foureyes
544
of four people) He drove up in a coach and four. (=a COACH
pulled by four horses) 3 (in cricket) four RUNS (8a), usually
gained by hitting the ball to the edge of the field: He hit a
four. 4 the four corners of the earth the most distant parts
of the world 5 on all fours down on one's hands and knees:
He was crawling around on all fours. → see also scatter to
the four winds (SCATTER¹)
four-eyes /'fɔːraɪz/ n infml (used as a rude or humorous way
of addressing a person who wears glasses)
4-F /ˌfɔː'r'ef/ adj, n AmE (of or being) a person considered
unsuitable for military service because of poor health or
HOMOSEXUALITY: He got a 4-F from the draft board. | He's 4-F.
Four 'Freedoms, the the four things that US President
Franklin ROOSEVELT said were worth fighting for in a speech
he made in 1941, before the US entered World War II. They
are Freedom of Speech and Expression, Freedom of WORSHIP
(=practising your religion), Freedom from WANT (=not having
enough food, money etc), and Freedom from Fear.
4GL /ˌfɔː dʒiː 'el||ˌfɔːr-/ n FOURTH-GENERATION LANGUAGE
4H, 4-H /ˌfɔːr 'eɪtʃ/ a programme paid for by the government
in RURAL (=outside cities) areas of the US that helps young
people learn useful skills
Four 'Horsemen of the A'pocalypse, the in the
Bible, four men who ride horses and represent the four things
that cause people the greatest pain and suffering, namely war,
FAMINE (=lack of food), death, and PESTILENCE (=serious
disease)
four-leaved 'clover also four-leaf 'clover n [C;U] a
CLOVER plant that has a set of four leaves instead of the
usual three, and is believed to bring good luck to a person
who finds it
four-letter 'word n any of various words, often made up of
four letters, that are considered extremely impolite. Such
words are marked taboo in this dictionary and are very
offensive to most people: The actor uttered a string of four-
letter words during the interview. → see also F-WORD
CULTURAL NOTE People use the phrase 'four-letter word'
when they do not want to repeat a swear word that
someone else has used. Four-letter words, such as 'shit'
and 'fuck', are typically words about sexual organs, sexual
acts, or waste products of the body. Although they are
fairly common, they are offensive to most people.
Newspapers have ways of avoiding them, such as printing
the first and sometimes the last letter, for example s—t or
f***, or talking about 'the f-word'. When someone uses a
four-letter word on television or radio, it is often covered
by a BLEEP (=a high electronic sound). → see Cultural
Note at SWEARWORD
four-'poster also four-poster 'bed n a large bed with
posts at the four corners to support a frame for curtains, used
especially in former times. They are thought of as very special
and ROMANTIC and are often put in HONEYMOON SUITES in
hotels.
Four 'Seasons, The a piece of music by VIVALDI which
represents spring, summer, autumn and winter and is one of
the best-known and most popular pieces of CLASSICAL music
four-some /'fɔːsəm||'fɔːr-/ n a group of four people often
two men and two women, especially for playing games or
sports: Let's make up a foursome for tennis. | They went to
the cinema in a foursome.
four-square /ˌfɔː'skweə ||ˌfɔːr-/ adj 1 usually apprec show-
ing confidence and determination; FORTHRIGHT: a foursquare
decision 2 (especially of a building) shaped like a square;
solid and firm
'four-star adj [A] of a high standard or quality: a four-star
restaurant
four-star 'general n AmE the rank of general which is
higher than Brigadier General, Major General, or Lieuten-
ant General: an order was given by a four-star general
'four-stroke adj,n (of, being, or driven by) an INTERNAL-
COMBUSTION ENGINE in which all the events happening
inside the engine are completed in two up-and-down move-
ments of a PISTON: a four-stroke cycle → compare TWO-
STROKE
four·teen /ˌfɔː'tiːn ||ˌfɔːr-/ determiner, n, pron (the number) 14
→ see TABLE 1 --> -th determiner, n, pron, adv
,Fourteenth A'mendment, the a part of the CONSTITU-
TION OF THE UNITED STATES which gave former SLAVES the
right to be US citizens. It gives all citizens the right to be
protected by the law.
fourth /fɔːθ||fɔːrθ/ determiner, n, pron, adv 4th → see TABLE 1
fourth di'mension n [(the)] (used especially by scientists and
writers of SCIENCE FICTION) time; something outside ordinary
experience, as opposed to the other dimensions which are in
space
,fourth es'tate [the] BrE lit or pomp (often cap.) newspapers and
the people who write for them, especially considered with
regard to their political influence; the press, radio, and
television together
,fourth-gene,ration 'language also 4GL n a computer
language which contains programming SHORT CUTS (=a faster
way to do something) not available in previous languages. It
is also easier to use than earlier languages.
,Fourth of Ju'ly, the also Independence Day a special
day in the US when people celebrate the signing of the
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE in 1776, when America
announced its intention to become independent from Brit-
ain. It is a public holiday, and people all over the US
celebrate with PARADES, PICNICS, and FIREWORKS, and many
buildings are decorated with the American flag. → see feature
on page A18 and see picture on page A48
Four ,Weddings and a 'Funeral (1994) a humorous
British film in which Hugh GRANT appears as an UPPER-
CLASS Englishman, who falls in love with an American
woman who he meets at four different weddings and one
funeral which he and his friends attend. It was one of the
most popular and successful British films ever made.
,four-wheel 'drive n 1 [U] a system in a car by which the
engine drives both the front and the back wheels. Four-
wheel drive is especially useful for driving on rough roads or
through snow or mud: The new model comes with airbags,
four-wheel drive, and power steering. 2 [C] a vehicle with
four-wheel drive
fowl /faul/ n pl. fowls or fowl 1 a farmyard bird, especially a
hen kept for its meat or eggs 2 old use & poet a bird: God made
all the fowls of the air. → see also WATERFOWL, WILDFOWL
Fow-ler, Henry Watson /'faulə/ (1858-1933) an English
writer of dictionaries of the English language. He is known
especially for his Dictionary of Modern English Usage.
Fowles, John /faulz/ (1926-2005) a British writer, best
known for his NOVELS The Magus and The French Lieutenant's
Woman, which were both made into films
'fowl pest n [U] a quickly spreading disease of fowls
fox¹ /foks||fɑːks/ n [C] 1 a
wild animal that is like a dog,
with a reddish brown coat
and a big furry tail. It is
hunted for sport in the UK.
Foxes appear in many FABLES
(=a traditional short story
that teaches a moral lesson),
CARTOONS, and old chil-
dren's stories, where they are
shown as being clever and
good at deceiving people.
They are also often shown
getting into farms at night
and killing chickens. Female foxes are called vixens. 2 [U]
the skin of this animal, used as fur on coats and other
clothing 3 [C] infml, usually derog a person who deceives others
by means of clever tricks: You can't trust him, he's a sly old
fox. 4 [C] infml, especially spoken a sexually attractive man or
woman → see also FOXY
fox² v [T] infml 1 BrE to confuse; to be too difficult for
(someone) to understand: The second question on the exam
paper completely foxed me. 2 to deceive cleverly; trick: He
managed to fox them by wearing a disguise.
Fox also ,Fox 'Broadcasting ,Company trademark one of
the main national television networks in the US. The other