Crest
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President is currently riding the crest of a wave of popularity. (=is very popular at the present time) 4 a special picture used as a personal mark on letters, envelopes etc, or above the shield on a COAT OF ARMS
Crest trademark a type of TOOTHPASTE sold in the US and the UK
Cres·ta Run, the /'krestə ˌrʌn/ a deep, steep path with twists in it which is cut into the ice at ST MORITZ in Switzerland and used for racing in BOBSLEIGHS (=a special vehicle with metal blades for riding fast over snow and ice)
crest·ed /'krestɪd/ adj having a crest: crested writing paper | a crested grebe (=type of bird with a crest)
crest·fal·len /'krestˌfːlən/ adj disappointed and sad; having lost your self-confidence
Crete /kri:t/ the largest island belonging to Greece, in the southeast Mediterranean Sea. The important MINOAN CIVILIZATION was based on Crete between 3000 BC and 1100 BC.
—Cretan n, adj
cret·in /'kretɪn||'kri:tn/ n 1 taboo slang an extremely stupid person; an extremely offensive word 2 med a person whose development of mind and body has stopped in early childhood →-ous adj
Creutz·feldt-Jak·ob Dis·ease /ˌkrɔɪtsfelt ˈjɑːkɒb dɪˌziːzl-|ˈjɑːkɔb-/ n [U] → see CJD
cre·vasse /krɪ'væs/ n a deep open crack, especially in thick ice: The dog fell into the crevasse.
crev·ice /'krevɪs/ n a narrow crack or opening, especially in rock
crew1 /kru:/ n [C+sing./pl. v] 1 a) all the people working on a ship, plane, spacecraft etc: The plane crashed, killing all its passengers and crew. b) all these people except the officers: The crew is/are waiting for instructions from the captain. 2 a group of people working together: a train track repair crew | the camera crew on a movie set → see also GROUND CREW 3 a rowing team 4 infml a group or collection of people: We're a happy crew in our office. | His friends are rather a motley crew. (=a strange or unusual mixture of people)
crew2 v [I;T] to act as a crew member on (a boat)
crew3 old use past tense of CROW
'crew cut || also buzz AmE — n a very closely cut style of hair
Crewe /kru:/ a town in Cheshire, northwest England, which is an important railway centre
crew·man /'kru:mən/ n pl. -men /mən/ a member of a CREW (1, 2, and 3): Captain Pod will share the boat with six other crewmen.
'crew neck n a plain round neck on a jumper → compare V-NECK
crib1 /krɪb/ n 1 [C] especially AmE a bed for a baby or young child; COT → see picture at BED 2 [C] an open box or wooden frame holding food for animals; MANGER: a corn crib 3 [C] BrE || crèche AmE — a model of the scene of Jesus' birth, often placed in churches and homes at Christmas. It consists of all or most of the following: in the centre, a CRIB containing the baby Jesus surrounded by Mary and Joseph, the SHEPHERDS with their sheep, three kings with presents, and an OX and an ASS. Above the scene is the star which signalled the birth of Jesus. 4 [C] infml a) something copied dishonestly from someone else's work, especially at school b) also trot AmE — a book supplying a translation or giving answers to questions, often used dishonestly by students 5 [U] infml the game of cribbage 6 [C] the four cards set aside for the dealer to use in cribbage
crib2 v -bb- [I;T(from, off)] infml to copy (something) dishonestly from someone else: I didn't know the answers so I cribbed them off Jean.
crib·bage /'krɪbɪdʒ/ also crib infml — n [U] a card game in which points are shown by putting small pieces of wood in holes in a small board (cribbage board)
'crib death n AmE for COT DEATH
Crich·ton, Michael /'kraɪtn/ (1942-) an American writer of very popular books. His most famous books include The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, and Sphere. Many of his books have been made into films, and he has PRODUCED films and television programmes. He also had the idea for and produced the television programme ER.
crick1 /krɪk/ n [(in)] a sudden painful stiffening of the muscles, especially in the back or the neck, making movement difficult: a crick in my neck
crick2 v [T] to produce a crick in: She cricked her neck playing tennis.
Crick, Francis (1916-2004) a British scientist who worked with James Watson, and discovered the structure of DNA, the substance that carries GENETIC information in the cells of plants, animals, and humans. They won the Nobel prize for their work in 1962. → see photo on page A36
crick·et1 /'krɪkɪt/ n [U] 1 an outdoor game, popular in Britain, played in summer with a small ball covered with red leather, a BAT, and WICKETS by two teams of 11 players each, usually dressed all in white. One team tries to get RUNS while the other team FIELDS. → see colour photo on page A44
CULTURAL NOTE Cricket is popular in England and in countries which used to be British colonies (COLONY). Ten international teams play each other in TEST MATCHES that each continue for no more than five days. These countries are: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, and Zimbabwe. England and Australia play each other in a competition consisting of five matches called The Ashes. In England and Wales, there are 18 COUNTY teams which play matches lasting no more than four days. In one-day cricket matches, each team BATS once for a limited number of OVERS, usually 50 in an international match. The MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) is responsible for the laws of cricket. The ICC (International Cricket Council) controls international cricket, and the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) is in charge of the game in England. Famous English cricket GROUNDS include Lord's and The Oval (in London), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Headingley (Leeds), Old Trafford (Manchester), and Trent Bridge (Nottingham). Some of England's most famous CRICKETERS include Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, and W.G. Grace. Many people consider the Australian BATSMAN Sir Donald Bradman to be the greatest cricketer of all time.
2 not cricket BrE old-fash or humor (of an action) unfair or not honourable: It would have been easy to cheat, but it wouldn't have been cricket.
cricket2 n a small brown insect, the male of which makes loud short noises by rubbing its leathery wings together
crick·et·er /'krɪkɪtər/ n a person who plays cricket
cried /kraɪd/ past tense & participle of CRY
cri·er /'kraɪər/ n a TOWN CRIER
cries /kraɪz/ 3rd person sing. present tense of CRY
cri·key /'kraɪki/ interj BrE slang (an expression of surprise)
crime /kraɪm/ n 1 [C] an offence which is punishable by law: the crime of arson | Drug-smuggling is a serious crime. | bank robbers and other people who commit violent crimes | They say that murderers always return to the scene of the crime. 2 [U] illegal activity in general: It is the job of the police to prevent crime. | The latest crime statistics show a worrying rise in violent crime. | a crime wave (=situation in which there is a lot of crime) 3 [C] a bad, immoral, or dishonourable act: She committed the unforgivable crime of voting against her own party in the defence debate. 4 [S] infml a shame; pity: It's a crime that this food should be wasted. 5 crime doesn't pay saying people who COMMIT crimes will not become rich, but will be caught and punished → compare SIN; see also ORGANIZED CRIME, WAR CRIME
Cri·me·a, the /kraɪ'mi:ə/ a part of Ukraine that is nearly surrounded by the Black Sea. The CRIMEAN WAR was fought there.
crime against hu'manity n an extremely serious crime such as causing the deaths of large numbers of people, especially directed against a population of whom most or all have done nothing to their AGGRESSOR
Cri·mean 'War, the (1853-56) a war between Russia on one side, and Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia on the other. It started because Britain and France believed that Russia intended to take control of the Balkans (=southeast Europe), and it ended when the Russians were defeated and lost control of their naval base at Sevastopol. In the UK most