holly
670
hol·ly /'hɒli||'hɑːli/ n [U] (a
small tree) with dark green
shiny prickly leaves and red
berries. At Christmas, British
and American people deco-
rate their houses with holly.
Holly, Buddy (1936–59) a US
POP SINGER, GUITAR player,
and songwriter who, with
his band The Crickets,
helped to make ROCK 'N'
ROLL music popular in the
1950s. His songs include *That'll be the Day* and *Peggy Sue*. He
was killed in a plane crash.
Holly and the 'Ivy, The a popular CAROL (=a traditional
religious song sung at Christmas)
hol·ly·hock /'hɒlihɒk||'hɑːlihɑːk/ n a garden flower which
grows very tall
Hol·ly·oaks /'hɒliəʊks||'hɑːr-/ a British television SOAP
OPERA about the lives of TEENAGERS
Hol·ly·wood /'hɒliwd||'hɑːr-/ an area of Los Angeles which
has been the centre of the US film industry since before
World War I. Many rich and famous people, especially actors
and entertainers live in or near Hollywood, especially in
BEVERLY HILLS. The name Hollywood is often used to mean
the US film industry, and a typical Hollywood film is thought
of as being very expensive to make and exciting to watch,
with attractive and famous actors. Hollywood is sometimes
humorously called 'Tinseltown'.
Hollywood 'Bowl, the a concert hall in Hollywood,
California, which has a stage covered with a curved roof,
and outdoor seats for people to watch and listen
Hollywood 'Walk of 'Fame, the a SIDEWALK along
Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood, California, which has
more than 2000 BRONZE stars on it. The stars have the
names of film and television actors, directors etc on them.
Holmes, Sher·lock
/həʊmz, 'ʃɜlɒk||'ɜːrlɑːk/
the main character in the
stories by Sir Arthur CONAN
DOYLE. He is a very clever
DETECTIVE (=someone whose
job is to solve crimes and
catch criminals) and he
always notices very small
details and then uses them
to guess what has happened.
He is known for wearing a
DEERSTALKER (=a type of hat), smoking a PIPE, playing the
VIOLIN, and saying 'Elementary, my dear Watson' when he is
explaining to his friend, Dr WATSON, how easy it is to
understand something.
hol·o·caust /'hɒləkɔːst||'hɑːr-/ n great destruction and the
loss of many lives, especially by burning: *Millions of lives
would be lost in a nuclear holocaust.*
Holocaust, the the time when millions of Jews were killed
by HITLER and the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s.
hol·o·gram /'hɒləgræm||'hɑːl-, 'hɑːr-/ n a photograph-like
picture of something made with LASER light, which, when
this light is shone on it again, makes the thing appear to be
solid rather than flat ➔ compare HOLOGRAPH
hol·o·graph /'hɒləgrɑːf||'hɑːləgræf, 'hɑːr-/ n a book etc
written by hand by the author ➔ compare HOLOGRAM
hol·o·graph·y /hɒ'lɒgrəfi||hɑː'lɑː-/ n [U] the science of
producing holograms
hols /hɒlz||hɑːlz/ n [P +sing./pl.v] BrE infrml HOLIDAY
Holst, Gus·tav /həʊlst, 'gʊstɑːv||'gɑs-/ (1874–1934) a British
COMPOSER whose most famous work is called *The Planets*
Hol·stein /'hɒlstɪən, 'hɒlstiːn||'hɑːr-/ n [C] especially AmE a
black and white cow; FRIESIAN BrE
hol·ster /'həʊlstər/ n a leather holder for a PISTOL (=small
gun), especially one that hangs on a belt round the waist
ho·ly /'həʊli/ adj 1 [no comp.] connected with God and reli-
gion; SACRED: *the Holy Bible | the holy city of Mecca/
Benares* 2 giving oneself to the service of God and religion;
pure and good: *a holy man | to lead a holy life* 3 [A] slang euph
very bad (especially in the phrase a holy terror (=a person
who causes a lot of usually not very serious trouble) ➔ see
also UNHOLY
Holy 'Bible n [S] the BIBLE
'holy city n 1 a city which is a centre of religious activity
and has been such a centre for some time 2 the Holy City
JERUSALEM
Holy Com'munion n [U] COMMUNION
Holy 'Family, the in the Christian religion, the family of
JESUS, his mother MARY, and her husband JOSEPH
Holy 'Father, the another name for the Pope
Ho·ly·field, E·van·der /'həʊlifɪːld, ɪ'vændər/ (1962–) a US
BOXER who was world HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION four times in
the 1990s. He was injured in a BOXING match in 1997 when
Mike Tyson bit off a piece of his ear.
Holy 'Ghost, the the HOLY SPIRIT
Holy 'Grail, the also the Graal 1 the cup believed to have
been used by Jesus at the Last Supper, just before his death.
According to old stories, it had magical powers and was
searched for by King ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS and finally found by
Sir GALAHAD. ➔ see also ARTHURIAN LEGEND 2 something
that people try very hard to find or achieve, even though
this is almost impossible: *economic growth without inflation –
the politicians' Holy Grail*
Hol·y·head /'hɒlihed||'hɑːr-/ a town and port on HOLY ISLAND
off the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Ships carrying
passengers and cars sail from Holyhead to the Republic of
Ireland.
'Holy Island 1 an island off the northeast coast of North-
umberland, in northeast England. It is also known as Lindis-
farne. 2 an island off the island of Anglesey, North Wales,
whose main town is the port of HOLYHEAD
'Holy Land, the the parts of the Middle East where most of
the events mentioned in the Bible happened. It is also known
as PALESTINE.
Holy 'Loch a narrow area of the Atlantic Ocean reaching into
the land on the west coast of Scotland, northwest of Glasgow.
The US Navy formerly had a base there for its NUCLEAR
SUBMARINES.
holy of 'holies [the] 1 the most holy inner part of the
Jewish temples in Jerusalem 2 sometimes humor a place where
people are not usually allowed to go: *The headmaster invited
us into that holy of holies, his study.*
Holy 'Roller n AmE infrml a humorous name for a member of a
Christian church that encourages people to sing and shout
and become very emotional
Holy Roman 'Empire, the a group of European states
which included parts of France, Germany, Austria, and Italy,
and which were ruled by an EMPEROR. It was established by
Charlemagne in 800, and continued until 1806. For most of
the period from the 13th century to the 19th century, its
ruling family were the Hapsburgs.
Hol·y·rood Pal·ace /ˌhɒlɪruːd 'pælɪs||ˌhɑːr-/ also Hol·y·
rood 'House a large building in Edinburgh, Scotland,
owned by the British royal family. It was formerly the home
of the Scottish royal family, and MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS lived
there in the 16th century.
Holy 'See, the the Pope (=the leader of the Roman Catholic
Church) and the government of the VATICAN
Holy 'Spirit, the also the Holy Ghost in the Christian
religion, God in the form of a spirit, the third person of the
TRINITY
holy 'war n a war fought in the name of a religion, for
example to defend its beliefs
holy 'water n [U] water that has been BLESSED by a priest
'Holy Week in the Christian religion, the week in which Jesus
was crucified (CRUCIFY) and returned to life, between PALM
SUNDAY and EASTER Sunday, and including GOOD FRIDAY
Holy 'Writ n [U] 1 old-fash the BIBLE 2 something such as a
rule, statement, or piece of writing that people treat as if it
were completely true in every detail
hom·age /'hɒmɪdʒ||'hɑːr-/ n [S;U(to)] fml signs of great respect,
shown especially to a ruler (especially in the phrases pay/do
homage to someone)