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chat-up line UK informal (US come-on line) "Have you been here before?" "That's one of the oldest chat-up lines I've ever heard!" start learning
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a remark that someone makes to another person to make their sexual interest known to that person and start a conversation:
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He spent all evening chatting her up and buying her drinks. start learning
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to talk to someone in a way that shows that you are sexually attracted to them:
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chit noun [C] (NOTE) - UK old-fashioned a chit for the dry cleaner's; When our flight was delayed, they gave us a chit to get a free meal.; Before they can hail a cab or order a bike, staff now need a chit signed by a senior staff member. start learning
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a note that shows how much money you owe or have paid for something, or that allows you to do something: Each passenger received a chit for $250 in onboard spending.
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chit noun [C] (GIRL) - old-fashioned disapproving start learning
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Hail and snow are causing treacherous driving conditions, and motorists are warned to drive slowly. start learning
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small, hard balls of ice that fall from the sky like rain
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a hail of bullets The prime minister was greeted with a hail of insults as she arrived at the university. start learning
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a lot of similar things or remarks, thrown or shouted at someone at the same time:
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treacherous adjective (DANGEROUS) Snow and ice have left many roads treacherous, and drivers are warned to use caution. start learning
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If the ground or sea is treacherous, it is extremely dangerous, especially because of bad weather conditions:
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treacherous adjective (NOT LOYAL) A person who is treacherous deceives someone who trusts them, or has no loyalty: start learning
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A person who is treacherous deceives someone who trusts them, or has no loyalty:
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Shall we hail a taxi? I tried to hail her from across the room. start learning
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to call someone in order to attract their attention:
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hail sb/sth as sth (PRAISE) She's been hailed as one of the best young dancers today. start learning
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to praise a person or an achievement by comparing them to someone or something very good:
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start learning
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a Catholic prayer to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ
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Hail Mary [AMERICAN FOOTBAL] start learning
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in American football, a very long pass, made in an attempt to score, that is not usually successful
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hail from somewhere - formal Both John and Leeza hail from South Carolina. start learning
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to come from or to have been born in a particular place:
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canon noun (PRIEST) - mainly UK start learning
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a Christian priest with special duties in a cathedral
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canon noun (RULE) - formal or specialized The canon for lawyers has clear restrictions. start learning
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a principle or law, or a set of these, esp. in a Christian church: CANONICAL - related to a rule, principle, or law, especially in the Christian Church: - The infallibility of the canonical scriptures rested on the authority of councils and church tradition.
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canon noun (WORKS); CANONICAL - ADJ. He has made it into the canon of English poetry.; the canonical writers of American literature start learning
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the writings or other works that are generally agreed to be good, important, and worth studying:
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canon NOUN [WORKS FROM PERSON] start learning
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all the writings or other works known to be by a particular person:
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start learning
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the repetition of a musical pattern after it has been sung or played once, although not always in the same octave or by the same instrument
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infallible; infallibility - NOUN; OPPISITE - fallible His stubborn belief in his own infallibility kept him from listening to others. start learning
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never wrong, failing, or making a mistake:
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fallible; fallibility - NOUN This method is more fallible than most because it depends on careful and accurate timing. start learning
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(of a person) able to fail or likely to make mistakes, or (of an object or system) likely not to work satisfactorily:
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scripture; scriptural - ADJ. the Hindu/Buddhist/Muslim scriptures According to Holy Scripture (= the Bible), God created the world in six days.; scriptural texts/passages start learning
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the holy writings of a religion: Scripture or the Scriptures refers to the Bible, including the Old and New Testaments.
