poof, pouf /pu:f, puf/ also poof•ter /'pu:ftər, 'puf-/ n BrE & AustrE derog slang a male HOMOSEXUAL —~y adj
pooh /puː/ interj infml (used for expressing dislike of an unpleasant smell)
,pooh-'pooh v [T] infml to express a very low opinion of (an idea, suggestion, effort etc) and say that one does not think it will work: I thought it was quite a good idea, but she pooh-poohed it.
Pooh also,Pooh 'Bear → see WINNIE THE POOH
Pooh·sticks /ˈpuːstɪks/ n [U] a game played especially by children in which each child throws a stick into a stream whose current is flowing towards a bridge. The winner of the game is the one whose stick appears first at the other side of the bridge. The name comes from the stories of WINNIE THE POOH by A. A. MILNE, in which the game is described.
pool¹ /puːl/ n 1 a small area of still water in a hollow place, usually naturally formed: a rock pool (=among rocks on the sea shore) 2 [(of)] a small amount of any liquid poured or dropped on a surface: The wounded man was lying in a pool of blood. 3 a SWIMMING POOL: They had a dip in the hotel pool before lunch. 4 a deeper part of a river where the water is almost still → compare POND
pool² n 1 [C] a supply of money, goods, workers etc, which is shared between and may be used by a number of people: a pool of skilled labour → see also CAR POOL, TYPING POOL 2 [C] an amount of money collected from all the players in certain card games, which forms the winner's prize 3 [U] an American game of BILLIARDS played usually with 15 numbered balls on a table that has six holes → compare SNOOKER; see also POOLS and see Feature on page A24
pool³ v [T] to combine; share; bring together for the advantage of everyone in a group: If we pool our ideas, we may be able to produce a really good plan.  $ \backslash $ None of us can afford it separately, so let's pool our resources.
'pool hall n AmE POOLROOM
pool·room /ˈpʊlːruːm, -rum/ n a place where one can play pool. Poolrooms are often dark and filled with smoke and used mostly by men.
pools /puːlz/ also football pools fml — n [the·P] (especially in Britain) an arrangement by which people risk small amounts of money on the results of certain football matches, and those who guess the results correctly win large shares of the combined money. Many people do the pools, but they have become less popular since the National Lottery started in 1995: He's just won £1000 on the pools.
pool·side /'pʊlsaɪd/ n [sing] the place near or by the side of a swimming pool: a poolside bar
poop /puːp/ n 1 tech the back end of a ship 2 also 'poop deck — the raised floor level at this end 3 AmE slang information, especially with a dependable but unofficial origin: Who can give me the poop on this new computer? 4 AmE for POO
pooped /puːpt/ also ,pooped 'out adj [F] infml, especially AmE very tired
pooper n → see PARTY POOPER
$ ^{1} $poo-poo → see POO
'poop-scoop also poop-er-scoop-er /'pu:pə,sku:pər l-pər-/ n intml a thing like a small spade used by dog owners for removing dog EXCREMENT from the streets. In many towns and cities it is a crime for people not to clean up after their dogs, so they take a poop-scoop with them when they take their dogs for a walk.
poor /pɔər/ adj 1 having very little money and therefore a low standard of living: He was too poor to buy shoes for his family. | a poor neighbourhood with high unemployment | [also n, the+P] This government has helped the rich but done nothing to improve the condition of the poor. 2 rather fml far below the usual standard; low in quality; INFERIOR: The weather has been very poor this summer. | They blamed the situation on poor management. | My German is rather poor, and I couldn't make myself understood. 3 rather fml less than is needed or expected; small in size or quantity: We had a poor crop of beans this year. 4 rather fml (of health) weak; not good: He's still in poor health after his illness. 5 [A] derog (of someone who loses) showing displeasure instead of praising one's opponent: He gets angry when he loses a game – he's a poor loser. 6 [A] deserving or causing pity; unlucky: Poor David has failed his driving test again.
