pioneering
1052
pi-o-neer-ing /ˌpaɪəˈnɪərɪŋ/ adj apprec introducing new
ways of doing things, which others later follow: She did
pioneering work in the field of genetic engineering. | a pioneer-
ing firm | a pioneering novel
pi-ous /ˈpaɪəs/ adj fml 1 showing and feeling deep respect for
God and religion -> see also PIETY 2 derog pretending to
have deep respect and sincere feelings: Despite his pious
expressions of regret, we could see that the outcome was quite
satisfactory to him. 3 [A] unlikely to be fulfilled: I suppose
some of them may not have been destroyed, but it's a rather
pious hope. —ly adv
pi-ous-ness /ˈpaɪəsnəs/ n [U] PIETY
pip¹ /pɪp/ BrE || usually seed AmE — n a small fruit seed,
especially of an apple, orange etc: He spat out the pips. ->
compare STONE¹ and see picture at FRUIT
pip² n a short high-sounding note, especially as given on the
radio to show the exact time, or as used in the operation of
public telephones
pip³ n infml 1 any of the small marks on playing cards, DICE,
and dominoes (DOMINO), showing their values 2 BrE any of
the stars on the shoulders of the coats of army officers of
certain ranks: Captains have three pips.
pip⁴ v -pp- [T] BrE infml to beat narrowly in a race, competition
etc: I nearly got the job, but I was pipped at the post (=right
at the end of the choosing process) by the other candidate.
pip⁵ n [the S] old-fash infml, BrE a feeling of annoyance or lack of
cheerfulness: This rainy weather really gives me the pip.
pipe¹ /paɪp/ n 1 a tube used for carrying liquids or gas, often
underground: a gas/water/sewage pipe | a burst/blocked/
broken pipe | to lay pipes under the road | to lag the pipes in
the loft 2 a small tube with a bowl-like container at one end,
used for smoking tobacco: He filled and lit his pipe. | He's a
pipe-smoker. | the stem/bowl of a pipe | pipe tobacco 3 a) a
simple tubelike musical instrument, played by blowing b)
any of the tubelike metal parts through which air is forced in
an ORGAN 4 Put that in your pipe and smoke it infml You'll
have to accept what I've just said, whether you like it or not
-> see also PIPES
pipe² v 1 [T(into, to) often pass.] to carry (especially liquid or gas)
through pipes: Water is piped to all the houses. 2 [I; T
especially lit a) (of a bird) to sing (high notes) b) (of a
person) to speak or sing in a high childish voice -> see also
PIPE UP 3 [T+obj+adv/prep] tech to welcome onto a ship by
blowing a special whistle: The admiral was piped
aboard. 4 [T(with)] to decorate (a dress, cake etc) with PIPING
pipe down phr v [I] infml to stop talking or making a noise:
Pipe down! I'm trying to listen to the news.
pipe up phr v [I] infml to begin to speak or sing, especially
unexpectedly and in a high voice: The smallest child piped
up with the answer.
,pipe and 'slippers n [P] two things which it is thought a
man enjoys after a hard day at work. They often appear in
jokes and CARTOONS: Shall I bring your pipe and slippers,
dear?
'pipe ,cleaner n a length of wire covered with soft threads,
used to unblock the stem of a tobacco pipe. Pipe cleaners are
also used by children to make shapes and models.
,piped 'music also canned music n [U] often derog quiet
recorded music played continuously in a public place, such
as a shop, hotel, or restaurant. The expression is often used
as criticism by people who would prefer a higher quality of
music or none at all. -> see also ELEVATOR MUSIC, MUZAK
'pipe dream n an impossible hope, plan, idea etc: His scheme
for building a perpetual-motion machine is just a pipe dream.
'pipe ,fitter n 1 BrE a person who puts in and repairs
PIPING 2 AmE for GAS FITTER
pipe-line /ˈpaɪp-lan/ n 1 a line of connected pipes, often
underground, especially for carrying liquids or gas a long
distance 2 in the pipeline about to happen but still in the
process of being prepared or produced: Some important
changes in this law are now in the pipeline.
