Cultural Literacy Unit 2

ballad a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas. Traditional ballads are typically of unknown authorship, having been passed on orally from one generation to the next as part of the folk culture.

Banana republic a small nation, especially in Central America, dependent on one crop or the influx of foreign capital.

baroque relating to or denoting a style of European architecture, music, and art of the 17th and 18th centuries that followed mannerism and is characterized by ornate detail.

Blue-collar relating to manual work or workers, particularly in industry.

Bohemian  person who has informal and unconventional social habits, especially an artist or writer.

Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth synonymous with wealth, especially inherited wealth 

The buck stops here he responsibility for something cannot or should not be passed to someone else.

Bull in a china shop a person who breaks things or who often makes mistakes or causes damage in situations that require careful thinking or behavior.

Bureaucracy a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.

Burn the midnight oil read, study, or work late into the night.