999
pack
P,p
P, p /pi:/ pl. P's, p's n [CU] the 16th letter of the English
alphabet → see also mind your p's and q's (MIND²)
p¹ BrE infml penny/pence: This newspaper costs 25p. → see
PENNY
p² written abbrev. for 1 page → see also PP 2 participle
3 population 4 (in music) PIANO²
P BrE abbrev. for 1 provisional; used on cars to show that the
driver is a learner and has a PROVISIONAL LICENCE 2 PARKING
pa /pa:/ n infml & becoming rare (used to address one's father)
p.a. written abbrev. for PER ANNUM
PA¹ /ˌpiː ˈeɪ/ n abbrev. for 1 a public address system; a set of
equipment, including SPEAKERS, used especially for making
announcements in large public places, for example in an
airport: A message came over the PA. 2 BrE personal assistant;
a special secretary who organizes the affairs of an important
member of a company: She's my PA.
PA² written abbrev. for PENNSYLVANIA
PAC /pæk/ n → see POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
pace¹ /peɪs/ n 1 [S] rate or speed in walking, running,
advance of a plan etc, usually continued over a period of
time: to walk at a slow pace | The faster runner set the pace
(=fixed the speed) and the others followed. | She works so fast
I can't keep pace with her. (=go as fast as her) 2 [C] a single
step in running or walking, or the distance moved in one
step: She finished only a few paces behind the winner. →
compare STEP 3 [C usually sing.] a way that a horse walks or
runs: The natural paces of the horse include the walk, the trot,
and the gallop. 4 put someone through their paces to
make someone do something in order to show their abili-
ties: The film director put the new actor through his
paces. 5 show one's paces to show one's abilities
pace² v 1 [+adv/prep;T] to walk (across) with slow, regular,
steady steps, especially backwards and forwards: The police-
man paced up and down. | The lion paced the floor of his cage
restlessly. 2 [T[OF, OUT]] to measure by taking steps of an
equal and known length: I think the hall is 80 metres long:
I'll pace it (out). 3 [T] to set the speed of movement for: She
knew how fast she was running, because her trainer was
pacing her on a bicycle.
pa-ce³ /ˈpeɪsiː, ˈpɑːkeɪ, ˈpɑːtʃeɪ/ prep Lat fml, rare giving
proper respect to, but in a polite way disagreeing with: My
own view, pace the last speaker, is that we should sell the
property.
'pace ,bowler also 'pace man n a player who bowls (BOWL)
the ball fast in cricket
pace-mak-er /ˈpeɪsˌmeɪkə/ n 1 also pace-set-ter /-ˌsetə/
AmE a) a person or animal that sets a speed that others in a
race try to equal b) a person who sets an example for
others 2 a small machine fixed inside the heart in order to
make weak or irregular heartbeats regular
pach-y-derm /ˈpækdɜːmɪl-dɜːrm/ n tech a thick-skinned
animal, e.g. the elephant and the RHINOCEROS
pa-cif-ic /pəˈsɪfɪk/ adj fml 1 helping to cause peace 2 calm;
peace-loving —ally /kli/ adv
Pa,cific 'Daylight Time abbrev. PDT the time used during
the summer months in the Pacific Time Zone of the US →
see PACIFIC STANDARD TIME
Pa,cific North'west, the the area of the US which
includes Washington State, Oregon, and northern Califor-
nia, especially along the Pacific coast. The area is known for
the wild beauty of its natural environment, especially its
coast, mountains, and forests. → compare WEST COAST
CULTURAL NOTE When people in the US talk about the
Pacific Northwest, they usually think of Seattle and
Portland, which are the main cities in the states of
Washington and Oregon. These cities are considered to
be quieter and less busy than cities on the East Coast,
and they have forests, the coast, and the mountains
nearby. Seattle is also known as a place where coffee
shops and microbreweries (MICROBREWERY) started to
become popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Pa,cific 'Ocean, the also the Pacific the world's largest
ocean, covering one third of the Earth's surface between the
CONTINENTS of North and South America to the east and Asia
and Australia to the west
Pa,cific 'Rim, the also the Pa,cific 'Rim ,countries n
the countries or parts of countries that border the Pacific
Ocean, such as Japan, Australia, and the west coast of the
US, considered as an economic group
Pa,cific 'Standard Time abbrev. PST the time used
between autumn and spring in the Pacific Time Zone of the
US, the states on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, such as
Oregon and California
Pa,cific 'Ten → see PAC TEN
pac-i-fi-er /ˈpæsfaɪər/ n 1 a person who pacifies 2 AmE for
DUMMY
pac-i-fist /ˈpæsɪfɪst/ n a person who believes that all wars
are wrong and refuses to fight in them —fism n [U]
pac-i-fy /ˈpæsɪfaɪ/ v [T] 1 to make calm, quiet, and satisfied:
to pacify a crying baby 2 to bring peace to; end war in (a
place) —fication /ˌpæsɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ n [U]
Pa-ci-no, Al /pəˈtʃiːnəʊ, æl/ (1940–) a US film actor who has
often appeared as violent characters. His films include The
Godfather (1972), Scarface (1983), and The Insider (1999). He
won an Oscar for Scent of a Woman (1992).
