Newton, Sir Isaac
944
N
BIBLE which includes the four gospels describing the life and
teachings of JESUS and also the Epistles (=letters) of St Paul
→ compare OLD TESTAMENT
**New-ton, Sir Isaac**
/'nju:tən||'nu:-/ (1642-1727) a
British PHYSICIST and MATH-
EMATICIAN who is best
known for discovering
GRAVITY (=the force that
causes things to fall towards
the ground or to be pulled
towards stars or PLANETS in
space). He made many other
important scientific discover-
ies, and is considered to be
one of the most important
scientists who ever lived.
Until the early 20th century,
modern PHYSICS was based
on Newton's work, and it is
sometimes called Newtonian
physics. He is often shown
in pictures holding an apple, because there is a story that he
discovered the law of gravity when an apple fell on his head
while he was sitting under a tree.
**New-to-ni-an** /nju:'təʊniən||nu:-/ *adj* related to the laws of
PHYSICS that were discovered by the scientist Isaac Newton:
*Newtonian mechanics*
**'new town** *n* any of several towns built in Britain since 1946,
each planned and built as a whole with factories, houses,
shops etc: *A new town may not be very attractive but is*
*certainly a convenient place to live.* → compare GARDEN CITY
**,new variant CJ'D** *n* [U] a brain disease that kills people,
which may be caused by eating BEEF that is affected by BSE
→ compare MAD COW DISEASE
**,new 'wave** *n* (*often caps.*) (a group of people making) a
conscious effort to change the styles of art, film-making etc,
especially **a)** in the French cinema of the 1960s, using new
methods of photography **b)** in the popular music of the
late 1970s, using a strong beat and expressing strong social
opinions
**,New 'World, the** North, Central, and South America; the
Western Hemisphere. The New World is sometimes also
thought of as including Australia and New Zealand: *a store*
*that sells a large range of New World wines* → compare OLD
WORLD
**,new 'year** *n* [(the)U] (*often caps.*) the year which has just begun
or will soon begin: *Let's hope things will improve in the new*
*year.* → see Feature on page A17
**CULTURAL NOTE** The New Year is thought of as a time to
celebrate, and people often hope that the New Year will
bring good changes in their lives, and more happiness or
better luck. Some people make special promises about
improving their behaviour or stopping bad habits, called
**New Year's resolutions.** People usually promise to do
things such as lose weight or stop smoking, but most
people do not manage to succeed with their resolutions
for very long. People in the US and UK celebrate **New**
**Year's Eve** (December 31st) especially by going to parties
and drinking a lot of alcohol. It is traditional to stay awake
until midnight to 'see the New Year in' (=experience the
start of the new year). People typically count the last few
seconds until it is midnight, and then shout 'Happy New
Year!' Then people traditionally sing a special song called
*Auld Lang Syne* and friends kiss each other. In Scotland,
New Year's Eve is an especially important celebration, and
is known as **Hogmanay.** The first day of the year, January
1st, is called **New Year's Day** and is a public holiday in
both the US and the UK. → see Cultural Note at
HOGMANAY
**,New Year's 'Day** *n* [S,U] 1st January, the first day of the
year
**,New Year's 'Eve** *n* [S,U] 31st December, the last day of the
year
**,New Year's 'Honours, the** *n* [P] special honours given to
a number of British people each year, as a reward for their
special achievements or good work, which are announced
on January 1st. These include titles such as 'Sir', 'Lord', or
'OBE'. → see also BIRTHDAY HONOURS
**,New 'York 1** see NEW YORK CITY **2** see NEW YORK STATE
**,New York 'City** *abbrev.* **NYC** also **New York** a large city
and port in the northeastern US, on the southeast coast of
NEW YORK STATE and east of the Hudson River. New York
City is the largest city in the US and its main business
centre, but it is not the capital city, which is Washington,
D.C. The city is divided into five BOROUGHS: Manhattan, the
Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
**CULTURAL NOTE** New York City is one of the most popular
cities in the world. It has several famous LANDMARKS,
including the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State
Building. The area in and around Wall Street is the
financial centre of the US, and the city is also famous for
its theatre productions on Broadway. It also has famous
MUSEUMS. When people talk about New York City, they
are usually really talking about the island of Manhattan,
which contains most of the city's businesses, theatres,
and hotels for tourists. Some people think that New York
City is too busy and crowded, but many people love it
because of all its excitement, entertainment, and culture. It
is sometimes called the Big Apple or the city that never
sleeps, because it is never quiet and many people go out
at night. → see Cultural Note at MANHATTAN; see also
CENTRAL PARK, GREENWICH VILLAGE, MADISON AVENUE,
TIMES SQUARE; see map on page A5
**,New York 'Drama ,Critics ,Circle A,ward** *n* a special
prize for excellent work in the theatre, given each year by a
group of US theatre CRITICS (=writers who give their judg-
ment on the good or bad qualities of plays, actors etc)
**New York-er** /nju: 'jɔ:kə||nu: 'jɔ:r-/ *n* someone from New
York State, especially New York City
**New Yorker, The** a serious weekly magazine from New York
City, typically read by educated people all over the US. It
contains articles on many different subjects, including art,
films etc. It also contains short stories, poetry, and clever
CARTOONS, and is respected for the quality of its writing.
**,New York Philharmonic, the** an ORCHESTRA (=a large
group of musicians) based in New York City, which is the
oldest orchestra in the US
**,New York 'Post, The** a US daily newspaper produced in
New York City, which includes a lot of GOSSIP (=information
about famous people's private lives) and reports events in
ways that make them seem as strange, exciting, or shocking
as possible
**,New York 'Rangers, the** an ICE HOCKEY team that plays
in the National Hockey League and is based in New York.
Their home STADIUM is Madison Square Garden, and they
have won the Stanley Cup four times.
**,New York Re,view of 'Books, The** a US magazine with
long serious articles on new books, novels, poetry, writers
etc
**,New York 'State** also **New York** *written abbrev.* **NY** a state in
the northeastern US. Its capital is Albany and its largest city is
NEW YORK CITY. It is famous for its beautiful countryside,
especially its mountains and rivers, and it was one of the 13
original states of the US. The area in the centre and north of
the state is often called upstate New York.
**,New York 'Stock Ex,change, the** *abbrev.* **NYSE** the
largest STOCK EXCHANGE in the US, where SHARES in com-
panies are bought and sold. It is also known as 'the Big
Board', and its building is on WALL STREET in New York City.
→ see also DOW JONES AVERAGE, THE
**,New York 'Times, The** a serious daily newspaper which is
produced in New York City. It is sold everywhere in the US
and in many other countries, and people in the US often
just call it 'the Times'.
**,New York 'Yankees, the** an American Major League
Baseball team based in the Bronx, New York. Their home
STADIUM is the Yankee Stadium and they have won the
World Series CHAMPIONSHIPS and American League PEN-
NANTS many times. Famous players such as Yogi Berra, Joe
DiMaggio, and Babe Ruth have played for the team.