1533
Vietnam War, the
Zimbabwe and Zambia in southern Africa, which is about
1.5 kilometres/1 mile wide and about 120 metres/400 feet
high. It is one of the most popular places in Africa for
tourists to visit.
**Vic·to·ri·an¹** /vɪkˈtɔːriən/ **adj** 1 from or connected with the
period from 1837–1901 when Victoria was Queen of Eng-
land: **Victorian times/age/era** *The bridge was built in Victo-
rian times | the Victorian novel | Victorian cities* 2 used to
describe the style of building, furniture, and the way that
houses were decorated during the Victorian period. Victorian
buildings are typically made of red brick and often have large
windows. On the inside, they usually had furniture made of
dark wood and a lot of ORNAMENTS (=small objects used as
decoration) and small photographs in frames. Victorian
houses often had large highly decorated FIREPLACES sur-
rounded by TILES. There are still many Victorian houses in
the UK, and some still have many of the original features:
*Victorian architecture | a Victorian terraced house* 3 having
the strict moral attitudes typical of the society of this period.
Victorian society had strict rules about moral behaviour and
subjects such as sex were rarely discussed: **Victorian morality**
**Victorian²** **n** an English person living in the period when
Queen Victoria ruled (1837–1901)
**Vic·to·ri·a·na** /vɪkˌtɔːriˈɑːnə/ **n** [P] attractive objects made
in the Victorian period, such as toys, pictures, lamps, plates
etc, that people like to collect
**vic·to·ria 'plum** **n** a large, sweet, dark red PLUM
**vic·to·ri·ous** /vɪkˈtɔːriəs/ **adj** 1 [in, over] that has won: *the
victorious team* 2 [A] of or showing victory: *a victorious
shout* → see also VICTOR —**-ly** **adv**
**vic·to·ry** /ˈvɪktəri/ **n** [C;U(in, over)] (an example of) the act of
winning or state of having won, in war or in any kind of
struggle: *Both sides were claiming victory last night. | The
captain led his team to victory. | He only managed a narrow
victory in the election; he won by 23 votes. | The early settle-
ment of the strike was hailed as a victory for common sense. |
to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (=to win when it
seemed that one would lose) | a resounding/overwhelming
victory | to win an easy/decisive/clear-cut victory | a signifi-
cant propaganda victory | to hold a victory rally* → opposite
DEFEAT; see also PYRRHIC VICTORY
**Victory, HMS** the British ship that Admiral NELSON used in
1805 when his navy won the important sea battle against
the French and Spanish near Cape TRAFALGAR. It can now be
visited at Portsmouth in southern England.