pack¹ /pæk/ n 1 [C] a number of things wrapped or tied
together, or put in a case: Your membership pack includes a
membership card, window sticker, rule book, and list of
addresses. | Send away for your free information pack today. →
see also SIX-PACK 2 [C(off)] especially AmE a PACKET: a pack of
cigarettes → see PACKET (USAGE) 3 [C+sing./pl. v] a) a group of
wild animals that hunt together, or a group of dogs trained
together for hunting: The pack of hounds was baying loudly. |
a ferocious pack of wolves b) a group of fighting machines
that fight together as one force, especially SUBMARINES and
aircraft c) (in RUGBY football) the group of players (FOR-
WARDS) whose job is to get possession of the ball for their
side d) a group of CUB SCOUTS or BROWNIE GUIDES e) derog
any collection or group: a pack of thieves | a pack of
lies 4 [C] BrE || deck AmE a complete set of playing cards: He
dealt the pack. (=divided the cards among the players) 5 [C]
a thick mass of soft cloth pressed to a wound to stop bleeding
etc; COMPRESS → see also ICE PACK 6 [C] a substance, often
a special mud or clay, used on the face as a beauty treatment
→ see also FACE PACK, MUDPACK 7 [C;U] PACK ICE
pack² v 1 a) [I;T(UP)] to put (things, especially one's belong-
ings) into cases, boxes etc, for taking somewhere or storing:
We leave tomorrow but I haven't begun to pack yet. | He
remembered to pack his toothbrush. | She takes a packed lunch
to school every day. | They packed up the contents of their
house. | [+obj+adv/prep] Have you packed me a razor? → opposite
UNPACK b) [T] to put things into (a case, box etc): He
packed a case/an overnight bag. | to pack a tea chest c) [I]
to be suitable for putting into a container: This dress packs
without creasing. → see also PACKING 2 [+adv/prep: T+obj+adv/
prep] to fit, crush, or push into a space: When the door was
opened, people began to pack into the hall. | (fig.) They tried to
pack too much into the holiday (=do too many things) and
returned exhausted. → see also PACKED 3 [T] to cover, fill,
or surround closely with a protective material: Pack this
cloth round the picnic cups so they won't break. → see also
PACKING 4 [I;T+obj+adv/prep] to settle or be driven into a mass:
The wind packed the snow against the wall. 5 [T] to prepare
and put (food) into containers for preserving or selling 6 [T]
derog to choose members of (a committee or a JURY) favour-
able to one's own purpose: He packed the meeting with his
own supporters. 7 [T] AmE infml to carry regularly: to pack a
gun 8 pack a (hard) punch infml a) (of a fighter) to be able
to hit hard b) to use very forceful direct language, espe-
cially effectively → see also send someone packing
(SEND) 9 pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag the
title and first line of a song sung by British soldiers during
the First World War
pack sbdy./sthg. ⇔ in phr v [T] infml 1 to attract (people) in
large numbers: That film is really packing them in. 2 especially