,public 'television n [U] a television service in the US which is supported by money given by the government, large companies, and people who watch public television stations. Public television is thought of by many people as making good quality programmes that are both educational and entertaining. → see also PBS
public 'transport also ,public transporta'tion AmE — n [U] means of TRANSPORT open to the general public; bus, train, UNDERGROUND etc
,public u'tility n a private company that is allowed by the government to provide important services such as gas, electricity, water etc
,public 'works n [P] buildings, roads, ports etc, provided by the government for public use
pub-lish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v 1 [ˈlɪt] a) (of a business firm) to choose, arrange, have printed, and offer for sale to the public (a book, magazine, newspaper etc): This firm publishes educational books/software. I to get a job in publishing b) (of a newspaper or magazine) to print for the public to read: We can't publish all the letters we receive. 2 [ˈlɪt] (of a writer or musician) to have (one's work) printed and put on sale: She's just published her fourth novel. 3 [ˈtɒftən] to make known generally; bring to the knowledge of the public: The latest unemployment figures will be published tomorrow. 4 publish and be damned quote a phrase which is believed to have been used by the Duke of Wellington, now used when saying that people should publish a book even if it will cause disagreement or protest 5 publish or perish AmE a saying used about university teachers, meaning that if they do not publish something new each year they may lose their jobs. The publish or perish system is often criticized and blamed for causing teachers to spend less time with their students.
pub.lish.er /ˈpʌblɪʃər/ n a person or firm (also publishing house) whose business is to PUBLISH books, newspapers etc, or (sometimes) to make and sell records
Puc·ci·ni, Gia·co·mo /pu'tʃiːni, 'dʒækəməull'dʒaː-/ (1858-1924) an Italian COMPOSER famous for his OPERAs, especially LA BOHÈME, Tosca, and MADAME BUTTERFLY
puce /pjuːs/ adj dark brownish purple
puck/pʌk/n a hard flat circular piece of rubber used instead of a ball in the game of ICE HOCKEY
Puck a character who enjoys playing tricks on people in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William SHAKESPEARE → see also PUCKISH
Puck, Wolf·gang /'wulfgæn/ (1949-) a US CHEF, born in Austria, who has influenced modern restaurant cooking. He owned and cooked for his own restaurant, Spago, until it closed in 2001.
puck•er /ˈpʌkər/ v [ˈtʃ(UP)] to tighten into uneven or unattractive folds: Her little mouth puckered up and tears filled her eyes. —pucker n
puck·ish /ˈpʌkɪʃ/ adj lit harmlessly playful; CHEEKY (from
. Puck, a playful FAIRY in A Midsummer Night's Dream by
William SHAKESPEARE): a puckish grin ︷ly adv
pud /pud/ n [C;U] BrE infmi for PUDDING
pud·ding /ˈpudɪŋ/ n [C;U] 1 BrE (a) sweet food served at the end of a meal: What's for pudding? 2 especially BrE usually in comb, a usually solid hot sweet dish based on pastry, rice, bread etc, with fat and fruit or other substances added. Puddings are very TRADITIONAL British food and are very popular: a helping of rice pudding | (a) bread and butter pudding 3 BrE usually in comb. an unsweetened dish of a mixture of flour, fat etc, either covering or enclosing meat and boiled with it: (a) steak and kidney pudding 4 AmE a thick, soft, sweet DESSERT, usually made with milk, eggs, sugar, and a little flour, and served either hot or cold: chocolate pudding → see also BLACK PUDDING, CHRISTMAS PUDDING, MILK PUDDING, PLUM PUDDING, YORK-SHIRE PUDDING, the proof of the pudding is in the eating (PROOF $ ^{1} $)
pudding, basin n BrE 1 a deep round dish narrower at the bottom than the top, in which puddings are cooked 2 a haircut for straight hair in which the hair is cut round in a straight line and looks like a pudding basin
pud·dle¹ /'pʌdl/ n a small amount of water, especially rain, lying in a hollow place in the ground
