Parcelforce 1010
parcel sthg. <=> up phr v [T] to make into a parcel by wrapping and tying: We parcelled up the clothes for Oxfam.
Par·cel·force /'pɑ:səlˌfɔ:s||'pɑ:rsəlˌfɔ:rs/ trademark the part of the British POST OFFICE which deals with packages sent by mail
'parcel post n [U] BrE the system or method of sending or carrying parcels by post
parch /pɑ:tʃ||pɑ:rtʃ/ v {[T]} to (cause to) become completely dry as a result of great heat: The fierce sun had parched the landscape. | The plants will parch if the hot weather continues. | I'm parched; I could do with a drink!
Par·chee·si, parcheesi /pɑ:'tʃi:zi||pɑ:r-/ AmE trademark || ludo BrE trademark a children's game in which you move a small piece of plastic around a board after throwing DICE
parch·ment /'pɑ:tʃmənt||'pɑ:r-/ n 1 [U] a writing material used especially in ancient times, made from the skin of a sheep or goat; often yellow with age and no longer smooth: The old man's skin was like parchment. 2 [C] an ancient piece of writing on this material 3 [C;U] (an official piece of writing on) any of various types of paper of good quality
pard·ner /'pɑ:dnə||'pɑ:r-/ n AmE humorous infml a way of addressing someone you know well: Howdy, pardner!
par·don¹ /'pɑ:dn||'pɑ:rdn/ n¹ 1 [C] an action of a court or ruler forgiving a person for an illegal act and giving freedom from punishment: His pardon came through only three hours before he was due to be executed. -> see also FREE PARDON 2 [C;U(for)] fml (an act or example of) forgiving: If I have offended you, I ask your pardon. 3 I beg your pardon also Pardon me — a) polite Please excuse me (said when you accidentally touch or push someone) b) also Pardon infml — (said with the voice rising at the end) I did not hear/understand what you said and would like you to repeat it c) polite Please excuse me (said when one accidentally does something (e.g. BELCH noisily) that could be offensive to another person) d) (said in a firm unfriendly voice) I'm afraid I think that what you have just said is not true or not acceptable -> see EXCUSE (USAGE); see also excuse me (EXCUSE¹)
pardon² v [T] 1 [(for)] to forgive or excuse: Pardon my strong language. | [+obj(I)+obj(d)] We must pardon him (for) his little outbursts of temper. | [+obj+v-ing] Pardon me interrupting, but ... | It seems to me like a bit of a cock-up if you'll pardon the expression. (=excuse my use of this phrase) 2 Pardon my French infml, humor (said before or after using bad or impolite language (SWEARING)): The bloody car's broken down – pardon my French. 3 to give an official pardon to or for 4 Pardon me polite -> see PARDON¹
par·don·a·ble /'pɑ:dənəbəl||'pɑ:r-/ adj that can be forgiven: a pardonable mistake/weakness -> opposite UNPARDONABLE —bly adv
par·don·er /'pɑ:dənə||'pɑ:r-/ n (in former times) a person who went about the country selling official religious INDULGENCES
pare /peə/ v [T] 1 [(DOWN)] to cut away the thin outer covering, edge, or skin of (something), usually with a sharp knife; PEEL: to pare one's fingernails | (fig.) We must pare down (=reduce) costs to improve our profitability. | Spending on education has been pared to the bone. (=reduced to the lowest possible level) | a paring knife (=knife used to take the skin off fruit etc) 2 [(AWAY, OFF)] to cut away (the thin outer covering, edge, or skin of something), usually with a sharp knife: She pared off the apple peel. -> see also CHEESEPARING, PARING
par·ent /'peərənt/ n 1 the father or mother of a person or animal: my parents | Being a parent (=having children) can be hard work. | a single-parent family | (fig.) Our club is the parent organization, and there are now four others like it. 2 to lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness quote a slightly changed phrase from the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde —al /pə'rentl/ adj: parental responsibilities | to get married without parental consent
par·ent·age /'peərəntɪdʒ/ n [U] the fact of being descended from particular parents: a child of unknown parentage (=we do not know who its parents are)
'parent ,company n a business company that controls one or more others
,parent 'governor n a person whose child attends a particular school who, with other people, has the power to make certain decisions about how the school is run
pa·ren·the·sis /pə'renθəsɪs/ n pl. -theses /-θəsi:z/ 1 [usually pl.] BrE fml or AmE for BRACKET 2 one or more words introduced as an added explanation or thought, and in writing usually enclosed at both ends by a parenthesis, as in the following sentence: This class (and I speak from long experience) is the worst I have ever known.
