1421
Tarzan
ta-ra-ma-sa-la-ta /ˌtærəməsəˈlɑːtə/ n [U] a Greek food
consisting of a pink mixture made from the eggs of certain
fish
tar-an-tel-la /ˌtærənˈtelə/ n (a piece of music for) a fast
Italian dance
Ta-ran-ti-no, Quen-tin
/ˌtærənˈtiːnəʊ, ˈkwentɪn/
(1963–) a US film DIRECTOR
whose films include Reservoir
Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction
(1994), and the Kill Bill
series of films (2003–4). His
films are often very violent,
and some people criticize
him for this. But other peo-
ple admire him for the
clever way in which his sto-
ries are put together.
Quentin Tarantino
ta-ran-tu-la /təˈræntjʊlə||
-tʃʊlə/ n a large hairy slightly
poisonous SPIDER from
Southern Europe and tropi-
cal America, believed by
most people to be much more poisonous than it really is
tar baby n something which sticks to or weighs down a
person and is very difficult to remove (from the DOLL covered
in tar in one of the stories about Brer Rabbit by J C Harris)
Tar-dis, the /ˈtɑːdɪs||ˈtɑːr-/ the machine used by DR WHO
and his friends for travelling through time in the British
television programme Dr Who. On the outside, the Tardis is
small and looks like a type of TELEPHONE BOX that was
formerly used by the British police, but it is much larger
inside.
tar-dy /ˈtɑdi||ˈtɑːrdi/ adj especially fml or lit 1 delayed beyond
the proper or expected time; late: We apologize for our tardy
response to your letter. | a tardy arrival 2 acting or moving
slowly; SLUGGISH —dily adv —diness n [U]
tare¹ /teə/ n [C usually sing.] tech 1 the weight of wrapping
material in which goods are packed 2 the weight of an
unloaded goods vehicle 3 this amount subtracted when
weighing a loaded goods vehicle, in order to calculate the
actual weight of the goods
tare² n [usually pl.] bibl an unwanted plant growing among corn;
WEED
tar-get¹ /ˈtɑːgɪt||ˈtɑːr-/ n 1 a) something fired at in shoot-
ing practice, especially a round card or board with circles on
it: He fired and hit/but missed the target. | The soldiers were
doing their target practice. b) any object or place at which
an attack is directed: The enemy's main target is our oil
refinery. 2 a) a total or amount/object which one aims to
reach; GOAL: I've set myself a target of saving £5 a week. | We
have failed to meet (=reach) this year's production target of
25,000 cars. I'm on a diet, and my target weight is 70 kilos. |
The government's house-building programme is (bang) on
target. (=they have built the (exact) number that they aimed
to build) b) a limited group, area etc, at which something is
specially directed: What's the target readership of this paper?
(=What sort of people are expected to read it?) 3 [off] a
person or thing that is made the object of unfavourable
remarks, jokes etc: This plan will be the target of a great deal
of criticism.
target² v [T(on, at)] 1 to aim at a target: The enemy's missiles
are targeted on our cities. 2 to cause to have an effect on a
particular, intentionally limited group: Welfare spending
should be targeted on the people who need it most.
tar-iff /ˈtærɪf/ n 1 a tax collected by a government on goods
coming into or sometimes going out of a country ➔ see TAX
(USAGE) 2 especially BrE a list of fixed prices, such as the cost of
meals or rooms, charged by a hotel, restaurant etc
tar-mac¹ /ˈtɑmæk||ˈtɑːr-/ n 1 [U] also tar-ma-cad-am
/ˌtɑməˈkædəm||ˌtɑr-/ usually asphalt AmE– a mixture of TAR
and very small stones, used for making the surface of
roads 2 [the S] an area covered with tarmac, especially one
used for landing aircraft on: The plane had to wait half an
hour on the tarmac because of fog.
