NTC's pocket dictionary of words and phrases part 75

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NTC's pocket dictionary of words and phrases part 75

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NTC's Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 75. The small but very concise NTC's Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases offers 6,000 basic and common English words plus 6,000 basic and common English idioms and phrases. You will find this portable title essential in the classroom, at home, or

mals where the developing baby is protected and fed until birth. women [ "wIm @n ] plural of woman . won [ "w^n ] past tense and past par- ticiple of win . wonder [ "w^n d# ] 1. n. someone or something that is amazing, sur- prising, or like a miracle. 2. tv. to wish to know something; to want to know something. 3. adj. very good, helpful, or of great benefit. → nine days’ wonder wonderful [ "w^n d# fUl ] adj. very good; amazing; remarkable; mar- velous. (Adv: wonderfully.) wonderland [ "w^n d# lAnd ] n. an area or place that is wonderful. won’t [ "wont ] cont. will not. woo [ "wu ] 1. tv. to court someone with the intention of marrying. 2. tv. to encourage someone or a group to cooperate, join some- thing, or buy something. wood [ "wUd ] 1. n. the hard sub- stance that trees make as they grow. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a kind or type of Q. 3. n. a small forest; an area where there are many trees. (Usu- ally plural, but not countable. The meaning is the same for the singu- lar and the plural.) 4. the adj. use of Q, W, or E. → a babe in the woods → knock on wood → out of the woods wooden [ "wUd n ] 1. adj. made of wood. 2. adj. stiff; not easily moved; not moving easily; not flexible. (Figurative on Q. Adv: woodenly.) woodland [ "wUd lAnd ] n. an area of land that is covered with trees. (Singular or plural with the same meaning, but not countable.) woodpecker [ "wUd pEk # ] n. a bird that has a long, sharp beak for piercing holes in trees and a long tongue to catch insects inside the tree. woodwind [ "wUd wInd ] n. a group of musical instruments, many of which are made of wood or used to be made of wood, and many of which are played by blowing air across a reed. woodwork [ "wUd w#k ] n. some- thing that is made of wood, espe- cially the trim on the inside of a house or building. (No plural.) woody [ "wUd i ] 1. adj. covered with woods; covered with trees. (Comp: woodier; sup: woodiest.) 2. adj. [of a plant] containing wood. (Comp: woodier; sup: woodiest.) wool [ "wUl ] 1. n. the soft, curly hair of sheep and goats. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. thread, yarn, or fabric made from Q. (No plural.) 3. adj. made from W; woolen. → pull the wool over someone’s eyes woolen [ "wUl @n ] adj. made of wool . woolgathering daydreaming. word [ "w#d ] 1. n. a speech sound or group of speech sounds that has a particular meaning; a written symbol or a group of written sym- bols that represent a speech sound or group of speech sounds that has a particular meaning. 2. tv. to women 706 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 706 TLFeBOOK express something by choosing Q carefully. → break one’s word → by word of mouth → eat one’s words → from the word go → get a word in edgewise → get the final word → get the last word → get the word → go back on one’s word → hang on someone’s every word → have one’s words stick in one’s throat → keep one’s word → not utter a word → one’s word → one’s words stick in one’s throat → put in a good word (for someone ) → put words into someone’s mouth → take the words (right) out of one’s mouth → true to one’s word → twist someone’s words (around) the word 1. n. an order; a com- mand. (No plural. Treated as sin- gular.) 2. n. news; information. (No plural. Treated as singular.) wordy [ "w#d i ] adj. having too many words; using more words than necessary to express some- thing. (Adv: wordily. Comp: wordier; sup: wordiest.) wore [ "wor ] past tense of wear . work [ "w#k ] 1. n. an activity that requires effort. (No plural.) 2. n. the effort required to do an activ- ity. (No plural.) 3. n. something that is a result of effort or energy; a piece of music or art. 4. n. a job; an occupation; a career; what one does for a living; what a person does to make money. (No plural.) 5. n. the place where one’s job is located; the job site. (No plural.) 6. iv. to be employed; to have a job; to labor; to earn money at a job. 7. iv. to function properly; to operate properly. 8. tv. to cause something to function as intended. 