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 Talk Talk - Communication terms
Category: General technical and industrial
Date & country: 28/05/2010, UK
Words: 18630


Black Forest
Mountainous region of coniferous forest in Baden-Württemberg, western Germany; length 160 km/100 mi, greatest breadth 57 km/35 mi. Bounded to the west and south by the Rhine, which separates it from the Vosges, it rises to 1,493 m/4,898 ft in the Feldberg. It extends to the Swiss border in the south and to the Neckar valley...

Black Hills
Mountains in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. They rise out of the Great Plains, 300–400 km/186–248 mi east of the Rocky Mountains front. The Black Hills occupy about 15,500 sq km/6,000 sq mi and rise to 2,207 m/7,242 ft at Harney Peak, South Dakota. The region includes a national forest (area 4,921 sq km/1,9...

Blackmore, R(ichard) D(oddridge)
English novelist. His romance Lorna Doone (1869), set on Exmoor, southwest England, in the late 17th century, won him lasting popularity. He published 13 other novels, including Cradock Nowell (1866), The Maid of Sker (1872), Alice Lorraine (1875), and Springhaven&...

Blackpool
(town) Seaside resort and administrative centre of Blackpool unitary authority, in northwest England, 28 mi/45 km north of Liverpool; population (2001) 142,300. The economy is based on tourism, with the service and tourism industries providing over 86% of local employment. There is...

Black Power
Movement towards black separatism in the USA during the 1960s, embodied in the Black Panther Party founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Its declared aim was the creation of a separate black state in the USA to be established by a black plebiscite under the aegis of the United Nations. Following a National Black Political Convention in 19...

Black Prince
Nickname of Edward, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Edward III of England

black box
Popular name for the unit containing an aeroplane's flight and voice recorders. These monitor the plane's behaviour and the crew's conversation, thus providing valuable clues to the cause of a disaster. The box is nearly indestructible and usually painted orange for easy recovery. The name also refers to any compact electronic device th...

black economy
Hidden economy of a country, which includes undeclared earnings from a second job (`moonlighting`), benefitting from undervalued goods and services (such as company `perks`) designed for tax evasion purposes, and many kinds of unreported cash transactions

blackmail
Criminal offence of extorting money with menaces or threats of detrimental action, such as exposure of some misconduct on the part of the victim

Black National State
Area in the Republic of South Africa set aside from 1971 to 1994 for development towards self-government by black Africans, in accordance with apartheid. Before 1980 these areas were known as black homelands or bantustans. Making up less than 14% of the country, they tended to be situated in ...

Black Sea
Inland sea in southeast Europe, linked with the seas of Azov and Marmara, and via the Dardanelles strait with the Mediterranean; area 423,000 sq km/163,320 sq mi; maximum depth 2,245 m/7,365 ft, decreasing in the Sea of Azov to only 13.5 m/44 ft. It is bounded by Ukraine, Russia, ...

Black Thursday
Day of the Wall Street stock market crash on 24 October 1929, which precipitated the depression in the USA and throughout the world

Blake, Robert
British admiral of the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War. Appointed `general-at-sea` in 1649, the following year he destroyed Prince Rupert's privateering Royalist fleet off Cartagena, Spain. In 1652 he won several engagements against the Dutch navy. In 1654 he bombarded Tunis, the stronghold of the Barbary cor...

Blamey, Thomas Albert
Australian field marshal. Born in New South Wales, he served at Gallipoli, Turkey, and on the Western Front in World War I. After his recall to Australia in 1942 and appointment as commander-in-chief, Allied Land Forces, he commanded operations on the Kokoda Trail and the recapture of Papua

Blanc,
(Jean Joseph Charles) French socialist and journalist. In 1839 he founded the Revue du progrès, in which he published his Organisation du travail, advocating the establishment of cooperative workshops and other socialist schemes. He was a member of th...

