westwards /'westwədzl-wərdz/ also westward adv towards the west: We sailed westwards. → see also WEST
West Wing, The an American television drama that takes place in the West Wing of the White House during a period of time when Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet, a FICTIONAL Democratic President, is in power. The actors who have appeared in the series include Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, and Stockard Channing.
West·wood, Viv·i·enne /'westwud, 'vrviən/ (1941-) a British fashion designer who makes clothes that are considered to be interesting, original, and unusual. She was one of the main designers of the PUNK style of dressing in the 1970s, and has had a lot of influence on the design of clothes worn by young people.
West 'Yorkshire a COUNTY. in northeast England, whose main city is Leeds
wet¹ /wet/ adj 1 covered with liquid or in a liquid state; not dry: wet hair | wet ground | wet paint (=which has not yet dried) | I went out in the rain and got wet through. (=extremely wet) 2 rainy: wet weather | a wet day | We can't go out, it's too wet. 3 BrE infml derog (of a person) lacking strength of character and unwilling to take firm or forceful action; weak: Don't be so wet! Just tell them you refuse to do it: 4 (still) wet behind the ears infml very young and without experience ~~ly adv ~~ness n [U]
wet² n 1 [the+S] rainy weather: What a horrible day! It's good to get in out of the wet. 2 [the+S] wet ground, especially after rain: Come and walk on the dry road, instead of going through the wet. 3 [C] BrE infmi a politically MODERATE person in the British Conservative Party: a leading wet
wet $ ^{3} $ v wet or wetted [T] 1 to make wet: Wet your finger and hold it up to tell where the wind's blowing from. 2 to make (oneself, one's bed, or one's clothes) wet by passing water from the body uncontrollably 3 wet one's whistle humor to have a drink, especially of alcohol, when one is thirsty
In British English the past tense and past participle are usually wetted except in phrases like wet the bed or wet oneself: Billy's wet the bed again!
wet·back /'wetbæk/ n derog, AmE slang a person from Mexico who is in the US illegally (considered offensive) → see also ILLEGAL ALIEN
CULTURAL NOTE This expression comes from the fact that many Mexicans cross the Rio Grande River between the two countries in order to avoid IMMIGRATION officials at the border.
wet 'blanket n intml derog a person who discourages others or prevents them from enjoying themselves: Can't we stay a bit longer? Don't be such a wet blanket!
wet 'dream n a sexually exciting dream resulting in a male ORGASM
We Three 'Kings a CAROL (=a traditional religious song sung at Christmas) about the Three Kings or Wise Men who came from the East to visit the baby Jesus. It begins We three kings of Orient are. Rearing gifts we travel afar
Bearing gifts we travel afar...
wet-land /'wetlænd/ n [C often plural, U] an area of land that is partly covered with water, or is wet most of the time
wet-look adj [A] (especially of a garment) having a shiny surface, as if wet: a wet-look leather coat
wet nurse n a woman employed to give breast milk to another woman's baby
wet-nurse v [T] 1 to act as a wet nurse to 2 derog to treat with too much care; MOLLYCODDLE
wet suit n a usually rubber garment worn by underwater swimmers, surfers (SURF) etc, which allows some water to go through, but keeps them warm by fitting close to the body
wetting /wetɪŋ/ n inml being wetted unpleasantly by rain, sea etc: She got a real wetting when she fell in the harbour.
wetting agent n a chemical substance which, when spread
on a solid surface, makes it hold liquid
wetting solution n [U] a liquid which is put on CONTACT LENSES
'me've /wiv; strong wi:v/ short for we have
'Nex-ford /'weksfæd-ferd/ 1 a COUNTY in the southeast of the Republic of Ireland 2 the COUNTY TOWN of Wexford, known especially for the Wexford Festival, an international FESTIVAL of OPERA, which takes place there every autumn
whack¹ /wæk/ v [T] infml to hit with a noisy blow
whack² n infml 1 (the noise made by) a hard blow 2 [C usually sing.] BrE a (fair or equal) share: Have you all had your whack? → see also top whack (TOP) 3 [C usually sing.] BrE a try; attempt: If you can't open it, let me have a whack at it.
