big bucks 120 big cat
B
leopard
jaguar
lion
cheetah
lynx
tiger
cougar
VOLUNTEERS (=people who work without being paid), and
there is a similar organization for girls called BIG SISTERS.
**big 'bucks** n [P] AmE infml a lot of money: *She's earning big
bucks now.*
**big 'business** n [U] **1** a business activity that produces a lot
of profit, for example by providing a service that a lot of
people want: *Alternative medicine is big business in
LA.* **2** very large powerful companies considered together as
a group, especially when you are talking about their influ-
ence on governments: *The Republican Party always had a lot
of support from big business.*
**big 'cat** n not tech a large member of the cat family, such as a
lion or tiger
**big 'cheese** n infml humor a very important person in an
organization, institution etc: *So you're the big cheese around
here, are you?*
**big 'day** n [sing.] a wedding day: *Are you looking forward to
your big day?*
**big 'deal** n [S] slang **1** used to say that you do not think
something is as important as someone else thinks it is: *It's
just a game. If you lose, big deal.* | *What's the big deal? It's
only a birthday, not the end of the world.* | *It's no big deal.*
Everybody forgets things sometimes. **2** an important or excit-
ing event or situation: *This audition is a big deal for
Joey.* **3** make a big deal of/out of/about to get too excited
or upset about something, or make something seem more
important than it is: *I know I'm probably making a big deal
out of nothing, but I'm worried about you.*
**Big 'Dig, the** infml a name given to the process of building
the Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T), a major new road system
built under the city of Boston in the US. It goes under the
city and connects several major roads with Logan Airport,
Boston Harbor, and the city centre. The new road took
many years to build, during which time it caused a lot of
traffic problems in the city.
**Big 'Dipper** n **1** a kind of small railway in a fair or AMUSE-
MENT PARK that people ride on for fun and excitement. It
goes up and down steep slopes and around sharp curves; a
ROLLER COASTER **2** the Big Dipper especially AmE a name
sometimes given to the CONSTELLATION (=group of stars)
called the PLOUGH
**Big Ears** a character in the British children's stories about
NODDY. Big Ears has unusually large ears, is short, has a white
beard, wears a pointed cloth hat, and is Noddy's best friend.
**Big 'Easy, the** AmE an informal name for NEW ORLEANS:
*Slick Mo's Club plays some of the best jazz outside of the Big
Easy.*
**big 'end** n BrE tech the part of a connecting rod in a car engine
which joins onto the CRANK: *I think your big end's gone.*
**Big-foot** /'bɪgfʊt/ also **Sasquatch** an animal like a large
hairy human, which some people claim to have seen in the
northwest US, but which has never been proved to exist.
Stories about Bigfoot are very popular in US newspapers.
**big 'game** n [U] the largest wild animals hunted for sport
such as lions and elephants. Big-game hunting used to be
considered an adventure, but now many people disapprove of
it because so many animals have been killed and there are
only small numbers of some kinds (SPECIES) left: *a big-game
hunter*
**big-gie** /'bɪgi/ n infml someone or something very large,
important, or well known: *Have you heard their new record?
I think it's going to be a biggie.*
**big girl's 'blouse** n you big girl's blouse BrE spoken a
humorous and slightly insulting expression said when a boy
or man is not being brave: *Go on then, try and hit me, you big
girl's blouse.* | *You can't sit in a pub and drink Coke, you big
girl's blouse!*
**big-gish** /'bɪgɪʃ/ adj BrE fairly big, but not very big: *The office
is easy to find – it's a biggish white building near the station.*
Biggles
**Big-gles** /'bɪgəlz/ a character in stories by Captain W. E.
Johns. Biggles is a military pilot in World War I who is
famous for his flying skills, his courage, and his ability to be
calm even when he is being attacked by the enemy. In the
past he was a popular hero with British boys.
**'big government** n [C;U] AmE derog a government which
becomes involved in many parts of people's lives in order to
help them take care of themselves. People who do not think
WELFARE (=financial help for poor people) is a good idea, or
who think that there are too many government programmes
for disadvantaged people, often talk about big government
to describe the kind of government that provides too many
of these kinds of services.