1225
sandpiper
San An,to,nio 'Spurs, the a National Basketball Associa-
tion team based in San Antonio, Texas. Their home STADIUM
is the SBC Center, and they have won the NBA CHAMPION-
SHIPS twice.
san-a-to-ri.um /,sænə'tɔ:riəm/ || also sanitarium AmE— n
pl. -iums or -ia /riə/ a kind of hospital for sick people who are
getting better and need treatment, rest etc, especially over a
long period of time
San-cho Pan-za /,sæntʃəu 'pænzəɒl,sæɪntʃəu 'pɑ:n-/ the
servant of DON QUIXOTE in the book by Miguel de CERVANTES
sanc-ti-fy /'sæŋktʃifar/ v [T] fml 1 to make holy: This is
sanctified ground; we may not tread upon it. 2 [usually pass.] to
SANCTION —fication /,sæŋktʃtʃi'keiʃən/ n [U]
sanc-ti-mo-ni-ous /,sæŋktị'məuniəs/ adj fml derog disap-
proving of others because one thinks one is good, right etc,
and they are not; SELF-RIGHTEOUS —ly adv —ness n [U]
sanc-tion¹ /'sæŋkʃən/ n 1 [U] fml formal or official permis-
sion, approval, or acceptance: The minister can only act in
this matter with the sanction of Parliament. 2 [C] fml a
formal action or punishment (to be) ordered when a law or
rule is broken: The ultimate sanction is to suspend trouble-
makers from the debate. 3 [C usually pl.] an action, such as the
stopping of trade, taken by one or more countries against a
country which is breaking international law: Western
nations took economic sanctions against/imposed tough sanc-
tions on the rebel regime. | Many firms were accused of
sanctions-busting. (=doing business with a country with
which trade had been forbidden) 4 [C] fml or tech something
that forces the keeping of a rule or standard: In certain
societies shame was the only sanction against wrongdoing.
sanction² v [T] fml 1 to accept, approve, or permit, especially
officially; AUTHORIZE: The church would not sanction the
king's second marriage. 2 to make acceptable: It was a
foolish custom, but one sanctioned by long usage.
sanc-ti-ty /'sæŋktiti/ n [U] 1 holiness; sacredness (SACRED):
There was an air of sanctity in the old church. | You should
respect the sanctity of marriage. (=especially for not having
sex outside marriage) 2 holiness of life: a woman of great
sanctity
sanc-tu-a-ry /'sæŋktʃuari, -tʃəriɪl-tʃueri/ n 1 [C] an area
for birds or animals where they cannot be hunted and their
animal enemies are controlled: a bird sanctuary 2 [C;U] (a
place of) protection or safety from harm, especially for a
person escaping from officers of the law: The outlaw was
granted sanctuary in the church. 3 [C] the part of a religious
building considered most holy, especially the area in front of
the ALTAR in a Christian church
sanc-tum /'sæŋktəm/ n 1 a holy place inside a tem-
ple 2 infml a private place or room where one can be quiet
and alone: Don't disturb him in his inner sanctum.
Sanc-tus, the /'sæŋktəs/ a prayer or HYMN (=song of praise
to God) which is said or sung as part of the MASS in
Christian churches
sand¹ /sænd/ n [U] loose material of very small fine grains,
found in wide masses along seacoasts and in deserts, and
used for making cement and glass and for rubbing away
roughness: The children were playing in the sand (=in a pile
of sand)/on the sand. (=by the seashore) → see also SANDS,
SANDY
sand² v [T] 1 [(DOWN)] to make smoother by rubbing with a
rough surface, especially SANDPAPER: Sand the walls down
before you paint them. 2 to put sand on, especially to
prevent slipping
Sand, George /sɒnd||sɔ:nd, ʒɔ:rʒ||ʒɔ:rz/ (1804–76) a French
female writer of novels, whose real name was Amandine
Aurore Dupin. She is known for her long relationship with
the COMPOSER CHOPIN, and for wearing men's clothes to
show her belief that women should have the same rights as
men.