**victory ,garden** **n** *AmE* a vegetable garden grown during the
Second World War so that there would be more food
available to send abroad
**Victory 'V** **trademark** a type of British sweet with a very strong
hot taste, which you suck to make a sore throat or cough
feel better
**vic·tu·al** /ˈvɪtl/ **v** **-ll-** *BrE* || **-l-** *AmE* — **tech** 1 [T] to supply
(usually a large number of people) with food 2 [I] to take in
and store supplies of food and drink → see also LICENSED
VICTUALLER
**vic·tu·als** /ˈvɪtlz/ **n** [P] *old use or dial* (supplies of) food and drink
**vi·cu·ña, -na** /vɪˈkjuːnə|vɪˈkuː-/ **n** 1 [C] a large South
American animal, related to the LLAMA, from which soft wool
of very good quality is obtained 2 [U] the cloth made from
this wool: *a vicuña coat*
**vi·de** /ˈvaɪdi, ˈviːdi/ **v** [T only imperative] *Lat fml* (used for telling a
reader where to find more about the subject) see; look at
**vi·de·li·cet** /vɪˈdiːlɪset, -ket|ˈde-/ **adv** *Lat fml* for VIZ.
**vid·e·o¹** /ˈvɪdiə/ **adj** [A] 1 **tech** connected with or used in the
showing of pictures by television: *video signals* → compare
**AUDIO** 2 using videotape: *a video recording*
**video²** **n** **pl.** **-os** 1 **a)** [C;U] (a) videotape recording: *They
showed a video of 'Gone with the Wind'. I've got it on video. |
a video shop* **b)** [C] *infml* a videotape: *This video's full up;
have we got any blank ones?* 2 [C] *especially BrE* also ,video
cas'sette re,corder, vid·e·o·re·cor·der /ˈvɪdiəʊ kɔːdər ||
-ɔːr-/ 'videotape re,corder *fml* a machine for making vide-
otape recordings and playing them back: *Set the video to go
on at 8.00.*
**video³** *especially BrE* || **tape** *especially AmE* — **v** **-oed**, present
participle **-oing** [T] to videotape: *Could you video the documen-
tary for me?*
**'video ar,cade** **n** *AmE* a place where there are many video
games which you play by putting money in the machines
**vid·e·o·card** /ˈvɪdiə kɑːd|ˈkɑːrd/ **n** a CIRCUIT BOARD that
can be added to a computer so that it is able to show
moving pictures
**,video cas'sette re,corder** **n** → see VCR
**'video ,conferencing** **n** [U] a system that allows people to
communicate with each other by sending pictures and
sounds electronically
**vid·e·o·disc** /ˈvɪdiə dɪsk/ **n** a round piece of plastic, like a
record, from which recorded pictures can be played back in
the same way as from a videotape
**'video ,game** **n** a game in which you move images on a
screen by pressing electronic controls
**'video ,jockey** **n** *especially AmE* a VJ
**,video 'nasty** **n** *BrE infml* a video film including scenes of
extremely unpleasant violence
**vid·e·o·tape¹** /ˈvɪdiəʊteɪp/ also ,video cas'sette, tape
*infml*, **video** *infml*— **n** [C;U] (a container holding a long narrow
band of) MAGNETIC material on which pictures, e.g. a tele-
vision show, are recorded and from which they can be
played back
**videotape²** also **tape** *infml*— **v** [T] to make a recording of (a
television show) on videotape
**Vid·e·o·tex** /ˈvɪdiəʊ teks/ **trademark** a form of communica-
tion that allows information to be exchanged using a
television system
**vie** /vaɪ/ **v** **vied**, present participle **vying** [I+adv/prep, especially with, for]
to compete (with someone) (for something): *They are vying
for the lead. | [+to-V] The shipping companies vied with each
other to make the fastest Atlantic crossing.*
**Vi·en·na** /viˈenə/ the capital city of Austria, famous as a
centre for music since the 18th century, and the home of
many famous COMPOSERS, including MOZART and
BEETHOVEN. —**Vi·en·nese** /viːəˈniːz/ **n**, **adj**
**Viet Cong, the** also **the Vietcong** /ˌvjet ˈkɒŋ||-kɑːŋ/ **n**
[P] the group of GUERRILLAS (=unofficial soldiers) who were
supported by the Communist government of North Viet-
nam during the Vietnam War, and fought against US and
South Vietnamese forces
**Viet·nam** /ˌvjetnæm || -ˈnɑːm/ a country in southeast Asia,
next to Cambodia and China. Population: 81,624,716 (2003).
Capital: Hanoi. Vietnam was ruled by France, as part of
French Indochina, from the mid-19th century. It became
independent in 1954 as two countries, the pro-western South
Vietnam and the Communist North Vietnam. Attempts to
unite the two countries led to the VIETNAM WAR and eventu-
ally succeeded in 1975. The war caused great suffering and
serious economic problems. Since the war, Vietnam has
gradually improved its economic position and it is now a
member of ASEAN.
**Viet·na·mese** /ˌvjetnəˈmiːz/ **n** 1 **the Vietnamese** [plural]
the people of Vietnam 2 [U] the language spoken in Viet-
nam —**Vietnamese** **adj**: *a Vietnamese restaurant*
**,Vietnam 'Veterans Me,morial, the** also **the ,Viet·
nam Me'morial** two long walls made of polished black
stone which are arranged in a V-shape on the MALL (=park
area) in Washington, D.C. The walls have more than 58,000
names carved on them, which is to remind people of all the
US soldiers who died in the VIETNAM WAR or never returned
from Vietnam.
**,Vietnam 'War, the** (1954–75) a long CIVIL WAR between the
Communist forces of North Vietnam and the non-
Communist forces of South Vietnam, which ended when
South Vietnam was finally defeated in 1975, and Vietnam was
united again as one country. Between 1965 and 1973, US
soldiers fought in Vietnam to support the army of South
Vietnam, and when people in the west talk about the Vietnam
War, or simply about Vietnam, they usually mean this period
of US involvement. → see also KENT STATE, MY LAI MASSACRE
**CULTURAL NOTE** The Vietnam War had a deep and lasting
effect on US society and on the way that Americans
thought about their own country. This is shown, for