Bivouac, biv′ōō-ak, n. the resting at night of soldiers in the open air, instead of under cover in camp.—v.i. to pass the night in the open air:—pr.p. biv′ouacking; pa.p. biv′ouacked. [Fr.—Ger. beiwacht, to watch beside—bei by, wachen, to watch.]
Bi-weekly, bī′-wēk′li, adj. properly, occurring once in two weeks, but usually twice in every week. [L. bi-, twice, and Week.]
Bizarre, bi-zär′, adj. odd: fantastic: extravagant.—n. Bizar′rerie. [Fr.—Sp. bizarro, high-spirited; acc. to Littré, adapted from Basque bizarre, the beard.]
Bizcacha. See Viscacha.
Blab, blab, v.i. to talk much: to tell tales.—v.t. to tell what ought to be kept secret (with out, forth):—pr.p. blab′bing; pa.p. blabbed.—n. an open-mouthed person, a tattler: tattling.—n. Blab′ber, one who blabs. [M. E. blabbe, a chatterer, also Blabber, to babble, with which cf. Norse blabbra, Ger. plappern.]
Black, blak, adj. of the darkest colour: without colour: obscure: dismal: sullen: horrible: dusky: foul, dirty: malignant: dark-haired, wearing dark armour or clothes.—n. black colour: absence of colour: a negro: mourning: the dark smut which attacks wheat: a speck of black on the face, a sooty particle in the air: black clothes, esp. dress trousers.—v.t. to make black: to soil or stain: to draw in black.—n. Black′amoor, a black Moor: a negro.—adjs. Black′-and-tan, having black hair on the back, and tan or yellowish-brown elsewhere, esp. of a terrier; Black′-a-vised, of dark complexion (probably originally black-à-vis).—v.t. Black′ball, to reject in voting by putting a black ball into a ballot-box.—ns. Black′balling, the act of so rejecting a candidate; Black′-band, iron ore containing enough of coal to calcine it; Black′-bee′tle, a cockroach; Black′berry, the berry of the bramble; Black′bird, a species of thrush of a black colour: a current name for a negro or Polynesian kidnapped for labour; Black′birding, the kidnapping of such; Black′board, a board painted black, used in schools for writing, forming figures, &c.—adjs. Black′-bod′ing, of evil omen; Black′-browed, having black eyebrows: sullen.—ns. Black′-cap, a bird, a species of warbler, so called from its black crown: (cook.) an apple roasted until it is black, and served up in a custard: the full-dress cap put on by English judges when about to pronounce sentence of death; Black′-catt′le, oxen, bulls, and cows; Black′-chalk, a variety of clay-slate of a bluish-black colour, used for drawing, and also for making black paint; Black′cock, a species of grouse, common in the north of England and in Scotland; Black′-curr′ant, a garden shrub with black fruit used in making preserves; Black′-death, a name given to the plague of the 14th century from the black spots which appeared on the skin; Black′-draught, the popular name for a purgative medicine consisting chiefly of senna and Epsom salts; Black′-drop, a liquid preparation of opium, vinegar, and sugar.—v.t. Black′en, to make black: to defame.—adj. Black′faced, having a black face: dismal.—ns. Black′-flag, the flag of a pirate, or that hoisted at the execution of a criminal—from its colour; Black′-friar, a friar of the Dominican order, so called from his black mantle (over a white woollen habit): (pl.) the region in a city, as London, where their convent stood; Blackguard (blag′ärd), originally applied to the lowest menials about a court, who took charge of the pots, kettles, &c.: a low, ill-conducted fellow.—adj. low: scurrilous.—v.t. to treat as a blackguard; v.i. to play the blackguard.—n. Black′guardism.—adv. Black′guardly.—ns. Black′-heart′edness; Black′-hole, formerly the name for the punishment-cell in a barrack: the memorable black-hole in the Fort-William barracks at Calcutta, into which, in in 1756, as many as 146 Europeans were thrust over night, of whom only 23 were found surviving in the morning; Black′ing, a substance used for blacking leather, &c.—adj. Black′ish.—ns. Black′-jack, a vessel for holding drink, originally made of leather: (naut.) the flag of a pirate; Black′-lead, a black mineral (plumbago, not lead) used in making pencils, blacking grates, &c.; Black′leg, a low, gambling fellow: a turf-swindler: a term applied by strikers to men willing to work for the wages against which themselves have struck—also Black′-neb; Black′-let′ter, the old English (also called Gothic) letter (
Black-art, blak′-ärt, n. necromancy: magic. [Acc. to Trench, a translation of the Low L. nigromantia, substituted erroneously for the Gr. necromanteia (see Necromancy), as if the first syllable had been L. niger, black.]
Blackmail, blak′māl, n. rent or tribute formerly paid to robbers for protection: hush-money extorted under threat of exposure or denunciation, esp. of a baseless charge.—v.t. to extort money from a person by this expedient. [Black and A.S. mal, tribute, toll.]
Blad, blad, n. a fragment of anything, a good lump. [Scot.]