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Several passages from the book were printed in a national newspaper before it was published. start learning
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a short piece of writing or music that is part of a larger piece of work:
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passage noun (TRAVEL) - formal The gunman demanded a plane and safe passage to an unspecified destination. start learning
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travel, especially as a way of escape:
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passage [JOURNEY OVER THE SEA] old-fashioned He had booked his passage to Rio de Janeiro. start learning
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a journey, especially over the sea:
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work your passage - old-fashioned start learning
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to do work on a ship during your trip instead of paying for a ticket
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Many meteors disintegrate during their passage through the atmosphere.; Despite security checks, our passage through the airport was fairly quick. start learning
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an act of moving through somewhere: an act of moving through a place:
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the passage of time - literary Memories fade with the passage of time. start learning
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the process of time going past:
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passage noun (LAW) - formal passage of sth: Protesters are opposing passage of the new energy bill through parliament. start learning
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the official approval of something, especially a new law:
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PASSAGE [ENTRANCE OR OPENING] start learning
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A passage is also an entrance or opening:
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start learning
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polite expression for rectum specialized
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bird of passage (plural birds of passage] UK [BIRD] start learning
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a bird that migrates (= moves from one area to another when the season changes)
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bird of passage (plural birds of passage] [PERSON] At present the organization has to rely on young, inexperienced graduates who are usually birds of passage. start learning
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a person who stays for only a short period of time in one place, job, etc.:
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start learning
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an official ceremony or informal activity that marks an important stage or occasion in a person's life, especially becoming an adult
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funeral/marriage/fertility rites You have to go through an initiation rite before you become a full member. start learning
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a set of fixed words and actions, often said and done as part of a religious ceremony:
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cannon noun [C] (BILLARD OR SNOOKER) UK (US carom) In snooker, a cannon can be used to improve your position. start learning
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in snooker or billiards, an occasion when the ball hits two other balls one after the other:
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I was rushing along the corridor when I cannoned into someone coming out of a side door. start learning
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to knock or hit against someone or something forcefully and suddenly, usually at an angle:
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cannon UK (US carom) [HIT AND BOUNCE BACK] The ball cannoned off the defender's shins and into the net. start learning
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to hit someone or something and bounce back at an angle:
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Police used water cannons to break up the demonstration. start learning
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a device that sends out a powerful stream of water and is used in order to make large groups of people move away:
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loose cannon - disapproving Taylor is more of a loose cannon - sometimes he'll fly into rages, cry uncontrollably, engage in risky behaviour. start learning
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someone who behaves in an uncontrolled or unexpected way and is likely to cause problems for other people:
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fodder noun [U] (ANIMAL FOOD) start learning
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food that is given to cows, horses, and other farm animals
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fodder noun [U] (USEFUL PEOPLE/THINGS) Politicians are always good fodder for comedians (= they make jokes about them). start learning
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people or things that are useful for the stated purpose:
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carom US (UK cannon) [move or change] We must not give the virus the chance to carom wildly through human hosts as it does in a flock of chickens or ducks. The book has 84 short chapters that carom from one issue to the next and fail to tackle anything in much depth. start learning
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to move or change in an uncontrolled way between different places, things, or subjects: The kids grab their food and carom away in different directions. Bounding about the stage, she caroms from girlish giddiness to boyish bluster and back again.
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I knew that it was all bluster and he wasn't really angry with me. start learning
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talk intended to seem important or threatening but which is not taken seriously and has little effect:
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A gale was blustering around the house. start learning
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If the wind blusters, it blows strongly:
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Hundreds of old trees were blown down in the gales. start learning
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Meteorologists predicted gale-force winds. start learning
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I could hear gales of laughter coming from downstairs. start learning
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His childlike excitement verged on giddiness. start learning
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a silly, happy, excited feeling that shows in your behaviour:
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giddiness [BALANCE]; SYNONYM - dizziness start learning
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a temporary feeling that your sense of balance is not good and that you may fall down:
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dizzy adjective (CONFUSING AND VERY FAST) Who could have predicted the dizzy pace of change in the country? start learning
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In the movie, she played the part of a dizzy blonde. start learning
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A dizzy person, especially a woman, is silly:
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the dizzy heights of sth - humorous Do you think Tess will reach the dizzy heights of Senior Editor before she's 30? start learning
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a very important position:
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They set up camp on the verge of the desert. start learning
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the edge, border, or limit of something
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verge UK (US shoulder) [STRIP OF LAND] She left her car by the side of the road and walked along the grass verge to the emergency phone. start learning
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the strip of land that borders a road or path:
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on the verge (of) (also to the verge of) He was on the verge of saying something but stopped and shook his head.; Her husband's violent and abusive behaviour drove her to the verge of despair.; At times, his performance verged on brilliance, but at others it was nothing special. start learning
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to come close to being or becoming the stated thing: very near to doing or experiencing something:
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wobble verb (POOR BALANCE) CHWIAC SIE The table wobbles because its legs are uneven. Don't wobble the table, please, Dan.; The toddler wobbled and lost his balance (= started to fall sideways). start learning
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to (cause something to) shake or move from side to side in a way that shows poor balance: a movement from side to side that shows poor balance: - I gave the poles a slight wobble and the whole tent collapsed.
