briefing
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brief·ing /'briːfɪŋ/ n [C;U] an act of giving necessary instructions or information: Before the meeting, let me give you a quick briefing.
briefs /briːfs/ n [P] UNDERPANTS or KNICKERS. This is the word used especially by people who make or sell underpants or knickers: a pair of briefs | bikini briefs → see PAIR (USAGE)
brier, briar /braɪə/ n [C;U] a wild bush covered with sharp THORNS especially the wild rose bush: brier patch
Bri-ers, Richard /'braɪəz||-əz/ (1934-) an English television, theatre, and film actor, known especially for his part in the British television COMEDY SERIES of the 1970s, The Good Life
brig /brɪg/ n 1 a ship with two MASTS and large square sails 2 AmE infml a military prison
bri·gade /brɪ'geɪd/ n [C+sing./pl. v] 1 a part of an army, of about 5000 soldiers 2 an organization formed to carry out certain duties: the Fire Brigade
brig·a·dier /ˌbrɪgə'dɪə/ n a military rank → see TABLE 3
,brigadier-'general n a military rank → see TABLE 3
brig·and /'brɪgənd/ n fml or lit an armed thief, one of a band of thieves living especially in mountains; BANDIT
brig·an·tine /'brɪgəntiːn/ n a ship like a BRIG but with fewer sails
bright /braɪt/ adj 1 giving out or throwing back light very strongly; full of light; shining: bright sunlight | The weather forecast said it would be mostly cloudy with a few bright intervals. | She longed for the bright lights (=interesting and exciting activity) of the big city. | (fig.) one of the brightest moments in our country's history | (fig.) It's rather a dull film – the only bright spots are the dancing scenes. 2 (of a colour) strong, clear, and easily seen: bright red 3 full of life; cheerful; happy: Her face was bright with happiness. | bright eyes 4 clever; quick at learning: a bright child/idea | She should do well – she's very bright. | (infml) That child is as bright as a button. (=very clever and full of life) → see CLEVER (USAGE) 5 showing hope or signs of future success: You have a bright future ahead of you! | The long-term prospects for this industry are beginning to look brighter. → see also ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL, look on the bright side (of things) (LOOK¹) ——ly adv: shining/smiling brightly ——ness n [U]
bright·en /'braɪtn/ v [I;T(UP)] to (cause to) become bright: She brightened (up) when we reached the hotel. | These new curtains will brighten (up) the room.
,bright-'eyed and ,bushy-'tailed adj infml working well and quickly, and full of new ideas
Bright·on /'braɪtn/ a large town on the south coast of England, which has been a popular place for holidays since the 18th century. It is famous for the Brighton Pavilion, a large building with an unusual ORIENTAL design, and it also has two universities, many language schools, and a well-known centre for CONFERENCES.
,Brighton 'bomb a bomb that almost killed the British Prime Minister Margaret THATCHER in October 1984. The IRA exploded the bomb at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, where most members of the Conservative Government were staying for the 1984 Conservative Party CONFERENCE. The bomb exploded at 2.40 am killing five people. Mrs Thatcher escaped unhurt, but one of her most important ministers, Employment Secretary Norman Tebbit, and his wife were both injured.
brights /braɪts/ n [P] AmE infml car HEADLIGHTS which are on as brightly as possible: Do you have your brights on?
,bright 'spark n BrE infml, especially humor or derog someone who says or does something they think is intelligent, but it is really wrong or stupid
brill¹ /brɪl/ adj BrE infml very good; BRILLIANT; used especially by younger people
brill² n [C;U] a European food fish with a flat body
bril·liant¹ /'brɪljənt/ adj 1 very bright, splendid, or showy in appearance: The sun shone in a brilliant blue sky. | brilliant colours 2 causing great admiration or satisfaction because a) very clever: a brilliant idea/invention/scientist b) highly skilled; extremely good: a brilliant speaker | a technically brilliant performance → see CLEVER (USAGE) ——ly adv ——liance, -liancy n [U] her brilliance as an engineer
brilliant² n tech a precious stone cut with many surfaces to make it shine
bril·lian·tine /'brɪljəntiːn/ n [U] an oily mixture for making men's hair shine and stay in place. It has not been used much since the 1950s except by older men.
