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cards
car·bon tet·ra·chlo·ride /ˌkɑːbən ˌtetrəˈklɔːrɪd‖ˌkɑːr-/
n [U] a colourless liquid used for cleaning dirty marks off
clothes
car 'boot sale n BrE BOOT SALE
car·boy /ˈkɑːbɔɪlkɑːr-/ n a large often green glass, metal, or
plastic round bottle, often protected by a special covering,
used for holding usually dangerous chemical liquids
car·bun·cle /ˈkɑːbʌŋkəlˈkɑːr-/ n 1 a large painful BOIL
(=swelling under the skin) 2 an ugly addition to something
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain this word is sometimes used to
describe a new building in a modern style that spoils the
appearance of the older buildings around it (from a
speech by Prince Charles in which he described a
planned new part of the National Gallery as like a
'monstrous carbuncle' on the face of an old friend).
3 a red jewel, especially a GARNET
car·bu·ret·tor BrE || -retor AmE /ˌkɑːbjuˈretər, -bə-
‖ˈkɑːrbərətər/ n an apparatus, especially used in car
engines, for mixing the necessary amounts of air and petrol
to produce the explosive gas which burns in the engine to
provide power → see picture at ENGINE
car·cass also -case BrE /ˈkɑːkəs‖ˈkɑr-/ n 1 the body of a
dead animal, especially one which is ready to be cut up as
meat 2 the decaying remains of something, such as a car or
a ship: Divers have found the carcass of a wrecked ship 100
miles from the coast. 3 derog slang the body of a dead or living
person
car chase n an exciting series of scenes in a film or
television programme, showing characters in a car chasing
another car
car·cin·o·gen /kɑːˈsɪnədʒən‖kɑr-/ n med a carcinogenic
substance
car·cin·o·gen·ic /ˌkɑsɪnəˈdʒenɪk ‖ˌkɑːr-/ adj med causing
CANCER: carcinogenic cleaning materials
card¹ /kɑːd‖kɑːrd/ n 1 [C] also playing card fml — any of a set
of 52 small sheets of stiffened paper marked to show their
number and the class (SUIT) they belong to, and used for
various games: The players were dealt six cards each. | a pack
of cards | a card table | to shuffle the cards (=mix them up) →
see also COURT CARD; see Cultural Note at CARDS 2 [C] (often
in comb.) a small sheet of stiffened paper (or plastic), usually
with information printed on it and having various uses: a
bank card | a membership card | Let me give you my business
card. → see also CASH CARD, CHARGE CARD, CHEQUE CARD,
CREDIT CARD, VISITING CARD 3 [C] a) also greeting card a
piece of stiffened paper usually with a picture on the front
and a message inside, sent to a person by post on special
occasions, such as on a birthday or at Christmas: a birthday
card | I sent her a get-well card when she was in hospital. b) a
POSTCARD → see also CHRISTMAS CARD 4 [U] stiffened
paper; cardboard 5 [C] old-fash infml an entertaining and amus-
ing person; WAG: John's a real card; he always makes me
laugh. 6 [C] something, such as a very effective argument or
course of action, which gives you an advantage and
which you keep (often secretly) until the right moment:
Things look bad for them, but they still have a few cards up
their sleeve. (=ready to be used) | Then she played her
best/strongest/trump card and threatened to resign. | The
union can't win – the company holds all the cards. → see
also CARDS
card² n tech an instrument that is similar to a comb and is
used for combing, cleaning, and preparing wool, cotton etc
for spinning —card v [I;T]
car·da·mom /ˈkɑːdəməm‖ˈkɑːr-/ n [C;U] (one of) the seeds
of an Asian fruit, used for giving a special taste to food,
especially in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking
card·board¹ /ˈkɑːdbɔːd‖ˈkɑːrdbɔːrd/ n [U] a stiff usually
brownish or greyish material like thick paper, used for
making boxes, the backs of books etc: a pad of paper with a
sheet of cardboard at the back
card·board² adj 1 made from cardboard: a cardboard
box 2 derog unreal; unnatural: Her new book is full of card-
board characters. → compare WOODEN
cardboard 'city n an area where people with no homes
sleep on the streets, often using cardboard boxes to keep
warm; in Britain, used especially of an area in Waterloo,
London: A bid to stop homeless kids ending up in London's
cardboard cities will be launched this week.
