Wins•let, Kate /'wɪnzlət, keit/ (1975-) a British film actress whose films include Heavenly Creatures, Titanic, and Iris: A Memoir of Iris Murdoch → see colour photo on page A33
win·some /'wɪnsəm/ adj old-
fash apprec pleasant and
attractive, especially in a
fresh, childlike way: a win-
some girl ~~ly adv ~~ness
n [U]
Win·tel /'wintel/ trademark a made-up word combining the names 'Windows' and 'Intel', used to describe most of the world's PERSONAL
COMPUTERS, which have a Windows OPERATING SYSTEM produced by MICROSOFT, and a Pentium PROCESSOR produced by INTEL
win·ter¹ /'wintər/ n [C;U] the season between autumn and spring, when it is cold. In northern countries the winter months are December, January, and February and it often snows during this time: It usually snows here in winter. | in the depths of winter (=the coldest time) | a cold winter | last winter | winter clothes
winter² v [l+adv/prep] to spend the winter: These birds winter in a warm country.
win•ter•ize /'wɪntərɪz/ v [T] AmE to prepare for winter weather conditions: winterize your house/car/wardrobe
,winter of discon'tent [the] the winter of 1978–79 when many British workers refused to work in protest against the Labour government's ideas on limiting pay rises. The Labour Party lost power after this. The phrase comes from the opening line of Shakespeare's play Richard III. → see also SUMMER OF DISCONTENT
,Winter 'Olympics, the → see OLYMPIC GAMES
'winter 'solstice [the] the day, usually around December 22nd, on which the sun is above the TROPIC OF CAPRICORN and as far to the S as possible,..so that places in the N HEMISPHERE, like Britain, have the shortest day of the year and places in the S hemisphere have the longest day of the year. The winter solstice is not usually celebrated in Britain or the US. → compare EQUINOX, SUMMER SOLSTICE
winter 'sports n [P] sports which take place on snow or ice such as skiing (SKI) or sledging (SLEDGE)
Winter's 'Tale, The a play by William Shakespeare that was probably written in 1610 or 1611. It is about King Leontes of Sicilia who becomes very JEALOUS because he thinks that his wife Hermione is having a LOVE AFFAIR with his friend King Polixenes of Bohemia who is visiting them. It is often described as a TRAGICOMEDY because the first three ACTs are a TRAGEDY and the last two acts are a COMEDY.
win·ter·time /'wɪntətaɪmll-ər-/ n [(the]U] the winter season; the time of winter weather: Heating bills are highest in (the) wintertime.
Win•ton, Dale /'wɪntən/ (1955-) a British television PRESENTER. He is known for being very charming to the people who appear on his shows and for being CAMP (=moving and speaking in a way that people used to think was typical of a homosexual man).
win·try /'wɪntrɪ/ also win·ter·y /'wɪntrɪ/ adj like winter, especially cold or snowy: wintry clouds | a wintry scene | (fig.) a wintry smile (=rather unhappy or unfriendly)
'win-'win adj [A] a win-win situation, solution etc is one that will end well for everyone involved in it → compare NO-WIN SITUATION It's a win-win situation all around. —win-win n: The agreement is a win-win for everyone.
wipe¹ /waip/ v [T] 1 to rub (a surface or object), e.g. with a cloth or against another surface, in order to remove dirt, liquid etc: to wipe the table with a damp cloth | Wipe your feet/shoes (on the mat) before you come in. | Wipe your nose (on/with your handkerchief). | Wipe your face/the blackboard clean. | (fig.) The whole nation is likely to be wiped off the map/wiped off the face of the Earth (=completely destroyed) in the event of another world war. 2 [+obj+adv/prep] to remove by doing this: She wiped the tears away. | Wipe their crumbs off the table onto the floor. | (fig.) Tell him how much he'll have to pay; that'll wipe the smile off his face. (=make him less pleased or satisfied) 3 wipe the floor with someone infml to defeat someone completely in a competition or argument, making them feel shame → see CLEAN (USAGE) —wiper n
wipe sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T often pass.] 1 to destroy or remove completely: The entire population was wiped out by the terrible disease. | The cost of the new building will wipe out all the company's profits this year. 2 slang to make very tired; EXHAUST → see also WIPED OUT
wipe sting. ≈ up phr v 1 [ ] to remove (liquid or dirt that has been dropped) with a cloth: She wiped up the milk she had spilled. 2 [ ;T ] BrE old-fash to dry (dishes, plates etc, that have been washed) with a cloth
wipe $ ^{2} $ n 1 a wiping movement: Give the baby's nose a good
wipe. 2 a type of cloth used for wiping
wiped 'out adj [F] slang. 1 extremely tired; EXHAUSTED
2 under the effects of drugs → see also wipe out (WIPE¹)
wire¹ /war/ / n ↑ [C;U] (a length of) thin metal in the form of a thread: a wire fence | The string wasn't strong enough, so we used wire. → see also BARBED WIRE 2 [C;U] a piece of metal like this, usually covered with plastic, used for carrying electricity from one place to another 3 [C] AmE for TELEGRAM → see also LIVE WIRE, WIRING, WIRY 4 something comes/goes/gets (right) down to the wire AmE spoken used in order to say that the time when a plan, activity, job etc is supposed to end is very close: It's coming right down to the wire and Sylvia's a little disorganized, so everyone's worried we won't be ready. | The negotiations went right down to the wire but we reached an agreement just before the deadline.
wire² √ [T] 1 [(UP)] to connect up wires in (something, especially an electrical system): Is the house wired up yet? Are you wired for receiving cable TV? 2 [(to, TOGETHER)] to fasten with wire(s) 3 [(to)] AmE to send a TELEGRAM to: Wire me if you can't come. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] He wired me the results of the negotiations. 4 [T] to send (money) electronically, by telling one bank to make the money available at another bank far away: I'll wire you the money in New York. | Can your bank wire the deposit?
wired /wɪədˈwɑːrd/ adj 1 connected or fastened with
wites 2 AmE infml very excited or TENSE
,wire-haired adj (of a dog) having stiff smooth hair, not soft or wool-like: a wire-haired terrier
wire·less¹ /'wairələsll'wairər-/ n [C;U] old-fash, èspecially BrE (a) radio: listening to the wireless
,wireless communications n [P] a system of sending and receiving electronic signals that does not use electrical or telephone, wires, for example, the system used by MOBILE PHONES
wireless $ ^{2} $ adj [A] tech without (using) wires; connected by radio: wireless telegraphy
wire 'netting n [U] a material made of wires woven together into a network, with quite large spaces between them, used especially for fences
wire·tap /'waiətəp\|'waiər-/ n an act of wire-tapping or ar electrical connection for wire-tapping
'wire-tapping n [U] listening secretly to other people's telephone conversations by an unofficial or illegal connection
wire 'wool n [U] very fine wire woven together and arranged in a round fairly solid piece, e.g. used for cleaning pans - compare STEEL WOOL
wir-ing /'waɪərɪŋ/ n [(the]U] the arrangement of wires that form the electrical system in a building; network of wires We're having this old wiring replaced. \ | faulty wiring
Wir·ral, the /'wɪrəl/ an area between the River Dee and the River Mersey, near Liverpool in northwest England. It is mainly MIDDLE-CLASS area, and many of the people who live there work in Liverpool.
wir-y /'waɪəri/ adj rather thin, but with strong muscles: hi wiry athletic body —-iness n [U]
Wis•con•sin /wi'skons'n‖-’ska:n-/ written abbrev. WI a stat in the north central US, to the west of Lake Michigan known for producing milk, cheese, and butter