Babsky (n.): William Brown Street around the Wellington column. ‘The place where the arch was erected is about the most exposed part of the town when the wind is high, and in consequence is generally styled the Babsky’ (Ware 1909: 13). *NR; a l.19c. nickname for a wind-swept part of Liverpool city centre; a corruption of ‘Bay o’ Biscay’, referenced in Haigh's Sir Galahad of the Slums: ‘The triangular piece of ground on which the great Wellington Column stands … the space known locally as the “Bay of Biscay”’ (Haigh 1907: 437).

Bacalhoa (n.): salt fish. ‘Salted codfish, known in the Park Lane area by the Portuguese word bacalhao’ (Lees 2013: 133). See salt fish.

Back/back up/bank (v.): to arrange a fire, usually at night, so that it would burn slowly. ‘For the first time ever since he could remember, the fire had not been backed up’ (Hanley 2009 [1936]: 367). ‘He banked up the fire’ (Hanley 2009 [1950]: 75). ‘I've left a Hot Pot cookin’ slow/For I've backed up the fire’ (Hallowell 1972: n.p.). ‘A banked-up fire that smouldered’ (Simpson 1990: 81). ‘This was ideal for “backing” the fire’ (Elliott 2006 [1940s–70s]: 62). *NR; a fire would be ‘backed up’ with slack and cinders in order to keep it just alight.

Back door job (n.): anal sex. ‘Back door job. Buggery’ (Spiegl 1989: 13). Recorded from l.20c.; an extension of l.16c. ‘backdoor’, ‘anus’.

Back-end (n.): latter part of a year; end of a season. ‘Last back-end. The latter part of the previous year’ (Lane 1966: 61). Recorded from 19c.; Scottish and northern dialectal; derivation is clear.

Back-hander (n.): blow, smack with the back of the hand. ‘Keep still, son, if you don't want a back-hander’ (Baird 1957: 24). ‘The only answer's a fuckin’ back-hander’ (Parker 1974: 97). ‘A backhander to shut him up’ (Sampson 2002: 186). ‘The lad was now within striking distance of a back-hander’ (Fagan 2007 [1950s]: 183). Recorded from e.19c.; derivation is clear.