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| beggarwoman | (noun) a woman who is a beggar | - |
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| begin | (verb) take the first step or steps in carrying out an action | Synonyms: commence, get, get down, set about, set out, start, start out |
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| (verb) set in motion, cause to start | Synonyms: commence, lead off, start |
| (verb) begin to speak or say | - |
| (verb) begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language | - |
| (verb) achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative | - |
| (verb) begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object | Synonyms: start |
| (verb) have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense | Synonyms: start |
| (verb) be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series | - |
| (verb) have a beginning characterized in some specified way | Synonyms: start |
| (verb) have a beginning, of a temporal event | - |
| begotten | (adjective) (of offspring) generated by procreation | - |
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| beholden | (adjective) under a moral obligation to someone | - |
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| bellman | (noun) someone employed as an errand boy and luggage carrier around hotels | Synonyms: bellboy, bellhop |
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| bellybutton | (noun) a scar where the umbilical cord was attached | Synonyms: belly button, navel, omphalos, omphalus, umbilicus |
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| bemoan | (verb) regret strongly | Synonyms: bewail, deplore, lament |
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| ben | (noun) a mountain or tall hill | - |
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| benediction | (noun) the act of praying for divine protection | Synonyms: blessing |
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| (noun) a ceremonial prayer invoking divine protection | Synonyms: blessing |
| benefaction | (noun) an act intending or showing kindness and good will | Synonyms: benevolence |
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| (noun) a contribution of money or assistance | - |
| beneficiation | (noun) crushing and separating ore into valuable substances or waste by any of a variety of techniques | Synonyms: mineral dressing, mineral extraction, mineral processing, ore dressing, ore processing |
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| benign | (adjective) pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence | Synonyms: benignant |
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| (adjective) not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive (especially of a tumor) | - |
| (adjective) kindness of disposition or manner | - |
| benison | (noun) a spoken blessing | - |
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| benjamin | (noun) gum resin used especially in treating skin irritation | Synonyms: asa dulcis, benzoin, gum benjamin, gum benzoin |
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| benzofuran | (noun) a colorless oily compound extracted from coal tar and used in manufacturing synthetic resins | Synonyms: coumarone, cumarone |
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| benzoin | (noun) gum resin used especially in treating skin irritation | Synonyms: asa dulcis, benjamin, gum benjamin, gum benzoin |
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| benzylpenicillin | (noun) the penicillin that constitutes the principal component of many commercial antibiotics | Synonyms: penicillin G |
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| berlin | (noun) a limousine with a glass partition between the front and back seats | - |
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| bespoken | (adjective) pledged to be married | Synonyms: betrothed, engaged |
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| (adjective) (of clothing) custom-made | Synonyms: bespoke, made-to-order, tailor-made, tailored |
| betatron | (noun) accelerates a continuous beam of electrons to high speeds by means of the electric field produced by changing magnetic flux | Synonyms: induction accelerator |
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| betoken | (verb) indicate, as with a sign or an omen | Synonyms: augur, auspicate, bode, forecast, foreshadow, foretell, omen, portend, predict, prefigure, presage, prognosticate |
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| (verb) be a signal for or a symptom of | Synonyms: bespeak, indicate, point, signal |
| between | (adverb) in between | Synonyms: 'tween |
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| (adverb) in the interval | Synonyms: betwixt |
| betweenbrain | (noun) the posterior division of the forebrain; connects the cerebral hemispheres with the mesencephalon | Synonyms: diencephalon, interbrain, thalmencephalon |
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| bevatron | (noun) a cyclotron that accelerates protons up to several billion electron volts | - |
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| bicorn | (adjective) having two horns or horn-shaped parts | Synonyms: bicornate, bicorned, bicornuate, bicornuous |
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| (noun) a cocked hat with the brim turned up to form two points | Synonyms: bicorne |
| bifurcation | (noun) the act of splitting into two branches | - |
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| (noun) the place where something divides into two branches | - |
| (noun) a bifurcating branch (one or both of them) | - |
| biggin | (noun) a child's tight-fitting cap; often ties under the chin | - |
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| bighorn | (noun) wild sheep of mountainous regions of western North America having massive curled horns | Synonyms: bighorn sheep, cimarron, Ovis canadensis, Rocky Mountain bighorn, Rocky Mountain sheep |
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| bilirubin | (noun) an orange-yellow pigment in the bile that forms as a product of hemoglobin; excess amounts in the blood produce the yellow appearance observed in jaundice | Synonyms: haematoidin, hematoidin |
