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benevolent adj. (bug NEV uh lent) disposed to doing good; charitable; kindly. He was a benevolent man who gave more than half of his fortune away.

benign adj. (bi NIYN) of a harmless nature. It was a relief to learn that my tumor was benign.

between the devil and the deep blue sea in a very difficult position; being forced to choose one of two equally unpleasant situations; similar to "between a rock and a hard place." I'm between the devil and the deep blue sea; if I take the job in San Diego, I'll have to move, but if I don't take the job, I'll be out of work.

bigot adj. (BIG ut) one who is intolerant of those of a different race, religion, political party, or sex­ual orientation. Archie Bunker was a classic bigot; he looked down his nose at everyone who wasn't a white, heterosexual male.

bigotry n. (BIG uh tree) intolerance for those of a different race, religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. His discrimination against his homosex­ual neighbors was pure bigotry.

bilk vb. (BILK) to swindle or cheat. John was arrested for trying to bilk the insurance company out of a large settlement.

black market n. an illegal or underground market. The imported goods were purchased illegally through the black market.

blase adj. (blah ZAY) nonchalant, cool, unfazed. The director was surprisingly blase about winning an Academy Award.

blasphemy n. (BLAS fuh mee) any irreverence toward God or religion. During the Inquisition, any act of blasphemy could get you a date with the tor­ture chamber.

blatant adj. (BLAYT unt) loud or offensive. The fan was ejected from the stands for his blatant cursing of the opposing team.

bleeding heart n. one who is easily moved by sob sto­ries, sympathizes excessively, and feels obliged to offer assistance, even when it may be counterproductive to do so. If you believe wholeheartedly in every social wel­fare program ever invented, you are a bleeding heart.

blithe adj. (BLITHE) lighthearted and unconcerned. It is difficult to darken the blithe spirit of children on the last day of school.

bombastic adj. (bom BAS tik) of speech or writing, pompous. The student's speech was full of big words and sentiments but was highly bombastic.

bon vivant n. (BON vee VAHN) one who savors fine food and drink and has developed refined tastes. She was a bon vivant who loved to sample foreign dishes and fine wines.

bourgeois adj. (boor ZHWAW) of the conventional middle class. His drive to keep up financially with his neighbors was thoroughly bourgeois.

boycott vb. (BOY kot) to deliberately stop purchas­ing something, as a means of protest. The environ­mental group planned to boycott the products of all of the companies who polluted the air.