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Browning, Robert
usually with a long handle → see also NEW BROOM; see
picture at BRUSH 2 [U] a large bush with yellow flowers that
grows on waste land
broom·stick /'bru:mˌstk, 'brum-/ n a broom, especially in
children's stories, on which WITCHes fly through the air
Bros. /brQslbrO:s/ written abbrev. for BROTHERS (in the name of
a company): Jones Bros.
Bros·nan, Pierce /'brQsnQn||'bra:z-, præs||piærs/ (1953-) an
Irish actor who is most famous for appearing as the charac-
ter James Bond in films such as Golden Eye (1995) and Die
Another Day (2002)
broth /brWθ||brO:θ/ n [U] soup in which meat, fish, rice, or
vegetables have been cooked. Broth is often given to people
who are ill because it is easily eaten: chicken broth → see
also too many cooks spoil the broth (COOK²), SCOTCH
BROTH
broth·el /'brWθəl||'bra:-, 'brɔ:-/ n a house where men pay to
have sex with PROSTITUTES
broth·er¹ /'brʌðər/ n 1 a male relative with the same
parents: John and Peter are brothers. | John is Peter's elder/
younger brother. | Mary has five brothers and a sister. 2 (pl.
often brethren) a male member of a religious group, especially
a MONK: a community of Christian brothers | Brother
John 3 a male member of the same group or nationality, or
one who shares the same interests; often used of and by men
who are active in a TRADE UNION: a brother doctor | We must
all stand together, brothers! 4 brothers in arms soldiers who
have fought together in a war 5 Am I my brother's keeper?
Bibl saying the affairs of other people are not my responsibility
→ see also BIG BROTHER, BLOOD BROTHER
brother² interj especially AmE (an expression of slight annoyance
and/or surprise): Oh, brother!
Brother can you ,spare a 'dime the title of a song
written about the GREAT DEPRESSION of the 1930s in the US.
In the song, a man who had been rich and respected before
the Depression asks people to give him money, as he is now
poor. The song has come to represent the sadness and lack
of money during the Depression.
broth·er·hood /'brʌðəhud||-ər-/ n 1 [C+sing./pl. v] a society
of men living a religious life 2 [U] a condition or feeling of
friendliness and companionship, which is the result of
shared interests, activities etc 3 [C+sing./pl. v; usually sing.] the
whole body of people in a stated business or profession: the
medical brotherhood
broth·er-in,-law n pl. brothers-in-law or brother-in-
laws 1 the brother of your husband or wife 2 the husband
of your sister 3 the husband of the sister of your husband or
wife
broth·er·ly /'brʌðəlɪ||-ər-/ adj typical of a (loving) brother:
brotherly advice —illness n [U]
Broth·ers, Dr. Joyce /'brʌðəz||-ərz, dʒOɪs/ (1928-) a US
PSYCHOLOGIST who writes a daily newspaper COLUMN that
gives advice to people who write her with questions. She
also sometimes appears on television or in films.
Brothers 'Grimm, the → see GRIMM
brough·am /'bru:əm/ n a light closed carriage with four
wheels, pulled by one horse and used in former times
brought /brO:t/ past tense and participle of BRING
brou·ha·ha /'bru:ha:ha:||bru:'ha:ha:/ n [U] old use or pomp
disorderly or unnecessary noise and activity; COMMOTION
brow /brau/ n 1 [C usually pl.] an EYEBROW 2 [C] the FORE-
HEAD 3 [the S (of)] the upper part of a slope: We reached the
brow of the hill. → see also knit one's brows (KNIT)
brow·beat /'braubi:t/ v -beat or -beaten /bi:t n/ [T(into)] to
frighten or force to obey with threatening looks or words:
They browbeat him into signing the document.
brown¹ /braun/ adj of the colour of earth, wood, or coffee:
brown shoes/eyes/bread | She's very brown (=from being out
in the sun) after her holiday. —brown n [C;U] dressed in
brown | a light/dark brown
brown² v [I;T] to (cause to) become browner: browned by the
sun | First brown the meat in hot fat.
Brown, Capability (1716-83) a British garden designer, who
planned many large and famous gardens in castles and large
country houses in England. One of his best-known gardens
is at BLENHEIM PALACE.
Brown, Charlie trademark a
character from the US CAR-
TOON STRIP called PEANUTS
by Charles Schultz. Charlie
Brown is a nice boy who is
not very confident and is
often unlucky. He has a pet
dog called Snoopy.
Charlie Brown
Brown, Dan (1964-) an
American writer who has
written many popular
books, including The Da
Vinci Code and Angels and Demons
Brown, Gordon (1951-) a British politician in the Labour
Party, who became CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (=the
government minister in charge of financial decisions) after
the Labour Party won the election in 1997. He has many
supporters in the Labour Party who would like him to
become PRIME MINISTER.
Brown, James (1928-) a US popular musician, singer, and
songwriter, regarded as one of the greatest SOUL singers ever
and known for his exciting stage performances. His songs
include Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965) and Sex Machine
(1970). He is known as 'the Godfather of Soul'.
Brown, Jerry (1938-) a US politician who was governor of
California from 1975 to 1983 and known as 'Governor
Moonbeam', because of his PSYCHIC beliefs. He ran for the
US presidency three times. He has been the MAYOR of
Oakland, California, since 1998, and is known for being
LEFT-WING.
Brown, Jim /dʒIm/ (1936-) a US football player who set a
record for making TOUCHDOWNS when he played for the
Cleveland Browns team. He later became an actor.
Brown, John (1800-59) a US ABOLUTIONIST (=someone who
worked to end slavery) who tried to use violence to end
slavery. With followers, he took over a government weapons
establishment at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. He was caught and
hanged for TREASON. Many people felt that he was a MARTYR
(=someone who dies for a just or holy cause), and during the
AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, a song called John Brown's Body became
popular in the North. The song is still well known and
contains the words
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on.
Brown, Ti-na /'ti:nə/ (1953-) a US JOURNALIST who was born
in the UK. She was the EDITOR of the New Yorker magazine
until 1998, and was formerly the editor of two other
magazines, Tatler and Vanity Fair.
,brown-'bag v [I] AmE to bring one's LUNCH to work, usually
in a small brown paper bag: I'm brown-bagging this week.
,brown-'off adj [F(with)] BrE infml annoyed and discouraged;
FED UP: I got browned-off with waiting and went home.
brown·field site /'braunfi:ld ˌsaɪt/ n BrE a place that is
used for building homes, offices etc, where in the past there
have already been buildings, industries etc → compare
GREENFIELD SITE
'brown goods n [P] BrE electrical goods bought to provide
entertainment, such as TVs, home computers etc → com-
pare WHITE GOODS
brown·ie /'brauni/ n 1 a friendly little FAIRY 2 AmE a choco-
late cake usually with nuts in it → see also BROWNIES
'Brownie points n [P] get/score/earn Brownie points to
get praise or approval by doing something good or useful:
people who stay late in the office, hoping to get Brownie points
Brown·ies, the /'brauniz/ also 'Brownie ,Guides BrE — n
[P] 1 (in Britain) a division of the GUIDES¹ for younger
girls 2 (in the US) a division of the Girl Scouts (SCOUT¹) for
younger girls → compare CUB SCOUT
Brow-ning, E-liz-a-beth Bar-rett /'braunIN, I'lIzəbəθ
'bærət/ (1806-61) an English poet who married the poet
Robert Browning in 1846
Browning, Rob-ert /'rQbət||'ra:bərt/ (1812-89) an English