whacked /wækt/ also whacked 'out adj [F] BrE infml very tired: I'm completely whacked.
whack·ing¹ /'wækɪŋ/ adj. adv infml very (big): a whacking (great) orange
whacking² n infml, especially BrE a beating
whale/weil/n 1 an extremely large animal which lives in the sea and looks like a fish but is a MAMMAL: The blue whale is the world's largest living animal. 2 a whale of a time infml a very enjoyable time: We had a whale of a time at the party.
whale·bone /'weɪlbəʊn/ n [U] a material taken from the upper jaw of whales, used in former times for keeping things stiff and in their proper shape: a whalebone corset
whal·er /'weiler/ n 1 someone who hunts whales at sea 2 a ship or boat from which whales are hunted
whaling /ˈweɪlɪŋ/ n [U] the business of hunting whales and treating them in order to obtain oil and other materials
wham /wæm/ n infml 1 (the sound made by) a hard, heavy blow 2 wham bam (thank you ma'am) spoken a humorous expression used about a situation in which someone, usually a man, has sex with someone who he does not care about, and who he does not see again: It was just wham bam, thank you m'am and he was out of the door. I didn't even see him go. 3 also wham bam used in order to say that something happens suddenly, usually without much preparation or warning, and is finished very quickly: It was wham bam thank you ma'am, and the deal was signed. Simons hadn't even been to see the offices yet. This is the easiest recipe you'll ever see for chocolate cake. It only takes a half hour, and wham bam, you've got a rich, moist, delicious cake.
wharf /wɒfˈwɔːrf/ n pl. wharfs or wharves /wɔːvzˈwɔːrvz/ a place, usually like a wide stone wall built on the edge of the sea or river, where ships can be tied up to unload goods
Whar•ton, E•dith /'wɔːtnl'wɔːrtn, 'iːdθ/ (1862–1938) an American writer whose NOVELS include The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence
whas·sup /wɒsʌpˈwaː-/ slang used to say 'hello' to people you know very well – used especially by young people
what¹ /wɒtˈlɑːrt, wʌt/ predeterminer, determiner, pron 1 a) (used in questions about an unknown thing or person, or kind of thing or person): What are you doing? | What colour is it? | What time will you arrive? | 'What do you do?' 'I'm a teacher.' | What's your new boss like? (=give me a description of him/her) b) (used in asking someone to repeat or explain something they have said): 'I got up at 4 o'clock this morning.' 'What? / What did you say? / (=shows surprise) You did what?' 2 the thing or things that: I believed what he told me. | She told me what to do. | He pointed to what looked like a tree. | Show me what you bought. | I gave them what books I had. (=the books I had, although I did not have many) (not what book I had) We're very grateful for what you did. | The President is determined to resist what he regards as blackmail by the terrorists. | What worries me is how we're going to pay for all this. 3 (shows surprise, pleasure, annoyance, or other strong feeling): What a strange thing to say. | What a pity! (compare How sad!) | What beautiful weather! | What a fool that man is! 4 infml (used to introduce a suggestion or a piece of information) something: I'll tell you what - let's go swimming. | Guess what! Jane's getting married. 5 what (...) for? infml a) why?: 'I'm going to Paris.' 'What for?' b) for which purpose?: What's this thing for? (=tell me its purpose) 6 what have you infml anything (else) like that: The abandoned office was full of documents, books, and what have you. 7 what if? (especially in making suggestions) what will happen if?: What if we move the picture over here? Do you think it'll look better? 8 what it takes the qualities necessary to be successful: Do you think she's got what it takes? 9 what of it? why should I care? why is that important? 10 what's his/her/their/its name also what d'you call him/her/them/it — infml (used when speaking about a person or thing whose name one cannot remember): Mary's gone out with what's