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gaily
G,g
G, g /dʒi:/ pl. G's, g's n 1 [C;U] the seventh letter of the
English alphabet 2 [C;U] the fifth note in the musical SCALE
of C MAJOR, or the musical KEY based on this note 3 [sing,U]
AmE used to describe a film that has been officially approved
as suitable for people of any age 4 [C] tech a unit for
measuring the force caused by GRAVITY on an object as it
starts to move faster and faster: Astronauts endure a force of
several G's during take-off. 5 [U] AmE infml a GRAND (=$1000)
g abbrev. for gram or grams
G abbrev. for 1 tech a) GRAVITY b) the amount of force caused
by GRAVITY on an object that is lying on the Earth, used as a
measure: The people in a space vehicle have to suffer the effects
of several G when it leaves the ground. 2 AmE slang 1000
dollars; GRAND: The thieves got away with 100G from the local
bank. → see also G-STRING
GA written abbrev. for GEORGIA
gab /gæb/ v -bb- [(ON, about)] infml derog to talk continuously
and without thought; CHATTER → see also the gift of the gab
(GIFT)
gab·ar·dine, -erdine /'gæbədi:n, ˌgæbə'di:n||'gæbərdi:n/
n 1 [U] a strong material which usually does not allow water
to go through and is often used for making coats 2 [C] an
article of clothing made from gabardine, especially a) a
raincoat b) a long CLOAK worn by Jews in the Middle Ages
gab·ble¹ /'gæbəl/ v [I] to say (words) in such a way, espe-
cially so quickly, that they cannot be heard clearly: The
announcer gabbled (out) some incomprehensible message over
the public address system. | What on earth are you gabbling
about? (=What are you trying to explain?)
gabble² n [(the)S] words or word-like sounds spoken so
quickly that they cannot be heard clearly: The gabble of
excited children could be heard coming from the classroom.
ga·ble /'geɪbəl/ n the three-cornered upper end of a wall
where it meets the sloping part of the roof
Gable, Clark (1901-60) a US film actor who appeared in
many films especially in the 1930s and 1940s, and was
known for being sexually attractive. He is most famous for
appearing as the character Rhett BUTLER in GONE WITH THE
WIND (1939), and his other films include It Happened One
Night (1934) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). → see colour
photo on page A32
ga·bled /'geɪbəld/ adj having one or more gables
Ga·bon /gæ'bɒn||-'baʊn/ a country in west central Africa on
the Atlantic Ocean. Population: 1,321,560 (2003). Capital:
Libreville. —Gabonese /ˌgæbə'niːz/ n, adj
Ga·bor, Zsa /gə'bɔr, ˈʒɑː ˈʒɑː/ (1917-) a Hungarian
actress, known for liking jewellery and for having married
eight times. Her films include Lili, Queen of Outer Space, and
Touch of Evil.
Ga·bri·el /'geɪbriəl/ in the Bible, an ARCHANGEL who brings
messages from God to people on Earth. In art, Gabriel is
often shown blowing a TRUMPET. According to Christian
belief, he was sent by God to tell MARY that she would be the
mother of JESUS. In the Muslim religion, Gabriel gave
Muhammad the messages from Allah which form The KORAN.
→ see also MICHAEL, RAPHAEL
Ga·cy, John Wayne /'geɪsi/ (1942-94) a US building CON-
TRACTOR who murdered 33 boys between 1972 and 1978
and placed some bodies beneath his house near CHICAGO,
and buried others in his garden. He was told he would be
killed as a punishment for his crimes, but it was only in 1994
that this happened.
gad /gæd/ v -dd-
gad about (sthg.) phr v [I;T] infml, often derog to travel round (a
place) to enjoy oneself, especially when one should be doing
something else: She spent a few months gadding about
(Europe) before her exams.
gad·a·bout /'gædəbaʊt/ n infml, often derog a person who goes
out or travels frequently and to many places for amusement:
She's become quite a gadabout since she left home.
