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he saw the comedy of the situation and laughed. ➔ see also
BLACK COMEDY, LOW COMEDY, SITUATION COMEDY
**Comedy of 'Errors, The** a humorous play by SHAKE-
SPEARE about two sets of IDENTICAL TWINS (=two children
born to the same mother at the same time, who look exactly
the same). There are many confusing and amusing situations
because the other characters think that they are dealing with
one twin when in fact they are dealing with the other. The
phrase 'a comedy of errors is often used to describe a situation
that is so full of mistakes and problems that it seems funny.
**comedy of 'manners** n a comedy that provides amuse-
ment by making the behaviour and fashions of a particular
group look foolish
**come-'hither** adj [A] infml sexually inviting: come-hither eyes |
a come-hither look
**come·ly** /'kʌmli/ adj lit attractive; having a pleasing appear-
ance: a comely young woman—liness n [U]
**come-on** n 1 infml, especially AmE an attraction to persuade
people to buy particular goods 2 give someone the
come-on slang (especially of a woman) to behave in a sexually
exciting way towards someone: She gave me the come-on as
soon as her husband was out of the room. ➔ see also COME
ON
**com·er** /'kʌmə/ n infml 1 (often in comb.) a person who comes
or arrives: a latecomer at the party | newcomers to our town |
serving drinks to all comers 2 especially AmE a person who
appears to be very successful or likely to succeed
**co·mes·ti·ble** /kə'mestɪbəl/ n [usually pl.] fml or humor some-
thing to be eaten as food
**com·et** /'kɒmɪt||'kɑ:-/ n an object in space that moves round
the sun in a long ELLIPTICAL path and has a very bright head
and a long tail. The most well-known comet is Halley's
comet.
**Comet** a British company which sells electrical or electronic
goods for the home, such as televisions, cameras, washing
machines, COOKERS etc. Their shops are often in large
shopping areas on the edges of towns.
**come-up·pan.ce** /kʌm 'ʌpəns/ n [C usually sing.] infml a
well-deserved punishment or misfortune; one's DESERTS:
He'll get his come-uppance one of these days.
**com-fı** /kʌmʃt/ n old use a sweet covered in sugar with a
fruit or nut centre
**comfort¹** /'kʌmfət||-ərt/ n 1 [U] the state of being free from
anxiety, pain, or suffering, and of having all your physical
needs satisfied: to live in comfort 2 [C] something that satis-
fies your physical needs: all the comforts of modern civiliza-
tion 3 [C;U] (a person or thing that gives) strength, hope, or
sympathy for an unhappy person: My husband was a great
comfort to me when our son was ill. | The priest spoke a few
words of comfort to the dying man. | We can take comfort from
the fact that the situation is not actually getting worse. | to offer
someone a crumb (=a very small bit) of comfort 4 tidings of
comfort and joy a phrase from a CAROL (a religious song sung
at Christmas) ➔ see also COLD COMFORT, CREATURE COM-
FORTS, DISCOMFORT —less adj fml: a grey, comfortless day
**comfort²** v [T] to give COMFORT to: I tried to comfort Jean
after her mother's death. | comforting words —ingly adv
**Comfort** trademark a type of FABRIC CONDITIONER (=liquid for
making clothes feel soft), sold in the UK
**comforta-ble** /kʌmftəbəl, 'kʊmft-||'kamfort-, 'kʌmft-/
adj 1 providing comfort: a comfortable chair/room/pair of
shoes/income | They still have a comfortable lead over their
rivals. 2 feeling comfort, especially not experiencing (too
much) pain, grief, anxiety etc: The doctor said that mother
was comfortable after her operation. | Are you comfortable on
that hard stool? | I won't be comfortable until I know what
happened. 3 having enough money to be free of worry; not
poor: We're not rich but we're fairly comfortably. ➔ see also
UNCOMFORTABLE —bly adv: comfortably ensconced in an
armchair
**comfortably 'off** adj [F] fairly rich
**comfort er** /'kamfətə|-'fər-/ n 1 a person who gives com-
fort 2 old use a length of usually woollen cloth worn around
the neck to keep it warm; SCARF 3 AmE for QUILT
**comfort food** n [C,U] simple food that makes you feel
relaxed and happy
**'comfort, station** n AmE euph for PUBLIC CONVENIENCE
**'comfort, zone** n [C usually sing.] your comfort zone is the
range of activities or situations that you feel happy and
confident in
**com·fy** /'kʌmfi/ adj infml comfortable: a comfy chair
**comic¹** /'kɒmɪk||'kɑ:-/ adj 1 causing laughter; humorous: a
comic performance 2 [A no comp.] of COMEDY: a comic actress/
writer ➔ compare TRAGIC
**comic²** n 1 BrE || comic book AmE — a magazine, especially for
children, containing CARTOON STRIPS: comic-book heroes such
as Superman and Batman 2 a person who is funny, espe-
cially a professional COMEDIAN: a stand-up comic ➔ see also
COMICS
**comic-al** /'kɒmɪkəl||'kɑ:-/ adj funny, especially in an odd or
unexpected way: a comical hat ->-ly /kəli/ adv
**Comical 'Ali** /ˌkɒmɪkəl 'ɑ:li||ˌkɑ:mikəl ɑːr'li:/ ➔ see
AL-SAHAF, MOHAMMED SAEED
**comic opera** n an OPERA with an amusing story, speaking
as well as singing, and usually a happy ending
**Comic Relief** a British CHARITY organization which was
started by professional COMEDIANS. Every two years they
have a special day when they collect money for people who
need help in the UK and other countries, and there is a
special television programme that continues for the whole
evening. Many people do silly activities to earn money for
Comic Relief or they telephone the programme and promise
to give money. People also buy plastic red noses to show their
support, and because of this, Comic Relief Day is often called
'Red Nose Day'.
**comic** /'kɒmɪks||'kɑ:-/ also **funnies** n [the P] especially AmE
the part of a newspaper containing CARTOON STRIPS. On
Sundays, American newspapers usually include a separate
section of comics, in colour: I always read the comics before
the political news.
**'comic strip** also strip cartoon BrE — n a set of drawings
telling a short story, often with words showing the speech of
the characters in the pictures ➔ compare CARTOON
**com-ing¹** /'kʌmɪŋ/ n 1 [S] arrival: With the coming of winter
the days get shorter. 2 comings and goings infml acts of
arriving and leaving: We watched the comings and goings of
the guests from our bedroom window.
**coming²** adj [A] 1 that is coming or will come: during the
coming months 2 infml likely to succeed: a coming young man
➔see also UP-AND-COMING
**coming of 'age** n [usually sing.] the 18th birthday of a person,
when they become legally an adult
**CULTURAL NOTE** At 18 British people are allowed to vote in
elections, get married without the permission of their
parents, and buy and drink alcohol in a PUB. In the US,
either the 18th or 21st birthday might be thought of as a
coming of age; at 18 people are allowed to vote and get
married, but in many states you cannot buy alcohol until
you are 21.