puddle² v [T] tech to mix (sand, clay, and water) into a mass pu·den·dum /pjuːˈdɛndəm/ n pl. -da /də/ old-fash fml the sexual organs, especially of a woman
pudg·y /'pʌdʒi/ adj PODGY ——iness n [U]
pueb·lo /'pwebləʊ/ n Sp a town; used especially of towns in the southwestern US
Pueblo n 1 the Pueblo [P] a group of Native American tribes from the southwestern US, including the Hopi. They are known for their ADOBE (=dried earth and grass) buildings 2 [C] a member of one of these tribes → see Cultural Note at NATIVE AMERICAN —Pueblo adj
pu•er•ile /'pjʊəraill-rəl/ adj fml childish; silly; IMMATURE: his puerile sense of humour —ility /pjʊərɪlɪtɪ/ n [U]
pu•er•per•al /pjuː'3:pərəll-'3ir-/ adj [A] med of, after, or caused by giving birth (especially in the phrase puerperal fever)
Puer-to Ri-co /,pw3:tau 'rikkəʊll,pɔːrtə-, ,pweartə-/ an island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of the US state of Florida. Population: 3,800,000 (2000). Capital: San Juan. People who live in Puerto Rico are US citizens, but Puerto Rico is not a US state and it governs itself. Many people from Puerto Rico go to live and work in the US in order to earn more money. It was a COLONY of Spain from 1509 to 1898, and most people speak Spanish as their first language. —Puerto Rican n, adj
Puerto Val-lar·ta /,pwz:təu var'aitəll,pɔrtə var'aitə,
,pweartə-/ a town in western Mexico on the Pacific Ocean,
popular with US tourists
puff¹ /pʌf/ v 1 [l] to breathe rapidly and with effort, usually during or after hurried movement: Running makes him puff heavily. | He puffed up the steep slope. (=climbed while breathing fast) 2 [l+adv/prep] to breathe in and out while smoking a cigarette, pipe etc: He puffed (away) at his pipe as he talked. | She puffed at a cigarette nervously. 3 [l;T(out)] a) (of smoke or steam) to blow or come out repeatedly, especially in small amounts b) to cause to come out in this way: Don't puff cigarette smoke in my face. 4 [l+adv/prep] to move along while sending out little clouds of smoke: The old engine puffed along/puffed into the station. 5 [T] old-fashionful to praise (especially something for sale) more than is deserved: critics puffing a new film 6 infml puff and blow to show signs of making a great physical effort: He was puffing and blowing carrying the heavy box up the stairs.
puff sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T] 1 [(with)] to make larger, especially with air: The bird puffed out its feathers. | He puffed his chest out proudly. 2 to put out the flame of (something) by blowing lightly: to puff out a candle
puff up phr v [t; T(= puff sthg, ⇔ up)] to (cause to) swell: Mustard makes my eyes puff up. | (fig.) He is puffed up (with pride). (=too proud)
puff² n 1 [C] an act of puffing: He took a puff at his cigarette. 2 [C] a sudden light rush of air, smoke etc: a puff of wind 3 [C] a decorative part of a garment that swells out in the middle: puff sleeves 4 [C] (usually in comb.) a hollow piece of light pastry (puff pastry) that is filled with a soft usually sweet mixture: a lemon puff 5 [U] infml humor breath 6 [C] infml a piece of writing praising a person or an entertainment → see also POWDER PUFF
puff-ball /ˈpʌfboʊl/ n a type of FUNGUS that looks like a ball and bursts when ripe, giving off a cloud of SPORES (=seeds)
,puffball 'skirt n a short skirt which becomes wider between the waist and the lower edge, giving a rounded shape gathered at the lower edge
puffed /pʌft/ adj [F] inml (especially of a person) breathing with difficulty; out of breath
'puffed 'sleeve n a short SLEEVE which becomes wider in the middle and is gathered at the top and lower edge
,puffed 'wheat n [U] grains of wheat that are PUFFed up and eaten with milk (and sugar) as a breakfast CEREAL
puf·fin /'pʌfɪn/ n a North Atlantic seabird that has a very large brightly coloured beak
Puffin trademark a type of PAPERBACK book for children and young people, produced by the same company that produces PENGUINS
puff·y /'pʌfi/ adj rather swollen: puffy eyes —-iness n [U]
pug /pʌg/ n a small fat short-haired dog with a wide flat face and a short flat nose
Pu-get Sound /,pjurd3t 'saund/ an area of water leading