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singleness
Sin·dy /'sindi/ also 'Sindy doll trademark a popular type of
DOLL in the shape of an attractive young woman, sold as a
child's toy in the UK. There is also a large variety of clothes,
furniture etc which is designed for Sindy. → compare BARBIE
DOLL
sine /saɪn/ n tech the FRACTION calculated for an angle by
dividing the length of the side opposite it in a RIGHT-ANGLED
TRIANGLE by the length of the side opposite the right angle
→ compare COSINE, TANGENT
si·ne·cure /'saɪnɪkjʊər, 'sɪn-/ n often derog a paid job with
few or no duties
si·ne di·e /ˌsaɪni 'daɪ·iː, ˌsɪni 'diːeɪ/ adv Lat tech without
fixing a date for a next meeting: The meeting was adjourned
sine die.
sin·e qua non /ˌsɪni kwɒ ˈnɒn||-ˈnɑn/ n [(for, of)] Lat fml a
necessary condition; what must exist or be had in order for
something else to be possible: A good knowledge of Italian is
a sine qua non for the job in our Rome office.
sin·ew /'sɪnjuː/ n [C;U] 1 not tech a strong cord in the body
connecting a muscle to a bone; TENDON 2 also sinews pl. — lit
means of strength or support: the sinew(s) of our national
defence
sin·ew·y /'sɪnjuːi/ adj 1 (of meat) containing sinew; not
easy to cut or eat 2 having strong muscles
sin·ful /'sɪnfəl/ adj 1 especially lit or bibl being or guilty of sin;
wicked: a sinful deed/man 2 infml seriously wrong or bad;
REGRETTABLE: a sinful waste of time and money —ly adv
—ness n [U]
sing¹ /sɪŋ/ v sang /sæŋ/, sung /sʌŋ/ 1 [I;T] to produce
(music, musical sounds, songs etc) with the voice: Birds sing
loudest in the early morning. | We enjoy singing carols at
Christmas. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] Sing us a song. | She sang her baby
to sleep. (=sang to make it go to sleep) 2 [I] to make or be
filled with a high ringing sound: My ears are still singing
from the loud noise. | An enemy bullet sang past my
ear. 3 [(of);T] lit to speak, tell about, or praise in poetry: Poets
sang the king's praises (=praised him); they sang of his brave
deeds.
sing along phr v [I] to sing with someone: Sing along if you
know the words.
sing (sthg. ⇔) out phr v [I;T] infml to shout or sing loudly:
Sing out if you think you know the answer.
sing² n AmE an occasion of many people or CHOIRS singing
together: There will be an all-fraternity sing next Friday
night. → see also SING SING
sing. written abbrev. for singular
Sing·a·pore /ˌsɪŋə'pɔː || 'sɪŋəpɔːr/ a small country on an
island in southeast Asia, between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Population: 4,608,595 (2003). Capital: Singapore City. Sin-
gapore is an important business, industrial, and financial
centre, and it is known for its rapid and successful economic
development from the 1960s to the 1990s. —Singaporean
/ˌsɪŋə'pɔːriən || ˌsɪŋə- / n, adj
Sing a song of 'sixpence a NURSERY RHYME (=an old
song or poem for young children) which starts:
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing,
Wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the King?
singe¹ /sɪndʒ/ v [T] to burn lightly on the surface or edge:
I'm afraid I've singed your shirt with the hot iron. | He got too
near the fire and singed his beard.
singe² n a slight burn; an act or mark of singeing
sing·er /'sɪŋər/ n a person who sings, especially as a way of
making money: Placido Domingo, the famous opera singer | a
pop singer | She's a good singer.
Singer, I·saac Ba·she·vis /'aɪzək bɑː'ʃevɪs/ (1904–91) a
Jewish-American writer, born in Poland, who won the NOBEL
PRIZE for Literature in 1978, and who is best known for his
short stories and for his novel The Slave. He wrote in YIDDISH
and his work has been translated into many languages.
