neighbourhood 938
neigh·bour·hood BrE || -borhood AmE /'neɪbəhd||-ər-/
n 1 [C+sing./pl. v] a group of people and their homes forming
a small area within a larger place such as a town: a quiet
neighbourhood with good shops | a neighbourhood
school 2 [S] the area around a point or place: somewhere in
the neighbourhood (of the station) | (fig.) a price in the neigh-
bourhood of £500
,neighbourhood 'watch n [U] a system by which people
in an area keep watch on each other's houses in order to
prevent crime: a local neighbourhood watch scheme
CULTURAL NOTE The people who take part in a
neighbourhood watch scheme are typically honest
respectable people with nice houses, living in good
neighbourhoods. They report anything strange or anyone
behaving badly to the police, who deal with it.
neigh·bour·ing BrE || -boring AmE /'neɪbərɪŋ/ adj [A no
comp.] (of places) near or close by: a bus service between the
town and the neighbouring villages
neigh·bour·ly BrE || -borly AmE /'neɪbəli||-ɔːr-/ adj friendly;
like or typical of a good neighbour: neighbourly help
—liness n [U]
Neigh·bours /'neɪbəz||-bərz/ an Australian SOAP OPERA,
which is very popular on British television, about the people
who live in an imaginary street called RAMSAY STREET in the
Australian city of Melbourne. Some of the actors who
appeared on the programme, such as Kylie MINOGUE and
Natalie Imbruglia, later became well-known singers and film
actors. → compare HOME AND AWAY
Neill, A. S. /niːl/ (1883–1973) a British teacher who started a
new school called Summerhill, where children can choose
to study what they like, and are not told what to do by their
teachers
Nei·man Mar·cus /ˌniːmən 'mɑːkəs||-'mɑːr-/ trademark an
expensive US DEPARTMENT STORE which people often think
of as a store for rich people
nei·ther¹ /'naɪðəɾ||'niː-/ determiner, pron not one and not the
other of two: Neither road/Neither of the roads is very good.
(=they are both bad) | 'Will you have tea or coffee?' 'Neither,
thanks.' → compare NONE¹
neither² conj (used before the first of two or more choices
separated by nor) not either: He neither drinks, smokes, nor
eats meat. | Neither my father nor I were there.
neither³ adv (used with no, not, never etc) also not: 'I can't
swim.' 'Neither can I.' 'Me neither.' (=I can't either) | I wasn't
there, and neither was Mary/neither were the children. →
compare EITHER⁴; see ALSO (USAGE)
USAGE Notice the word order after neither/nor which is
the same as that of a question: Neither/Nor can I. |
Neither/Nor does she.
nel·ly¹ /'neli/ n BrE slang old-fash not on your nelly certainly not
nelly² adj AmE infml (of a man) EFFEMINATE: HOMOSEXUAL
Nel·son, Ho·ra·tio
/'nelsən, hə'reɪʃiəʊ/ (1758–
1805) a British ADMIRAL
(=high-ranking officer in the
navy) who is Britain's most
famous naval leader. He lost
an arm and the sight in one
eye during the wars against
Napoleon, and he became
very popular after winning
several important battles at
sea. His most famous battle
was the Battle of TRAFALGAR
in 1805, in which he was
killed. Before the battle he said to his men 'England expects
that every man will do his duty', and as he lay dying he is
believed to have said 'Kiss me, Hardy' to his friend Sir
Thomas Hardy. He is also known for having a romantic
affair with an UPPER-CLASS woman called Lady Hamilton.
After his death, Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column were
built to honour him.