9. tv. to cause someone or something to operate or func- tion; to cause someone or some- thing to be active; to cause something to use energy. 10. tv. to plow or farm land. → all in a day’s work → dirty work → get down to work → make fast work of someone or something → make short work of someone or something work away (at something ) to con- tinue to work hard or industri- ously at something. work like a horse to work very hard. work on someone 1. [for a physi- cian] to treat someone; [for a sur- geon] to operate on someone. 2. to try to convince someone of something. 3. [for something, such as medication] to have the desired effect on someone. work one’s fingers to the bone to work very hard. work out 1. [for something] to turn out all right in the end. 2. [for someone] to do a program of exercise. work out for the best to end up in the best possible way. work something in(to something ) to press, mix, or force a substance into something. work something off 1. to get rid of body fat by doing strenuous work. 2. to get rid of anger, anxiety, or work something off 707 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 707 TLFeBOOK energy by doing physical activity. 3. to pay off a debt through work rather than by money. work something up to prepare something, perhaps on short notice. work up to something 1. [for something] to build or progress to something. (Usually concerning the weather.) 2. [for someone] to lead up to something. work (up)on something 1. to repair or tinker with something. 2. [for something] to have the desired effect on something. workbook [ "w#k bUk ] n. a text- book for students, often including pages that assignments can be written on. worker [ "w#k # ] n. someone who works; someone who is employed. workout [ "w#k aUt ] n. a period of physical exercise. the works everything. world [ "w#ld ] 1. n. the planet earth. 2. n. the people who live on the planet earth; the human race. 3. n. a planet other than earth, especially as the source of other life forms. 4. n. an area of human activity, thought, or interest. → carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders → come down in the world → come up in the world → dead to the world → in a world of one’s own → in the world → move up (in the world) → not long for this world → on top of the world → out of this world → set the world on fire → think the world of someone or something → with the best will in the world World Wide Web [ "w#ld "waId "wEb ] n. an international network of data storage, transfer, and its visual and audio display, designed to be accessed through a computer connection. (Abbreviated WWW and the Web .) worldwide [ "w#ld "waId ] adj. found or occurring throughout the world; involving everyone in the world. worm [ "w#m ] n. any of numerous small, soft, tube-shaped animals having no legs or head, including some that crawl underground and others that live as parasites in ani- mals or people. → open a can of worms worn [ "worn ] 1. Past participle of wear . 2. adj. reduced in value or usefulness owing to wear. worn-out [ "worn "aUt ] 1. adj. com- pletely reduced in value or useful- ness because of wear. 2. adj. very tired; exhausted. worry [ "w# i ] 1. n. a feeling of anx- iety; a fear of trouble. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. someone or something that causes Q. 3. tv. to be anxious that some- thing bad might happen; to sus- pect, regrettably, that something bad might happen. (The object is a clause with that U.) 4. tv. to cause someone to feel anxiety or to fear trouble. worse [ "w#s ] 1. adj. more bad; less good; inferior. (The comparative form of bad .) 2. adv. in a way that work something up 708 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 708 TLFeBOOK is Q than some other way. (The comparative form of badly.) → none the worse for wear → One’s bark is worse than one’s bite. worsen [ "w#s @n ] 1. tv. to make something worse. 2. iv. to become worse. 3. iv. to become more sick. worship [ "w# SIp ] 1. tv. to honor someone or something greatly; to adore someone or something. (Past tense and past participle: worshiped. Present participle: wor- shiping.) 2. iv. to attend a church service. (Past tense and past par- ticiple: worshiped. Present partici- ple: worshiping.) 3. n. what is done at a church service; the praise and honor of a spirit, ancestor, god, object, or person. (No plural.) worst [ "w#st ] adj. most bad; least good; most inferior. (The superla- tive of bad .) → if worst comes to worst the worst n. [among three or more] someone or something that is the most bad or least good. (Treated as singular or plural, but not counta- ble.) worth [ "w#T ] 1. n. the value of something; the amount of money that something could sell for. (No plural.) 