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wobble verb (NOT CERTAIN) informal The government can't afford to wobble on this issue. start learning
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to be uncertain what to do or to change repeatedly between two opinions:
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Share prices have recovered from last autumn's wobble. The closure of its German subsidiary caused a sharp wobble in its profits. a market/price wobble start learning
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a short period of time when the value of something falls or it seems possible that it could fail:
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I would say that, on balance, it hasn't been a bad year. start learning
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after thinking about all the different facts or opinions:
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balance noun (WEIGHING MACHINE) (US also balance scale) start learning
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a device used for weighing things, consisting of two dishes hanging on a bar that shows when the contents of both dishes weigh the same
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Once we know how much money we'll need, let's spend the balance (= the amount left). The company's success is reflected in its healthy bank balance. start learning
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the amount of money you have in a bank account, or the amount of something that you have left after you have spent or used up the rest:
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I struggle to balance work and family commitments. start learning
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to give several things equal amounts of importance, time, or money so that a situation is successful:
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Stringent measures were introduced so that the government could balance its budget/the economy. start learning
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to arrange a system that relates to money so that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount received:
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stringent [LAWS, TESTS, ETC.]; stringently - ADVERB Stringent security measures have been introduced at all airports. Regulators are forcing issuers to adopt more stringent criteria. start learning
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stringent laws, tests, etc. are extremely severe or limiting and must be obeyed: Members of the organization have to be willing to abide by the stringent rules.
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Stringent cost management is counterproductive when it interferes with a firm's ability to grow. stringent cost-cutting/cuts Prices are now falling slightly after stringent budget-deficit cuts. start learning
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involving very little money being available for spending or borrowing as a result of firm controls:
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I can't abide her. He couldn't abide laziness. start learning
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to not like or accept something:
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abide verb (LIVE OR STAY) He abided in the wilderness for forty days. start learning
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to live or stay somewhere:
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abide by something - formal Competitors must abide by the judges’ decision. start learning
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to accept or obey an agreement, decision, rule, etc.:
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If the business loses any more money, we won't be able to balance the books this year. start learning
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to make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received:
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balance [OWE ON A CREDIT CARD] He is one of millions of people who does not pay off his credit card balance every month. start learning
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the amount of money that you owe on a credit card account:
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We ordered 200 copies; 50 to be delivered now and the balance next month. start learning
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the remaining part of an amount:
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balance [COMPANY'S FINANCIES] start learning
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the amount shown in a company's financial records that is the difference between the total credits and the total debits in a particular account: if an account balances, the amounts of money on the credit and debit sides are equal: - He had made some kind of computation error and the account didn't balance.
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balance [SPEND WHAT YOU RECEIVED] The President is unlikely to balance the budget in this term of office, but he does hope to lower the deficit. start learning
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to spend only as much money as you have received, or planned to spend:
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Outsourcing decisions are essentially a balancing act between the benefits of markets, lower production costs, and higher transaction costs. start learning
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a situation in which a person tries to give equal amounts of importance to two or more things so that a situation is successful:
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gust [WIND]; SYNONYM - BLAST; ADJ - GUSTY A sudden gust of wind blew his umbrella inside out. figurative She could hear gusts of laughter (= sudden, loud laughter) from within the room. start learning
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a sudden, strong wind that blows for a very short time: VERB - Winds gusting to 50 mph brought down power lines.; ADJ. - gusty winds
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