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fancy woman
children in the family; formerly family income supplement
→ see also EARNED INCOME CREDIT
family 'doctor n infl for GENERAL PRACTITIONER
family 'income ,supplement → see FAMILY CREDIT
Family 'Income Sup,port n [U] (in Britain) money given
by the government to people who are unemployed and have
children
'family man n 1 a man with a wife and children 2 a man
who is fond of home life
'family ,name n a SURNAME
'family pack n a large packet of food etc sold in shops which
would be enough for a whole family: Try and get a family
pack of tissues, will you?
,family 'planning n [U] the controlling of the number of
children born in a family and of the time of their birth by the
use of any of various CONTRACEPTIVE methods: a family
planning clinic
,Family 'Planning Associ,ation, the the former name
of FPA
'family ,practice n [U] AmE a speciality in American medi-
cine in which doctors learn to treat general health problems
and problems connected with families and people of all ages
→ see also GENERAL PRACTICE —,family prac'titioner n
,family 'tree n a plan or drawing showing the relationship of
the members of a family, especially one that covers a long
period. In Britain and the US, many people like to spend
time finding out about their family tree.
,family 'values n [P] traditional ideas about what a family
should be like, which emphasize the importance of mar-
riage: The President places great emphasis on family values.
fam·ine /'fæmɪn/ n [C;U] (a case of) extreme lack of food for
a very large number of people: Many people die of starvation
during famines every year | an appeal for famine relief in
Ethiopia
fam·ished /'fæmɪʃt/ adj [F] infl very hungry
fa·mous /'feɪməs/ adj 1 very well known, especially for a
special ability, quality, or feature: a famous actor | a world-
famous painting by Renoir | France is famous for its fine food
and wine. 2 [A] (of an event) likely to be widely talked about
or remembered; REMARKABLE: The Labour Party may be on
the verge of a famous victory. 3 old-fash very good; excellent:
famous weather for a walk 4 famous last words a phrase
used when someone has said something that expresses
cheerfulness and certainty about the future, to warn them
that they might be wrong: 'I'm sure I'll pass my driving test
this time.' 'Famous last words.'
Compare famous, well-known, distinguished,
eminent, notorious, and infamous. 1 Famous is like
well-known but is a stronger word and means 'known
over a wide area': the doctor, the postman and other
well-known people in the village | A famous film star has
come to live in our village. 2 Distinguished and eminent
are used especially of people who are famous for serious
work in science, the arts etc: a distinguished writer | an
eminent surgeon 3 Notorious and infamous (rather
literary) mean 'famous for something bad': He was
notorious for his evil deeds. | an infamous criminal
Famous 'Five, the the main characters in a series of British
books for children by Enid BLYTON, mostly written in the
1940s and 1950s. They are a group of two boys, two girls, and
a dog called Tummy. They come from MIDDLE-CLASS families
and go to private schools, but they have a lot of exciting
adventures together during the school holidays.
fa·mous·ly /'feɪməsli/ adv old-fash infl extremely well: He is
getting on famously at his new school.
fan¹ /fæn/ n an instrument for making a flow of air, especially
cool air, such as an arrangement of feathers or paper in a
half circle waved by hand, or a set of broad blades turned by
a motor: a paper/electric fan | an extractor fan in a kitchen to
get rid of the smell of cooking → see also the shit will hit the
fan (SHIT); see picture at ENGINE
fan² v -nn- 1 [T] to cause air, especially cool air, to blow on
(something) (as if) with a fan: She fanned her face with a
newspaper. | We fanned the fire to make it burn brighter. 2 [T]
to cause to become more active or more serious: This
incident could fan the flame(s) of rebellion. | His rudeness
fanned her irritation into anger. 3 [I;T(OUT)] to spread in a
gradually widening half circle: The soldiers fanned out across
the hillside in their search for the man. | She fanned the pack
of cards out.
