Chapter Bread to Brevet Rank of B by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Brent-goose (A ). Properly a brant-goose, the branta bernicla, a brownish-grey goose of the genus branta.

“For the people of the village
Saw the flock of brant with wonder.”
Longfellow: Hiawatha, part xvi. stanza 32.

Brent-hill means the eyebrows.
   Looking or gazing from under brent-hill. In Devonshire means “frowning at one;” and in West Cornwall to brend means to wrinkle the brows. It is very remarkable that the word should have such opposite meanings.

Brentford Like the two kings of Brentford smelling at one nosegay. Said of persons who were once rivals, but have become reconciled. The allusion is to an old farce called The Rehearsal, by the Duke of Buckingham. “The two kings of Brentford enter hand in hand,” and the actors, to heighten the absurdity, used to make them enter “smelling at one nosegay” (act ii. s. 2).

Bressommer or Brest-summer. (French, sommier, a lintel or bressummer.) A beam supporting the whole weight of the building above it; as, the beam over a shop-front, the beam extending over an opening through a wall when a communication between two contiguous rooms is required. Sometimes these beams support a large superstructure. (The word bress, brest, or breast, in carpentry, means a rafter, and the German brett = a plank.)

Bretwalda (ruler of Britain ). The chief of the kings of the heptarchy who exercised a certain undefined power over the other rulers; something like that of Hugues Capet over his peers.

“The office of Bretwalda, a kind of elective chieftainship, of all Britain, was held by several Northumbrian kings, in succession.”- Earle: English Tongue, p. 26.

Brevet Rank is rank one degree higher than your pay. Thus, a brevet-major has the title of major, but the pay of captain. (French, brevet, a patent, a concession.)