Emily Dickinson Lexicon

bad, adj. [ME] (webplay: good, man, men, perish).

Evil; wicked; corrupt; immoral; rebellious; disobedient; abominable; morally depraved; unlawful and unloving (see 2 Corinthians 5:10).

bade, v. [see bid, v.]

badinage, n. [Fr. 'silly, frivolous, jesting'.]

Banter; light talk; humorous discourse; [word play on “bad”] malediction; cursing; bad language; opposite of benediction.

baffle (-d, -s), v. [Fr. beffler, deceive, mock, gull] (webplay: frequently, one, play, seamen, turns).

1. Confuse; perplex; puzzle; disconcert; bewilder; confound.
2. Guess; look; speculate; contemplate.

baffled, verbal adj. [see baffle, v.] (webplay: another).

1. Shy; reclusive; introverted; [fig.] closed; tightly packed like a bud; not yet fully open as a blossom; [metaphor] shrouded; bundled up; covered with blankets; hidden by wraps.
2. Confused; unsettled; befuddled; dumbfounded; unable to perform.

baffling, verbal adj. [see baffle, v.]

Puzzling; astonishing; confusing; difficult; complex; enigmatic; hard to understand.

bag (-s), n. [ON 'pack, bundle'.] (webplay: sails).

Pouch; satchel; purse; wallet; money sack; pack for carrying gold (see Isaiah 46:6); [fig.] pollen-carrying insect.

bagatelle (-s), n. [Fr. < It. < Parmesan, bagata, little property; see baggage, n.]

Trifle; trinket; bauble; unimportant thing; [fig.] legend; myth; folklore; tall tale.

baggage, n. [OFr 'property packed up for carriage'.] (webplay: journey).

Possession; luggage; portable belongings.

Bahamas, proper n. [Caribbean Guanahani; or Sp. baja mar, shallow water, low sea.]

Carribean islands; lush tropical islands; one of the first islands that Columbus encountered in the West Indies; important blockade of Southern ports during the Civil War; [fig.] exotic place; mythical location of the Fountain of Youth.