blackfly
(plantsucker) Plant-sucking insect, a type of aphid

blight
Any of a number of plant diseases caused mainly by parasitic species of fungus, which produce a whitish appearance on leaf and stem surfaces; for example, potato blight Phytophthora infestans. General damage caused by aphids or pollution is sometimes known as blight. In 1998 a new virulent strain of P. infestans
blue shift
In astronomy, manifestation of the Doppler effect in which light from an object appears to be of shorter wavelength (and therefore of higher frequency) when the object and observer are approaching each other (blue light is of a higher frequency than other colours in the visible spectrum). The blue shift is the opposite of the red shift

blastomere
In biology, a cell formed in the first stages of embryonic development, after the splitting of the fertilized ovum, but before the formation of the blastula or blastocyst

Blondin, Charles
French tightrope walker who walked across a rope suspended above Niagara Falls, on the USA–Canada border. He first crossed the falls in 1859 at a height of 49 m/160 ft, and later repeated the feat blindfold and then pushing a wheelbarrow

blue chip
In business and finance, a stock that is considered strong and reliable in terms of the dividend yield and capital value. Blue-chip companies are favoured by stock-market investors more interested in security than risk-taking

Black Stone
In Islam, the sacred stone built into the east corner of the Kaaba which is a focal point of the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca

blue-green algae
Obsolete name for a group of photosynthetic micro-organisms now known as cyanobacteria

Black Monday
Worldwide stock market crash that began on 19 October 1987, prompted by the announcement of worse-than-expected US trade figures and the response by US Secretary of the Treasury, James Baker, who indicated that the sliding dollar needed to decline further. This caused a world panic as fears of the likely impact of a US recession were voiced...

Blackshirts
Term widely used to describe fascist paramilitary organizations. Originating with Mussolini's fascist Squadristi in the 1920s, it was also applied to the Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel) and to the followers of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists

Blue Nile
River rising at a spring site upstream of Lake Tana in Ethiopia, 2,150 m/7,054 ft above sea level. Flowing west then north for 1,460 km/907 mi, it eventually meets the White Nile at Khartoum. For a length of 800 km/500 mi it is navigable at high water. Some 80% of Sudan's electricity is provided by hydroelectric schemes at Rosei...

blueberry
Any of various North American shrubs belonging to the heath family, growing in acid soil. The genus also includes huckleberries, bilberries, deerberries, and cranberries, many of which resemble each other and are difficult to tell apart from blueberries. All have small oval short-stalked leaves, slender green or reddish twigs, and whitish bell&...

blacking
In an industrial dispute, the refusal of workers to handle particular goods or equipment, or to work with particular people

blockade
Cutting-off of a place by hostile forces by land, sea, or air so as to prevent any movement to or fro, in order to compel a surrender without attack or to achieve some other political aim (for example, the Berlin blockade (1948) and Union blockade of Confederate ports during the American Civil War). Economic sanctions are sometimes used in an a...

blood clotting
Complex series of events (known as the blood clotting cascade) resulting from a series of enzymatic reactions in the blood that prevents excessive bleeding after injury. The result is the formation of a meshwork of protein fibres (fibrin) and trapped blood cells over the cut blood vessels

black nationalism
Movement towards black separatism in the USA during the 1960s; see Black Power

Black, Conrad Moffat
Canadian newspaper publisher. He bought the Sherbrooke Record in 1969 and, as chair of Hollinger Inc. 1985–2004, built up a newspaper empire by purchasing international titles such as the UK Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, and Spectator weekly magazine, as well as t...

Blake, George
(spy) British double agent who worked for MI6 (see intelligence) and also for the USSR. Blake was unmasked by a Polish defector in 1961 and imprisoned, but escaped to the Eastern bloc in 1966. He is said to have betrayed at least 42 British agents to the Soviet side

blood transfusion
See transfusion

Bloch, Marc
French historian, leading member of the Annales school. Most of his research was into medieval European history. He held that economic structures and systems of belief were just as important to the study of history as legal norms and institutional practices, and pioneered the use of comparative history

black humour
Humour based on the grotesque, morbid, or macabre. It is often an element of satire. A classic example is Irish writer Jonathan Swift's `A Modest Proposal` (1729), in which he argues that eating Irish children would help to alleviate Ireland's poverty. 20th-century examples can be found in the works of Samuel Beckett, the rout...

