<B>biramous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Zoology.) having or consisting of two branches. </DL>
<A NAME="birch">
<B>birch, </B>noun, pl. <B>birches</B> (for 1 and 3,) adjective, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a slender, hardy tree with a smooth bark that peels off in thin layers. Birches belong to the birch family. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the birch, most shy and lady-like of trees (James Russell Lowell).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>its hard, close-grained wood, often used in making furniture. <DD><B> 3. </B>a bundle of birch twigs or a birch stick, used for whipping. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with birch; birchen. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to whip with a birch or the like; flog. </DL>
<A NAME="birchbark">
<B>birchbark, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the bark of a birch tree. Some Indians used a certain kind of birchbark and pitch to cover the framework of their canoes. </DL>
<A NAME="birchen">
<B>birchen, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of a birch tree. <DD><B> 2. </B>made of birchwood. <DD><B> 3. </B>having to do with the birch used in punishing. </DL>
<A NAME="bircher">
<B>Bircher, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a member of the John Birch Society, an ultraconservative American political organization founded in 1958. </DL>
<A NAME="birchfamily">
<B>birch family,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a group of dicotyledonous trees and shrubs having simple, alternate leaves and monoecious flowers, and bearing a one-seeded nutlet as the fruit. The family includes the birch, alder, and hazel. </DL>
<A NAME="birchism">
<B>Birchism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the principles and practices of Birchers; extreme conservatism in politics. </DL>
<B>birchwood, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the wood of the birch. <DD><B> 2. </B>a woods or forest of birches. </DL>
<A NAME="bird">
<B>bird, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an animal that has wings, feathers, two legs, and a beak or bill. Birds have backbones, are warm-blooded, and lay eggs. Most birds can fly. <DD><B> 2. </B>a bird hunted for sport; game bird. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=shuttlecock.</B> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Slang, Figurative.) a person. <BR> <I>Ex. He's an odd bird.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Slang.) <DD><B> a. </B>a ballistic or guided missile; rocket. <DD><B> b. </B>(Slang.) an aircraft or spacecraft. <DD><B> 6. </B><B>=clay pigeon.</B> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Slang.) a sound of ridicule blown through the lips. <DD><B> 8. </B>(British Slang.) a prison sentence; time served in prison. <DD><B> 9. </B>(U.S. Slang.) the eagle as an insigne of military rank. <DD><B> 10. </B>(British Slang.) an attractive girl or young woman. <DD><B> 11. </B>(Archaic.) the young of any fowl. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to watch wild birds; act as a bird watcher. <DD><B> 2. </B>to catch or shoot birds. <BR><I>expr. <B>bird in</B> (<B>the</B>) <B>hand,</B> </I>something certain because one already has it. <I>A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush</I> means something certain is better than something uncertain. <BR><I>expr. <B>eat like a bird,</B> </I>to be a small eater; eat little or only a small amount of food. <BR> <I>Ex. She is thin and nervous, and eats like a bird.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>for the birds,</B> </I>(Slang.) of no worth; without value or importance. <BR> <I>Ex. His few crumbs of kindness were strictly for the birds (Punch).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>get the bird,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to be booed or hissed from the stage by the audience. </I> <I>Ex. To "get the big bird" is occasionally a compliment to the actor's power of representing villainy (The Graphic).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to be dismissed derisively. <BR> <I>Ex. This situation ... can only lead to your catching later trains ... and getting the bird ... at the office (Punch).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>kill two birds with one stone,</B> </I>to accomplish two things with one action. <BR> <I>Ex. He thinks to kill two birds with one stone, and satisfy two arguments with one answer (Thomas Hobbes).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>the birds and the bees,</B> </I>the basic facts about sex and reproduction. <BR> <I>Ex. A young couple's bafflement about the birds and the bees ... had some funny moments (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="birdband">
<B>bird band,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a band put on a bird's leg to identify it for study of its range. </DL>
<A NAME="birdbander">
<B>birdbander, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a person who puts bird bands on birds. </DL>
<A NAME="birdbanding">
<B>birdbanding, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) the putting of bird bands on birds. </DL>
<A NAME="birdbath">
<B>birdbath, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a shallow basin raised off the ground and filled with water for birds to bathe in or drink. </DL>
<A NAME="birdbrain">
<B>birdbrain, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a foolish, shallow person. </DL>
<A NAME="birdbrained">
<B>bird-brained, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) that is a birdbrain; foolish. </DL>
<A NAME="birdcage">
<B>bird cage</B> or <B>birdcage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a cage for small birds such as canaries or parakeets. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Slang.) a device for throwing dice, similar to a bird cage. <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S. Slang.) the congested airspace of an airport or air terminal. <BR> <I>Ex. ... one of the busy "birdcages" near New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="birdcall">