'card-carrying adj [A] being a full member of an organiza-
tion, especially a political one: a card-carrying member of
the Labour Party
'card catalog → see CARD INDEX
card·hold·er /ˈkɑdhəʊldər ˈkɑːrd-/ n a person who has the
use of a card, especially a CREDIT CARD: Cardholders are
advised to note down their PIN number and keep it in a safe
place.
cardi- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
car·di·ac /ˈkɑːdiˌæk‖ˈkɑːr-/ adj [A] med connected with the
heart or with heart disease: cardiac disease | cardiac failure/
arrest (=stopping of the heart)
Car·diff /ˈkɑdɪfl‖kɑːr-/ the capital and main port of Wales.
Cardiff is an industrial city which also has a castle, cathedral,
university, and the Millennium Stadium where important
RUGBY matches are played.
car·di·gan /ˈkɑːdɪgən‖ˈkɑːr-/ n a short knitted (KNIT) wool-
len coat with SLEEVES usually fastened at the front with
buttons → compare SWEATER
Car·din, Pierre /ˈkɑdæn‖kɑrˈdæn, piˈeə/ (1922–) a French
fashion designer known especially for designing clothes for
men
car·di·nal¹ /ˈkɑːdɪnəl‖ˈkɑr/ n 1 a priest with one of the
highest ranks of the Roman Catholic Church 2 a N Ameri-
can bird (FINCH) of which the male is bright red in colour
cardinal² adj fml most important; chief: a cardinal error |
This is one of the cardinal rules of mountain climbing.
cardinal³ also ,cardinal 'number n any of the numbers 1,
2, 3 etc that show quantity rather than order → compare
ORDINAL²
,cardinal 'point n COMPASS POINT
,cardinal 'sin n (in the Christian religion) one of the seven
deadly SINS; pride, LUST, ENVY, anger, COVETOUSNESS, GLUT-
TONY, and SLOTH
,cardinal 'virtue n a quality in a person that is highly
respected and valued, especially PRUDENCE, JUSTICE, TEMPER-
ANCE, and FORTITUDE
'card index BrE || card catalog AmE — n (a box contain-
ing) a number of cards each carrying a particular piece of
information and arranged in order, as in a library
car·di·o /ˈkɑdiəʊˈkɑːr-/ n [U] infml any type of exercise that
makes the heart stronger and healthier, for example running
car·di·ol·o·gy /ˌkɑdiˈɒlədʒi‖ˌkɑːrdiˈɑː-/ n [U] the study or
science of the heart
car·di·o·pul·mo·na·ry re·sus·ci·ta·tion
/ˌkɑːdiəʊˌpʌlmənəri rɪˌsʌsɪˈteɪʃən‖ˌkɑːrdioʊˌpʌlməneri-/
→ see CPR
'card phone n BrE a public telephone which you can use only
when you put in a special plastic card called a PHONECARD
card·punch /ˈkɑdpʌntʃˈkɑrd-/ BrE || keypunch AmE — n
a machine that puts information onto cards in such a way
that computers can read and understand it, used especially
formerly
cards
heart club diamond spade
cards /kɑːdz‖kɑːrdz/ n [P] 1 games played with CARDS; card
playing: Let's play cards/have a game of cards. | He always
cheats at cards. 2 get/be given one's cards BrE infml to be
dismissed from your job 3 lay/put one's cards on the table
to be completely open and honest about your position,
plans etc 4 on the cards BrE || in the cards AmE — infml
probable: They say another price increase is on the cards. | It's
on the cards that she'll be offered the job. 5 play/hold one's
cards close to one's chest to keep your actions or inten-
tions secret → see also HOUSE OF CARDS, play one's cards
right/properly (PLAY)