box camera noun

A simple box-shaped camera

box canyon noun (N American)

A narrow canyon with almost vertical sides

boxˈcar noun (N American)

A box-wagon

boxˈ-cloth noun

A heavy cloth for riding garments

boxˈ-coat noun

1. A short loose coat
2. A heavy overcoat worn by those travelling on the outside of a coach (obsolete)

box cutter noun (chiefly US)

A short knife with a renewable, sharp blade

boxˈ-day noun (obsolete)

One of the Court of Session vacation days when papers ordered to be deposited in court had to be lodged

boxed set or box set noun

A collection of several similar items packaged as a single unit

box file noun

A box-shaped container with a spring clip for holding documents steady, capable of holding many or esp bulky items

boxˈ-fish see coffer-fish under coffer

boxˈ-frame noun

A box-shaped framework of a building

box girder noun

A hollow, square or rectangular girder, often used in bridge construction

boxˈ-haul transitive verb

To veer (a square-rigged ship) hard round

Boxing Day noun

1. The day after Christmas, when boxes or presents were traditionally given to employees, etc
2. The first weekday after Christmas, observed as a public holiday

boxˈ-iron noun

A hollow smoothing-iron in which a heater is placed

box jellyfish noun (Aust)

Any of several tropical jellyfish with venomous tentacles

box junction noun

An area at a crossroads or other road junction, marked with yellow criss-cross lines, into which a vehicle may not move unless its exit is clear

boxˈkeeper noun (obsolete)

An attendant who opens the doors of boxes at theatres, etc

box kite noun

A kite composed of open-ended boxes

boxˈ-lobby noun

The lobby leading to the boxes in a theatre

box number noun

A number to which replies, eg to advertisements, may be sent either at a post office or a newspaper

box office noun

1. In a theatre, etc, the office at which seats may be booked
2. Receipts from a play, etc
3. Ability to draw an audience
4. An attraction as judged by the box office

boxˈ-office adjective

boxˈ-pleat noun

A type of double pleat formed by folding the cloth under in both directions

boxˈ-pleated adjective

boxˈplot or box and whisker plot noun

A method of displaying statistical data by means of a box representing the values between the 25th and 75th percentile, divided by a horizontal line representing the median, and two terminated lines representing the maximum and minimum values respectively

box profits plural noun

Profits made by financial managers when buying and selling units for unit trusts

boxˈroom noun

A room (esp a small room without an outside window) in which boxes, etc, are stored, sometimes pressed into service as a bedroom

box seat noun

1. A driver's seat on a coach
2. A seat in a box in a theatre, etc
3. A commanding or favourable position (informal)

box set see boxed set above.

boxˈ-spanner noun

A spanner consisting of a cylindrical piece of steel shaped at one or both ends into a hexagon to fit over the appropriate nut, and turned by a rod inserted through a hole at the opposite end

box spring noun

One of a set of spiral springs in an open box-shaped frame as part of a mattress

box van noun

A motor van with a box-shaped goods compartment

boxˈ-wagon noun

A closed railway goods-wagon

boxˈwallah noun (Ind)

1. (see wallah) a pedlar
2. A businessman or shopkeeper (derogatory)

box the compass

1. To name the 32 compass points in order in either or both directions
2. To make a complete turnaround in any opinion

in the wrong box

In a false position, in a scrape

the box (informal)

1. The television set
2. Television

the whole box and dice (Aust and NZ)

The whole lot

think outside the box

To disregard conventional thinking in order to achieve an original solution to a problem