Bloody Sunday
Shooting dead of 13 unarmed demonstrators in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972, by soldiers from the British Army's 1st Parachute Regiment. One wounded man later died from an illness attributed to the shooting. The demonstrators were taking part in a march to protest against the British government's introduction of internmen...

Blair, Tony
Click images to enlargeBritish Labour politician, prime minister 1997–2007. He was leader of the Labour Party 1994–2007. On standing down as prime minister in 2007, he became a Middle East special envoy for the `Quartet` – the USA, European Union, Russia, and the United Nations. A centrist in the ...

Blitz, the
German air raids against Britain September 1940–May 1941, following Germany's failure to establish air superiority in the Battle of Britain. It has been estimated that about 42,000 civilians were killed, 50,000 were injured, and more than two million homes were destroyed and damaged in the B...

Blur
English pop group. Their album Parklife (1994) won wide admiration for its catchy melodies and quirky `cockney` attitude. Members are singer Damon Albarn (1968– ), guitarist Graham Coxon (1969– ), bassist Alex James (1968– ), and drummer Dave Rowntree (1963– ). Coxon left the band...

Blankers-Koen, Fanny
Dutch track and field athlete. She won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics. One of the most versatile athletes of the 20th century, during her long competitive career she set 16 world records at eight different events – 100 yards, 100 metres, 200 metres, 80-metre hurdles, high jump, long jump, pentathlon, and 4 × 110-yard relay....

Blaenau Gwent
Unitary authority in south Wales, created in 1996 from part of the former county of Gwent. Area 109 sq km/42 sq mi Towns Ebbw Vale (administrative headquarters), Tredegar, Abertillery Features Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn (550 m/1,800 ft); rivers Sirhowy and Ebbw; part of the Brecon Bea...

Blunkett, David
British Labour politician, former education and home secretary 1994–2004 in the Blair government. A member of Labour's shadow cabinet from 1992, he was responsible for health and then, from 1994, for education and employment. After Labour's 1997 general election victory he became secretary of state for education and employment. Followi...

bluebottle
Another name for blowfly

Blackburn with Darwen
(authority) Unitary authority (borough status) in northwest England created in 1998, formerly part of Lancashire. Area 136 sq km/53 sq mi Towns and cities Blackburn (administrative headquarters), Darwen Features Leeds–Liverpo...

blocking in
In art, the initial broad indications of line, colour, and tone in a picture which help the artist make decisions about the organization, composition, and overall effect of the final piece

blend
In grammar, the combination of phonemes into larger units, such as syllables and words. A `blend` can also be a combination of phonemes, especially occurring at the beginning and end of a word

bloodstream
In animals, the means of carrying substances around the body. Oxygen needed by the cells of the body for respiration is absorbed into the blood at the lungs by diffusion and is transported to every part of the body by the blood stream. The oxygen is carried by specialized cells – the red blood cells. Inside each cell there are lots of haemoglo...

Black Volta
One of the two main upper branches of the River Volta, running through Burkina Faso and Ghana

blizzard
Severe winter weather condition characterized by strong winds, blowing snow, and low temperatures

block printing
Method of printing, used to decorate fabric, traditionally involving the use of carved wooden blocks. Ink or dye is applied to the raised surface of the block and this is then pressed on to fabric. Intricate designs can be created using this method, although it is very time-consuming, because each colour requires a separate block. Block printin...

blog
Online journal on the World Wide Web. Blogs started in the USA in 1997 and became ubiquitous in the early 2000s, driven by the ease with which new blogs can be created on hosting services with dedicated software. Blogs are often autobiographical or special interest-based, comprising text, images, and links to other sites. The immediate, interac...

boletus
Any of several fleshy fungi (see fungus) with thick stems and caps of various colours. The European Boletus edulis is edible, but some species are poisonous. (Genus Boletus, class Basidiomycetes.)

