# B explained — The Devil’s Dictionary

> Chapter companion for The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

This chapter presents a series of satirical definitions for words beginning with the letter B, including 'Beggars', 'Behavior', 'Belladonna', 'Benedictines', 'Benefactor', 'Berenice's Hair', 'Bigamy', 'Bigot', 'Billingsgate', 'Birth', 'Blackguard', 'Blank-Verse', 'Body-Snatcher', 'Bondsman', 'Bore', 'Botany', 'Bottle-Nosed', 'Boundary', 'Bounty', 'Brahma', 'Brain', 'Brandy', 'Bride', 'Brute', 'Baal', 'Babe', 'Baby', 'Bacchus', 'Back', 'Backbite', 'Bait', 'Baptism', 'Barometer', 'Barrack', 'Basilisk', 'Bastinado', 'Bath', 'Battle', 'Beard', 'Beauty', 'Befriend', and 'Beg'. Each definition employs irony, cynicism, and dark humor to critique human nature, society, religion, and politics.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Duplicity

Definitions like 'Befriend' ('To make an ingrate') and 'Benefactor' ('One who makes heavy purchases of ingratitude') expose the hypocrisy in human relationships and charity.

### Critique of Religion

Definitions of 'Baptism', 'Brahma', 'Baal', and 'Benedictines' mock religious rituals, deities, and clergy, reflecting a skeptical view of faith.

### Human Folly and Self-Deception

Entries like 'Brain' ('An apparatus with which we think that we think') and 'Bore' ('A person who talks when you wish him to listen') highlight human irrationality and self-deception.

### Social Class and Inequality

The poem under 'Beggar' and definitions like 'Bounty' and 'Bondsman' critique class disparities and the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The narrator of the definitions and poems, providing cynical commentary.

### Father Gassalasca Jape

Credited as the author of the poem under 'Beggar' and the lines under 'Baptism'.

### Dr. Samuel Johnson

Quoted in the definition of 'Brandy' as saying brandy is the drink of heroes.

### Juno

Mentioned in the definition of 'Basilisk' as restoring the reptile's sight.

### Baal

Discussed as an ancient deity under various names, including Baal, Belus, Babel, Beelzebub, Bolus, and Belly.

### Moses

Referenced in the definition of 'Baby' as a famous babe preserved in the bulrushes.

### Henry Ward Beecher

Quoted in the definition of 'Bounty' regarding the Creator's provision for insects.

### Polydore Smith

Credited as the author of the poem under 'Brahma'.

## Key lines

> Beggar One who has relied on the assistance of his friends.

A beggar is someone who has depended on help from friends.

_Cynical definition implying that beggars are those who have exhausted their social credit._

> Belladonna In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues.

Belladonna means beautiful lady in Italian but a deadly poison in English, showing how languages can be identical in essence.

_Satirical comment on the dual meaning of the word, linking beauty and danger._

> Bore A person who talks when you wish him to listen.

A bore is someone who speaks when you want them to listen.

_Humorous definition highlighting the annoyance of one-sided conversation._

> Brain An apparatus with which we think that we think.

The brain is a device that makes us believe we are thinking.

_Skeptical view of human cognition and self-awareness._

> Bride A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her.

A bride is a woman who has a great chance of happiness in her past.

_Cynical take on marriage, suggesting that happiness is behind, not ahead._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters/b
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_devil_s_dictionary_se/chapters