Glossary beginning with B


A sum of money paid to release a prisoner from custody. Bail is also like a bond to make sure a person appears in court.


Practising members of the legal profession. 'The Bar' is named after the imaginary line separating the judge and lawyers from the rest of the court.


Heavy artillery fire


Information which promotes a particular point of view. Bias influences the way the reader or viewer understands a text.

Bibliographical details

Information about the person or organisation that created a source. These details vary depending on the kind of source you're describing.  Bibliographical details include the author's name, date of publication, URL, title etc.


Given rooms with local families.


Bringing individual stalks into one bundle or 'sheaf'. Also used as a metaphor.


The natural variety of plants and animals in an environment.

Black War

The ‘Black War’ of the 1800s was a conflict between British settlers and the Aborigines of Van Diemen’s Land, now known as Tasmania, that saw the almost complete genocide of the indigenous population.


A heavy and saturated delivery of artillery or shelling that is concentrated on a particular area rather than a specific target.


People who make, sell or transport alcohol illegally.


The dimming of lights during war times, to reduce visibility to enemy aircraft.


The line, usually below a newspaper headline, which gives the author's name. A by-line can also appear under an image in a newspaper, giving the photographer's details.