2. n. the importance of someone or something; the degree to which something is able to be used. (No plural.) 3. n. the amount of something that can be bought for a specific amount of money. (No plural.) → make something worth someone’s while → not worth mentioning → not worth the trouble → put in one’s two cents(’ worth) worth its weight in gold very valuable. worth one’s salt worth one’s salary. worth someone’s while worth someone’s time and trouble. worthless [ "w#T l@s ] adj. having no value or importance; useless. (Adv: worthlessly.) worthy [ "w# Di ] adj. deserving one’s time, energy, or attention; deserving; useful; having value or importance. (Adv: worthily. Comp: worthier; sup: worthiest.) worthy of the name deserving or good enough to be called some- thing. would [ "wUd ] 1. aux. a form used as the past tense of will to express the future from a time in the past, especially in indirect quotations or in constructions where other past- tense verbs are used. (Contraction: -’d.) 2. aux. a form used to express something that happened many times in the past. (Contraction: - ’d.) 3. aux. a form used instead of will Q to make commands more polite by turning them into ques- tions. (Contraction: -’d. See also will Q; using would is usually more polite than using will.) would like (to have) to want someone or something; to prefer someone or something. would rather do something would more willingly do something; would more readily do something; would prefer to do something. (Often -’d rather.) wouldn’t [ "wUd nt ] cont. would not. wouldn’t 709 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 709 TLFeBOOK would’ve [ "wUd @v ] cont. would have, where have is an auxiliary. wound 1. [ "waUnd ] past tense and past participle of wind R and T. 2. [ "wund ] n. an injury where the skin is torn or punctured. 3. [ "wund ] n. an injury to one’s feelings. (Figurative on W.) 4. [ "wund ] tv. to injure someone; to cause someone to have W. → rub salt in a wound wove [ "wov ] past tense of weave . woven [ "wo v@n ] past participle of weave. wrap [ "rAp ] n. a shawl or a scarf; a coat or cape. → get something wrapped up → have something wrapped up → keep something under wraps wrap someone or something (up) [ "rAp . ] to enclose someone or something in a cover. wrap something up [ "rAp ] to bring something to an end; to conclude something. wrath [ "rAT ] n. severe anger, espe- cially from someone with a lot of power. (No plural.) wreak vengeance (up)on some- one or something to seek and get revenge on someone or a group by harming someone or the group. wreath [ "riT ] n., irreg. a decoration of flowers and leaves arranged in a certain shape, especially a circle. (Plural: [ "riTs ] or [ "riDz ].) wreathe [ "riD ] tv. to make a circle around something. wreck [ "rEk ] 1. n. a serious acci- dent, especially where something is destroyed. 2. n. a ruined vehicle that remains after a serious acci- dent. 3. n. someone or something that is a mess. (Figurative on W.) 4. tv. to destroy something. wreckage [ "rEk IdZ ] n. whatever remains after a serious accident or disaster. (No plural. Treated as singular.) wrench [ "rEntS ] 1. n. a tool that turns nuts, bolts, pipes, and other objects into or out of position. 2. tv. to twist or pull something with force. 3. tv. to injure a part of the body by twisting it or pulling it. wrestle [ "rEs @l ] 1. tv. to force someone or something loose, down, away, etc., with force. 2. iv. to participate in a sport in which ones wrestles one’s opponent down as in Q. wringer [ "rIN # ] n. an old-fash- ioned washing machine that removes water from clothes by pressing them as the clothes are passed between two rollers. → put someone through the wringer wrinkle [ "rIN k@l ] 1. n. a crease; a small fold or line, such as in cloth- ing that has not been ironed or on the skin of an old person. 2. iv. to become creased; to get small lines in one’s skin or on the surface of something. 3. tv. to cause some- one’s skin or the surface of some- thing to have Q; to cause creases, folds, or lines to form on the sur- face of someone or something. wrist [ "rIst ] n. the part of the body where the hand joins the lower part of the arm. would’ve 710 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 710 TLFeBOOK write [ "raIt ] 1. tv., irreg. to make words or symbols on a surface with a pen, pencil, chalk, etc. (Past tense: wrote; past participle: writ- ten .) 2. tv., irreg. to put thoughts or ideas into writing; to organize words or symbols into meaningful prose. 