,singer-'songwriter n a person who both sings and writes
songs: a concert by singer-songwriter Paul Simon
Sing·ha·lese /ˌsɪŋə'liːz/ n, adj → see SINHALESE
Sing-in' in the Rain /ˌsɪŋɪn ɪn ðə 'reɪn/ (1952) a very
famous and popular US MUSICAL (=a film that uses singing
and dancing to tell a story) in which Gene KELLY and Debbie
Reynolds appear. The film contains a famous scene in which
Gene Kelly dances in the street while it is raining, and sings
'Singin' in the Rain'.
sin·gle¹ /'sɪŋɡəl/ adj 1 [A] being (the) only one: A single tree
gave shade from the sun. | His single aim was to make money. |
Not a single one of her neighbours gave her any help. 2 hav-
ing only one part, quality etc; not double or MULTIPLE: For a
strong sewing job use double, not single, thread. | A single
flower has only one set of petals. | a single-sex school (=for
boys or girls only, not both) → compare DOUBLE 3 [A]
separate; considered by itself; INDIVIDUAL: Cigarette smoking is
the single most important cause of lung cancer. | There's no
need to write down every single word I say. | The highest price
ever paid for a single work of art | It has cost us every single
penny we've got. (=all our money) → see also SINGLE PAR-
ENT 4 unmarried: He's still single. | a single woman →
compare MARRIED 5 for the use of only one person: a single
bed | a single room in a hotel (=with a bed for only one
person) → compare DOUBLE 6 BrE || one-way AmE (of a ticket
or its cost) for a trip from one place to another but not back
again → compare RETURN; see also SINGLY
single² n 1 BrE a SINGLE ticket: A second class single to
London, please. → compare RETURN 2 a record with only
one short song on each side: The group's latest single comes
out on Friday. | a 12' single → compare LP 3 [usually pl.] an
unmarried person: a singles bar (=where unmarried people
can meet) 4 a) (in cricket) a single RUN b) (in BASEBALL) a
hit that allows the BATTER to reach first BASE 5 AmE a one
dollar Bill: Anybody got five singles? → see also SINGLES
single³ v
single sbdy./sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T(for)] to separate or choose
from a group, especially for special treatment or attention:
They were all to blame; why single him out for punishment?
,single-'breasted adj (of a coat or JACKET) fastened in the
centre at the front with only one row of buttons → compare
DOUBLE-BREASTED
,single 'cream n [U] (in Britain) a cream that is thinner and
lighter than DOUBLE CREAM and is suitable for pouring →
compare DOUBLE CREAM
,single 'currency n a CURRENCY (=type of money) that is
shared by several or many different countries. In Britain this
is thought of in connection with the plans of some politi-
cians in Europe to have only one type of money in the
European Community: paving the way for monetary union
and a single currency → see Feature on page A21
,single-'decker n a bus with only one level → compare
DOUBLE-DECKER
,Single European 'Market, the also the single mar-
ket the system which allows goods and services to be traded
freely, without being taxed or controlled, among all the
countries in the EU (=European Union) → see Feature on
page A21
,single 'figures n [P] the numbers from 0 to 9: Interest rates
should drop to single figures in the New Year.
,single 'file also Indian file old-fash adv, n [U] (moving in) a
line of people, vehicles etc, one behind another: We walked
single file/in single file along the narrow passage.
,single-'handed adj, adv [A] done by one person; working
alone; without help from others: a single-handed voyage
across the Atlantic | He rebuilt his house single-handed. —ly
adv
,single 'honours n [U] BrE a degree course in which only
one main subject is studied → compare JOINT HONOURS
,single 'market n [the] → see SINGLE EUROPEAN MARKET
,single-'minded adj having one clear aim or purpose: She
worked with single-minded determination, letting nothing dis-
tract her. | He's very single-minded about his work. —ly adv
—ness n [U]
sin·gle·ness /'sɪŋɡəlnəs/ n [U] fml the directing of all one's