| blue whale |
the largest whale, as much as one hundred feet long, with a bluish gray back, yellow undersides, and grooves running lengthwise on the throat and abdomen. |
| bounce |
to spring back or up following a collision, or to do so several times in succession. [2/10 definitions] |
| bound2 |
to bounce back; rebound. [1/4 definitions] |
| bowfin |
a primitive, carnivorous freshwater fish found in eastern North America that has a rounded tail and a long fin on its back. |
| braces |
(chiefly British) a pair of adjustable straps that are designed to support trousers, worn over the shoulders and attached to the trousers at the front and back of the waist; suspenders. [1/2 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. |
| breech |
the back part of a gun barrel, esp. the location of the loading mechanism and chamber. [1/3 definitions] |
| bucket seat |
a single seat with a molded back, as in some cars and airplanes. |
| bumper |
a device for minimizing damage by absorbing the shock of impact, esp. the metal structure often found at the front and back of motor vehicles. [1/7 definitions] |
| bun |
a bun-shaped gathering of hair at the back or top of the head. [1/2 definitions] |
| 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. |
| burn one's bridges |
to eliminate all possibilities of going back or of reconsidering something one has said or done. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| calf2 |
the muscular back part of a human's leg below the knee. |
| campstool |
a lightweight folding seat, usu. having three or four legs and no back or arms. |
| canvasback |
a North American wild duck, the male of which has a reddish head and a whitish back. |
| carapace |
a horny covering or shield on the back of certain animals such as turtles and crustaceans. |
| catch-and-release |
in fishing, a policy of conservation that requires fish to be released back into the wild after being caught. |
| cat's cradle |
a children's game in which a looped string is passed back and forth from the fingers of one player to those of the other so as to form a series of intricate patterns. |
| chair |
a piece of furniture, usu. with a back and four legs, for one person to sit on. [1/5 definitions] |