| brake1 |
to cause to slow down or stop with or as if with a brake. [2/5 definitions] |
| brass tacks |
(informal) the essential facts or issues; basics (usu. prec. by "get down to"). |
| breakaway |
in certain sports, of or designating a play in which one player moves rapidly down the playing area with the potential to score, as in a basketball fast break. [1/6 definitions] |
| breaststroke |
a swimming stroke in which the body is prone with the face down, the arms simultaneously pull down and back, and the legs do a frog kick in alternation with the arm movement. |
| broadax |
an ax with a wide blade and a short handle, used as a weapon or for cutting down timber. |
| buck2 |
of a horse or similar animal, to leap off the ground and come down with stiff forelegs. [2/7 definitions] |
| buckle |
to set oneself with determination (usu. fol. by "down"). [1/9 definitions] |
| bumpkin2 |
a pole or beam protruding from a ship's deck or hull used to tie down blocks and the like or to extend sails. |
| bungee cord |
a strong elastic cord with hooks on each end, used to strap things down or absorb the shock of a suddenly applied force. Long bungee cords are used in the sport of bungee jumping. |
| bungee jumping |
a recreational activity in which a person harnessed to the end of a long, anchored, elasticized rope, or bungee, steps off a height, rapidly drops hundreds of feet in the air, then bounces up and back down, repeatedly, while the movement gradually slows to a stop. |
| butterfly stroke |
a vigorous swimming stroke performed face down in which the arms are lifted simultaneously forward and brought back through the water while the legs move simultaneously up and down. |
| button-down |
with the collar tips held down with buttons. |
| byname |
a surname or descriptive phrase following a name that identifies an individual but is not handed down to offspring. [1/2 definitions] |
| cable car |
an enclosed passenger vehicle either on rails or suspended on a cable and pulled back and forth by a moving cable, esp. up and down a steep incline or across a chasm. |
| calash |
a carriage with two low wheels, a seat for two people under a top that folds down, and a front seat for a driver. [1/2 definitions] |
| calm |
to become calm (often fol. by "down"). [1/6 definitions] |
| cam |
in machinery, a noncircular disc or cylinder that, when rotated, imparts an up-and-down or start-and-stop motion to a connected part. |
| cata- |
down. [1/4 definitions] |
| caul |
the abdominal membrane that stretches down and covers the intestines; great omentum. [1/2 definitions] |
| chairlift |
a system of chairs suspended from a power-driven cable, used to carry people, esp. skiers, up or down mountainsides. |
| chalk |
to write down or portray in a drawing with chalk. [1/6 definitions] |