Boötes
Constellation of the northern hemisphere represented by a herdsman driving a bear (Ursa Major) around the pole. Its brightest star is Arcturus (or Alpha Boötis), which is 36 light years from Earth. The herdsman is assisted by the neighbouring Canes Venatici, `the Hunting Dogs`

boron
Non-metallic element, atomic number 5, relative atomic mass 10.811. In nature it is found only in compounds, as with sodium and oxygen in borax. It exists in two allotropic forms (see allotropy): brown amorphous powder and very hard, brilliant crystals. Its compounds are used in the preparation of boric acid, water softeners, soaps, enamels...

boric acid
Acid formed by the combination of hydrogen and oxygen with non-metallic boron. It is a weak antiseptic and is used in the manufacture of glass and enamels. It is also an efficient insecticide against ants and cockroaches

bone
Hard connective tissue comprising the skeleton of most vertebrate animals. Bone is composed of a network of collagen fibres impregnated with mineral salts (largely calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate), a combination that gives it great density and strength, comparable in some cases with that of r...

bogbean
Aquatic or bog plant belonging to the gentian family, with a creeping rhizome (underground stem) and leaves and pink flower spikes held above water. It is found over much of the northern hemisphere. (Menyanthes trifoliata, family Gentianaceae.)

botany
Study of living and fossil plants, including form, function, interaction with the environment, and classification. Botany is subdivided into a number of specialized studies, such as the identification and classification of plants (taxonomy), their external formation (plant morphology), their internal arrangement (plant anatomy), their microscopic e...

boxer
Breed of dog, about 60 cm/24 in tall, with a smooth coat and a set-back nose. The tail is usually docked. A boxer is usually brown, often with white markings, but may be fawn or brindled

boxfish
Any fish of the family Ostraciodontidae, with scales that are hexagonal bony plates fused to form a box covering the body, only the mouth and fins being free of the armour. Boxfishes swim slowly. The cowfish, genus Lactophrys, with two `horns` above the eyes, is a member of this group

bower bird
New Guinean and northern Australian bird of the family Ptilonorhynchidae, order Passeriformes, related to the bird of paradise. The males are dull-coloured, and build elaborate bowers of sticks and grass, decorated with shells, feathers, or flowers, and even painted with the juice of berries, to ...

botfly
Any fly of the family Oestridae. The larvae are parasites that feed on the skin (warblefly of cattle) or in the nasal cavity (nostrilflies of sheep and deer). The horse botfly belongs to another family, the Gasterophilidae. It has a parasitic larva that feeds in the horse's stomach

borzoi
Breed of large dog originating in Russia. It is of the greyhound type, white with darker markings, with a thick, silky coat, and stands 75 cm/30 in or more at the shoulder. The borzoi's original quarry was hares and foxes, but it was selectively bred in the 19th century to produce a larger, stronger dog suitable for hunting wolves

booklouse
Any of numerous species of tiny wingless insects of the order Psocoptera, especially Atropus pulsatoria, which lives in books and papers, feeding on starches and moulds. Most of the other species live in bark, leaves, and lichens. They thrive in dark, damp conditions

booby
Tropical seabird of the genus Sula, in the same family, Sulidae, as the northern gannet, order Pelicaniformes. There are six species, including the circumtropical brown booby S. leucogaster. Plumage is white and black or brown, with no feathers on the throat and ...

bonito
Any of various species of medium-sized tuna, predatory fish of the genus Sarda, in the mackerel family. The ocean bonito Katsuwonus pelamis grows to 1 m/3 ft and is common in tropical seas. The Atlantic bonito Sarda sarda is found in the Mediterranean and tropical Atlantic and grows t...

bobcat
Wild cat Lynx rufus living in a variety of habitats from southern Canada through to southern Mexico. It is similar to the lynx, but only 75 cm/2.5 ft long, with reddish fur and less well-developed ear tufts

boll weevil
Small American beetle Anthonomus grandis of the weevil group. The female lays her eggs in the unripe pods or `bolls` of the cotton plant, and on these the larvae feed, causing great destruction

boar
Wild member of the pig family, such as the Eurasian wild boar Sus scrofa, from which domestic pig breeds derive. The wild boar is sturdily built, being 1.5 m/4.5 ft long and 1 m/3 ft high, and possesses formidable tusks. Of gregarious nature and mainly woodland-dwelling, it feeds on roots, nuts, insects, and some carr...