san-dal /'sændl/ n a light shoe made of a flat bottom with
usually leather bands to hold it on the foot, worn especially
in warm weather → see PAIR (USAGE) and Cultural Note at
BEACH
san-dal-wood /'sændlwʊd/ n [U] a hard yellowish sweet-
smelling south Asian wood used in making small boxes,
figures etc. Its oil is used in making soap.
sand-bag¹ /'sændbæg/ n a bag filled with sand or earth,
especially as used for piling up to form a wall or protection
against explosions, rising water etc
sandbag² v -gg- [T] 1 to put sandbags on: Workers were
sandbagging the riverbanks to prevent flooding. 2 [(into)] AmE
infml to force (someone) roughly to do something
sand-bank /'sændbæŋk/ n a bank of sand in a river, HAR-
BOUR etc
sand-bar /'sændbɑ:r/ n a stretch of sand formed by moving
currents, especially across the mouth of a river
sand-blast /'sændblɑ:st||-blæst/ v [T] to clean or cut metal,
glass etc, with a machine that sends out a high-speed stream
of sand
sand-box /'sændbɒks||-bɑ:ks/ n AmE a low box holding sand
for children to play in → compare SANDPIT
Sand-burg, Carl /'sændbɜ:g||-bɜ:rg, kɑ:l||kɑ:rl/ (1878–1967)
a US writer and poet who won PULITZER PRIZES for his books
about the life of Abraham LINCOLN and for his poetry, which
is typically about cities and industry
sand-cas-tle /'sænd,kɑ:səl||-,kæ-/ n a small model, espe-
cially of a castle, built of sand by children when playing on a
BEACH
'sand ,dollar n AmE a flat SEA URCHIN (an animal which lives
in the ocean) which when it dies leaves behind a flat round
shell with a flower-like centre: The children were collecting
sand dollars at the water's edge.
'sand dune n a DUNE
sand-er /'sændər/ also 'sanding ma,chine n a machine
with a fast-moving rough surface like SANDPAPER, for making
surfaces smoother
Sanders, Colonel → see COLONEL SANDERS
'sand fly n a small biting fly common on seashores
Sand-hurst /'sændhɜ:st||-hɜ:rst/ the Royal Military Acad-
emy in the village of Sandhurst in southern England, which
trains officers for the British army. Sandhurst is the best
known and most respected military college in the UK: The
senior officers were mostly Sandhurst men. → compare WEST
POINT
San Di-e-go /sæn di'eɪgəʊ/ a city in southern California,
US, which is a port, an industrial centre, and a base for the
US navy. It is also known for having excellent weather all
year round.
,San Di,ego 'Chargers, the an AMERICAN FOOTBALL team
based in San Diego, California. Their home STADIUM is the
Qualcomm Stadium and they play in the NFL.
San-di-nis-tas, the /,sændị'nistəz/ n [plural] a LEFT-WING
political organization in Nicaragua in central America, who
gained power in 1979 and got rid of the DICTATOR SOMOZA.
They were the government of Nicaragua until they were
defeated in elections in 1990. The Sandinistas were strongly
opposed by the US, which provided money, weapons, and
military training to a RIGHT-WING opposition group called the
CONTRAS.
S & L /,es ənd 'el/ n [C] infml SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
sand-lot /'sændlɒt||-lɑ:t/ n AmE an area of empty land in a
town or city, where children often play sports or games
sand-man /'sændmæn/ n pl. -men /men/ [the] the man who
makes children sleepy, according to their parents and FOLK-
TALES: I'll tuck you in and soon the sandman will come and
you'll have nice dreams.
San-down Park /,sændaun 'pɑ:k||-'pɑ:rk/ a well-known
RACE COURSE in England used for horse races
sand-pail /'sændpeɪl/ n AmE a small bucket used by children
when playing in sand, especially when building sandcastles
at the seaside
'sand ,painting n AmE a painting made by Native Americans,
especially in the southwest, in which they use coloured sand
rather than paint
sand-pa-per¹ /'sænd,peɪpər/ n [U] paper covered on one
side with fine sand or a similar substance, used for rubbing
over surfaces to make them smoother
sandpaper² v [T] to rub with sandpaper
sand-pip-er /'sænd,paɪpər/ n a small bird with long legs
and a long beak, found especially around muddy and sandy
shores