3. iv., irreg. to mark on a surface with a pen, pencil, chalk, etc., as with W. 4. iv., irreg. to work by creating the content for books, articles, movies, plays, or other texts; to be an author; to be a writer. 5. iv., irreg. to prepare and send [a letter or note to someone]. (E.g., Please write when you can.) write away to write a lot; to con- tinue writing. write away for something to send for something in writing, from a distant place. write off (to someone ) (for some- thing ) to send away a request, in writing, for something. write someone in (on something ) to write the name of someone in a special place on a ballot, indicat- ing a vote for the person. write someone or something off (as something ) 1. to give up on turning someone or something into something. 2. to give up on someone or something as a dead loss, waste of time, hopeless case, etc. 3. to take a charge against one’s taxes. write someone or something up to write a narrative or description about someone or something. write something back to someone to write a letter or E-mail answer- ing someone. write something down to make a note of something; to record something on paper in writing. write something in(to something ) 1. to write information into some- thing. 2. to include a specific statement or provision in a docu- ment, such as a contract or agree- ment. write something off (on one’s taxes ) to deduct something from one’s federal income taxes. write something out to put thoughts into writing, rather than keeping them in one’s memory. writer [ "raIt # ] n. an author who writes for a living; someone who has written something. writhe [ "raID ] iv. to twist and turn in pain or as though in pain. writing [ "raIt IN ] 1. n. making sen- tences, words, or letters with a pen, a pencil, chalk, or other writ- ing instrument. (No plural.) 2. sentences, words, or letters made with a pen, a pencil, chalk, or other writing instrument. (No plural.) 3. n. something that is written; a book, poem, or other document. (Sometimes plural with the same meaning.) written [ "rIt n ] 1. Past participle of write. 2. adj. placed in writing; printed or spelled out in writing. wrong [ "rON ] 1. adj. not correct; not true; mistaken; in error. (Adv: wrongly.) 2. adj. bad; evil; illegal; immoral; not lawful. (Adv: wrongly.) 3. adj. not desired; not wanted; incorrect. (Adv: wrongly.) 4. adj. out of order; not working wrong 711 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 711 TLFeBOOK properly; faulty. 5. adv. in a way that is E. 6. n. a bad, illegal, improper, or immoral action. 7. tv. to treat someone badly or unfairly. → bark up the wrong tree → get out of the wrong side of the bed → get up on the wrong side of the bed → in the wrong → in the wrong place at the wrong time → on the wrong track → rub someone’s fur the wrong way → rub someone the wrong way wrote [ "rot ] past tense of write. wrote 712 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 712 TLFeBOOK Xerox™ [ "zIr aks ] n. a copy of a document, especially one made on a copier manufactured by Xerox™. (A protected trade name for a pro- cess used to make copies of docu- ments.) X-ray [ "Eks re ] 1. n. a ray of energy that can pass through solid or nearly solid matter, such as the body. (Used especially to take pictures of the insides of people or objects.) 2. n. a picture of the inside of a person or an object, made by passing Q through the person or object onto film. 3. tv. to take a picture of the inside of a person or an object using Q. xylophone [ "zaI l@ fon ] n. a musi- cal instrument made of a series of wooden bars of different sizes, each of which makes a different note when struck with a small wooden hammer. 713 X 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 713 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK yacht [ "jat ] 1. n. a large boat or ship used for pleasure or racing. (Powered by sails, engines, or both.) 2. iv. to travel somewhere on water in Q. yam [ "jAm ] 1. n. a vegetable similar to the potato, grown in tropical areas. 2. n. a sweet potato, which is orange and does not taste like a potato. yank [ "jANk ] 1. tv. to pull someone or something quickly, with force. 2. n. a quick pull; a sharp tug. yank on something to pull or jerk something, with force. yard [ "jard ] 1. n. a unit of measure- ment of length equal to 36 inches, 3 feet, or about 91.44 centimeters. 