,pipe of 'peace n a PEACE PIPE
pip-er /ˈpaɪpər/ n a musician who plays on a PIPE or BAGPIPES
'pipe rack n a small frame for holding several tobacco pipes
,Piper 'Alpha n an OILRIG (=a large structure used for getting
oil from the ground under the sea) in the North Sea near
Scotland, which caught fire in 1988. 167 workers died in the
fire, and the accident caused criticism of safety standards on
oil rigs.
pipes /paɪps/ n [(the) P] BrE infml for BAGPIPES
pi-pette /pɪˈpet||paɪ-/ n a thin glass tube used in chemistry,
into which exact amounts of liquid can be sucked, then held
and/or allowed to flow out
pipe-work /ˈpaɪpwɜːk||-wɜːrk/ n [U] the pipes that are part
of a building, machine, or structure: The houses all have lead
pipework.
pip-ing¹ /ˈpaɪpɪŋ/ n [U] 1 PIPES in general or a system of
pipes: outdoor piping | a length of copper/plastic pip-
ing 2 a) a narrow often tubelike band of cloth used for
decorating the edges of clothes, furniture etc: blue sofa
covers with white piping b) thin lines of ICING used for
decorating cakes 3 the action or skill of a PIPER
piping² adv piping hot apprec (especially of liquids or food)
very hot; a word usually used by someone who is feeling very
cold: piping hot soup
pip-it /ˈpɪpɪt/ n (usually in comb.) a small usually brown or
greyish bird: the meadow pipit
Pip-pen, Scot-tie /ˈpɪpən, ˈskɒtɪlˈskɑː-/ (1965-) a US BAS-
KETBALL player known especially for playing for the Chicago
Bulls team. He was considered to be one of the best players
of the 1990s but some people think he did not get as much
admiration as he deserved because he was on the same team
as Michael Jordan for many years.
pip-pin /ˈpɪpɪn/ n usually cap. as part of a name a kind of sweet
apple
pip-squeak /ˈpɪpskwiːk/ n derog someone who is not really
worth one's attention or respect, but who behaves as if
he/she is important, especially a child
pi-quant /ˈpiːkənt/ adj 1 having a pleasant sharp taste: a
piquant sauce 2 pleasantly interesting and exciting, and
giving one a feeling of satisfaction: a particularly piquant
situation when my old enemy asked for my help —ly adv
—quancy n [U]
pique¹ /piːk/ n [U] a feeling of annoyance and displeasure,
especially caused by the hurting of one's pride: He left in a
fit of pique.
pique² v [T often pass.] to make (someone) angry by hurting
their pride; offend: He was piqued by her indifference.
pi-ra-cy /ˈpaɪrəsi/ n 1 [U] robbery by pirates 2 [U] the
action of pirating 3 [C] an example of either of these
Pir-an-del-lo, Lu-i-gi /ˌpɪrəndeləʊ, luiːdʒi/ (1837-1936) an
Italian writer of plays and novels, whose best known play is
Six Characters in Search of an Author. His work examines the
relationship between what is real and what is imaginary, and
had an important influence on modern theatre.
pi-ra-nha /pɪˈrɑːnjə, -nə/ n a fierce South American flesh-
eating river fish
pi-rate¹ /ˈpaɪrət/ n 1 (especially formerly) a person who
sails the seas stopping and robbing ships at sea -> see LONG
JOHN SILVER
CULTURAL NOTE Pirates in stories and films often speak
roughly, drink a lot, especially RUM, and have a PARROT
on their shoulder. The STEREOTYPE of a pirate is someone
who wears a black PATCH over one eye, has a wooden
leg, and uses expressions such as 'Shiver me timbers' (=a
phrase used to show great surprise).
2 a person who pirates the work of other people —ratical
/paɪˈrætkəl, pɪ-/ adj: a large piratical beard —ratically /klɪ/
adv
pirate² v [T] to copy and sell (the work of other people, such
as a book, a new invention etc) without permission or
payment, when the COPYRIGHT (=the right to do so) belongs
to someone else. It is against the law to pirate books,
CASSETTES, VIDEOS, etc in Britain and in many other coun-
tries: pirated video tapes
,pirate 'radio n [U] radio broadcasts, or the stations sending
them out, which are not legal because they do not have a
LICENCE to operate
Pirates of Pen-zance, The /ˌpaɪəræts əv penˈzæns/
(1879) a COMIC OPERA by GILBERT and SULLIVAN about a group