Bag o’ Tricks. In allusion to the large bag in which an itinerant conjurer carried his tricks.
Bakers’ Dozen. In olden times, when bread was sold in open market instead of shops, women took up the trade of selling bread from door to door. They received from the bakers thirteen loaves for the price of twelve, the odd one constituting their profit.
Baker Street. After Sir Edward Baker, a great friend of the Portmans of Dorsetshire, the ground landlords.
Bakshish. A Persian word for “gratuity.”
Balaklava. When settled by the Genoese, they gave it the name of Bella-chiava, or “Fair Haven.”
Balearic Islands. From the Greek ballein, to throw, expresses the Island of Slingers.
Ball. A dancing party received this name primarily from the curious ancient Ball Play in Church by the Dean and choir boys of Naples during the “Feast of Fools” at Easter. While singing an antiphon the boys caught the ball thrown by the Dean as they danced around him. At private dancing parties the dancers always threw a ball at one another as, to the sound of their own voices, they whirled around in sets, the pastime consisting in loosening hands in time to catch it. Afterwards the ball was discarded, but the dance time received the name of a Ballad, from the Latin ballare, to dance.
Ballad. See “[Ball].”
Ballet. Expresses the French diminutive of bal, a dance. See “[Ball].”
Ball’s Pond. From an inn, the “Salutation,” kept by John Ball, whose dog and duck sports in a large pond attracted a great concourse of visitors in former days.