Nelson, Willie (1933–) a US writer and singer of COUNTRY
AND WESTERN music, who has been very popular since the
early 1970s
,Nelson's 'Column a very tall COLUMN (=upright stone post)
with a STATUE of Admiral NELSON on the top of it in
TRAFALGAR SQUARE in central London. It was built to hon-
our Nelson, who was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar, where
the British navy defeated the navy of Napoleon in 1805. It is
one of the best-known sights in London.
nem con /ˌnem 'kɒn||-'kɑːn/ adv Lat law without any opposi-
tion: The suggestion was accepted nem con by the committee.
nem·e·sis /'neməsɪs/ n pl. -ses /-siːz/ [C;U] lit (sometimes cap.)
just and especially unavoidable punishment, often consid-
ered as a goddess or an active force
neo- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
ne·o·clas·si·cal /ˌniːəʊ'klæsɪkəl/ adj tech done or made
recently, but in the CLASSICAL style of a former time, espe-
cially in the style of ancient Greece and Rome
ne·o·co·lo·ni·al·ism /ˌniːəʊkə'ləʊniəlɪzəm/ n [U] derog
the trading and political practices by which a powerful
country indirectly keeps or enlarges its control over espe-
cially recently independent countries, without the need of
military force → compare COLONIALISM
ne·o·lith·ic /ˌniːə'lɪθɪk/ adj (often cap.) of the latest period of
the STONE AGE, about 10,000 years ago, when people began
to settle in villages, grow crops, keep animals, polish stone
for tools, and use the wheel: neolithic villages → compare
PALEOLITHIC
ne·ol·o·gism /ni'ɒlədʒɪzəm||-'ɑːl-/ n 1 [C] a new word or
expression, or a new meaning for an older word: The term
'user-friendly' is a neologism that has come into everyday
speech from the computer industry. 2 [U] the use of such new
words or meanings
ne·on /'niːn||-ɑːn/ n [U] a chemically inactive gas that is a
simple substance (ELEMENT)
Ne·o-Na·zi /ˌniːəʊ 'nɑːtsi/ n a member of an extreme
RIGHT-WING political group that has ideas similar to those of
Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party, including hatred of Jews and
people of non-white races. Groups of Neo-Nazis have
formed in different parts of Europe at various times since
the end of World War II and some of them, for example in
the eastern part of Germany in the 1990s, have received a
lot of votes in elections. —Neo-Nazi adj
,neon 'light n a glass tube filled with neon which lights when
an electric current goes through it, often shaped to form a
neon sign advertising something
ne·o·phyte /'niːəʊfaɪt/ n 1 fml a new student of an art, skill,
trade etc; BEGINNER 2 a new member of a religious group
Ne·pal /ni'pɑːl/ a country in southern Asia, in the Hima-
layan mountains, north of India and south of China. Popu-
lation: 23,151,423 (2001). Capital: Kathmandu. Nepal is a
place where tourists who want to go walking and climbing
in the mountains go. —Nepalese /ˌnepə'liːz/ n, adj
Ne·pa·li /ni'pɑːli/ n pl. Nepalis, Nepali 1 [C] someone who
comes from Nepal 2 [U] the language of Nepal —Nepali adj
neph·ew /'nefjuː, 'nev-||'nef-/ n 1 the son of one's brother
or sister 2 the son of one's wife's or husband's brother or
sister → compare NIECE
ne·phri·tis /ni'fraɪtɪs/ n [U] med a disease of the KIDNEY
nep·o·tism /'nepətɪzəm/ n [U] the practice of giving one's
relatives unfair advantages when one has power, especially
by giving them good jobs. Most people disapprove of
nepotism, although it is quite often done. —tistic
/ˌnepə'tɪstɪk/ adj
Nep·tune /'neptjuːn||-tuːn/ n [S] 1 the PLANET that is
eighth in order from the sun 2 in Roman MYTHOLOGY, the
god of the sea. He is usually shown in pictures with a long
beard and a fish's tail, carrying a TRIDENT (=a spear with three
points). In Greek mythology his name is Poseidon.
nerd /nɜːd||nɜːrd/ n derog slang an unattractive or unpleasant
person, especially one who lacks ordinary social skills
ner·e·id /'nɪəri-ɪd/ n a female spirit in CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
who lived in the sea; see NYMPH
Ne·ro /'nɪərəʊ/ (AD 37–68) a Roman EMPEROR, said to have
killed his mother, wives, and many others. He blamed the
Christians for causing the great fire of Rome in AD 64 and
many were killed. He is also known for his performances as an
actor and musician, and is usually shown in pictures fiddling