Bril·lo pad /'brɪləʊ pæd/ trademark a ball of wire filled with soap, used for cleaning pans
brim¹ /brɪm/ n 1 the top edge of a cup, bowl etc, especially with regard to how full it is: The glass was full to the brim. 2 the bottom part of a hat which turns outwards to give shade or protection against rain: You can wear the hat with the brim turned up or down. 3 -brimmed /brɪmd/ having the stated kind of BRIM: a broad-brimmed hat
brim² v -mm- [I(with)] to be full to the brim: His eyes brimmed with tears.
brim over phr v [I(with)] 1 to become full and begin to overflow: Turn off the taps — the sink is brimming over. 2 to express a lot of (a good feeling): brimming over with self confidence/happiness
brim·ful, -full /'brɪm,fʊl/ adj [F(of, with)] full to the brim; overflowing (OVERFLOW)
brim·stone /'brɪmstəʊn, -stən/ n [U] especially old use the chemical SULPHUR → see also fire and brimstone (FIRE)
brin·dled /'brɪndld/ adj (especially of cows, dogs, and cats) brown with marks or bands of another colour
brine /braɪn/ n 1 [U] water containing a lot of salt, used for preserving food 2 [the S] lit or humor the sea → see also BRINE —briny adj
bring /brɪŋ/ v brought /brɔːt/ [T] 1 to come with, carry, or lead (to or towards): Bring your friend to the party. | She brought some toys for the children. | The defendant was brought before the judge. | The new manager started last week, bringing with him plenty of new ideas. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] Bring me the book. → see (USAGE) 2 to cause or lead to: The minister's speech brought an angry reaction from his opponents. | The long drought brought great hardship for the farmers. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] The play's success brought her great satisfaction. 3 to cause to come (to a particular place, condition, or course of action): His sad letter brought many offers of help. | [+obj+adv/prep] It was their interest in photography that brought them together. | The gas is brought ashore by a pipeline. | That brings the total to £200. | The sight brought tears to our eyes. | What brings you here today (=what is your reason for coming?) | It was my secretary who brought the matter to my attention/notice. | Put the milk in a pan and bring it to the boil. | The company was brought into being (=started) last year. | The fraudulent behaviour of a few individuals has brought the whole profession into disrepute. | A walkout by factory workers has brought production to a standstill. | A few extra classes will be all that is needed to bring her up to the standard of the rest of the class. | She brought the meeting to an end/close as it was getting late. | [+obj+v-ing] Her screams brought the neighbours running. | [+obj+to-v] I couldn't bring myself to tell her the bad news (=couldn't bear to tell her) 4 to be sold for: This old car will bring about £10. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] The pictures he sells bring him £12,000 a year. 5 [against] law to make officially: Do you think they'll bring charges (against him)? | to bring a libel action
Bring, take, fetch and carry. Bring means to take someone or something with you to the place where you are now, to your home, or to the place you have been talking about: Why don't you bring Kate, too? | They came to my party and brought me a present. Bring is also used when you take something towards the person being spoken to or talked about: Hold on, I'll bring you a towel. Take involves moving in the opposite direction to bring, so that you are taking someone or something with you to another place: Take your umbrella when you go out. | We went to her party and took her a present. Fetch is used in British English to mean 'go and get something and bring it back': Please fetch the scissors from the kitchen. In American English, instead use get or go and get for this meaning: Get the sheets from the cupboard. | Will you go and get some eggs at the store Carry does not give any idea as to the direction of movement, but suggests that you are holding something in your arms or with your hands: They carried the body down the mountain. | She carried the groceries into the house.