vanity plate
1524
by William THACKERAY about UPPER-CLASS English society at the time of the war against Napoleon. The characters in the book, who include Becky SHARP, are often shown to be stupid or to have no moral principles. 3 in a place where people have no serious thoughts or beliefs, and where only money, fashion, and entertainment are considered to be important. The name comes from an imaginary place like this in The Pilgrim's Progress by John BUNYAN.
'vanity plate n AmE a car NUMBERPLATE for which the owner has paid to have the combination of letters or numbers he or she wants: She had vanity plates on her car which read WAVE2ME.
'vanity press n AmE a company to which writers can pay money to have their books printed. Books printed in this way may be sold by the writer but are not usually sold in bookstores: He had his poetry bound into a pretty little volume by a vanity press.
'vanity table n AmE for DRESSING TABLE
'vanity unit n BrE a furniture unit like a table with a WASHBASIN built into the top of it, usually with a small cupboard below
van·quish /'væŋkwɪʃ/ v [T] especially lit to defeat completely
van·tage·point BrE || vantage point AmE /'vɑ:ntɪdʒpɔɪnt||'væn-/ n 1 a good position from which to attack, defend, or see something: Security police took up vantagepoints overlooking the route of the procession. 2 a point of view; PERSPECTIVE: I quite agree that from your vantagepoint his action must have seemed unwise.
Van·u·a·tu /vˌænuˈɑ:tu:/ a country in the southwest Pacific Ocean, East of Australia, made up of a chain of VOLCANIC islands. Population: 199,414 (2003). Capital: Vila. Vanuatu was formerly called the New Hebrides, and it is an independent member of the British Commonwealth.
Van Winkle, Rip → see RIP VAN WINKLE
vap·id /'væpɪd/ adj fml without liveliness, interest, or imagination; dull: a vapid person/style of writing —ly adv ---ness, -ity /və'prɪdɪti/ n [U]
va·por·ize also -ise BrE /'veɪpəraɪz/ v [I;T] to (cause to) change into vapour: Water vaporizes when it boils.
---ization /ˌveɪpəraɪ'zeʃn||-rə-/ n [U]
'vapor trail n AmE for CONTRAIL
va·pour BrE || -por AmE /'veɪpər/ n 1 [C;U] a gaslike form of a liquid, such as mist or steam, often caused by a sudden change of temperature: A cloud is a mass of vapour in the sky. | Strange vapours rose from the dark lake. 2 [U] tech the gas to which the stated liquid or solid can be changed by the action of heat: water vapour ---vaporous adj: Vaporous clouds arose from the lake.
va·pours BrE || -pors AmE /'veɪpəz||-ərz/ n [the+P] old use or humor a state of feeling suddenly faint: Arabella had the vapours if any indelicate subject was mentioned.
var·i·a·ble¹ /'veəriəbəl/ adj 1 tending or likely to vary; not staying the same; not steady: The winds today will be light and variable. 2 that can be varied by the user: The temperature inside the car is variable. 3 euph varying in quality; sometimes good and sometimes bad; UNEVEN: The team's performance this year has been very variable. ---bly adv ---bility /ˌveəriə'bɪlɪti/ ---ness /'veəriəbəlnɪs/ n [U]
variable² n especially tech something which can vary in quantity or size: The time of the journey depends on a number of variables, such as the volume of traffic on the road. | There are too many variables to predict the result accurately. → compare CONSTANT
var·i·ance /'veəriəns/ n at variance (with) in opposition (to); not in agreement (with): What he did was at variance with his earlier promises.
var·i·ant¹ /'veəriənt/ adj [A no comp.] different; varying; variant spellings | a variant form of a word
variant² n [of] a (slightly) different form, e.g. of a word, phrase, or pronunciation: 'Favor' is the American variant of the British 'favour'.
