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Big Mac
The Big Mac (ビッグマック) is McDonald's double-decker hamburger, invented by franchisee Jim Delligatti in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1967 and rolled out nationally in 1968; 580 US calories, source of The Economist's Big Mac index, and basis of the Mega Mac and Chicken Big Mac variants.
Big N' Tasty
Big N' Tasty, also Big Tasty (no N), a McDonald's hamburger introduced in 1997 to compete with Burger King's Whopper; quarter-pound patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, ketchup, mayo; discontinued in the US January 1, 2011, but the Big Tasty with Emmental cheese and signature sauce persists internationally.
Big Red (soft drink)
Big Red is a red cream soda invented in 1937 in Waco, Texas, originally Sun Tang Red Cream Soda, renamed in 1969; sweet bubble-gum flavor, 34 mg caffeine per 12 oz, Red 40 dye, owned by Keurig Dr Pepper since 2018.
Big Tex
Big Tex is the 55-foot cowboy statue and official greeter of the State Fair of Texas at Fair Park, Dallas, famous for "Howdy, Folks!" Originally a 49-foot Kerens, Texas Santa Claus bought for $750, he debuted in 1952, burned in 2012, returned in 2013, and wears size 96 Lucchese boots.
Biggest ball of twine
Biggest ball of twine: disputed US roadside-attraction title held under different measures by Darwin MN (one man, 17,400 lbs), Cawker City KS (community sisal ball), Lake Nebagamon WI (24,100 lbs claim), and Branson MO.
Bigos
Bigos, Polish hunter's stew, is a national dish of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, and assorted meats, slowly cooked and improved by reheating; originally a 17th-century cabbage-free chopped-meat dish, it took its modern form in the 18th century.
Bigoudène
The bigoudène is the tall white lace headdress of women in the Pays Bigouden, Brittany, around Pont-l'Abbé. It grew from about 8 cm around 1900 to 35 cm after WWII and became a symbol of all Brittany.
Bikini
Bikini: two-piece women's swimsuit with bra top and navel-baring bottoms, introduced in Paris July 5, 1946 by engineer Louis Réard and rival Jacques Heim's Atome, named after Bikini Atoll's nuclear tests.
Bikini barista
Bikini barista, also called sexpresso or bareista, is a drive-through coffee stand format staffed by scantily clad employees, originating near Seattle in 1999 with Natte Latte and concentrated in Washington, marked by tip-based earnings and the Everett dress-code litigation.
Bikini variants
Bikini variants: styles of the two-piece swimsuit introduced by Louis Réard in 1946, including string bikini, monokini, tankini, tanga, thong, bandeau, halter, triangle, and underwire tops, with support and coverage differences.
Bild Lilli doll
Bild Lilli doll: German fashion doll made 1955-1964 by O. M. Hausser, based on Reinhard Beuthien's Lilli cartoon in the Bild newspaper; model for Mattel's Barbie, whose rights Mattel bought in 1964.
Billabong (clothing)
Billabong is an Australian surfwear brand founded in 1973 on the Gold Coast by Gordon and Rena Merchant, known for boardshorts and wetsuits. Once ASX-listed, it is now owned by Authentic Brands Group via the 2023 Boardriders acquisition.
Billabong Outlet
Billabong Outlet stores are discount factory outlets of the Australian surf brand Billabong, selling previous-season boardshorts, swimwear, and wetsuits in the US, Japan, France, Brazil, Bali, and Australia.
Billiken
Billiken: charm doll patented by Florence Pretz of Kansas City in 1908, the smiling "god of things as they ought to be"; later a good-luck figure at Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower, mascot of Saint Louis University, and namesake of Argentina's long-running children's magazine.
Billionaire Boys Club (clothing retailer)
Billionaire Boys Club (BBC), with sister brand ICECREAM, is a streetwear label founded in 2003 by Pharrell Williams and BAPE creator NIGO, known for its astronaut logo, Tokyo flagship, rap-lyric marketing, and the motto 'Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket.'
Billy Bob's Wonderland
Billy Bob's Wonderland, family entertainment center in Barboursville, West Virginia; opened 1986 as ShowBiz Pizza Place, independent since 1989; home of regular Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band shows and the annual BillyCon fan convention.
Billy Carter
Billy Carter (William Alton Carter, 1937-1988), Jimmy Carter's younger brother, Plains, Georgia gas station owner and peanut businessman; Billy Beer promoter; Libyan-agent "Billygate" figure cleared of influencing policy.
Billy Possum
Billy Possum: a 1909 plush opossum toy honoring President William Howard Taft, created by Susie Wright Allgood's Georgia Billy Possum Company to replace the teddy bear; it flopped within months.
Biltong
Biltong, a South African salted, vinegar-cured, air-dried ready-to-eat meat made from beef or game strips; distinguished from jerky by no cooking step, vinegar curing, and typical 4–8% salt content.
Bimbo Bakeries USA
Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is the U.S. subsidiary of Mexico's Grupo Bimbo and the largest U.S. baking company, owning Sara Lee, Entenmann's, Thomas', Oroweat, and Arnold. It received an FDA sesame-labeling warning letter in 2024 and is moving headquarters from Horsham, PA to Dallas.
Bindle
Bindle: US slang for a hobo's bundle of bedding and possessions carried on a stick; also a small folded paper packet for powdered drugs; Scots bindle means a binding cord or rope.
Biodynamic wine
Biodynamic wine is wine from grapes farmed by Rudolf Steiner's 1924 biodynamic system, certified mainly by Demeter (founded 1932), covering about 1% of world vineyards, with stricter cellar rules than organic wine and contested scientific evidence.
Bira 91
Bira 91 is an Indian craft beer brand launched February 2015 by Ankur Jain under B9 Beverages (91 = India's ISD code). It reached the #2 beer brand rank behind Kingfisher, then suffered a financial crisis leading to Kirin's exit and Jain's 2026 departure.
Birch beer
Birch beer, also called white birch beer, is a non-alcoholic carbonated soda flavored with birch sap, bark, or oil, chiefly methyl salicylate; a Pennsylvania and Northeast regional wintergreen-flavored cousin of root beer.
Biretta
Biretta (beretta, biretum): stiff square cap with three or four ridges worn by Catholic clergy, cardinals in red, bishops violet, priests black; ancestor of the academic mortarboard.
Birkin bag
Birkin bag, Hermès Birkin, structured French luxury handbag created in 1984 for Jane Birkin with Jean-Louis Dumas; handmade by one artisan in 18+ hours, sells above retail on resale, prototype sold for $10.1 million in 2025.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, England: municipal art museum opened 28 November 1885 by the Prince of Wales, holding the world's finest Pre-Raphaelite collection, distinct from the Alabama museum of similar name.
Birra Moretti
Birra Moretti, founded in 1859 in Udine by Luigi Moretti, is an Italian lager brand, also called L'Autentica; bottom-fermented 4.6% ABV beer with a 1942 moustached-man label, owned by Heineken since 1996.
Birria
Birria: slow-cooked Jalisco, Mexico stew of goat (traditionally) or beef in a dried-chile adobo, served with consomé; distinct from pit-steamed barbacoa; Tijuana beef birria and quesabirria tacos went viral in the U.S. after 2018.
Birthday
Birthday: the annual anniversary of a person's birth. Also called dies natalis (Latin). Ancient Persians and Romans celebrated it; Kinderfest created the candle cake; modern birthdays act as rites of temporality with milestones like the quinceañera.