<B>beam, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a large, long piece of timber, ready for use in building. <BR> <I>Ex. The beams supporting the roof and the sides were all that was left of the house after the fire.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a similar piece of iron, steel, stone, reinforced concrete, or other heavy material used in building. <DD><B> 3. </B>any of the main horizontal supports of a building or ship. <BR> <I>Ex. The beams cracked and the top floor caved in.</I> <DD><B> 4a. </B>the crosswise bar of a balance which supports the scales or pans. <DD><B> b. </B>the balance itself. <DD><B> 5. </B>a ray or stream of light, heat, or other radiation. <BR> <I>Ex. a beam of electrons. The beam from the flashlight shone on a kitten.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Figurative.) a bright look or smile. <BR> <I>Ex. There was a beam from ear to ear on her happy face.</I> (SYN) glow, radiance. <DD><B> 7. </B>a radio or radar signal directed in a straight line, used to guide aircraft or ships. <BR> <I>Ex. The pilot rode the beam and landed the airplane safely in the fog.</I> <DD><B> 8a. </B>the widest part of a ship. <BR> <I>Ex. The freighter has a thirty-foot beam.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the side of a ship or the sideward direction at right angles to the keel, especially with reference to wind, sea, or another vessel. The weather beam is the side toward the wind. <DD><B> 9a. </B>the part of a plow by which it is pulled. <DD><B> b. </B>the straight part or shank of an anchor. <DD><B> 10. </B>a lever often used on a steam engine to transmit the motion of the piston rod to the crankshaft. <DD><B> 11. </B>either of two wooden rollers in a loom, one for warp before weaving, the other for finished cloth. <DD><B> 12. </B>the main stem of a deer's horn which bears the branches or antlers. <DD><B> 13. </B>(Slang, Figurative.) the hips or buttocks. <BR> <I>Ex. broad in the beam.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to send out (beams or rays of light); emit in rays. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother beamed the flashlight in the corner and saw a mouse.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>to aim; direct. <BR> <I>Ex. ... advertisers' attempts to beam their messages to smaller, but higher-income, audiences (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to direct (a broadcast). <BR> <I>Ex. A program was beamed at Russia.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to shine radiantly. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) (of a person) to look or smile brightly. <BR> <I>Ex. Her face beamed with delight.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>beam down</B> (or <B>in</B>), </I>to materialize as if from outer space. <BR> <I>Ex. Celibate Kodo boys [a rock band] seemed as if they'd beamed in from another planet (John Mulholland).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>fly</B> (or <B>ride</B>) <B>the beam,</B> </I>to pilot an aircraft by a radio beam. <BR> <I>Ex. The flyer homed in on the radio source and then flew the beam until he reached his home base.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>off the beam,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(of an aircraft) deviating from the right course indicated by a radio beam. </I> <I>Ex. The inexperienced pilot flew the plane so badly that it was off the beam most of the time.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) (of a person or idea) on the wrong track; mistaken. <BR> <I>Ex. He is a good speaker, but his ideas are off the beam.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>on the beam,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(of an aircraft) on the right course as indicated by a radio beam. </I> <I>Ex. The plane began to drift off course but very soon got back on the beam.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Informal, Figurative.) just right. <BR> <I>Ex. His answer was on the beam.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>on the starboard</B> (or <B>port</B>) <B>beam,</B> </I>at a right angle to the keel of a ship on the starboard (or port) side. <BR> <I>Ex. The lookout cried out: "Land on the starboard beam!"</I> </DL>
<A NAME="beamcompass">
<B>beam compass,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an instrument consisting of a beam with sliding sockets that carry points, for describing large circles and for laying off distances. </DL>
<A NAME="beamed">
<B>beamed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> furnished with beams, or as if with beams. </DL>
<A NAME="beamends">
<B>beam-ends, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> the ends of a ship's beams. <BR><I>expr. <B>on one's beam-ends,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(of a ship) almost capsizing. </I> <I>Ex. ... a number of large river craft ... on their beam-ends for want of water (Jedidiah Morse).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) in desperate financial condition. <BR> <I>Ex. London symphony orchestras ... are on their beam-ends for want of adequate subsidy (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="beamer">
<B>beamer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that beams. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Cricket.) a ball aimed high by the bowler. </DL>
<A NAME="beamhouse">
<B>beam house,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the area in a tannery where the hides undergo the final preparations for tanning. </DL>
<B>beamish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> tending to beam with good cheer; beaming. <BR> <I>Ex. Come to my arms, my beamish boy! (Lewis Carroll).</I> adv. <B>beamishly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="beampowertube">
<B>beam-power tube,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of vacuum tube for increasing power, in which the electrons flowing to the anode (plate) are focused into a beam which causes secondary electrons to be turned back. </DL>