var·i·a·tion /ˌveəri'eɪʃn/ n 1 [C;U(in)] (an example or degree of) the fact of varying: The average price of new houses is about £150,000, but there are wide regional variations. |
Because these clothes are handmade there may be some (slight) variations in colour. 2 [C(on)] any of a set of short pieces of music, each based on the same simple tune but with different decorative changes or developments made to it: Elgar's 'Enigma Variations'
var·i·cose veins /ˌværɪkəʊs 'veɪnz/ n [P] a medical condition in which the blood tubes, especially in the leg, have become very swollen
var·ied /'veərɪd/ adj 1 of different kinds; DIVERSE: Varied opinions were expressed about the new play. | a singer with a very varied repertoire 2 not staying the same; changing: She's led a varied life.
var·ie·gat·ed /'veərɪgeɪtɪd/ adj (especially of a flower or leaf) marked irregularly in different coloured spots, lines, areas etc
var·ie·ga·tion /ˌveərɪ'geɪʃn/ n [U] irregular colour marking, especially in plants
va·ri·e·ty /və'raɪətɪ/ n 1 [U] the fact of varying; difference in quality, type, or character: She didn't like the work because it lacked variety; she was doing the same things all the time. 2 [S(of)] a number or collection of different sorts of the same general type: Everyone arrived late at the party, for a variety of (=many different) reasons. | The shirt is available in a (wide) variety of colours. 3 [C(of)] a particular type that is different from others in a group to which it belongs; sort: We're growing a new variety of wheat this year. | fast-growing varieties of fir tree 4 [U] a form of entertainment for theatre or television in which a number of different types of short performance are given, such as singing, dancing, telling jokes etc: a variety show/artiste → compare MUSIC HALL, VAUDEVILLE 5 variety is the spice of life saying the chance or the ability to do many different things, know many different people etc, is what makes life enjoyable
Variety Club of Great Britain, the a British CHARITY organization which gives money, holidays, vehicles etc to poor or sick children. Its members are people who work in television, films, and popular theatre.
va'riety meats n [P] AmE for OFFAL
va'riety store n AmE a shop which sells many different kinds of goods, often at low prices: Variety stores such as K-Mart and Target sell everything from clothes to cameras to gardening equipment.
var·i·ous /'veəriəs/ adj 1 different from each other; of (many) different kinds: There has been snow today in various parts of the country. | For various reasons I'd prefer not to meet him. | The products we sell are many and various. 2 [A no comp.] several; a number of: Various people said they'd seen the accident. → see DIFFERENT (USAGE)
var·i·ous·ly /'veəriəsli/ adv fml in various ways or at various times; differently: The cost of the damage has been variously estimated at between £5000 and £25,000.
var·let /'vɑ:lɪt||'vɑ:r-/ n old use a wicked or worthless man → KNAVE
var·mint /'vɑ:mɪnt||'vɑ:r-/ n old-fash or dial, especially AmE a troublesome worthless person or animal, especially a young male
var·nish¹ /'vɑ:nɪʃ||'vɑ:r-/ n 1 [C;U] (a) liquid which, when brushed onto articles made especially of wood and allowed to dry, gives a clear hard bright surface → see also NAIL POLISH 2 [(the)S] the shiny appearance produced by using this substance: Hot plates may spoil the varnish on a table. → compare LACQUER
varnish² v [T] to cover with varnish or NAIL VARNISH: varnished table top → see also UNVARNISHED
var·si·ty¹ /'vɑ:sɪti||'vɑ:r-/ n [the+S] BrE old-fash university especially Oxford or Cambridge
varsity² adj [A] AmE being the chief group or team representing a university, college, or school, especially in a sport: the varsity football team
'Varsity Match, the a game of RUGBY between Oxford and Cambridge universities, played once a year at TWICKENHAM in West London
var·y /'veəri/ v 1 [I(in)] to be different; have qualities that are not the same as each other: Opinions on this matter vary. | The price varies according to the season. | Houses vary in size. | The quality of their products never varies; it is always excellent. 2 [I(from)T] to (cause to) become different; change