fan³ n a very keen follower or supporter of a sport, perform-
ing art, famous person etc: football fans | I'm one of your
greatest fans. | She's an ardent Bruce Springsteen fan; she's
joined his fan club. | That singer has to employ two people
just to answer his fan mail. (=letters sent to him by fans)
,fan-as'sisted adj (of OVENS) with the heat being moved
around the whole oven by a fan: I think fan-assisted ovens
dry out the food too much.
fa·nat·ic /fə'nætɪk/ n often derog a person who has (religious,
political, or other) beliefs, often extreme or dangerous: The
heathen temple was torn down by a crowd of religious
fanatics. | a health food fanatic —-al adj —-ally /-kli/ adv
fa·nat·i·cism /fə'nætɪsɪzəm/ n [U] the behaviour, charac-
ter, or ideas of a fanatic
'fan belt n a continuous belt driving a FAN to keep an engine
cool → see picture at ENGINE
fan·ci·er /'fænsiə/ n (usually in comb.) a person who has the
stated interest, especially someone who breeds or trains
certain types of birds, dogs, plants etc: a pigeon-fancier
fan·ci·ful /'fænsɪfəl/ adj 1 often derog produced by the imagi-
nation; not based on reason or good sense: He had some
fanciful notion about crossing the Atlantic in a barrel. 2 full
of often strange decorative detail; ELABORATE: fanciful designs
—-ly adv
fan·cy¹ /'fænsi/ n 1 [C(to)] a liking, especially one formed
without the help of reason: I think young Peter has taken
quite a fancy to (=likes or is sexually attracted to) that girl
next door. 2 [U] imagination, especially in a free and undi-
rected form: She went wherever she/her fancy took her.
(=without a fixed or clear plan made in advance) | The
painting caught/took his fancy (=he liked it) so he bought
it. 3 [C] fml an opinion or idea that is not based on fact;
NOTION: Take no notice — it's just an old woman's fancy.
fancy² v [T] especially BrE 1 infl a) to have a liking for; wish
for: I fancy a swim. | [+v-ing] I don't fancy going all that way in
such bad weather. b) to be sexually attracted to: I really
fancy that new secretary. 2 (usually in imperative to express surprise,
shock etc) infl to form a picture of; imagine: 'He had no clothes
on.' 'Fancy that!' | [+v-ing] Fancy working in this heat every
day! (=How unpleasant to work in such heat!) | [+obj+v-ing]
Fancy her saying a thing like that! 3 to consider to be likely
to do well: I fancy Black Queen for the 4.30. (=I think that this
horse may win the 4.30 race) | I don't fancy your chances of
getting a ticket at this late stage. (=I don't think you will be
able to) 4 [+ (that);obj] fml to believe without being certain;
think: I fancy I have met you before. 5 a little of what you
fancy does you good the title of an old British MUSIC HALL
song, now used when you are going to have or do some-
thing that is considered to be slightly wrong 6 fancy
oneself often derog to have a very high opinion of oneself:
You can tell from the way she parades around in her fine
clothes that she really fancies herself. | He fancies himself (as)
a good swimmer.
fancy³ adj 1 decorative or brightly coloured; not ordinary;
ELABORATE: fancy cakes | They are too fancy for me; I prefer
the plain ones. | It was a simple lunch — nothing
fancy. 2 derog (of a price) higher than is usual or reasonable:
He sells poor goods and charges fancy prices.
,fancy 'dress BrE || masquerade AmE — n [U] unusual or
amusing clothes worn for a special occasion or party. There
are different types of fancy dress. Sometimes people dress to
look like a famous person from history, and sometimes to
look like a person with a particular job, e.g. a CLOWN or a
POLICEMAN: I went to the fancy-dress party/ball dressed as a
pirate.
,fancy-'free adj free to do anything or like anyone, especially
because one is not in love: Since my divorce I've been really
happy - footloose and fancy-free again!'
'fancy man n old-fash derog a woman's lover
'fancy ,woman n old-fash derog 1 a man's lover; MISTRESS 2 a
PROSTITUTE