2. n. the land that surrounds a house or other dwelling. yardstick [ "jard stIk ] 1. n. a ruler that is 36 inches—that is, one yard—long. 2. n. something that other things are compared with; a standard. (Figurative on Q.) yarn [ "jarn ] 1. n. thick, soft thread that is used for things like knitting or weaving. (Number is expressed with ball(s) or skein(s) of yarn.) 2. n. a tale; a story that is not com- pletely true. → spin a yarn yawn [ "jOn ] 1. iv. to stretch one’s mouth open and breathe in and out slowly and deeply, especially when one is tired or bored. 2. iv. [for something like a hole] to have a very wide opening. (Figurative on Q.) 3. n. an act of opening one’s mouth, as in Q. year [ "jIr ] 1. n. 12 months; 365.25 days; the time it takes for earth to revolve around the sun. 2. n. a full or partial Q spent doing a certain activity. 3. n. a particular level of study in a school, college, or uni- versity. → all year long → ring in the new year year after year for many years, one after another. year in, year out year after year; all year long. yearly [ "jIr li ] 1. adj. happening once a year; occurring each year; happening every year. 2. adv. once a year; each year; every year. years running Go to days running. yeast [ "jist ] n. a very small fungus that causes bread to rise and is also used to make alcohol. (Plural only for types and instances.) yell [ "jEl ] 1. tv. to say something loudly; to scream something; to shout something. 2. iv. to speak loudly; to scream; to shout. 3. n. a loud cry; a shout. yell out to cry out; to shout loudly. yellow [ "jEl o ] 1. n. the color of a ripe lemon or of the yolk of an egg. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. the adj. use of Q. (Comp: yellower; sup: yellowest.) 3. adj. timid; scared to do some- thing. (Informal. Comp: yellower; sup: yellowest.) yelp [ "jElp ] 1. n. a short, high- pitched bark; a short, high-pitched shout of pain or emotion. 2. iv. to make Q. 714 Y 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 714 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK yen [ "jEn ] 1. n. a strong desire; a strong feeling of wanting some- thing. (No plural.) 2. n., irreg. the basic unit of money in Japan. (Also ¥. Plural: yen.) yes [ "jEs ] 1. n. a statement showing that someone agrees with some- thing or gives permission to do something. 2. n. an act of voting showing that one agrees with the proposal. 3. adv. a word showing approval, consent, or willingness. 4. adv. a word emphasizing a posi- tive statement, especially when denying a negative one. (E.g., Yes, it is!) yesterday [ "jEs t# de ] 1. n. the day before today. 2. adv. on the day before today. → need something yesterday → not born yesterday yet [ "jEt ] 1. adv. up to a certain point in time; by a certain point in time; as of a certain point in time. 2. adv. eventually, even with barri- ers and delays. 3. adv. still; even; even more. 4. adv. and in spite of that; however; nevertheless. 5. conj. but; however; nevertheless; although. yield [ "jild ] 1. iv. to bend, break, or move out of the way because of someone or something that is stronger or more powerful. 2. iv. to surrender to someone or some- thing, especially someone or something that is stronger or more powerful; to submit to someone or something. 3. iv. to allow other traffic or people to have the right of way; to allow another vehicle or person to move first. 4. tv. [for plants or animals] to supply or produce something such as food. 5. n. the amount of something that is produced. yield something to someone 1. to give someone else the right to go first, be first, choose, etc. 2. to give up something to someone. yoke [ "jok ] 1. n. a frame of wood that fits around the necks of ani- mals so they can pull something heavy that is attached to the frame. (Compare this with yolk .) 2. tv. to put Q on oxen or other strong animals. a yoke around someone’s neck something that oppresses people; a burden. yolk [ "jok ] 1. n. the round, yellow part inside an egg. (Compare this with yoke . E.g., use four egg yolks.) 2. n. the substance of Q. (No plu- ral. E.g., spilled some egg yolk.) yonder [ "jan d# ] adv. over there. you [ "ju ] pron. the second-person pronoun, singular and plural. You are welcome. a response to Thank you Q. you’d [ "jud ] 1. cont. you would. 2. cont. you had, where had is an auxiliary. you’ll [ "jul ] cont. you will. young [ "j^N ] 1. adj. in the early part of life; not old; having been alive for a short period of time as compared with an average age. (Comp: younger; sup: youngest.) 2. adj. new; in an early stage of development; recently formed or started. (Comp: younger; sup: youngest.) 3. n. the offspring of an animal or a human. (No plural. Treated as plural. Countable, but young 715 10 7/23/03 8:51 AM Page 715 TLFeBOOK

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