119
Big Brothers
It's your bid now, Peter. 4 [for] an attempt to get, win, or attract: He made a bid for freedom by climbing over the wall. | a bid for power | a rescue bid | [+to-v] They brought in new tax laws in a bid to restore their popularity.
bid³ v bade /bæd, beɪd/ or bid, bidden /'bɪdn/ or bid, present participle bidding [T] old use or lit 1 to say or wish (a greeting or goodbye to someone): [+obj](|+obj|adj) He bade me good morning as he passed. 2 [+obj|+to-v] to order or tell (someone to do something): She bade him enter. | Do as you are bidden. 3 [to] to invite: guests bidden to a wedding 4 bid fair (to do something) to seem likely (to do something): This agreement bids fair to establish a lasting peace. —der n
bid-da-ble /'bɪdəbəl/ adj especially BrE (of a person) easily influenced or controlled
bid-ding /'bɪdɪŋ/ n [U] order; command (especially in the phrases at someone's bidding, do someone's bidding)
bid-dy /'bɪdi/ n infml an old woman: a couple of old biddies
bide /baɪd/ v bide one's time to wait, usually for a long time, until the right moment: I'm planning to change my job, but I'm just biding my time until the right opportunity comes up.
bi-det /'bi:deɪ||bɪ'deɪ/ n a kind of small low bath across which one sits to wash the lower parts of the body, used especially in France
bi-en-ni-al /baɪ'eniəl/ adj 1 (of an event) happening once every two years 2 (of a plant) living for two years and producing flowers and seed in the second year ➔ compare ANNUAL, BIANNUAL —ly adv
bier /bɪəʳ/ n a movable frame like a table, sometimes with wheels, for supporting a dead body or COFFIN or for taking it to the grave
Bierce, Am·brose /bɪəs||bɪərs, 'æmbroʊz/ (1842-?1914) a US writer known for his short stories, who disappeared in Mexico and was never found
biff /bɪf/ v [T] BrE slang to hit with a quick hard blow: He biffed me on the chin! —biff n
bi-fo-cals /baɪ'fəʊkəlz||'baɪfoʊ-/ n [P] glasses for the eyes with an upper part made for looking at distant objects, and a lower part made for reading ➔ see PAIR (USAGE) —bifocal adj
bi·fur·cate /'baɪfəkeɪt||-fər-/ v [I] fml (of roads, branches, rivers etc) to divide into two branches or parts; FORK —cation /baɪfə'keɪʃən||-fər-/ n [C,U]
big¹ /bɪg/ adj -gg- 1 of more than average size, weight, amount, force, importance etc: a big box | a big field | a big increase in prices | the biggest hotel in New York | How big is it? | no bigger than a pin | That child is big for his age. | The big question is what to do next. | a big landowner (=who owns a lot of land) | (fig.) big-hearted (=generous) | Don't cry: you're a big girl now. | The big day has come at last! | The big advantage of this system is that it is easy to use. | John's a big spender. (=spends money freely) | You should go into merchant banking – that's where the big money is. (=that is where high wages can be earned) | a big eater | his big (=older) sister/brother 2 infml very popular and successful, especially in sports and the entertainment business: Frank Sinatra was very big in Las Vegas. 3 [F+with] old use (of a woman) PREGNANT: big with child 4 be big of to be generous of: It was big of him to lend you his car. 5 have a big mouth to talk too much, especially to give away secrets: Be careful what you say to her – she's got a big mouth. 6 have big ideas infml to have plans or aims to do something important or to become important 7 the bigger they come, the harder they fall saying the more important someone is and the more power that they have, the worse it is for them when they lose power 8 too big for one's boots infml believing yourself to be more important than you really are ➔ see also think big (THINK¹) —ness n [U]
3 Compare big, large, and great. 1 Big and large are both often used to talk about the measurements of things or groups, though large is slightly more formal and not so often used about people: That shirt doesn't fit me; It's too big/large. | How big are you around the waist? | a big/large family 2 Large is used with quantity words, where great or big are used less often in this way: a large amount/number/area/part. 3 Great used about the size of things or events is mainly found in literary writing or names and means 'very large and impressive': A great crowd had gathered. You would usually use great rather than big with uncountable nouns to describe the size or extent of things you cannot touch: She showed great courage. Where both great or big could be used, great is stronger and suggests more importance: a great/big opportunity. 4 Note that great means 'famous' or 'important', or sometimes just extremely nice, when used about people: Rembrandt was a great painter. | Isn't Max a great guy? Great is also used informally about things just to mean 'extremely good': You look great!
big² v -gg- big it up BrE spoken infml to spend a lot of money and enjoy yourself in a social situation, in a way that other people will notice
big·a·my /'bɪgəmi/ n [U] the state of being married to two people at the same time. Bigamy is a crime in Britain and the US. ➔ compare MONOGAMY, POLYGAMY —mist n —mous adj —mously adv
Big 'Apple, the a popular name for New York City: He went to the Big Apple to make his fortune.
big bad 'wolf n [the] often cap. an evil WOLF who appears in various stories, trying to frighten, hurt, or eat other characters. The name is often used to describe something or someone that takes on this character: 'We are not the big bad wolf of the chemical industry,' said a spokesman, yesterday.
big 'band n a type of large band that plays popular music for people to dance to
CULTURAL NOTE Big bands were especially popular in the 1940s, and usually consisted of a leader and a lot of instruments that are played by blowing, especially the TRUMPET TROMBONE and CLARINET. Their style of music was known as the big band sound and famous leaders include Glenn MILLER, Duke ELLINGTON, and Benny GOODMAN.
Big 'Bang the name given to the changes in the system and rules of the London STOCK EXCHANGE which came into effect on December 27th 1986: By October 1987, a year after Big Bang, the inflated City salaries were slipping.
Big Bang, the n the explosion at the beginning of time, which most scientists believe caused the universe to exist: the Big Bang theory
Big 'Ben the large bell in the tower of the HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT in London, which rings regularly to tell the time and can often be heard on the radio in the UK. The tower of Big Ben is often used to represent London or the UK.
Big 'Bird a character in the American children's television show SESAME STREET, which is a large yellow bird who talks and behaves like a human
Big 'Blue an informal name for the computer company IBM
'big board n [the] AmE (the electronic sign showing changing share prices at) the New York Stock Exchange
'big boys, the n [P] the most successful and powerful people or organizations: Small businesses like ours can't really compete with the big boys.
Big 'Brother¹ a character in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Big Brother is the leader of the state, and although no one has ever met him there are pictures of him everywhere with the message 'Big Brother is watching you'. People now use the expression 'Big Brother' to describe any government or organization that has complete power, allows no freedom, and carefully watches what people are doing: Increasingly, the state is taking a big brother role in this area.
Big Brother² a television programme in the UK, US, and several other countries, in which several people are chosen to live in a house together. Their actions and conversations are then filmed and shown on television. Once a week, the people who watch the programme vote on who they think should leave the house. This programme was very popular and some of the people who took part in it became famous.
Big 'Brothers a US organization to help boys, especially boys who do not have fathers or who come from families experiencing difficulties. Each boy has his own Big Brother, a man who meets him regularly to give advice, listen to his problems, play games, and be a ROLE MODEL. Big Brothers are