Word Challenge: B

~ beetleypete

Now on to three from ‘B’. Please add your own favourites; anything in a dictionary, U.S. spellings, or foreign words with translations. No abbreviations though.

Balderdash.
One of my favourite words to describe nonsensical writing, or speech. As in, “Everything he just said was balderdash”.

Bumptious.
Another word that seems to have fallen out of favour. Best used to describe someone who is self-important, arrogant, or overbearing. Someone with an inflated idea of their own importance. I will leave American readers to conclude just how useful this word might be to them at the moment.

Bereft.
This word seems to me to sound exactly like its meaning. It is generally used to describe the feeling of the loss of a love, or the effect of the death of a close friend or relative on a person left behind. But it can also be used to indicate that something is missing. As in, “The performance was bereft of talent”.

85 thoughts on “Word Challenge: B”

  1. I like the French word BARAGOUINER, which means to jabber, garble, or muddle one’s words—in other words, to speak badly. It took me some time to commit another French word to memory: BROUETTE (f). In modern terms, it refers to a wheelbarrow. It should have been easy, since ROUE means “wheel” in French. And, finally, I’ll tip my béret to “Leeloo” (Milla Jovovich), who, in “The Fifth Element,” taught me the French word BADABOUM!

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      1. Pete, I have an old 1995 Le Petit Larousse dictionary, and the word is in it. Here’s how the entry appears in the dictionary: BADABOUM interj. (Imitant le bruit de qqn, de qqch qui tombe). Elle pousse l’autre et…badaboum! tout le monde se retrouve par terre.

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  4. Dear Pete
    here our next German words
    Bugstrahlruder: this is a word showing a typical German word that is a combination of 3 nouns. In German we can combine several nouns to make the meaning of the word more specific. Bug is the end of a ship, Strahl can be a current, Rude is rodder (old Germanic therefore similar to English). Well, this s a special bow propeller.
    Buntschuh: meaning literally “colourful shoe”, the name of the revolutionary peasant movenment in the 15th c. They werewearing special shoes and it was the beginning of the peasant fights during the16th c. Nowadays it’s seen that the reformation, esp. Luther, betrayed them.
    Ballermann: People who drink too much booze. A modern German word.
    That’s for today
    Siri and Selma 👭fairies nextthe sea

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    1. Thanks very much, KB. There are many similarities to be found in German and English of course. When I visited Germany, I immediately noticed ‘Tanz’ and ‘Milch’ needed no translation.
      I think some might consider me to be a ‘Ballerman’, at least where red wine is concerned!
      Best wishes to you all in Cley, Pete.

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  9. Becher (mug) I need it every day for my tea.
    Blume (flower) makes life simply nicer and more colorful.
    Bier (beer) because it simply tastes good on a warm summer evening.

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    1. Bier is almost a universal word. I don’t think I have ever been unable to buy a beer in any country I have visited. Just say ‘Beer’, and they always know what you want.
      Thanks for your ‘local’ words, Irene.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  13. I’ll go for ‘blarge’ and ‘blibberdy-blubber’ – words that my eldest daughter made up for the waffle that appears on the backs of books or at the start of TV programmes and such like. There was a difference between the two, but I’ve long since forgotten what it was. I think maybe ‘blarge’ was more specific and referred only to the back of books? Something like that. Anyway, ‘blibberdy-blubber’ was a word that embedded itself so firmly in the vocabulary of the family that I still use it without thinking – and get some very puzzled looks from people when I do!

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  14. I wanted boisterous, but Cindy got here first, so …
    Burly – meaning boisterous, mean & violent
    Bounce – to oust
    Blitz – to make something happen quickly, like the bouncing one receives when they act burly.

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    1. Nice connections again, GP. Blitz means ‘lightning’ in German, so implies something very fast, and frightening. Bounce has indeed taken on some new meanings in modern parlance.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  18. Bumptious indeed, Pete! My three “B” words are:

    Bellicose – “demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight”
    Belligerent – “hostile and aggressive”

    As you can see, a lot of angry words these days – maybe I need to have a nice meal and a glass of French wine and chill out a bit – here you go:

    Boudin Blanc – a white sausage made with meat, eggs, starch, spices and milk or cream. Delicious!

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  20. Good Morning Pete:
    Today I offer Backwardation (when the price of a commodity is dearer on the spot than it is on the futures market), Business Cycle (expansion and contraction that I claim is due to reserve banking. I am, probably alone in this assessment), and Barter (which we all know to be the exchange of goods and services for goods and services and no dirty lucre is involved).
    Warmest regards, Theo

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  24. first came to mind was benevolent – kind-hearted and innately good. boisterous – as i think of my grandson being animated, cheerful, energetic and noisy at times. beautiful – a favorite word. in everything,i always try to see the beautiful. thanks Pete! 🙂

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    1. Thanks for those, Peggy. I think By the By fell out of common usage some time ago, but it is a nice turn of phrase. Beautiful must rate with Awesome as a word over-used, and often in the wrong context too.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I often use Brackish to refer to an unpleasant drink, but good to see the true meaning of ‘salty’ shown by you, Jude. I think Beck is widely used in the north, and in parts of Scotland. I never hear it this far south.
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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    1. Thanks, chuq. Bupkis is a very American choice, hardly ever heard here,. It is Yiddish in origin, and refers to goat droppings! Boisterous is the British spelling of that word, but it means the same thing.
      Like you, I try never to belittle anyone on the blogs.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  30. Breathing – our breath and water are the two things that make us live.
    Bakery – I have one just a few meters away from my flat, and the odour of fresh baked bread and rolls always wake me up in the morning.
    Balu – since fifty years I love the bear of Disney’s “Junglebook”. 😉

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