Baft, baft, n. adv. and prep. behind, in the rear (mostly naut.). [A.S. beæftan, from be, by, and æftan, behind.]
Bag, bag, n. a sack, pouch: specially the silken pouch to contain the back-hair of the wig: a measure of quantity for produce: a game-bag, i.e. the quantity of fish or game secured: an udder: (vulg. in pl.) trousers.—v.i. to bulge, swell out: (naut.) to drop away from the right course.—v.t. to cram full: to put into a bag, specially of game, hence to kill game, to seize, steal:—pr.p. bag′ging; pa.p. bagged.—ns. Bag′ging, cloth or material for bags; Bag′git, a salmon that has just spawned.—adj. Bag′gy, loose like a bag: inflated, verbose.—ns. Bag′man, a familiar name for a commercial traveller; Bag′-wig, an 18th-cent. wig, the back-hair of which was enclosed in an ornamental bag.—Bag and baggage, originally a military expression, hence the phrase, 'to march out with bag and baggage,' i.e. with all belongings saved: to make an honourable retreat: now used in the sense of 'to clear out completely.'—Bag of bones, an emaciated living being.—In the bottom of the bag, remaining as a last resource; The whole bag of tricks, every expedient; To give one the bag to hold, to engage any one and meanwhile disappear; To let the cat out of the bag, to disclose the secret. [M. E. bagge, perh. Scand.; not Celtic, as Diez suggests.]
Bagasse, ba-gas′, n. refuse in sugar-making. [Fr.; Sp. bagazo, husks of grapes or olives after pressing.]
Bagatelle, bag-a-tel′, n. a trifle: a piece of music in a light style: a game played on a board (7 feet long and 21 inches broad) with nine balls and a cue, the object being to put the balls down into as many numbered holes at the farther semicircular end of the board. [Fr.—It. bagatella, a conjurer's trick, a trifle.]
Baggage, bag′āj, n. the tents, provisions, and other necessaries of an army: (U.S.) traveller's luggage; a worthless woman: a saucy woman. [O. Fr. bagage—baguer, to bind up, from which we may infer all the meanings, without reference to Fr. bagasse, It. bagáscia, a strumpet.]
Bagnio, ban′yō, n. a bath, esp. one with hot baths: an Oriental place of detention: a stew or house of ill-fame. [It. bagno—L. balneum, a bath.]
Bagpipe, bag′pīp, n. a musical wind-instrument, consisting of a leathern bag fitted with pipes. The Highland bagpipe has five pipes: a, the mouthpiece, to keep the bag filled with air; b, the chanter, having a reed and finger-holes to produce the melody; and c, three drones with reeds, tuned to act as a bass to the chanter: (pl.) an inflated, senseless talker.—n. Bag′piper.
Bah, bä, interj. an exclamation of disgust or contempt. [Fr.]
Bahadur, ba-had′ōōr, n. a title of respect often added by natives to the names of English officers in India. [Hind. bahadur, brave.]