tarmac² v -macked, -macking [T] to cover (a road's surface)
with tarmac
tarn /tɑːn||tɑːrn/ n (often cap. as part of a name) a small mountain
lake or pool, especially in the north of England
tar-nish¹ /ˈtɑːnɪʃ||ˈtɑːr-/ v [I;T] to make or become dull,
discoloured, or less bright: Silver, copper, and brass need to be
polished frequently to prevent them from tarnishing. | (fig.) a
tarnished reputation
tarnish² n [S;U] dullness; loss of brightness or polish
ta-ro /ˈtɑːrəʊ/ n pl. taros a tropical plant grown for its thick
root which is boiled and eaten as food
tar-ot /ˈtærəʊ/ [the] a set of 78 cards, sometimes used for
telling the future. 22 of the cards have symbolic pictures on
them.
tar-pau-lin /tɑːˈpɔːlɪn||tɑːr-/ n [C;U] (a sheet or cover of)
heavy cloth specially treated so that water will not pass
through it: The load on the trailer had a (sheet of) tarpaulin
strapped over it.
tar-ra-gon /ˈtærəgən/ n [U] (a small European plant grown
for its) strong-smelling leaves that give a special taste to food
Tar-rant, Chris /ˈtærənt, krɪs/ (1946–) a British television
and radio presenter who is best known for the television
GAME SHOW Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? For many years,
he used to present the early morning show on Capital
Radio, a RADIO STATION (=organization which makes radio
broadcasts) in London. He first became famous when he was
one of the presenters on Tiswas, a children's television
programme that was broadcast on Saturday mornings.
tar-ry¹ /ˈtæri/ v [I] old use or lit 1 to stay in a place, especially
when one should leave; LINGER 2 to delay or be slow in
starting, going, coming etc: Do not tarry on the way.
tar-ry² /ˈtɑːri/ adj covered with TAR
tar-sus /ˈtɑsəs||ˈtɑːr-/ n pl. -si /saɪ/ med (the seven small
bones in) the ankle —sal adj
tart¹ /tɑːt||tɑːrt/ n 1 [C;U] BrE a usually open pastry case
containing fruit or JAM ➔ see PIE (USAGE) 2 [C] infml derog a)
a girl or woman who is, or appears to be, sexually
immoral b) a PROSTITUTE
tart² adj 1 sharp to the taste; acid-tasting; sour: a tart
apple 2 having a bitter and unkind quality; SARCASTIC: Her
tart reply upset me. —ly adv —ness n [U]
tart³ v
tart sbdy./sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] BrE infml, usually derog to make
noticeably attractive or decorative by painting in bright
colours, putting on cheap jewellery or colourful clothes etc:
I wish she wouldn't tart herself up when she goes dancing. |
They've tarted up that old cottage so much you wouldn't
recognize it.
tar-tan /ˈtɑːtn||ˈtɑːrtn/ n 1 [U] woollen cloth woven with
bands of different colours and widths crossing each other at
right angles, of a kind worn originally by Scottish Highland-
ers: a tartan skirt/kilt 2 [C] a special pattern on this cloth
worn by a particular Scottish CLAN and known by the clan's
name: the Macdonald tartan
tar-tar¹ /ˈtɑːtə||ˈtɑːr-/ n [U] 1 a hard chalklike substance
that forms on the teeth ➔ compare PLAQUE 2 a reddish-
brown substance that forms on the insides of wine bar-
rels 3 also cream of tartar a white powder made by treating
this or from chemicals, used in baking and in medicine
tartar² n infml (often cap.) a fierce person with a violent temper
(from the Tartars or Tatars of the former USSR, because of
their fierce fighters especially in the 14th and 15th centu-
ries)
tar-tar-ic ac-id /tɑːˌtɑːrɪk ˈæsɪd||tɑːr-/ n [U] a strong acid
of plant origin used in preparing certain foods and medi-
cines
tar-tar 'sauce, tartare sauce n [U] a white egg-based
SAUCE that includes very small pieces of strong-tasting
vegetables and is eaten especially with fish
Tartt, Don-na /tɑːt||tɑːrt, ˈdɒnəlˈdɑː-/ (1963–) a US writer
whose first book, The Secret History, was on the US bestseller
list for a long time in 1992. Her second book, The Little Friend,
was published in 2002.
Tar-zan /ˈtɑːzn||ˈtɑːr-/ the main character in books by Edgar
Rice BURROUGHS, which were later made into many films,
about a baby who is left in the African forest and cared for by
APES until he becomes a man. He wears only a LOINCLOTH (=a
piece of cloth worn around the waist), moves through the