1017 pastoral
unwraps one layer of paper, and then the music starts again. The game ends when a player unwraps the parcel completely and receives the prize which was inside it.
pass-word /'pɑːswɜːd||'pæswɜːrd/ n 1 a secret word or phrase which must be spoken by a person before they are allowed to enter a building, camp etc. Passwords are used as a safety measure to prevent the wrong people from entering. 2 a secret group of letters, numbers etc, which must be used by a person before they can operate a computer system
past¹ /pɑːst||pæst/ adj 1 [A; after n] (of time) much earlier than the present: In years past/past years they never would have done that. 2 [A; after n] (with perfect tenses) (of time) a little earlier than the present; up until now or until the time of speaking: I've not been feeling very well for the past few days. | I've been meaning to speak to you for some time past. 3 finished; ended: The time for talking is past – we need action. | Winter is past and spring has come. 4 [A] former; PREVIOUS: Judging by past performance, I expect her to do well. | a past president of our club 5 [A] tech being the form of a verb used to show a past act or state: the past tense ➜ compare FUTURE
The past participle of pass is passed but the adjective is past. Compare The week has passed quickly and the past week.
past² prep 1 a) farther than: The hospital is about a mile past the school. b) up to and beyond: The boys rushed past us. 2 beyond in time or age: The time is half past three. | The trains leave at ten past (the hour). | It's past my bedtime. | She must be past 50. 3 beyond the possibility of: The sick man's condition is past hope. | Frankly, I'm past caring. (=I no longer care) 4 past it infml no longer able to do the things one could formerly do: This old car's past it; we'll have to get a new one. 5 wouldn't put it past someone (to do something) infml to regard someone as likely (to do something bad, unusual etc): I'm not sure if he actually cheated in the exam, but I wouldn't put it past him!
past³ n 1 [(the) S] (what happened in) time before the present: In the past he has been a bricklayer and a milkman, and now he's a farmer. | Good manners seem to have become a thing of the past. (=something that no longer exists) | a country with a glorious past (=history) ➜ compare FUTURE 2 [the S] tech (in grammar) the form of a verb that shows that the act or state described by the verb happened or existed at some time before the present moment 3 [S] old-fash derog a former life, especially a secret one containing wrongdoing of some kind: a woman with a past
past⁴ adv by; to and beyond a point in space or time: Children came running past. | Days went past without any news.
pasta
spaghetti
tagliatelle rigatoni macaroni
vermicelli ravioli pasta shapes
pas-ta /'pæstə||'pɑː-/ n [U] food made, in various different shapes, from flour paste, and often covered with SAUCE and/or cheese: Macaroni, spaghetti, and vermicelli are all types of pasta.
paste¹ /peɪst/ n [C;U] 1 a soft sticky mixture of powder and liquid that is easily shaped or spread: Add water, mix it into a paste, and fill the cracks with it. | Marzipan is made from almond paste. ➜ see also TOOTHPASTE 2 a thin mixture, especially of flour and water, used for sticking paper together or onto other surfaces ➜ compare GLUE 3 a food made by crushing solid foods into a smooth soft mass, used for spreading on bread: meat paste | fish paste ➜ compare PÂTÉ 4 a shining material made of lead and glass, used to copy the appearance of real jewels: They're not diamonds, they're only paste.
paste² v [T+obj+adv/prep] to stick or fasten (paper) with paste: A notice was pasted to/on the door. | Paste down the edge of the paper | Notices about the demonstration were pasted up (on walls) all over the university. ➜ see also PASTE-UP, PASTING
paste-board¹ /'peɪstbːd||-bːrd/ n [U] flat stiff cardboard made by pasting sheets of paper together
pasteboard² adj [A] derog lacking strength or reality; CARDBOARD: a play full of pasteboard characters
pas-tel¹ /'pæstl||pæ'stel/ n 1 [C;U] (a small stick of) a solid chalklike substance made of powdery colouring matter used for drawing 2 [C] a picture drawn using this substance 3 [C] any soft light colour
pastel² adj [A] 1 drawn in pastels 2 soft and light in colour: pastel shades | pastel blue
pas-tern /'pæstɜːn||-ɜːrn/ n the narrow upper part of a horse's foot, above the HOOF ➜ see picture at HORSE
Pas-ter-nak, Bor-is /'pæstənæk||-tær-, 'bɒrɪs||'bɔː-/ (1890-1960) a Russian poet and writer, best known for his novel about the Russian Revolution, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, which the SOVIET government would not allow to be printed. In 1958 he won the NOBEL PRIZE for Literature, but the government disapproved and so he was not allowed to accept it.
'paste-up n pieces of printed matter, pictures etc, stuck in position (as if) on a page, either to be photographed for a real page or to show what the page will look like when the book, newspaper etc, is produced
Pas-teur, Louis /pæ'stɜː/ (1822-95) a French SCIENTIST who established the study of MICROBIOLOGY (=the study of very small living things such as BACTERIA), and proved that disease can be caused by GERMS. He is also known for studying FERMENTATION (=the process by which substances change chemically and become filled with gas by the action of bacteria), and for inventing the process of PASTEURIZATION, as well as some VACCINES (=substances that are put into people's bodies to protect them from diseases).
pas-teur-ize also -ise BrE /'pæstʃəraz, 'pɑː-, -stə-||'pæstʃə-, -stə-/ v [T] to heat (a liquid) in a certain way in order to destroy bacteria: pasteurized milk ➞ -ization /ˌpæstʃəraˈzeɪʃən, ˌpɑ-, -stə-||pæstʃərə-, -stərə-/ n [U]
pas-tiche /pæ'stiːʃ/ n 1 [C(of)] a work of art, such as a piece of writing or music, that is purposely made in the style of another writer, musician etc 2 [C] a work of art made up of pieces of various other works put together 3 [U] the style or practice of making works of art in either of these ways
pas-tille /pæ'stiːl/ || also lozenge especially AmE ➞ n a small round hard sweet, especially one containing a medicine for a sore throat
pas-time /'pɑːstaɪm||'pæs-/ n something done to pass one's time in a pleasant way: Listening to music is my favourite pastime.
past-ing /'peɪstɪŋ/ n [C usually sing.] infml 1 a hard beating: You'll get a real pasting if the teacher finds out what you've done! 2 (in sport or other competitions) a severe defeat
past 'master n [(at, in, of)] a person who is very clever or skilled in a particular subject or action: He's a past master at getting free drinks/in the art of conversation.
pas-tor /'pɑːstə||'pæ-/ n a Christian religious leader in charge of a church and its members, especially in a Protestant church, other than the Church of England
pas-tor-al¹ /'pɑːstərəl||'pæ-/ adj 1 of the members of a religious group, or its leader's duties towards them: The priest/rabbi makes pastoral visits every Tuesday. | a teacher's pastoral duties (=giving advice on personal matters rather than educational matters) 2 especially lit concerning simple peaceful country life: a charming pastoral scene of cows drinking from a stream | pastoral poetry 3 (of land) grassy; suitable for feeding sheep and cattle
pastoral² also pastoral 'letter n tech an official letter sent by a BISHOP to the church members in his area