boa
Any of various nonvenomous snakes of the family Boidae, found mainly in tropical and subtropical parts of the New World. Boas feed mainly on small mammals and birds. They catch these in their teeth or kill them by constriction (crushing the creature within their coils until it suffocates). The boa co...

bowhead
Arctic whale Balaena mysticetus with strongly curving upper jawbones supporting the plates of baleen with which it sifts planktonic crustaceans from the water. Averaging 15 m/50 ft long and 90 tonnes/100 tons in weight, these slow-moving, placid whales were once extremely common, but by the 17th century were already b...

boomslang
Rear-fanged venomous African snake Dispholidus typus, often green but sometimes brown or blackish, and growing to a length of 2 m/6 ft. It lives in trees, and feeds on tree-dwelling lizards such as chameleons. Its venom can be fatal to humans; however, boomslangs rarely attack people

bongo
Central African antelope Boocercus eurycerus, living in dense humid forests. Up to 1.4 m/4.5 ft at the shoulder, it has spiral horns which may be 80 cm/2.6 ft or more in length. The body is rich chestnut, with narrow white stripes running vertically down the sides, and a black belly

bond
(chemistry) In chemistry, the result of the forces of attraction that hold together atoms in an element or compound. The principal types of bonding are ionic, covalent, metallic, and intermolecular (such as hydrogen bonding). The type...

bore
(earth science) Surge of tidal water up an estuary or a river, caused by the funnelling of the rising tide by a narrowing river mouth. A very high tide, possibly fanned by wind, may build up when it is held back by a river current in the river mouth. The result is a broken wave, a metre or a f...

bog
Type of wetland where decomposition is slowed down and dead plant matter accumulates as peat. Bogs develop under conditions of low temperature, high acidity, low nutrient supply, stagnant water, and oxygen deficiency. Typical bog plants are sphagnum moss, rushes, and cotton grass; insectivorous plants such as sundews and bladderworts are common...

Bodhgaya
Village in Bihar, India, where Gautama became the Buddha while sitting beneath a bo, or bodhi tree (`wisdom tree`); a descendant of the original tree is preserved

Boris Godunov
Tsar of Russia from 1598; see Boris Godunov

Boyle, Robert
Irish chemist and physicist who published The Sceptical Chymist (1661), a groundbreaking book that became the definitive text among scientists for decades to follow. He formulated Boyle's law in 1662. He was a pioneer in the use of experiment and scientific method. Boyle questi...

Boumédienne, Houari
Algerian politician who brought the nationalist leader Mohammed Ben Bella to power by a revolt in 1962 and superseded him as president in 1965 by a further coup. During his 13 years in office, he presided over an ambitious programme of economic development and promoted Algeria as an active champion of the developing world. In late 1978 he died of a...

Born, Max
German-born British physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1954 for fundamental work on the quantum theory, especially his 1926 discovery that the wave function of an electron is linked to the probability that the electron is to be found at any point. In 1924 Born coined the term `quantum mechanics`. He made Göt...

Bormann, Martin
German Nazi leader. He took part in the abortive Munich beer-hall putsch (uprising) in 1923 and rose to high positions in the Nazi Party, becoming deputy party leader in May 1941 following the flight of Rudolf Hess to Britain. In 1943 Hitler made him his personal secretary, a position in which he controlled access to Hitler, preventing bad news...

Borgia, Lucrezia
Duchess of Ferrara from 1501. She was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and sister of Cesare Borgia. She was married at 12 and again at 13 to further her father's ambitions, both marriages being annulled by him. At 18 she was married again, but her husband was murdered in 1500 on the order of her brother, with whom (as well as with...

Borgia, Cesare
Italian general, illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. Made a cardinal at 17 by his father, he resigned to become captain-general of the papacy, campaigning successfully against the city republics of Italy. Ruthless and treacherous in war, he was an able ruler (a model for Machiavelli's The Prince), but his power crumble...

