Lars Eighner's Homepage Writers' Workshop Glossary: B

B

`back ,mat·ter /'b&k ,m&tR/ noun: (MS & book) Parts of a book or manuscript after the main body of the work, if there are any, which may include notes, indexes, a bibliography, and a glossary. Back matter is rare in contemporary fiction. Compare: front matter.
bated / baited [mistaken]: The correct spelling of the cliché is bated breath, but the wrong spelling is so common that some people may have a mistaken picture of a cat who has used cheese-scented mouthwash and is waiting for a mouse to walk into its mouth. Bate means to restrain or hold back and is closely related to the much more common verb abate. Thus, one who waits with bated breath is holding his breath. Because, as mentioned, the expression is hackneyed, it may be better to say what is meant plainly and to avoid this confusing word bate.
`Berne Con`ven·tion /'bRn k@n'vEnS@n/ proper noun: An international treaty on copyright and other intellectual rights adopted in Paris in 1971. Although the US, like virtually all civilized countries is a signatory, not all provisions of the convention have been enacted in US law.
`bil·dungs·ro,man /'bIld@NsroU,mAn/ noun: (genre) A "coming of age" or coming-out novel, for example Tom Jones. Literally, "an education novel," modern bildungsromans may not necessarily involve a young person leaving home for the first time, but they necessarily involve some lesson of in the development of an adult personality, usually learned the hard way. Modern examples might include Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird.
`blind `fo·li,o /'blaInd'foUli,uO/ noun: (printing) A page which does not bear its page number. Often the first page of the body of the work or the first page of a chapter is a blind folio. The first page of a manuscript is a blind folio.
breech / breach [mistaken]: Breeches are pants, and this sense tends to be confused with breaches as a spelling error. Breech, which originally meant a leg covering, now refers to the butt end of people, animals, and objects (such as gun barrels). A break, gap, or opening in general is a breach, but a part of firearm that can be opened is the breech (because it is the butt-end of the barrel) and the serious complication of childbirth is breech presentation (because the fetus is butt-first). (mnemonic): The vowel of breach which means opening, gap, or break, is spelled the same as the vowel of the related word break.
buffalo / bison [disputed]: The animal Americans call a buffalo is not a buffalo at all. The American buffalo is Bison bison, or in other words, the most bisony bison possible. True buffalo belong the genus Bubalus. Young Americans are now often better educated, but many American readers will not be prepared for references to bison nickels.
burglar / robber / thief [mistaken]: The burglar steals from premises where he has no right to be, often (according to the facts and jurisdiction, committing the crime of breaking and entering. A robber steals from persons, usually by force or threat of force. A thief steals by any means, but often by stealth or cunning. These distinctions are not always observed in the related verbs as the victim is likely to say "I was robbed" however the theft was accomplished.
burgle / burglarize [disputed]: The noun burglar entered the language first, and unlike many words ending -er or -or it was not derived of an English verb. The name of the crime burglary came next. The verbs burgle and burglarize appeared about the same time in the late 19th century. Some authorities object to burgle because it is a back-formation based on the false assumption that -ar is a suffix, while burglarize is formed by a recognized rule.