<A NAME="beamrider">
<B>beam rider,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a guided missile which follows an electronic beam. </DL>
<A NAME="beamriding">
<B>beam-riding, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a method of guiding a missile by an electronic beam. <DD><I>adj. </I> following an electronic beam. </DL>
<A NAME="beamsea">
<B>beam sea,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> waves rolling directly against a ship's side, at or nearly at a right angle to its keel. </DL>
<A NAME="beamsman">
<B>beamsman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a man who works in a beam house. </DL>
<A NAME="beamsplitter">
<B>beam-splitter, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a prismatic device on a camera lens which separates light into the three primary colors. <DD><B> b. </B>a camera equipped with such a device, used for color photography. <DD><B> 2. </B>a device which breaks up a beam of light as it emerges from the eyepiece of an optical instrument, such as a microscope. </DL>
<A NAME="beamster">
<B>beamster, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a workman who scrapes the last bits of flesh and hair roots from the hide in leather processing. </DL>
<A NAME="beamtetrode">
<B>beam tetrode,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a beam-power tube. </DL>
<A NAME="beamtransmission">
<B>beam transmission,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> transmission of radio signals reflected into a beam for direction to a particular destination or destinations. </DL>
<A NAME="beamvalve">
<B>beam valve,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a beam-power tube. </DL>
<A NAME="beamweapon">
<B>beam weapon,</B> <B>=directed-energy weapon.</B> <I>Ex. According to one alarming scenario, the Soviets might perfect a beam weapon that could be mounted on satellites and used to destroy American missiles shortly after they were launched (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="beamwidth">
<B>beamwidth, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the angular width of a radio or radar beam. <BR> <I>Ex. an antenna with a 10 degrees beamwidth.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="beamwind">
<B>beam wind,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wind which strikes a ship or aircraft at right angles to its length. </DL>
<A NAME="beamy">
<B>beamy, </B>adjective, <B>beamier,</B> <B>beamiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>like a beam; massive. <DD><B> 2. </B>(of a ship) broad in the beam. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) beaming; radiant. <BR> <I>Ex. Bending her beamy eyes in thankfulness (Shelley).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>possessing full-grown horns; antlered. <BR> <I>Ex. Thou mayst ... beamy stags in toils engage (John Dryden).</I> noun <B>beaminess.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="bean">
<B>bean, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a smooth, somewhat flat seed used as a vegetable. Lima beans, kidney beans, and navy beans are three different varieties of beans. <DD><B> 2. </B>the long pod containing such seeds. The green or yellow pods of some varieties, together with the seeds, are also used as a vegetable. <DD><B> 3. </B>the plant that beans grow on. It is a member of the pea family. The varieties are often classified as garden or snap beans (grown for their edible pods), such as the string bean; and field or shell beans (grown for their edible seeds), such as the kidney bean and navy bean. <DD><B> 4. </B>any seed shaped somewhat like a bean. Coffee beans are seeds of the coffee plant. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Slang.) the head. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Slang.) a piece of money. <BR> <I>Ex. He doesn't have a bean to his name.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> (Slang.) to hit (someone) on the head, especially with a thrown object. <BR> <I>Ex. He has beaned as many as four batters in one game (Newsweek).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>beans,</B> (Informal.) <DD><B> a. </B>the smallest amount. </I> <I>Ex. She doesn't care beans about the water boy since the captain of the football team asked her for a date.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>something of little value. <BR> <I>Ex. That ring is beans compared with the crown jewels.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>full of beans,</B> </I>(U.S. Slang.) in high spirits; lively; active. <BR> <I>Ex. We start off--oh, full of beans--and then we stop (Josephine Elder).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>spill the beans,</B> </I>(U.S. Informal.) to reveal a secret; divulge something confidential; confess. <BR> <I>Ex. On his way to the F.B.I. headquarters here from his arrest, he had offered to "spill the beans" (New York Times).</I> adj. <B>beanlike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="beanbag">
<B>beanbag, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a small bag partly filled with dried beans, used to toss in play. <DD><B> 2. </B>Also, <B>beanbag chair.</B> a chair filled with pellets which takes on the shape of the person sitting in it. </DL>
<A NAME="beanball">
<B>beanball, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Baseball Slang.) <DD><I>noun </I> a ball thrown by the pitcher purposely at or near the batter's head. <DD><I>v.t., v.i. </I> to throw a beanball or beanballs. noun <B>beanballer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="beanbeetle">
<B>bean beetle,</B> =Mexican bean beetle.</DL>
<A NAME="beanblight">
<B>bean blight,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disease caused by bacteria which attack the stem, leaf, pod, and seed of the bean plant and turn them brown. </DL>
<A NAME="beancake">
<B>bean cake,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a compressed cake of beans from which the oil has been removed. </DL>