Bordeaux
Administrative centre of the département of Gironde and of the Aquitaine region, southwest France, situated on the River Garonne, 100 km/62 mi from the Atlantic; population (1999 est) 215,100, conurbation (2002 est) 935,100. Bordeaux is accessible to seagoing ships and is a major port; it is a centre for the wine...

Bophuthatswana, Republic of
Former Black National State within South Africa, independent from 1977 (although not recognized by the United Nations) until 1994 when it was re-integrated into South Africa (in North West Province, Free State (formerly Orange Free State), and Mpumalanga (formerly Eastern Transvaal)) after rioting broke out in the run-up to the first multir...

bootlegging
Illegal manufacture, distribution, or sale of a product. The term originated in the USA, when the sale of alcohol to American Indians was illegal and bottles were hidden for sale in the legs of the jackboots of unscrupulous traders. The term was later used for all illegal liquor sales during the period of Prohibition in the USA 1919–33. More r...

Booth, John Wilkes
US actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln 14 April 1865. Booth had earlier conceived a plan to kidnap Lincoln and decided to kill him in vengeance when the plan failed. While Lincoln was watching a play from a box at Ford's Theatre, Washington, he shot the president. Booth escaped with a broken leg and was ...

Booth, Charles
English shipowner and sociologist; author of the study Life and Labour of the People in London (1902) conducted from 1889, in which he found that 30% of Londoners lived in unacceptable conditions. Booth argued that poverty was not caused by idleness or drink, but by low wages, sickness, and unemployment. He argued that po...

Boone, Daniel
US pioneer. He cleared a forest path called the Wilderness Road (East Virginia–Kentucky) in 1775 and for the first westward migration of settlers

boomerang
Hand-thrown, flat wooden hunting missile shaped in a curved angle, formerly used throughout the world but developed by the Australian Aborigines to a great degree of diversity and elaboration. It is used to kill game and as a weapon or, in the case of the returning boomerang, for recreation

Boole, George
English mathematician. His work The Mathematical Analysis of Logic (1847) established the basis of modern mathematical logic, and his Boolean algebra can be used in designing computers. Boole's system is essentially two-valued. By subdividing objects into separate classes, each with a given property, his algebra makes it ...

Bonn
Industrial city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 18 km/15 mi southeast of Cologne, on the left bank of the Rhine; population (2003 est) 307,500. Industries include the manufacture of light-metal products, ceramics, office equipment, textiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Bonn was the seat of government of West Germany 1949...

Bonaparte
Click images to enlargeCorsican family of Italian origin that gave rise to the Napoleonic dynasty: see Napoleon I, Napoleon II, and Napoleon III. Others were the brothers and sister of Napoleon I: Joseph (1768–1844) whom Napoleon made king of Naples in 1806 and of Spain in 1808; Lucien (1775–1840) wh...

Bologna
(town) Industrial town and capital of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, at the foot of the Apennines, 80 km/50 mi north of Florence; population (2001 est) 370,000. It is a prosperous commercial centre and a major rail hub, linking southern and northern Italy. Industries include engineering, f...

Boleyn, Anne
Queen of England 1533–36 as the second wife of Henry VIII. She gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I in 1533, but was unable to produce a male heir to the throne, and was executed on a false charge. Having no male heir by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Henry broke from Rome and the po...

Bohemia
Area of the Czech Republic, a fertile plateau drained by the Elbe and Vltava rivers. It is rich in mineral resources, including uranium, coal, lignite, iron ore, silver, and graphite. The main cities are Prague and Plzen. The name Bohemia derives from the Celtic Boii, its earliest known inhabitants. History It became part of the Holy Roman Empire a...

Bogotá
Capital of Colombia, and of Cundinamarca department, situated at 2,640 m/8,660 ft above sea level, on the edge of the Eastern Cordillera plateau of the Andes; population (2005) 6,763,000; metropolitan area 7,887,000. Main industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, and tobacco. Bogotá is Colombia's largest city, an...

Bogarde, Dirk
English actor and writer. He appeared in comedies and adventure films such as Doctor in the House (1954) and Campbell's Kingdom (1957), before acquiring international recognition for complex roles in Joseph Losey's The Servant (1963) and Accident (1967), and Luchino...