air rage 26
has several buildings (for waiting passengers, CUSTOMS etc):
Heathrow Airport, London | airport security -> compare
AIRFIELD
'air rage n [U] violence and angry behaviour by a passenger
on a plane towards other passengers or the people who work
on it
'air raid n an attack by military aircraft
airs /eəz||erz/ also ,airs and 'graces n [P] derog unnatural
manners or actions that are intended to make people think
one is more important than one really is (especially in the
phrase give oneself airs, put on airs)
,air-sea 'rescue n [C,U] the saving of people in trouble at
sea by both aircraft and ships or boats built for the purpose:
The air-sea rescue services sent helicopters and lifeboats.
air-ship /'eə,ʃɪp||'er-/ n (especially formerly) a large aircraft
without wings, containing gas to make it lighter than air
and an engine to make it move
air-show /'eəʃəʊ||'eər-/ n an event at which people watch
planes fly and do very complicated movements in the sky
air-sick /'eə,sɪk||'eər-/ adj sick because of the movement of
an aircraft —ness n [U]
air-space /'eəspeɪs||'eər-/ n [U] the air or sky above a
particular country, regarded as the property of that country:
They claimed that foreign planes had entered Soviet airspace
without permission.
air-speed /'eəspi:d||'eər-/ n [S,U] the speed at which an
aircraft travels through the air
Air-stream /'eə,stri:m||'er-/ trademark a type of silver-
coloured TRAILER (=a vehicle which contains beds, a kitchen
etc and which is pulled by a car), similar to a bullet in shape.
They were first made in the US in the 1930s and continue to
be popular and fashionable.
'air strike n [C] an attack in which a military aircraft drops
bombs or shoots missiles at a place
air-strip /'eə,strɪp||'er-/ n a stretch of land that can be used
by aircraft to take off and land, especially in war or time of
trouble -> compare RUNWAY
'air ,terminal n the building at an airport where passengers
wait before getting on board an aircraft or from which they
leave at the end of their flight
air-tight /'eətaɪt||'eər-/ adj not allowing air to pass in or out:
airtight containers
air-time /'eətaɪm||'eər-/ n [U] the amount of time given to a
record, subject, political party etc on the radio or television:
Her new single hasn't had much airtime. | Some of the smaller
parties are trying to buy airtime.
,air-to-'air adj [A] (of a weapon) intended to be fired from
one aircraft in flight at another: air-to-air missiles
,air 'traffic con,troller also 'air con,troller n a person at
an airport who gives radio instructions to pilots about
aircraft movement: A strike by French air traffic controllers
has led to the cancellation of nearly all flights.
,air vice-'marshal n a British airforce rank -> see TABLE 3
air-waves /'eəweɪvz||'er-/ n [the+P] the frequencies (FRE-
QUENCY) at which radio signals are broadcast, taken together:
That's not the sort of material you expect to hear coming over
the airwaves.
air-way /'eəweɪ||'eər-/ n [(usually cap. as part of a name)] an
AIRLINE: British Airways
air-wom·an /'eə,wʊmən||'eər-/ n pl. -women /,wɪmɪn/ a
female AIRMAN
air-wor·thy /'eə,wɜ:ði||'eər,wɜ:rði/ adj (of an aircraft) in
proper and safe working condition —thiness n [U] a
certificate of airworthiness
air-y /'eəri/ adj 1 open to the fresh air: The large window
makes the room seem airy. 2 also ,airy-'fair-y derog BrE seeming
not to be related to real facts or conditions; impractical: She
has these airy-fairy notions about going back to nature and
growing all her own food. 3 cheerful; not serious; NON-
CHALANT: an airy smile
aisle /aɪl/ n 1 a passage, usually one of two, leading through
the length of a church and divided from the NAVE (=the
central part) by a row of PILLARS 2 a narrow passage
between rows of seats, shelves etc, for example in a theatre,
plane, or large shop -> see also roll in the aisles
(ROLL1) 3 go/walk up the aisle infml to get married: She was
looking forward to the day when she would walk up the aisle.
-> see Feature on page 000
aitch /eɪtʃ/ n 1 a way of spelling the name of the letter H,
h 2 drop one's aitches not to sound the letter h in one's
speech, for example by saying 'ome for home
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain, some people think that people
who drop their aitches are from a low social class and are
uneducated.
Ait·ken, Jon·a·than /'eɪtkən, 'dʒnəθən||'dʒɑ:n-/ (1942-) a
British Conservative politician who was forced to leave his
job in the Cabinet in 1994. He had been ACCUSED of letting
an Arab BUSINESSMAN pay for his stay at the Ritz Hotel in
Paris when he was Minister of State for Defence Procure-
ment. Aitken SUED The Guardian newspaper and Granada
Television who had made this ACCUSATION, but it was discov-
ered that he had lied in court and he was sent to prison. After
leaving prison, he wanted to return to politics, but Michael
Howard, the leader of the Conservative Party, did not allow
him to do this.
a·jar /ə'dʒɑ:r/ adj, adv [F] (of a door) not quite closed; slightly
open
A·jax /'eɪdʒæks/ trademark a type of substance for cleaning
floors and other hard surfaces, sold as a liquid or powder
AK written abbrev. for ALASKA
ak·a /'eɪkə, ,eɪ keɪ 'e/ written abbrev. for also known as; used to
introduce another name that someone has: John Wayne, aka
'The Duke'
A·ke·la /ɑ:'keɪlə/ n an adult who leads a group of CUB SCOUTS
in the UK -> compare DEN MOTHER
A·ki·hi·to /,ækɪ'hi:təʊ||,ɑ:-/ (1933-) the Emperor of Japan
since 1989 and the son of the Emperor HIROHITO
a·kim·bo /ə'kɪmbəʊ/ adj, adv [F] (of the arms) bent at the
elbows and with hands on the HIPS; people stand with their
arms akimbo when they are facing other people bravely or
threateningly
a·kin /ə'kɪn/ adj [F(to)] having the same appearance, character,
or nature; similar: His position in the Soviet system is roughly
akin to that of the US President's public relations adviser.
AL written abbrev. for ALABAMA
à la /'æ lɑ, 'ɑ: lɑ:/ prep infml in the manner of; like: spy stories
à la James Bond | She went about it à la Thatcher, putting her
views very forcefully.
Al·a·ba·ma /,ælə'bæmə/ written abbrev. AL a state in the
southeast of the US, known as the place where the CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT began -> see also DEEP SOUTH
al·a·bas·ter /'æləbɑ:stə||-bæ-/ n [U] a transparent soft
mainly white stone: an alabaster vase | (fig.) her alabaster skin
à la carte /,æ lɑ 'kɑ:t, ,ɑ: lɑ:-||-ɑ:rt/ adj, adv (of food in a
restaurant) according to a list (MENU) where each dish has its
own separate price -> compare TABLE D'HÔTE
a·lack /ə'læk/ interj old use (a cry expressing sorrow)
a·lac·ri·ty /ə'lækrəti/ n [U] fml quick and willing readiness:
She accepted our offer with alacrity.
Aladdin and the Genie
A·lad·din /ə'lædɪn||-dn/ a young male character in a story
from The ARABIAN NIGHTS. Aladdin is employed by a MAGI-
CIAN to steal a lamp from a secret CAVE (=a large hole in the