bit|ty /b I ti/
1 ADJ If you say that something is bitty , you mean that it seems to be formed from a lot of different parts which you think do not fit together or go together well. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ The programme was bitty and pointless.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone or something as a little bitty person or thing, you are emphasizing that they are very small. [AM , INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ She's just a little bitty wisp of a girl.
bi|tu|men /b I tʃʊm I n, [AM ] b I tuː mən/ N‑UNCOUNT Bitumen is a black sticky substance which is obtained from tar or petrol and is used in making roads.
bivou|ac /b I vuæk/ (bivouacs , bivouacking , bivouacked )
1 N‑COUNT A bivouac is a temporary camp made by soldiers or mountain climbers.
2 VERB If you bivouac in a particular place, you stop and stay in a bivouac there. □ [V prep/adv] We bivouacked on the outskirts of the city. [Also V ]
bi|week|ly /ba I wiː kli/ ADJ [ADJ n] A biweekly event or publication happens or appears once every two weeks. [AM ] □ He used to see them at the biweekly meetings. □ …Beverage Digest, the industry's biweekly newsletter. ● ADV [ADV with v] Biweekly is also an adverb. □ The group meets on a regular basis, usually weekly or biweekly. [in BRIT, use fortnightly ]
biz /b I z/
1 N‑SING [oft n N ] Biz is sometimes used to refer to the entertainment business, especially pop music or films. [JOURNALISM , INFORMAL ] □ …a girl in the music biz.
2 → see also showbiz
bi|zarre /b I zɑː r / ADJ Something that is bizarre is very odd and strange. □ The game was also notable for the bizarre behaviour of the team's manager. ● bi|zarre|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] □ She dressed bizarrely.
blab /blæ b/ (blabs , blabbing , blabbed ) VERB If someone blabs about something secret, they tell people about it. [INFORMAL ] □ [V + about ] Her mistake was to blab about their affair. □ [V + to ] No blabbing to your mates! □ [V n prep] She'll blab it all over the school. [Also V ]
black ◆◆◆ /blæ k/ (blacker , blackest , blacks , blacking , blacked )
1 COLOUR Something that is black is of the darkest colour that there is, the colour of the sky at night when there is no light at all. □ She was wearing a black coat with a white collar. □ He had thick black hair. □ I wear a lot of black. □ He was dressed all in black.
2 ADJ A black person belongs to a race of people with dark skins, especially a race from Africa. □ He worked for the rights of black people. □ …the traditions of the black community.
3 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Black people are sometimes referred to as blacks . This use could cause offence. □ There are about thirty-one million blacks in the U.S…
4 ADJ [ADJ n] Black coffee or tea has no milk or cream added to it. □ A cup of black tea or black coffee contains no calories. □ I drink coffee black.
5 ADJ If you describe a situation as black , you are emphasizing that it is very bad indeed. [EMPHASIS ] □ It was, he said later, one of the blackest days of his political career. □ The future for the industry looks even blacker.
6 ADJ If someone is in a black mood, they feel very miserable and depressed. □ Her mood was blacker than ever.
7 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Black humour involves jokes about sad or difficult situations. □ 'So you can all go over there and get shot,' he said, with the sort of black humour common among British troops here. □ It's a black comedy of racial prejudice, mistaken identity and thwarted expectations.
8 ADJ [ADJ n] People who believe in black magic believe that it is possible to communicate with evil spirits. □ He was also alleged to have conducted black magic ceremonies. □ The King was unjustly accused of practising the black arts.
9 PHRASE If you say that someone is black and blue , you mean that they are badly bruised. □ Whenever she refused, he'd beat her black and blue. □ Bud's nose was still black and blue.
10 PHRASE If a person or an organization is in the black , they do not owe anyone any money. □ Until his finances are in the black I don't want to get married.
11 PHRASE If someone gives you a black look , they look at you in a way that shows that they are very angry about something. □ Passing my stall, she cast black looks at the amount of stuff still unsold.
12 PHRASE If you say that a particular colour is the new black , you mean that it has become fashionable. □ Beige is the new black, and works wonders for figures and complexions.
13 PHRASE People say that something is the new black to mean that it is suddenly fashionable or popular. □ Intelligence is the new black, and books with an intellectual content are making a comeback.
▸ black out
1 PHRASAL VERB If you black out , you lose consciousness for a short time. □ [V P ] Samadov said that he felt so ill that he blacked out.
2 PHRASAL VERB If a place is blacked out , it is in darkness, usually because it has no electricity supply. □ [be V -ed P ] Large parts of the capital were blacked out after electricity pylons were blown up.
3 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If a film or a piece of writing is blacked out , it is prevented from being broadcast or published, usually because it contains information which is secret or offensive. □ [be V -ed P ] TV pictures of the demonstration were blacked out.