Wellington, Duke of
1564
ISLAND, the country's second largest city and an important
port → see picture at NEW ZEALAND
Wellington, Duke of → see DUKE OF WELLINGTON
,well-in'tentioned adj acting with kind, friendly, or sensible
intentions, though often with unfortunate or unwanted
results: a well-intentioned effort to help
,well-'kept adj 1 well looked after or cared for: a well-kept
garden 2 (of a secret) known only to very few people
,well-'known adj known by many people: a well-known
fact/face/saying | It is well-known that too much sugar is bad
for you. | one of the best-known opera singers of recent years
→ see FAMOUS (USAGE)
,well-'lined adj infml 1 full of money: well-lined pockets 2 (of
the stomach) full of food
,well-'mannered adj talking or behaving in a polite way: a
well-mannered child → opposite ILL-MANNERED
,well-'meaning adj well-intentioned: a well-meaning person/
effort → see also mean well (MEAN)
,well-'meant adj said or done for a good or kind purpose
though not with a good result: Her help was well-meant, but
it just made the job take longer. → see also mean well (MEAN)
,We'll ,Meet A'gain a popular song from World War II, sung
by Vera LYNN, about people hoping to meet again after a long
and painful time apart:
We'll meet again,
Don't know where, don't know when,
But I know we'll meet again
Some sunny day.
'well-nigh adv fm.l BrE or AmE infml almost: well-nigh impossible
,well-'off adj better-off, best-off 1 rich: The government
claims that most people are better-off than they were five years
ago. | [also n, the+P] something which only the well-off can
afford 2 [F(for)] having quite a lot: We're quite well-off for
good shops in this neighbourhood. 3 [F] fortunate: The trou-
ble with you is you don't know when you're well off.
(=you're more fortunate than you know) → opposite BADLY-
OFF; see also OFF
,Well of 'Loneliness, The a NOVEL by British writer
Radclyffe Hall about a LESBIAN relationship. It upset many
people when it was published in 1928, and selling it was
illegal for about 20 years.
,well-'oiled adj slang drunk
,well-'paid adj (used of work etc) offering good payment: a
well-paid job | The work isn't very well paid.
,well-pre'served adj apprec or euph (of a person who is old or
no longer young) showing few of the usual signs of age,
especially still in good physical condition
,well-pro'portioned adj apprec having an attractive size or
shape; having good PROPORTIONS
well-read /ˌwel ˈred/ adj having read a lot of books and
gained a lot of useful information, especially in many
different subjects
,well-'rounded adj 1 (of a person) having a full, pleasantly
curved shape; SHAPELY 2 (especially of a person's experi-
ence) full of different types of activity; complete and varied:
a well-rounded education | The new manager has a well-
rounded background in the banking industry.
Wells, H.G. /welz/ (1866-1946) a British writer of novels and
political ESSAYS. He is best known for his SCIENCE FICTION
novels such as The Time Machine and The WAR OF THE
WORLDS.
,well-'set adj becoming rare strong and with good muscles: The
young man was short but well-set.
Wells Far-go /ˌwelz ˈfɑːɡoʊl-ˈfɑːr-/ trademark a bank in the
US. Many towns and cities in the West Coast have a Wells
Fargo bank, especially in California.
,well-'spoken adj having an educated and socially accept-
able way of speaking
well-spring /ˈwelˌsprɪŋ/ n [(of)] especially lit a never-ending
supply
,well-'thought-of adj (of a person) liked and admired gener-
ally
,well-thought-'out adj considered in detail: a well-thought-
out plan of campaign
,well-'thumbed adj (of a book, its pages etc) showing signs of
having been well used, thoroughly read, especially by being
dirty, creased (CREASE) etc: a few well-thumbed paperbacks
,well-'timed adj said or done at the most suitable time;
OPPORTUNE: well-timed advice
,well-to-'do adj infml rich; AFFLUENT: [also n, the+P] luxurious
homes for the well-to-do
,well-'tried adj often used before and known to work well:
well-tried methods
,well-'turned adj (of a phrase) carefully formed and
expressed in a pleasing way: a well-turned compliment
,well-'versed adj knowing a lot about something: She is
well-versed in office politics.
'well-wisher n a person giving good wishes to another:
Crowds of well-wishers gathered outside the hospital, waiting
for a report on the President's operation.
,well-'worn adj 1 worn or used for a long time 2 (of a
phrase) with little meaning, because used too often; HACK-
NEYED: a well-worn cliché
wel-ly /ˈweli/ n BrE 1 [C] infml a WELLINGTON 2 [U] slang effort/
power
welsh, welch /welʃ/ v [(on)] derog 1 to avoid payment: He
welshed on his debts. 2 to fail to fulfil a promise: She welshed
on her promises. —er n
CULTURAL NOTE This verb is considered offensive by Welsh
people.
Welsh¹ /welʃ/ n 1 [U] the original language of Wales 2 the
Welsh [plural] people from Wales
Welsh² adj from or connected with Wales or its language:
towns on the Welsh coast
Welsh, Ir-vine /ˈɜːrvɪn||ˈɜːr-/ (1961-) a Scottish writer whose
best-known novel, Trainspotting, was made into a successful
film. The characters in Welsh's novels are usually young and
take drugs such as HEROIN and COCAINE. Their lives are hard
but the stories are told with a lot of humour. Welsh has been
called 'the POET LAUREATE of the chemical GENERATION'
meaning that he is respected and liked by young people
who drink and take drugs.
,Welsh As'sembly, the the group of elected politicians in
Cardiff responsible for making decisions about certain matters
for Wales such as education and health. It was established in
1998 after a vote on DEVOLUTION in 1997. It cannot make
certain important laws or raise taxes because these powers
still remain with the British parliament in Westminster. Its
official name is the National Assembly for Wales.
,Welsh 'dresser BrE || hutch AmE n [C] a piece of wooden
furniture consisting of drawers and cupboards in the lower
part and shelves on top
,Welsh 'Nationalist ,Party, the → see PLAID CYMRU
'Welsh ,Office, the a former British government depart-
ment that was responsible for carrying out the government's
policies in Wales. In 1999 it was replaced by the WALES OFFICE
,Welsh 'rarebit also ,Welsh 'rabbit n [C, U] a dish of
cheese melted on bread
welt /welt/ n 1 a piece of leather round the edge of a shoe to
which the top and bottom are stitched 2 a raised mark on
the skin where one has been hit, especially with a whip
wel-ter /ˈweltər/ n [S+of] a disordered mixture: The research-
ers were buried under a welter of data.
wel-ter-weight /ˈweltəweɪt||-ər-/ n a BOXER heavier than
LIGHTWEIGHT but lighter than a MIDDLEWEIGHT
Wem-bley /ˈwembli/ 1 the most important football ground
in England. The English national football team plays against
other countries at Wembley STADIUM, and other important
football games, such as the Cup Final, are also played there.
Large POP concerts sometimes take place at Wembley Sta-
dium, and also in the nearby Wembley Arena, a large indoor
concert hall. Wembley Stadium closed in 2000 and a new
stadium is being built. 2 an area of northwest London
where Wembley football ground is
wench¹ /wentʃ/ n old use or lit a girl or young woman,
especially in a country area: A serving wench brought us
our ale.