beat a dead horse to argue or debate a point that has already been discussed or settled. After refusing for the fourth time to give me a raise, my boss told me not to ask any more; I was beating a dead horse.
beguile vb. (bi GUYL) to deceive, trick, or mislead. The swindler will easily beguile you with his charm.
behemoth n. (bi HEE muth) anything gigantic. The
company started as a mom and pop store but is now a franchising behemoth.
beleaguer vb. (bi LEE gur) to harass or plague. the IRS tends to beleaguer only those who attempt to cheat on their tax returns.
bellicose adj. (BEL i KOHS) pugnacious, quarrelsome. The diplomats were worried about the dictator's bellicose manner.
belligerent adj. (buh LIJ ur unt) aggressive; looking for a fight. The dictator's belligerent manner offended everyone.
bells and whistles extras, accessories, options, or luxury items. We bought a new computer with all the latest bells and whistles.
bellwether n. (BEL WETH ur) any person or thing in a position of leadership, sometimes used as an indicator of where the followers will be headed. Among computer companies, IBM has a long history as a bellwether.
benchmark n. (BENCH mark) any standard by which others are measured. The auto maker's newest model will serve as a technological benchmark for the competition.
Benedict Arnold n. any traitorous person; coined after the American Revolution general. Roger pulled a Benedict Arnold and went to work for the competition.
benevolent adj. (bug NEV uh lent) disposed to doing good; charitable; kindly. He was a benevolent man who gave more than half of his fortune away.
benign adj. (bi NIYN) of a harmless nature. It was a relief to learn that my tumor was benign.
between the devil and the deep blue sea in a very difficult position; being forced to choose one of two equally unpleasant situations; similar to "between a rock and a hard place." I'm between the devil and the deep blue sea; if I take the job in San Diego, I'll have to move, but if I don't take the job, I'll be out of work.
bigot adj. (BIG ut) one who is intolerant of those of a different race, religion, political party, or sexual orientation. Archie Bunker was a classic bigot; he looked down his nose at everyone who wasn't a white, heterosexual male.
bigotry n. (BIG uh tree) intolerance for those of a different race, religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. His discrimination against his homosexual neighbors was pure bigotry.
bilk vb. (BILK) to swindle or cheat. John was arrested for trying to bilk the insurance company out of a large settlement.
black market n. an illegal or underground market. The imported goods were purchased illegally through the black market.
blase adj. (blah ZAY) nonchalant, cool, unfazed. The director was surprisingly blase about winning an Academy Award.
blasphemy n. (BLAS fuh mee) any irreverence toward God or religion. During the Inquisition, any act of blasphemy could get you a date with the torture chamber.
blatant adj. (BLAYT unt) loud or offensive. The fan was ejected from the stands for his blatant cursing of the opposing team.
bleeding heart n. one who is easily moved by sob stories, sympathizes excessively, and feels obliged to offer assistance, even when it may be counterproductive to do so. If you believe wholeheartedly in every social welfare program ever invented, you are a bleeding heart.
blithe adj. (BLITHE) lighthearted and unconcerned. It is difficult to darken the blithe spirit of children on the last day of school.
bombastic adj. (bom BAS tik) of speech or writing, pompous. The student's speech was full of big words and sentiments but was highly bombastic.
bon vivant n. (BON vee VAHN) one who savors fine food and drink and has developed refined tastes. She was a bon vivant who loved to sample foreign dishes and fine wines.
bourgeois adj. (boor ZHWAW) of the conventional middle class. His drive to keep up financially with his neighbors was thoroughly bourgeois.
boycott vb. (BOY kot) to deliberately stop purchasing something, as a means of protest. The environmental group planned to boycott the products of all of the companies who polluted the air.
brazen adj. (BRAY zun) bold in a rude way; impudent. Everyone was shocked at the brazen remarks the protesters made to the president.
brevity n. (BREV i tee) conciseness; the quality of being brief and to the point. We only have thirty minutes to make our pitch, so brevity is paramount.
broach vb. (BROACH) to open a topic for discussion. At the meeting, we must broach the issue of higher taxes with delicacy.
brouhaha n. (BROO haha) an uproar. The finding of corruption caused a brouhaha in the Senate.
brusque adj. (BRUSK) blunt, curt, or rough in manner. The sales clerk was tired and had had a bad day, so she was understandably brusque with us.
bureaucracy n. (byoo ROK ruh see) any government administration, particularly that which is inefficient. To satisfy government bureaucracy, we had to sign seventeen different forms.
burgeon vb. (BUR jun) to grow and proliferate. With interest rates kept low, the economy tends to burgeon.
cache n. (KASH) a stockpile or hiding place for the storage of food or other items. We built a food cache up on stilts so the bears couldn't reach it.
cacophonous adj. (kuh KOF uh nus) jarring or unpleasant sounding. The rock band always made a cacophonous racket whenever they tuned their instruments.
cagey adj. (KAY jee) very careful and shrewd and difficult to fool. A fox is too cagey to be easily caught in a trap.
cajole vb. (kuh JOHL) to persuade through flattery or repeated lighthearted requests. A great salesman knows how to cajole his customers into making a purchase.