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| billion | (adjective) denoting a quantity consisting of one thousand million items or units in the United States | - |
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| (adjective) denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain | - |
| (noun) the number that is represented as a one followed by 9 zeros | Synonyms: 1000000000, one thousand million |
| (noun) the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen | Synonyms: 1000000000000, one million million |
| (noun) a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole) | Synonyms: bazillion, gazillion, jillion, million, trillion, zillion |
| bilocation | (noun) the ability (said of certain Roman Catholic saints) to exist simultaneously in two locations | - |
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| bin | (noun) a container; usually has a lid | - |
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| (noun) the quantity contained in a bin | Synonyms: binful |
| (verb) store in bins | - |
| bioremediation | (noun) the act of treating waste or pollutants by the use of microorganisms (as bacteria) that can break down the undesirable substances | - |
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| (noun) the branch of biotechnology that uses biological process to overcome environmental problems | - |
| biotin | (noun) a B vitamin that aids in body growth | Synonyms: vitamin H |
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| bioweapon | (noun) any weapon usable in biological warfare | Synonyms: bioarm, biological weapon |
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| bipartisan | (adjective) supported by both sides | Synonyms: bipartizan, two-party, two-way |
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| bipartizan | (adjective) supported by both sides | Synonyms: bipartisan, two-party, two-way |
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| birchen | (adjective) consisting of or made of wood of the birch tree | Synonyms: birch, birken |
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| birdbrain | (noun) a person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought | Synonyms: addle-head, addlehead, loon |
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| birken | (adjective) consisting of or made of wood of the birch tree | Synonyms: birch, birchen |
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| bisection | (noun) dividing into two equal parts | - |
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| bison | (noun) any of several large humped bovids having shaggy manes and large heads and short horns | - |
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| bittern | (noun) relatively small compact tawny-brown heron with nocturnal habits and a booming cry; found in marshes | - |
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| bitumen | (noun) any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons | - |
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| blacken | (verb) make or become black | Synonyms: black, melanise, melanize |
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| (verb) burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color | Synonyms: char, scorch, sear |
| blackthorn | (noun) erect and almost thornless American hawthorn with somewhat pear-shaped berries | Synonyms: Crataegus calpodendron, Crataegus tomentosa, pear haw, pear hawthorn |
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| (noun) a thorny Eurasian bush with plumlike fruits | Synonyms: Prunus spinosa, sloe |
| blain | (noun) an inflammatory swelling or sore | - |
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| blaxploitation | (noun) the exploitation of black people (especially with regard to stereotyped roles in movies) | - |
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| blazon | (noun) the official symbols of a family, state, etc. | Synonyms: arms, blazonry, coat of arms |
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| (verb) decorate with heraldic arms | Synonyms: emblazon |
| bloodstain | (noun) a discoloration caused by blood | - |
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| blowgun | (noun) a tube through which darts can be shot by blowing | Synonyms: blow tube, blowpipe, blowtube |
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| blown | (adjective) breathing laboriously or convulsively | Synonyms: pursy, short-winded, winded |
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| (adjective) being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor | - |
| bludgeon | (noun) a club used as a weapon | - |
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| (verb) strike with a club or a bludgeon | Synonyms: club |
| (verb) overcome or coerce as if by using a heavy club | - |
| bluefin | (noun) largest tuna; to 1500 pounds; of mostly temperate seas: feed in polar regions but breed in tropics | Synonyms: bluefin tuna, horse mackerel, Thunnus thynnus |
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| (noun) flesh of very large tuna | Synonyms: bluefin tuna |
| boatman | (noun) someone who drives or rides in a boat | Synonyms: boater, waterman |
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| boatswain | (noun) a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen | Synonyms: bo's'n, bo'sun, bos'n, bosun |
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| bobbin | (noun) a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound | Synonyms: reel, spool |
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| bodkin | (noun) a blunt needle for threading ribbon through loops | Synonyms: threader |
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| (noun) a small sharp-pointed tool for punching holes in leather or fabric | - |
| (noun) formerly a long hairpin; usually with an ornamental head | - |
| (noun) a dagger with a slender blade | Synonyms: poniard |
| boffin | (noun) (British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research | - |
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| bogbean | (noun) perennial plant of Europe and America having racemes of white or purplish flowers and intensely bitter trifoliate leaves; often rooting at water margin and spreading across the surface | Synonyms: bog myrtle, buckbean, marsh trefoil, Menyanthes trifoliata, water shamrock |
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