%ks%

n. pl. Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest tanned hides. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2d back, n. + saw. ] A saw (as a tenon saw) whose blade is stiffened by an added metallic back. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, adv. + set. ] 1. A check; a relapse; a discouragement; a setback. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Whatever is thrown back in its course, as water. [ 1913 Webster ]

Slackwater, or the backset caused by the overflow. Harper's Mag. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To plow again, in the fall; -- said of prairie land broken up in the spring. [ Western U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, a. + settler. ] One living in the back or outlying districts of a community. [ 1913 Webster ]

The English backsettlers of Leinster and Munster. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ ‖ } n. [ Pers. bakhshīsh, fr. bakhshīdan to give. ] In Egypt and the Turkish empire, a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter); a gratuity; a “tip”.
Syn. -- gratuity, tip, baksheesh, bakshish, bakshis. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Back, a. + side. ] The hinder part, posteriors, or rump of a person or animal. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Backside (one word) was formerly used of the rear part or side of any thing or place, but in such senses is now two words. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, adv. + sight. ] (Surv.) The reading of the leveling staff in its unchanged position when the leveling instrument has been taken to a new position; a sight directed backwards to a station previously occupied. Cf. Foresight, n., 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. Backslid p. p. Backslidden Backslid; p. pr. & vb. n. Backsliding. ] [ Back, adv. + slide. ] To slide back; to fall away; esp. to abandon gradually the faith and practice of a religion that has been professed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who backslides. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Slipping back; falling back into sin or error; sinning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord. Jer. iii. 14. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of one who backslides; abandonment of faith or duty. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our backslidings are many. Jer. xiv. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. In typing text, to press the backspace key so as to reposition the carriage or cursor on the previous space. [ PJC ]

n. 1. The key on a typewriter or other keyboard used for back spacing.
Syn. -- backspace key. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. An instrument formerly used for taking the altitude of the heavenly bodies, but now superseded by the quadrant and sextant; -- so called because the observer turned his back to the body observed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (theater) the area on the stage out of sight of the audience.
Syn. -- wing, wings, offstage. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. concealed from the public; in private.
Syn. -- behind the scenes. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ }, a. Private; indirect; secret; conducted with secrecy; intriguing; -- as if finding access by the back stairs; as, backstairs gossip.
Syn. -- clandestine, cloak-and-dagger, hugger-mugger, hush-hush, on the quiet(predicate), secret, subterranean, surreptitious, undercover, underground. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

A backstairs influence. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Female caprice and backstair influence. Trevelyan. [ 1913 Webster ]

. pos>n. Stairs in the back part of a house, as distinguished from the front stairs; a second staircase at the rear of a building; hence, a private or indirect way. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Back, a. or n. + stay. ] 1. (Naut.) A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast. [ Often used in the plural. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A rope or strap used to prevent excessive forward motion. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Baxter. ] A baker. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, adv. + stitch. ] A stitch made by setting the needle back of the end of the last stitch, and bringing it out in front of the end. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To sew with backstitches; as, to backstitch a seam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. In baseball, a fence, prop. at least 90 feet behind the home base, to stop the balls that pass the catcher; also, the catcher himself. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. In rounders, the player who stands immediately behind the striking base. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. In cricket, the longstop; also, the wicket keeper. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A female baker. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a swimming stroke that resembles the crawl except the swimmer lies on his or her back. It is usually executed with backward-moving circular arm strokes and a flutter kick. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. aligned from front to back; slanted toward the back; -- used of hair.
Syn. -- sweptback. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. any of numerous predaceous aquatic insects of the family Notonectidae (such as Notonecta undulata) that swim on their backs and may inflict painful bites; -- also called boat bug. [ RHUD ] [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ 2d back, n. + sword. ] 1. A sword with one sharp edge. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In England, a stick with a basket handle, used in rustic amusements; also, the game in which the stick is used. Also called singlestick. Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Perh. for Balderlocks, fr. Balder the Scandinavian deity. ] (Bot.) A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta) sometimes eaten in Europe; -- also called murlins, honeyware, and henware. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter). Same as Backsheesh.
Syn. -- gratuity, tip, bakshish, bakshis, backsheesh. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter). Same as Backsheesh.
Syn. -- gratuity, tip, baksheesh, bakshish, backsheesh. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ ‖ } n. Same as Backsheesh. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter). Same as Backsheesh.
Syn. -- gratuity, tip, baksheesh, bakshis, backsheesh. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The slope of a bank, especially of the bank of a stream. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) See Larkspur. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bur marigold (Bidens) and its achenes, which are armed with barbed awns, and adhere to clothing and fleeces with unpleasant tenacity; -- also called beggar-ticks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. the seed of bur marigolds.
Syn. -- spanish needles. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. any of several plants of the genus Bidens having yellow flowers and pricky fruits that cling to fur and clothing; -- also called beggar's-ticks.
Syn. -- bur marigold, burr marigold, beggar's-ticks, sticktight. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. pl. 1. The name of a kind of in used in copperplate printing, prepared from the charred husks of the grape, and residue of the wine press. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Soot flying in the air. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Black garments, etc. See Black, n., 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes crude potash, or black salts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Black (in allusion to the color of the metal) + smith. Cf. Whitesmith. ] 1. A smith who works in iron with a forge, and makes iron utensils, horseshoes, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

The blacksmith may forge what he pleases. Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A fish of the Pacific coast (Chromis punctipinnis, or Heliastes punctipinnis), of a blackish color. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ it>or }, n. (Zool.) A snake of a black color, of which two species are common in the United States, the Bascanium constrictor, or racer, sometimes six feet long, and the Scotophis Alleghaniensis, seven or eight feet long. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The name is also applied to various other black serpents, as Natrix atra of Jamaica. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A mixture of spirituous liquor (usually rum) and molasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

No blackstrap to-night; switchel, or ginger pop. Judd. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Bad port wine; any common wine of the Mediterranean; -- so called by sailors. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a typ of small Indian lettuce (Montia lamprosperma) of northern regions.
Syn. -- blinking chickweed, water chickweed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a sock that reaches just above the ankle.
Syn. -- anklet, anklets, bobbysock. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. to make a mess of.
Syn. -- botch, fumble, botch up, muff, blow it, flub, screw up, ball up, blunder, spoil, muck up, bungle, fluff, bollix, bollix up, bollocks up, bobble, mishandle, louse up, foul up, mess up, fuck up. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who sells books. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The employment of selling books. [ 1913 Webster ]