<B>bird call,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the sound that a bird makes. <BR> <I>Ex. the bird calls of dawn.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a sound imitating that which a bird makes. <DD><B> 3. </B>an instrument for imitating the call of a bird in order to attract or decoy them. </DL>
<A NAME="birdcherry">
<B>bird cherry,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wild cherry of Europe. </DL>
<A NAME="birddog">
<B>bird dog,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a dog trained to find birds or bring back birds shot by a hunter. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) a person who bird-dogs. </DL>
<A NAME="birddog">
<B>bird-dog, </B>transitive verb, <B>-dogged,</B> <B>-dogging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Informal.) <DD><B> 1. </B>to hunt or inquire closely and carefully into or about (some problem). <DD><B> 2. </B>to seek out and prepare or arrange (an investment, customers, a business opportunity, or the like). </DL>
<A NAME="birder">
<B>birder, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who breeds birds. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=bird watcher.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="birdflower">
<B>bird flower,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of several plants, such as the red columbine, fuchsia or hibiscus, having colorful flowers which are pollinated by birds. </DL>
<A NAME="birdfoot">
<B>bird-foot, </B>noun. <B>=bird's-foot.</B></DL>
<A NAME="birdgrass">
<B>bird grass,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a forage and lawn grass introduced into North America from Europe. <DD><B> 2. </B>the knotgrass. </DL>
<A NAME="birdhawk">
<B>bird hawk,</B> <B>=chicken hawk.</B></DL>
<A NAME="birdhouse">
<B>birdhouse, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a small box with a roof and one or more openings, raised off the ground for birds to nest in. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=aviary.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="birdie">
<B>birdie, </B>noun, verb, <B>birdied,</B> <B>birdying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a little bird. <DD><B> 2. </B>a score of one stroke less than par for any hole on a golf course. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=shuttlecock.</B> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to score a birdie on (a hole). </DL>
<A NAME="birding">
<B>birding, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the activity of a bird watcher. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=fowling.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="birdlife">
<B>birdlife, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the birds of a region. <BR> <I>Ex. It [the place] was rich in birdlife, from the myrtle warblers ... to the swifts (Atlantic)</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>birds in their natural state. <BR> <I>Ex. [His] hobby is photographing birdlife (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="birdlike">
<B>birdlike, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> resembling a bird. </DL>
<A NAME="birdlime">
<B>birdlime, </B>noun, verb, <B>-limed,</B> <B>-liming.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a sticky substance smeared on twigs to catch small birds that light on it. It is often made from the inner bark of holly or from the juice of the banyan tree. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to smear or catch with or as if with birdlime; lime. </DL>
<A NAME="birdling">
<B>birdling, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a baby bird. </DL>
<A NAME="birdlouse">
<B>birdlouse,</B> <B>=biting louse.</B></DL>
<A NAME="birdman">
<B>birdman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Informal.) <B>=aviator.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. Getting to airports a good deal ... I decided to become an intrepid birdman (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who catches, sells, or trains birds, as a fowler. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=ornithologist.</B> <DD><B> 4. </B>a person who stuffs birds; taxidermist. </DL>
<A NAME="birdnest">
<B>birdnest, </B>intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to search for birds' nests; bird's-nest. </DL>
<A NAME="birdofminerva">
<B>bird of Minerva,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the owl (as a symbol of wisdom). </DL>
<A NAME="birdofparadise">
<B>bird of paradise,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a bird of New Guinea noted for its magnificent plumage. </DL>
<A NAME="birdofparadise">
<B>bird-of-paradise, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small plant of South Africa with orange and blue flowers and banana-shaped leaves, somewhat resembling birds of paradise on the wing, grown also in California and Florida. </DL>
<A NAME="birdofpassage">
<B>bird of passage,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a bird that flies from one region to another as the seasons change; migratory bird. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) a person who roams from place to place. </DL>
<A NAME="birdofpeace">
<B>bird of peace,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the dove (with reference to the story of Noah). </DL>
<A NAME="birdofprey">
<B>bird of prey,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of birds including eagles, hawks, owls, and vultures, that hunt animals and eat their flesh. </DL>
<A NAME="birdpepper">
<B>bird pepper,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of strong red pepper, bearing small berries. </DL>
<A NAME="birdring">
<B>bird ring,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a bird band. </DL>
<A NAME="birdringer">
<B>bird ringer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a birdbander. </DL>
<A NAME="birdseed">
<B>birdseed, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a mixture of small seeds often fed to caged birds. <DD><B> 2. </B>seed put outside for wild birds. </DL>
