A bonfire is literally a 'bonefire'. Bones were used as fuel in the Middle Ages.
Bo n|fire Night also bonfire night N‑UNCOUNT Bonfire Night is the popular name for Guy Fawkes Night .
bong /bɒ ŋ/ (bongs ) N‑COUNT A bong is a long, deep sound such as the sound made by a big bell.
bon|go /bɒ ŋgoʊ/ (bongos ) N‑COUNT A bongo is a small drum that you play with your hands.
bon|ho|mie /bɒ nəmi/ N‑UNCOUNT Bonhomie is happy, good-natured friendliness. [FORMAL ] □ He was full of bonhomie.
bonk /bɒ ŋk/ (bonks , bonking , bonked ) VERB If two people bonk , they have sexual intercourse. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
bonk|ers /bɒ ŋkə r z/ ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone is bonkers , you mean that they are silly or act in a crazy way. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ The man must be bonkers to take such a risk. □ I nearly went bonkers with frustration.
bon mot /bɒ n moʊ / (bons mots or bon mots ) N‑COUNT A bon mot is a clever, witty remark. [WRITTEN ] □ …a cheeky bon mot.
bon|net /bɒ n I t/ (bonnets )
1 N‑COUNT The bonnet of a car is the metal cover over the engine at the front. [BRIT ] □ When I lifted the bonnet, the noise seemed to be coming from the alternator. in AM, use hood 2 N‑COUNT A bonnet is a hat with ribbons that are tied under the chin. Bonnets are now worn by babies. In the past, they were also worn by women.
bon|ny /bɒ ni/ (bonnier , bonniest ) ADJ Someone or something that is bonny is attractive and nice to look at. [mainly SCOTTISH or NORTHERN ENGLISH ] □ Jemima was a bonny Highland lassie of 15.
bon|sai /bɒ nsa I / (bonsai )
1 N‑COUNT [oft N n] A bonsai or a bonsai tree is a tree or shrub that has been kept very small by growing it in a little pot and cutting it in a special way. □ …a beautiful Japanese bonsai tree.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Bonsai is the art of growing very small shrubs and trees.
bo|nus ◆◇◇ /boʊ nəs/ (bonuses )
1 N‑COUNT A bonus is an extra amount of money that is added to someone's pay, usually because they have worked very hard. □ Workers receive a large part of their pay in the form of bonuses and overtime. □ …a £15 bonus. □ …a special bonus payment.
2 N‑COUNT A bonus is something good that you get in addition to something else, and which you would not usually expect. □ We felt we might finish third. Any better would be a bonus. □ It has the added bonus of containing 30 per cent less fat than ordinary cheese.
3 N‑COUNT A bonus is a sum of money that an insurance company pays to its policyholders, for example a percentage of the company's profits. □ These returns will not be enough to meet the payment of annual bonuses to policyholders.
bon voy|age /bɒ n vɔ I ɑː ʒ/ CONVENTION You say ' bon voyage ' to someone who is going on a journey, as a way of saying goodbye and wishing them good luck. [FORMULAE ] □ Goodbye! Bon voyage!
bony /boʊ ni/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone who has a bony face or bony hands, for example, has a very thin face or very thin hands, with very little flesh covering their bones. □ …an old man with a bony face and white hair. □ He poked a long bony finger in Billy's chest.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] The bony parts of a person's or animal's body are the parts made of bone. □ …the bony ridge of the eye socket.
boo /buː / (boos , booing , booed )
1 VERB If you boo a speaker or performer, you shout 'boo' or make other loud sounds to indicate that you do not like them, their opinions, or their performance. □ [V ] People were booing and throwing things at them. □ [V n] Demonstrators booed and jeered him. □ [be V -ed] He was booed off the stage. ● N‑COUNT [usu pl] Boo is also a noun. □ She was greeted with boos and hisses. ● boo|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ The fans are entitled to their opinion but booing doesn't help anyone.
2 EXCLAM You say ' Boo! ' loudly and suddenly when you want to surprise someone who does not know that you are there.
3 → see also peekaboo
boob /buː b/ (boobs , boobing , boobed )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] A woman's boobs are her breasts. [INFORMAL , RUDE ]
2 VERB If you boob , you make a mistake. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V ] Is their timing right, or have they boobed again? ● N‑COUNT Boob is also a noun. □ The government once again has made a big boob.
boo b tube (boob tubes )
1 N‑SING The boob tube is the television. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ …hours spent in front of the boob tube. in BRIT, use idiot box 2 N‑COUNT A boob tube is a piece of women's clothing made of stretchy material that covers only her chest. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] in AM, use tube top
boo|by prize /buː bi pra I z/ (booby prizes ) N‑COUNT The booby prize is a prize given as a joke to the person who comes last in a competition.
booby-trap /buː bi træp/ (booby-traps , booby-trapping , booby-trapped ) also booby trap
1 N‑COUNT A booby-trap is something such as a bomb which is hidden or disguised and which causes death or injury when it is touched. □ Police were checking the area for booby traps.