par·en·thet·ic /ˌpærən'θetɪk/ also par·en·thet·i·cal /-ɪkəl/ adj introduced as an added explanation or thought: If I may add a few parenthetic remarks of a personal nature here ... —>ally /kli/ adv
par·ent·hood /'peərənthʊd/ n [U] the state or condition of being a parent
par·ent·ing /'peərəntɪŋ/ n [U] parental care of children: the problems of parenting
'parents-in-,law n [plural] the parents of your husband or wife -> see also MOTHER-IN-LAW, FATHER-IN-LAW
,parent-'teacher associ,ation n. -> see PTA
par ex·cel·lence /ˌpɑ:r ˌeksələ:ns||-eksə'lɑ:ns/ adj [after n] Fr, apprec without equal, as the best and/or most typical of its kind: 'Wuthering Heights' is surely the romantic novel par excellence.
par·fait /pɑ:'feɪ||pɑ:r-/ n [U] AmE a sweet food made of layers of ICE CREAM and fruit
par·he·li·on /pɑ:'hi:liən||pɑ:r-/ n pl. -lia /liə/ tech an image of the sun sometimes seen at the side of the sun at sunset
pa·ri·ah /pə'raɪə, 'pæriə||pə'raɪə/ n fml derog a person who is not accepted by society; social OUTCAST
par·i·mu·tu·el /ˌpæri 'mju:tju:əl||-tʃuəl/ n Fr a system of risking money, especially on a horse race, in which the money risked by the losers is taken and divided up among the winners
pari'mutuel ma,chine n AmE TOTE
par·ing /'peərɪŋ/ n [usually pl.] something thin that has been pared off (PARE): They feed the pig with the vegetable parings.
Pa·ris¹ /'pærɪs/ the capital city of France, on the River Seine, which is also the country's business and financial centre. Paris is typically thought of as a very romantic city, and is known as a place where many famous artists lived, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has many important MUSEUMS and galleries (GALLERY), including the Louvre, and its famous buildings include the Eiffel Tower and the CATHEDRAL of Notre Dame. It is also known as a centre of the European fashion industry, and many important designers work there. British people used to think of Paris as a place where sexual morals were less strict than in the UK, and it was sometimes known as 'Gay Paree'. It was also a popular place for US writers to live in the 1920s and 1930s, including Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. People from Paris are called Parisians. -> see also MONTMARTRE
Paris² in ancient Greek stories, a prince of TROY who caused the TROJAN WAR by taking Helen away from Greece, and who killed ACHILLES in this war -> see also ILIAD
Paris-Dak·ar Ral·ly, the /ˌpærɪs 'dɑ:kɑ:ˌræliː-də'kɑ:r-/ a motor race over public roads from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal, including the crossing of the Sahara Desert. The Paris-Dakar Rally is open to all kinds of motor vehicles.
par·ish /'pærɪʃ/ n 1 (especially in the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches) an area in the care of a single priest and served by one main church: a parish priest -> see also PAROCHIAL 2. a) also civil parish — (in England) a small area, especially a village, having its own local government the smallest unit of local government b) (in the American state of Louisiana) COUNTY: Vermilion Parish 3 infml, especially BrE an area of knowledge or work that is the special responsibility of a particular person
,parish 'church n the main church in a PARISH
,parish 'clerk n a church official in a PARISH who performs various duties in or for the church