Gad·da·fi, Colonel Mo·am·mar al also Qaddafi, Colo-
nel Moamor al /gæ'dæfil-'da:-, 'mæuəmɑːr æl/ (1942-)
the leader of Libya since 1969. The government of the US
accused him of supporting international TERRORIST groups
during the 1980s, and in 1986 the US MILITARY bombed his
home and some of his children were killed or injured. In
recent years he has tried to improve Libya's relationship
with the US and other Western countries by sending terror-
ists for trial and agreeing to get rid of the country's very
dangerous weapons.
Gad·dis, William /'gædɪs/ (1922-98) a US writer of novels
including Carpenter's Gothic
gad·fly /'gædflaɪ/ n 1 a fly which bites cattle 2 rare someone
who, usually intentionally, annoys people, especially by
pointing out faults
gad·get /'gædʒɪt/ n infml a small machine or useful apparatus;
DEVICE: a gadget for peeling potatoes → see MACHINE (USAGE)
gad·get·ry /'gædʒɪstri/ n [U] infml, often derog gadgets: Their
kitchen is so full of gadgetry that you can hardly move.
Gads·den Pur·chase, the /ˌgædzdən 'pɜːtʃəs||-ɜːr-/ an
area of land in what is now Arizona and New Mexico, which
was bought by the US from Mexico in 1853
Gael /geɪl/ n a person, usually from Scotland, who speaks
Gaelic and supports the idea of a separate Gaelic way of life
Gae·lic¹ /'geɪlɪk, 'gælɪk/ n [U] one of the Celtic languages,
especially spoken in parts of Scotland and in Ireland
Gaelic² adj speaking Gaelic, or connected with Gaelic
Gaelic 'coffee n [C;U] IRISH COFFEE
Gaelic 'football n [U] a game played in the Republic of
Ireland between two teams of 15 players, using a round ball
that can be kicked or hit with the hands
gaff /gæf/ n a stick with a hook at the end, used to pull big
fish out of the water → see also blow the gaff (BLOW¹)
gaffe /gæf/ n an unintentional social mistake; FAUX PAS: His
comments were a major political gaffe.
gaf·fer /'gæfər/ n 1 someone in charge of the lighting in
making a cinema film 2 BrE infml a man in charge, especially
in a factory; BOSS 3 dial an old man
gag¹ /gæg/ n 1 something, such as a piece of cloth, put over
or into someone's mouth to prevent them from talking or
shouting 2 an official forbidding of speech or writing on a
given subject: The White House have issued a gag order on
the latest developments. 3 infml a joke or funny story: That
comedian always tells the same gags.
gag² v -gg- 1 [T] to prevent (someone) from speaking by
putting a gag into or over their mouth: She was bound and
gagged by the kidnappers. | (fig.) The newspapers have been
gagged, so nobody knows what really happened. 2 [I;(on)]
especially AmE to be unable to swallow and seem about to bring
up food from the stomach; CHOKE: She gagged on a piece of
hard bread. 3 gag me with a spoon! AmE humor interj (said to
express a strong feeling of dislike, and usually used by older
children): 'You should see what's for lunch in the school
cafeteria - gag me with a spoon!'
ga·ga /'gɑː gɑː/ adj infml derog 1 having or showing a weak
mind, especially in old age; SENILE 2 [F(about, over)] having a
strong but probably not long-lasting feeling of love; INFATU-
ATED: She's gaga over him.
Ga·ga·rin, Yu·ri /gə'gɑːrɪn, 'juəri/ (1934-68) a Soviet ASTRO-
NAUT. On 12th April 1961 he became the first man in space
when he travelled round the Earth in Vostok 1.
gage /geɪdʒ/ n, v AmE for GAUGE
gag·gle /'gægəl/ n [S(off)] 1 a number of geese (GOOSE)
together 2 [+sing./pl. v] a group of noisy people who talk a lot:
A gaggle of schoolgirls followed the tennis star to his car.
'gag rule n a rule or law that stops people from talking about
a subject for a specific period of time or in a particular place
gai·e·ty /'geɪəti/ n [U] 1 cheerfulness: The gaiety of the
music made everyone want to dance. 2 also gaieties pl. —
old-fash happy events and activities, especially at a time of
public holiday → compare GAYNESS; see also GAY¹
gai·ly /'geɪli/ adv 1 in a cheerful manner: gaily-coloured