'poor boy n AmE for SUBMARINE SANDWICH
poor·house /ˈpʊəhaʊsˈlɪˈpʊər-/ n pl. -houses /ˌhauːzˈʒz/ (in former times) a building provided by public money where poor people could live and be fed → see also WORKHOUSE
'poor law n 1 [the] (in Britain in former times) a group of laws concerning help for poor people 2 [C] any of these laws
poorly $ ^{1} $ /ˈpʊəli/ˈpʊərli/ adv rather fml 1 badly; not well: poorly dressed | poorly paid | They did poorly in the exam. 2 think poorly of to have a bad or low opinion of
poorly² adj [F] infml, especially BrE ill: I'm feeling rather poorly today.
,poorly 'off adj [F] 1 having very little money 2 [(for)] not having enough (of): The school is poorly off for textbooks. → opposite WELL-OFF
'poor-mouth v [t] AmE to say that something or someone is not as good as it really is: He poor-mouths his achievements because he thinks other people don't like really clever people.
poor·ness /ˈpuənəsˈpʊər-/ n [U(of)] rather fml lowness (of quality); lack of a desired quality: the poorness of the quality of the materials → compare POVERTY
poor relation n a person or thing that is the lowest or least important one among similar people or things: Theatre musicians are often treated like the poor relations of the musical profession.
poor-spirited adj lit derog not brave; lacking confidence or courage —ly adv
,poor white 'trash n [U] AmE derog poor white people who are not well educated and of the lowest social level
Poo•ter, Mr /'puːtər/ the main character in the humorous book The Diary of a Nobody (1892). Mr Pooter is a very ordinary man, and he describes his daily life in the book. He is sometimes not sure about the socially-correct way to behave, and he often makes mistakes that make him feel very embarrassed.
pop' /pop‖pa:p/ v -pp- 1 [|tT] to (cause to) make a short sharp explosive sound: The champagne cork popped when I pulled it out. | He blew the bag up and then popped it between his hands. 2 [|+adv/prep] infml to move quickly or suddenly away from a surface; spring: The child's eyes almost popped out of her head with excitement. | A button popped off my shirt when I sneezed. 3 [|+adv/prep] infml to go or come suddenly, quickly, or unexpectedly: I've just popped in to return your book. | I'm afraid she's just popped out for a few minutes. | Pop down to the shops and get a bottle of milk. 4 [T+ob]+adv/prep] infml to put quickly and lightly: He popped his head round the door. | I'll just pop this cake in the oven. 5 [T] AmE infml to use (PILLS) too often: He was popping pills all afternoon, trying to calm his nerves. 6 [T] BrE old-fash slang for PAWN 7 pop one's clogs BrE infml humor to die, especially unexpectedly 8 pop the question infml to ask someone to marry you
pop up phr v [1] infml ↑ to happen or appear suddenly or unexpectedly → see also POP-UP 2 (in BASEBALL) to hit a ball into the air so that it does not travel very far away from the hitter: He popped up to first. (=he hit the ball in the air towards the player at first base)
pop² n 1 [C] a sound like that of a slight explosion: When he opened the bottle it went pop. (=made this sound) 2 [U] || also soda especially AmE — infml, a sweet FIZZY drink, usually made to taste of a particular fruit: a bottle of pop
pop $ ^{3} $ also pop music n [U] modern popular music of a simple kind with a strong beat and not usually of lasting interest, liked especially by younger people: I don't like classical music; I prefer pop. | a pop concert  $ \rightarrow $ compare ROCK, ROCK 'N' ROLL
pop^{4} n especially AmE infmi a father: Can I borrow the car, Pop?
pop^{5} abbrev. for population
pop·a·dum, poppadum /'popədəml/ paː-/ also papa-dum n a very thin flat Indian bread cooked in hot fat
'pop ,art n [U] a form of modern art which shows common objects from everyday life, such as advertisements, articles found around the house etc, rather than the usual subjects of art → compare OP ART