184
C,c
C, c /si:/ pl. C's, c's n [C,U] 1 the third letter of the English alphabet 2 the first note in the musical SCALE of C MAJOR, or the musical KEY based on this note 3 a mark given to a student's work to show that it is of average quality: I got a C in geography. 4 the number 100 in the system of ROMAN NUMERALS
c also C. 1 also C abbrev. for CENTURY: the economic changes of the C20th 2 also ca abbrev. for CIRCA (=about), used especially before dates: c. 1830 3 © abbrev. for COPYRIGHT 4 AmE abbrev. for cup; used in cooking
C 1 abbrev. for Celsius or Centigrade: Water boils at 100°C. 2 written infml a way of writing 'see', used especially in emails and TEXT MESSAGES: CU (=see you) in class!
CA written abbrev. for CALIFORNIA
CAA, the /si: ei 'ei/ abbrev. for the CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY
cab /kæb/ n 1 a taxi: Shall we walk or take a cab/go by cab? 2 the part of a bus, railway engine etc in which the driver sits or stands 3 (in former times) a horse-drawn carriage for hire
CAB, the /si: ai 'bi:/ abbrev. for the CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
ca-bal /kə'bæl/ n [C+sing./pl. v] derog a small group of people who make secret plans for (especially political) action
ca-ba-la, cabbala, cabbalah /kæ'bɑ:lə/ also kabala, kabbala, kabbalah n 1 [U] a system of Jewish belief based on getting hidden meanings from the Old Testament and other writings, for example to see into the future 2 [C] an old, mysterious, or secret art or subject —cabalism /'kæbəlɪzəm/ n [U] —cabalistic /ˌkæbə'lɪstɪk / adj
Ca-bal-lé, Mont-ser-rat /ˌkæbə'jerɪlˌkɑ:bɑ:-ˌmontsə'ratɪlˌmoʊnt-/ (1933-) a Spanish OPERA singer, who is one of the most important SOPRANOS (=women with high singing voices) of the 20th century
cab-a-ret /'kæbəreɪɪlˌkæbə'reɪ/ n [C;U] (a) performance of popular music and dancing while guests in a restaurant have a meal, usually at night
Cabaret (1972) a US film with singing and dancing, in which Liza Minelli appears as a singer in a NIGHTCLUB who lives with her lover in Berlin in the 1930s before the Nazis took complete power
cab-bage /'kæbɪd/ n 1 [C;U] a large round vegetable with thick green leaves used (usually cooked) as food → compare LETTUCE 2 [C] a) BrE infml derog an inactive person who takes no interest in anything b) BrE || vegetable AmE someone who has lost the ability to think, move etc as a result of illness, brain damage etc
'Cabbage Patch doll trademark a type of DOLL that looks like a small fat child. All Cabbage Patch dolls are slightly different from one another.
cab-by, cab-bie /'kæbi/ also cab-driv-er /'kæbˌdraɪvər/ especially AmE — n infml a taxi driver
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain, cabbies, especially London cabbies, are famous for talking a lot to their passengers and expressing strong opinions, especially about politics.
ca-ber /'keɪbər/ n a long heavy wooden pole used in Scotland in a sports competition (tossing the caber) in which the pole is thrown into the air as a test of strength
Cab-er-net Sau-vi-gnon /ˌkæbərˌneɪ soʊvin'jɒnɪlˌkæbərnet soʊvi:n'jəʊn/ n 1 [U] a type of GRAPE grown for making wine 2 [C;U] a type of red wine produced from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in various countries throughout the world
cab-in /'kæbɪn/ n 1 a room on a ship usually used for sleeping 2 the small enclosed space at the front of an aircraft in which the pilot sits 3 a small roughly built, usually wooden, house: They lived in a little log cabin in the mountains.
'cabin boy n a boy who is a servant on a ship
'cabin class n [U] (on a ship) the travelling conditions which are better and more expensive than TOURIST CLASS but worse and cheaper than FIRST CLASS: I always travel cabin class. cabin-class ticket
'cabin crew n [U] the group of people whose job is to take care of the passengers on a plane → see FLIGHT ATTENDANT, STEWARD
'cabin cruiser n a large motor boat with one or more cabins
cab-i-net /'kæbɪnt/ n 1 a piece of furniture, with shelves and drawers or doors, used for storing or showing things: a filing cabinet | a medicine cabinet | I keep my collection of china in the cabinet. → compare CUPBOARD 2 [+sing./pl. v] (often cap.) (in various countries) the most important ministers of the government, who meet as a group to make decisions or to advise the head of the government: The cabinet meets/meet tomorrow to discuss this problem. | This will be discussed in cabinet (=in a meeting of the cabinet) next week.
CULTURAL NOTE **the Cabinet** In the US and British political systems, most important decisions are made by the President or Prime Minister and his or her cabinet, who have regular meetings. The members of the cabinet are the heads of government departments, such as the country's department of education or department of transport. These people are chosen by the Prime Minister or President. In the UK, most cabinet members are also Members of Parliament, although a few are from the House of Lords. In the US, however, the members of the cabinet are not chosen from Congress, and they are not elected. Instead, the President chooses the people he or she wants to be in the cabinet, and Congress has to approve this choice.
'cabinet-maker n a maker or repairer of fine furniture
'cabinet minister n a government minister who is a member of the cabinet
Cabinet reshuffle n a change in the members of the British Cabinet, decided by the Prime Minister, in which some members are given different jobs, some members lose their jobs, and new members are brought in
'cabin fever n [U] a condition that results from one being forced to spend too much time indoors, especially in winter because of bad weather. Sufferers become very bad-tempered and may behave strangely.
ca-ble¹ /'keɪbəl/ n 1 [C;U] (a length of) thick strong usually metal rope used on ships, to support bridges etc 2 [C] a set of wires which carry telephone messages, television signals etc: an underwater telephone cable | a cable connecting a printer to a computer 3 [C] also ca-ble-gram /-ˌgræm/ infml — TELEGRAM 4 [U] also 'cable stitch — a twisted and knotted pattern of thread, used in knitting (KNIT) 5 [U] CABLE TELEVISION
cable² v [I;T] to send (something) or tell (someone) by TELEGRAM: We cabled the news to London. | [+obj](+obj{d}) She cabled him some money.
Cable and Wireless trademark one of the world's leading TELECOMMUNICATIONS companies
'cable car n 1 a vehicle which is supported in the air and pulled by a continuous cable, used for carrying people to the tops of mountains or other steep slopes 2 a vehicle used in cities, especially in San Francisco, California, which is pulled by a continuously moving underground cable
'cable railway n a railway along which vehicles are pulled by a continuous cable driven by a motor, used especially where there are very steep slopes
cable 'television also cable TV, cable n [U] a system of broadcasting television by cable, usually paid for by the user and giving the user a choice of more CHANNELS to watch than the usual channels which every television receives. It is also used in areas where the television picture would otherwise not be very good. In the US, different cable television companies operate in different areas, sometimes offering a large number of different channels for a monthly charge. compare SATELLITE TELEVISION
ca-bling /'keɪblɪŋ/ n [U] all the wires that are used on a piece of electrical equipment or in an electrical system
ca-boo-dle /kə'bu:dl/ n the whole caboodle also kit and caboodle especially AmE slang the whole lot; everything