930
nar·rows /'nærəʊz/ n [P] (often cap. as part of name) a narrow passage between two larger areas of water: the Narrows of New York harbour
,narrow 'squeak BrE || ,narrow 'miss AmE — n infml a situation in which something dangerous or very unpleasant is only just avoided: The bus missed crashing into the cyclist by a narrow squeak.
na·ry /'neəri/ adv AmE infml not; not one: I looked all over the house but there was nary a soul (=not a person) anywhere.
NASA /'næsə/ abbrev. for National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the US government organization responsible for space travel and the scientific study of space
na·sal¹ /'neɪzl/ n, adj tech (a speech sound such as /m/, /n/, or /ŋ/) made through the nose
nasal² adj 1 of the nose: to breathe through the nasal passage 2 making nasal sounds: His voice is very nasal. —ly /'neɪzəli/ adv
nas·cent /'næsənt/ adj fml coming into existence or starting to develop: nascent ability in music
NASDAQ /'næzdæk/ a US organization that provides information through the Internet about the price of SHARES of certain businesses, especially companies in the computer industry and other areas of science and TECHNOLOGY
Naseem, Prince → see PRINCE NASEEM
Nash, Johnny /næʃ/ (1940-) a US POP SINGER and songwriter whose songs include I Can See Clearly Now (1972)
Nash, Og·den /'ɒgdənɪl'ɔ:g-/ (1902-71) a US poet who wrote amusing poems
Nash·ville /'næʃvɪl/ the capital city of the state of Tennessee, US, famous as the centre of the COUNTRY AND WESTERN music industry → see also GRAND OLE OPRY
Nas·ser, Ga·mal Ab·dal /'næsər, gə'ma:l 'æbdəl/ (1918-70) an Egyptian army officer and politician, who was the first President of the Republic of Egypt (1956-70). He successfully took control of the SUEZ CANAL from France and Britain in 1956, and this made him extremely popular in Egypt.
nas·tur·tium /nə'stɜ:ʃənɪl-ɜ:r-/ n a common garden plant with orange, yellow, or red flowers and circular leaves
nas·ty /'na:stɪl'næsti/ adj 1 a) angry or threatening: a nasty temper | He turned nasty (=started to threaten me) when I said I couldn't pay him. b) unkind; mean; MALICIOUS: Don't be so nasty to her. | saying nasty things about their neighbours 2 very ugly or unpleasant to see, taste, smell etc: cheap and nasty furniture | nasty weather | a nasty smell 3 dangerous or painful; severe: a nasty accident with one person killed | a nasty cut on the head | It gave me a nasty shock. | a nasty situation 4 morally bad or offensive; OBSCENE: You've got a nasty mind. → see also VIDEO NASTY —tily adv —tiness n [U]
na·tal /'neɪtl/ adj [A] (especially in comb.) connected with someone's birth: (pom) her natal day (=birthday) | pre- and post-natal care (=care before and after birth)
na·tion /'neɪʃən/ n [C+sing./pl.v] 1 a large group of people living in one area and usually having an independent government: The President spoke on radio to the nation. | The whole nation is/are rejoicing. → compare COUNTRY¹ 2 a large group of people with the same race and language: the Cherokee/Kurdish nation → see RACE (USAGE)
Nation, Car·rie /'kæri/ (1846-1911) a US woman who strongly believed that people should not drink alcohol. She tried to stop them by going into bars and damaging furniture and bottles with a HATCHET.
na·tion·al¹ /'næʃənəl/ adj 1 of or being a nation, especially as opposed to a) any of its parts: a national newspaper (=one read everywhere in the country) | This is a local problem not a national one. b) another nation or other nations: The national news comes after the international news. | trade protection policies that will safeguard our national interests 2 owned or controlled by the central government of a country: a national bank | the National Health Service —ly adv
national² n a person, especially someone abroad, who belongs to another, usually stated, country: US nationals in England | Foreign nationals were asked to leave the country. → compare ALIEN², CITIZEN, SUBJECT¹
National, the 1 the GRAND NATIONAL 2 the NATIONAL THEATRE
,National 'Airport an airport serving the Washington, D.C. area, used mostly for flights within the US
,national 'anthem n the official song of a nation, to be sung or played on certain formal occasions. The British national anthem is God Save the Queen (King); the US one is the STAR-SPANGLED BANNER
,National Asso,ciation for the Ad,vancement of ,Colored ,People, the the NAACP
,National 'Basketball Asso,ciation the NBA
,National 'Cancer ,Institute, the a US organization that works to discover the causes of CANCER and to find treatments and cures for it
,National ,Centre for ,Popular 'Music, the a MUSEUM of POP and ROCK music that used to be in Sheffield, UK, in a specially built building which was shaped like four very large, shiny drums, and which contained information about pop and rock music and showed films of musicians playing. It closed in 1999 because not enough people came to see it.
,National 'Childbirth ,Trust, the abbrev. NCT a British organization that provides advice and information to women who are going to have babies. It supports women who want to give birth naturally, without the use of drugs, and it encourages new mothers to BREAST-FEED their babies instead of giving them milk made from powder.
,National Col,legiate Ath'letic Asso,ciation, the the NCAA
,National 'Conference, the a group of AMERICAN FOOTBALL teams in the US that play against one another. There is another group of teams called the AMERICAN CONFERENCE, and the best team from that group plays the best team from the National Conference in the SUPER BOWL, the most important football game of the year → see also FOOTBALL
,national 'costume n [C,U] also ,national 'dress [U] clothing traditionally (TRADITIONAL) worn by the people of a country. In some parts of the world people still wear their national costume as their ordinary clothing, but in most places it is only worn on special occasions: folk dancers in national dress | Unlike Scotland and Wales, England does not have a national costume.
,national cur'riculum, the (often cap.) the CURRICULUM (=programme of study) which is meant to be followed by all STATE SCHOOLS in England and Wales. The government tells schools what subjects must be studied and what standards should be achieved by the pupils. All pupils have examinations in these subjects at the ages of 7, 11, 14, and 16. Schools must teach the national curriculum but may teach additional subjects if they wish and if they can afford to. The contents of the national curriculum have caused some disagreement between teachers and the government. → see Feature on page A12.
,national 'debt n the total amount of money owed by the government of a country
,National ,Easter 'Seal So,ciety, the a US CHARITY organization that helps DISABLED children and adults. It makes sure that they are treated fairly, become independent, and have equal rights.
,National Edu'cation Association, the → see NEA¹
,National En,dowment for the 'Arts, the abbrev. NEA a US government organization that provides money for artists, MUSEUMS, theatre companies etc, to help them in their work. There is a similar organization in the UK called the ARTS COUNCIL.
,National En,dowment for the Hu'manities, the abbrev. NEH a US government organization which provides money for writers and other people working in the HUMANITIES (=subjects like history, language, and literature) to help them with their work
,National En'quirer, The trademark a US weekly TABLOID newspaper known especially for its articles about the relationships of famous people and the things that they do
,National Exhi'bition ,Centre, the the NEC
,National Ex'press a British company that runs long-distance buses connecting many towns and cities in the UK
,National 'Farmers ,Union, the abbrev. NFU a British