better
116
he's better he can play football again. 3 be better than one's
word to do more than one has promised 4 Better luck next
time! (said to encourage someone who has done badly this
time in an examination, race, competition etc) 5 for better
or for worse a phrase from the Christian marriage service.
The people getting married promise to love each other 'for
better or for worse' (=if things are good or bad). 6 no better
than she should be old-fash euph infml of low sexual mor-
als 7 the better part of more than half: I haven't seen him
for the better part of a month! → compare WORSE¹
better² adv (comparative of WELL) 1 in a better way: It works
better if you put a bit of oil in. | He swims better than he used
to. | You would do better (=it would be better/wiser) to get
some professional advice. 2 to a greater degree: She knows
the story better than I do. | She got the job because she was
better qualified than the others. | He has written several
novels, but he is better known for his plays. 3 go one better
(than) infml to do better (than): That was a good story, but I
can go one better. 4 had better ought to; should: You'd better
go home now. | We'd better not tell him. | 'I won't forget again,
I promise.' 'You'd better not!' → compare WORSE³
1 Had better is one of the most common
expressions in conversation when you are giving advice
about what someone should or ought to do, especially to
avoid some problem, unpleasantness, or danger: You'd
better leave now or you'll be late. | You'd better give me
your telephone number in case someone wants to contact
you. Had better is only used to talk about present or
future time, but should and ought to can also be used to
talk about the past. We can say You should have called
me before you left. | She ought to have told her mother
she was pregnant. 2 Had better is not used to compare
two courses of action. Instead we use expressions like it
would be better to do sth, you would be better off
doing sth, or your best plan would be to do sth: 'Do
you think I should fly directly to Australia or break my
journey in Hong Kong?' 'It would be better to
spend/You'd be better off spending/Your best plan
would be to spend a few days in Hong Kong. There are
so many things to see there.'
better³ n 1 [the] a person or thing that is better: Which is the
better of these two cars? | There's been a change for the
better (=an improvement) in his health. 2 for better or (for)
worse whatever happens; whether one likes it or not 3 [the]
get the better of to defeat (someone) or deal successfully
with (a difficulty): I wouldn't argue with her if I were you –
she'll get the better of you! → see also BETTERS; compare
WORSE²
better⁴ v fml 1 [I;T] to (cause to) improve: a policy aimed at
bettering the lot of the poorest nations → compare
WORSEN 2 [T] to go beyond in quality; SURPASS: This year's
results are unlikely to be bettered. 3 better oneself a) to
earn more money b) to educate oneself —-ment n [U]
,Better 'Business ,Bureau, the a US organization for
businesses and their customers. When customers believe
they have been treated unfairly by a company or have
bought a bad product, they often ask the Better Business
Bureau for advice.
,better 'half n infml humor one's husband or wife: Hello, George!
Where's your better half?
,Better ,Homes and 'Gardens a US magazine with lots of
pictures of beautiful houses, and articles about how to make
your home more beautiful. There is a similar magazine in the
UK called Homes and Gardens.
bet-ter-ment /'betəmənt||-tər-/ n [U] fml improvement,
especially in the financial situation of a person or a country:
The discovery of oil offers the hope of economic betterment.
bet-ters /'betəz||-ərz/ n [P] people of higher rank or greater
worth (than someone): to be polite to one's elders and
betters
Bet-ter-ware /'betəweə||-tər-/ trademark a British company
that uses door-to-door salesmen (DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESMAN)
to sell things for the house or garden such as cleaning
products. It has also started selling goods on the Internet.
bet-ting /'betɪŋ/ n 1 what's the betting/the betting is BrE
used to say that something seems very likely to happen or to
be true: What's the betting Dan's involved in this some-
where? 2 [U] the act of risking money on the results of
games, competitions etc
'betting shop n a place where the business of taking BETS on
horse races and other competitions is carried on. Betting
shops are found in towns and cities in Britain.
Bet-ty Boop /,beti 'bu:p/ a US CARTOON character originally
drawn in 1930. Betty Boop is a sexually attractive slightly
silly young woman with a very short dress, short curled
black hair, and large eyes. She often says 'Boop-Boop-A-
Doop'.
Betty Crock-er /,beti 'krɒkə||-'krɑː-/ a US company that
makes mixes (MIX), sold in packets, for cakes and other sweet
baked foods such as MUFFINS and BROWNIES
,Betty ,Ford 'Clinic, the an expensive hospital in the US
where rich and famous people go for treatment to help
them stop drinking too much alcohol or taking illegal drugs.
Its official name is the Betty Ford Center.
be-tween¹ /bɪ'twiːn/ prep 1 a) in or into the space or time
that separates: standing between Sue and Brian | It happened
between five and six o'clock in the morning. | between five and
six miles away | You shouldn't eat between meals. | I hope
nothing ever comes between us. (=separates us) b) in the
range that separates (two things or amounts): It will cost
between 8 and 10 million dollars. 2 (showing connection): a
regular air service between London and Paris | a friendship
between Sue and Brian | talks between the management and
the unions | co-operation between the two companies 3 (show-
ing division or sharing between two or more): Divide it
between the children. | a choice between two possibilities |
What's the difference between spaghetti and noodles? | a quar-
rel between Sue and Brian | a football match between Man-
chester United and Liverpool | They all did the job between
them. | Between us, we collected £17. | Between cooking, writ-
ing, and running the farm, she was very busy. 4 between a
rock and a hard place AmE infml in a situation where both of
two possible choices seem undesirable 5 between you and
me also between you, me, and the gatepost/bedpost
between ourselves infml without anyone else knowing; pri-
vately: Between you and me, (I think) he's rather stupid. 6 in
between at some point (e.g. in space or time) between: I'm
not sure where it is, but it's somewhere in between New York
and Chicago. | She did a university degree and a teacher
training course, with a year off in between (the two).
Compare among and between. When you are
talking about only two or a few things or people, and are
thinking about them separately, use between: He divided
the money between the two children. | The spaces
between the fence posts. If you are talking about a group
of three or more things or people, use among: He divided
the money among the three children. | The mountains
were hidden among the clouds.
between² adv in or into a space or period of time that is
between: I ate breakfast and dinner but nothing (in)
between. → see also few and far between (FEW)
be-twixt /bɪ'twɪkst/ also 'twixt prep, adv old use or poet between:
not a sailor nor a soldier but something betwixt and between
(=partly one and partly the other)
Bev-an, A-neu-rin /'bevən, ə'nɔɪərɪn/ (1897–1960) also
called Nye, a British politician in the Labour Party, who is
known for starting the NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE when he
was Minister of Health from 1945 to 1951. Members of the
Labour Party with LEFT-WING opinions used to be called
Bevanites.
bev-el¹ /'bevəl/ n 1 a sloping edge or surface that does not
form a right angle, usually along the edge of wood or
glass 2 an instrument for making such a sloping edge or
surface
bevel² v -ll- BrE || -l- AmE [T] to make a bevel on (e.g. a piece of
wood) —-bevelled adj: a bevelled mirror
bev-er-age /'bevərɪdʒ/ n fml a liquid for drinking, especially
one that is not water or medicine: alcoholic beverages | hot
beverages (=tea, coffee etc)
Bever-idg Re-port, the /'bevərɪdʒ rɪ,pɔːt||-ˌɔːrt/ an
important report produced by the British ECONOMIST William
Beveridge in 1942. It introduced the idea of the WELFARE