public bill
1116
,public 'bill n BrE a BILL that has an effect on the general
public rather than a particular person or class -> compare
PRIVATE BILL
,public 'company n a business company that offers its shares
for sale on the STOCK EXCHANGE
,public con'venience also con'venience n BrE euph a
public TOILET provided by local government -> see TOILET
(USAGE)
,public corpo'ration n 1 an organization set up by the
British government to run a state-owned business 2 AmE a
company whose shares are bought and sold on a STOCK
EXCHANGE and which is therefore owned by a large number
of people
,public de'fender n AmE a lawyer provided by the state,
COUNTY, or city government to defend poor people in law
cases -> compare DISTRICT ATTORNEY
,public do'main n law in the public domain (of a work of
art, literature, an invention, or a piece of information) no
longer the property of the artist, writer, or inventor. When a
work is in the public domain, anyone can use it without
asking permission: Many famous pieces of classical music are
in the public domain and are used in advertisements.
,public 'enemy n 1 a person, especially a wanted criminal,
who is a danger to the public and who is usually being
hunted by the police. Pictures of the person are often put up
in public places. 2 public enemy number one a phrase
used in speaking of a criminal, an illness etc that is regarded
as the most serious threat to people's safety or health: For a
few weeks, pitbull terriers became public enemy number one in
the popular press.
,public ex'penditure n [U] spending by the government on
e.g. schools, roads, hospitals, the army, SOCIAL SECURITY and
wages
,public 'footpath n BrE a footpath which is open to the
public and which people have a right to use, as opposed to a
PRIVATE footpath
,public 'funding also ,public 'funds n [U] money given by
the government for activities or organizations for the public
use: Public funding for the arts is lower in Britain than in
Germany.
,public 'health n [U] HEALTH CARE for the public, provided
by the government or local authority and including PREVEN-
TIVE MEDICINE, SANITATION and HYGIENE in public places
,public 'holiday n a general holiday when most people are
off work and shops are usually closed
,public 'house n BrE fml for PUB
,public 'housing n [U] AmE flats or houses built by the US
government for very poor people. It is usually in cities, of
poor quality, and strongly disliked by everyone, especially
those who live in it. -> compare COUNCIL HOUSE
,public in'quiry /'II... 'I.../ n an official INVESTIGATION into the
reasons for something happening, especially an accident:
They are going to conduct a public inquiry into the causes of
the disaster. | the subject of a public inquiry
pub-li-cist /'pʌblɪsɪst/ n a person whose business is to bring
something, especially products for sale, to the attention of
the public: (fig.) He's a good self-publicist. (=he is good at
making himself well-known)
pub-lic-i-ty /pʌb'lsəti/ n [U] 1 public notice or attention:
The film star's marriage got a lot of publicity. | unwelcome
publicity 2 the business of bringing someone or something
to the attention of the public: Who is in charge of publicity
for our show? | a big publicity campaign to highlight the
dangers of smoking
pub-li-cize also -cise BrE /'pʌblɪsaɪz/ v [T] to bring to
public notice: to publicize a new policy
,public 'law n law 1 [C] a law which concerns the general
public 2 [U] the part of law concerned with the relations of
the state with people and the activities, rights, and duties of
the government and its departments -> compare PRIVATE LAW
,public 'lending right n (in Britain) an arrangement
which provides payment for writers depending on how
often their books are borrowed from certain public libraries
,public 'library n a building paid for out of taxes where
people can go and borrow books free of charge
,public limited 'company abbrev. plc n a company in
Britain which has at least two members and SHARES available
to the public. Public limited companies must print their
accounts and include plc in their name.
,public 'nuisance n 1 law an act or failure to act which is
harmful to everyone: He committed a public nuisance by
blocking the road. 2 infml a person who makes trouble
,public o'pinion n [U] the opinions, views, or beliefs held by
the general public on subjects of national interest or impor-
tance: Public opinion says that politicians can never make the
mistake of having an affair.
,public 'ownership n [U] the owning of businesses, property
etc, by the state. In Britain several companies in public
ownership have been privatized (PRIVATIZE), especially during
Mrs Thatcher's government.
,Public Private 'Partnership abbrev. PPP n [C,U] an
arrangement in which the UK government works together
with a private company in order to improve a PUBLIC SERVICE
such as a railway system, road, prison, school, or hospital.
The government believes that private companies can man-
age or build some of these things better than public organi-
zations, but some people do not think that private
companies should manage certain things such as prisons. ->
see also PRIVATE FINANCE INITIATIVE
,public 'prosecutor n (often caps.) (in Britain) a government
lawyer who acts for the state in bringing charges against
criminals in a court of law -> compare DISTRICT ATTORNEY
,Public 'Record Office, the, abbrev. PRO n a building in
West London that holds all British government records and
documents, from the 11th century onwards. Most of the
records, including secret government papers, can be exam-
ined by the general public after 30 years.
,public re'lations abbrev. PR n 1 [U] the work of forming in
the minds of the general public a favourable opinion of an
organization: She's a public relations officer in a big oil
company. 2 [P] good relations between an organization and
the public: Giving money to the local theatre would be good
for (our company's) public relations.
,public re'lations exercise n an action that is done only
to gain favour with the public and not because of any real
feeling or interest: The parades come down to one thing: a
public relations exercise for the Bush Administration.
,public 'school n 1 a private FEE-PAYING British and espe-
cially English SECONDARY school where children usually live
as well as study. Public schools are known for their high
ACADEMIC standards and are considered PRESTIGIOUS. They
are expensive and attended usually by people of high social
STATUS or with a lot of money. The most famous British
public schools include Eton, Harrow, and Winches-
ter. 2 (especially in the US and Scotland) a free local school,
controlled and paid for by the state, for children who study
there but live at home -> compare PRIVATE SCHOOL and see
Feature on page A12
,public 'sector, the those industries and services in a
country that are owned and run by the state, such as (in
many countries) the education service and the railways: a
job in the public sector -> compare PRIVATE SECTOR
,public sector 'borrowing requirement, the abbrev.
PSBR n the difference between the money the government
collects and the money it spends, when this is greater
,public 'servant n a person who works for the government,
especially one who is elected
,public 'service n [C; the] 1 the supply of a COMMODITY such
as gas, or electricity, or service, such as TRANSPORT, to the
general public 2 a service performed in the public inter-
est 3 employment in the government or its departments;
CIVIL SERVICE
,public 'service announcement n especially AmE a special
message on television or radio, giving information about an
important subject
,public 'speaking n [U] the practice of making speeches in
public
,public 'spending n [U] the money spent by local and
central government and public organizations on things such
as roads, schools, HOUSING etc
,public 'spirit n [U] apprec willingness to do what is helpful
for everyone, without regard for personal advantage
-public-spirited adj: Thank you for volunteering; that's
very public-spirited of you!