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Gateway Arch, the
gas² v -ss- 1 [T] to poison or kill (someone) with gas 2 [I]
informal especially BrE to talk for a long time about unimportant
things; CHAT: Well, I can't sit here gassing all day; I must get
on with some work.
gas-bag /'gæsbæg/ also windbag n informal a person who talks
too much
'gas chamber n a room in which people or animals are
killed with poison gas. The Nazis used gas chambers to kill
thousands of Jews in World War II. They are used today in
some American states which allow CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
Gascoigne, Bam-ber /'gæskɔɪn, 'bæmbər/ (1935–) a Brit-
ish writer and television PRESENTER, known especially for
asking the questions on the television programme University
Challenge in the 1960s and 1970s.
Gascoigne, Paul (1967–) a British football player, usually
called Gazza in the newspapers, who played many times for
the English national team and was regarded as one of the
best British players of the 1990s. There have often been
stories in the newspapers about his private life and he has
sometimes been in trouble for drinking and fighting. Many
people remember the time when he cried during a football
match between England and Germany in 1990.
gas-e-ous /'gæsiəs/ adj especially tech of or like gas
gas-fired adj especially BrE using NATURAL GAS or PROPANE:
gas-fired central heating
'gas fitter BrE || pipe fitter AmE — n a person whose job is
to supply or repair the pipes for gas in the home and the
apparatus worked by it, such as heaters etc
'gas guzzler n AmE a large car or other motor vehicle that
uses a lot of petrol —-ling adj
gash /gæʃ/ v [T] to wound with a large deep cut: He gashed
his foot on a piece of broken glass. —gash n: a nasty gash in
her arm
gas-hold-er /'gæsˌhəʊldər/ also gasometer n BrE a very
large round metal container from which gas is carried in
pipes to houses and buildings
gas-ket /'gæskɪt/ n a flat piece of soft material which is
placed between two surfaces so that steam, oil, gas etc,
cannot escape: That car has blown a (head) gasket. (=steam
is escaping from the engine) | (fig.) She really blew a gasket
(=became very angry) when I asked for more money.
gas-light /'gæs-laɪt/ n 1 [U] the light produced from burn-
ing gas 2 [C] also gas-lamp /-læmp/ a lamp in the house or
on the street which gives light from burning gas
gas-man /'gæsmən/ n pl. -men /-mən/ a man who works in
the gas industry, especially an official who visits one's home to
see how much gas one has used in order to calculate payment
'gas mask n a breathing apparatus worn over the face to
protect the wearer against poisonous gases
'gas meter n a piece of equipment that measures how much
gas is used in a building, especially in a house, in order to
calculate how much money is owed: I've come to read the
(gas) meter.
gas-o-hol /'gæsəhɒl-hɔːl/ n [U] especially AmE petrol with a
small amount of alcohol in it. It can be used in cars and is
cheaper than petrol.
gas-o-line, -lene /'gæsəliːn/ also gas informal — n [U] AmE
petrol
gas-om-e-ter /gæ'sɒmɪtər || -'soʊ-/ n BrE a GASHOLDER
gasp¹ /gɑːsp||gæsp/ v 1 [I(at, with, in)] to take in one's breath
suddenly and in a way that can be heard, especially because
of surprise, shock etc: The audience gasped with/in amaze-
ment as she put her head in the lion's mouth. 2 [I] to breathe
quickly, especially with difficulty, making a noise: I came out
of the water gasping for breath. 3 [T(OUT)] to say something
while breathing in this way: He gasped out the message.
gasp² n 1 an act of gasping: She gave a gasp of surprise. 2 at
the last gasp at the last possible moment
'gas pedal n AmE for ACCELERATOR -> see picture at CAR
gas permeable 'lens n a kind of CONTACT LENS available
from the 1980s that allows oxygen to reach the eye of the
wearer
gasp-ing /'gɑːspɪŋ||'gæ-/ adj [F] BrE informal very thirsty
'gas ring BrE || burner AmE — n a metal ring on the top of a
cooker through which gas passes to feed a flame over which
food can be cooked
'gas station n AmE for FILLING STATION
gas-sy /'gæsi/ adj full of (a) gas: I don't like this gassy beer.
—-siness n [U]
gas-tric /'gæstrɪk/ adj [A] tech of the stomach: The gastric
juices are acids which break down food in the stomach. | a
gastric ulcer | gastric flu
gas-tri-tis /gæ'straɪtɪs/ n [U] an illness in which the inside
of the stomach is swollen, so that a burning pain is felt
gas-tro-en-te-ri-tis /ˌgæstrəʊ-entə'raɪtɪs/ n [U] an illness
in which the food passages, including the stomach and
INTESTINES are swollen
gas-tro-nome /'gæstrənəʊm/ n sometimes humor a person who
is skilled in gastronomy or enjoys good food
gas-tron-o-my /gæ'strɒnəmi||gæ'strɑː-/ n [U] the art and
science of cooking and eating good food —-mic
/ˌgæstrə'nɒmɪk || -'nɑː-/ adj —-mically /-kli/ adv
gas 'turbine n an INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE in which a
wheel of special blades is driven round at high speed by hot
gases
gas-works /'gæswɜːks||-ɜːr-/ n pl. gasworks [C+sing./pl. v]
a place where gas for use in the home is made from coal
gate /geɪt/ n 1 a movable frame, often with bars across it,
which closes an opening in a fence, wall etc, and provides a
way of entering or leaving a usually outdoor place: Someone
left the back gate open. | park gates -> compare DOOR 2 an
entrance or way out, especially in an airport: Our flight is
boarding at gate number 12. -> see also PEARLY
GATES 3 BrE a) the number of people who go in to see a
sports event, especially a football match: Gates are down on
last season. (=fewer people are going to matches) b) also
'gate money the money paid by these people 4 (in comb.) a
political SCANDAL in connection with the stated place (from
the Watergate affair in 1972): Irangate
gâ-teau /'gætəʊ||gɑː'toʊ/ n pl. -teaux /-təʊz/ [C;U] BrE any of
various kinds of large sweet cakes often filled and decorated
with cream, fruit, nuts etc
gate-crash /'geɪtkræʃ/ also crash informal — v [I;T] to go to (a
party) without having been invited —-er n
gate-house /'geɪthaʊs/ n pl. -houses /-ˌhaʊzɪz/ a building
that surrounds the gate of a castle or city wall, or that stands
beside the gate to a park or the land surrounding a big house
gate-keep-er /'geɪtˌkiːpər/ n a person who is in charge of
the opening and closing of a gate
gate-legged 'table also gate-leg 'table n BrE a table
which has a leg on a HINGE that can swing in to let down
part of the table
gate-post /'geɪtpəʊst/ n a post beside a gate, from which
the gate is hung or to which it fastens -> see also between
you, me, and the gatepost (BETWEEN¹)
Gates, Bill /geɪts/ (1955–) a
US computer PROGRAMMER
and businessman, who
started the MICROSOFT com-
pany and is famous for
being the richest man in the
world
Bill Gates
Gates, Gar-eth /'gærəθ/
(1984–) a British POP SINGER
who became famous after he
came second in the first
series of Pop Idol, a television
show in which people show
how well they can sing
gate-way /'geɪt-weɪ/
n 1 [C] an opening in a
fence, wall etc, across which
a gate may be put 2 [the (to)]
a way of reaching or gaining (especially something desir-
able): Hard work is the gateway to success.
'Gateway Arch, the a very large ARCH in the city of St
Louis, Missouri, in the US, that is sometimes used in pictures
to represent St Louis