chestnut
230
tree) on which this nut grows 3 [C;U] HORSE CHEST-
NUT 4 [C] a reddish-brown horse 5 [C] infml a joke or story
so old and well-known that it is no longer funny or
interesting: His speeches are always full of old chest-
nuts. 6 pull someone's chestnuts out of the fire BrE infml to
save someone from a difficult situation, especially at the LAST
MINUTE
chestnut² adj deep reddish-brown: her chestnut hair
'chest of 'drawers also bureau AmE — n a piece of
furniture with several drawers, usually used for holding
clothes
chest-y /'tʃesti/ adj infml 1 especially BrE showing or suffering
from a disease of the chest: a chesty cough | He was a bit
chesty, so I didn't send him to school. 2 derog having large
breasts —ily adv
chev·a·lier /ˌevə'liəʳ/ n rare a KNIGHT; especially one who is
a member of certain honourable associations: a Chevalier of
the Legion of Honour in France
Chev·i·ot Hills, the /'tʃeviət 'hɪlz/ also Cheviots, the
[P] a range of hills between England and Scotland
Chev·ro·let /'ʃevrəleɪ‖ʃevrə'leɪ/ also Chevy infml trademark a
type of US car, made by GENERAL MOTORS and especially
popular as a family car
chev·ron /'ʃevrən/ n a piece of cloth in the shape ∧ or ∨,
worn on the SLEEVE of a uniform to show the wearer's rank
Chevron trademark a large oil and petrol company that has
many PETROL STATIONS in the US
Chev·y /'ʃevi/ n an informal name for a CHEVROLET
chew¹ /tʃuː/ v [(on);T (UP)] 1 to crush or keep biting with the
teeth: Chew your food well before you swallow it. | The dog
was chewing on a bone. | He can't chew without his false
teeth. | to chew tobacco 2 chew the cud infml to think deeply
before making a decision 3 chew the fat infml to have a long
conversation about many subjects; CHAT: We sat there drink-
ing beer and chewing the fat until it was time to go home. →
see also bite off more than one can chew (BITE)
chew sbdy. ⇔ out phr v [T] infml, especially AmE to speak
angrily to: He chewed out his secretary for being late to work.
chew sthg. ⇔ over phr v [T] infml to think about (a question,
problem etc): I'll chew it over for a few days and then let you
have my answer.
chew² n 1 [S] an act of chewing 2 [C] a sweet or piece of
tobacco made to be chewed but not always swallowed: a
chew of tobacco | a penny chew (=a sweet bought for a small
sum of money)
'chewing gum also gum n [U] a sticky substance usually
having a special, often sweet, taste, made to be chewed but
not swallowed. Children often get rid of their chewing gum
by sticking it under their chairs or desks in school, some-
times intending to chew it again later.
chew·y /'tʃuːi/ adj (of food) needing to be chewed; not very
soft: chewy meat/toffees
Chex /tʃeks/ trademark 1 a type of breakfast CEREAL sold in the
US 2 also ,Chex 'Party Mix a salty mixture made from Chex,
nuts, and PRETZELS, eaten as a SNACK
Chey·enne¹ /ʃaɪ'en/ the capital of the US state of Wyo-
ming
Cheyenne² n 1 the Cheyenne a Native American people
that live in the West of the US 2 [C] a member of the
Cheyenne people
Chiang Kai-shek /ˌtʃæŋ ˌkaɪ 'ʃek/ (1887–1975) a Chinese
military and political leader of the Chinese NATIONALIST
Party. In 1949 Chiang and his Nationalist armies left the
Chinese MAINLAND and went onto the island of Taiwan
where he ruled until he died.
Chi·an·ti /ki'ænti‖ki'ɑːnti/ trademark a type of Italian red
wine
Chi·an·ti·shire /ki'æntiʃə ‖-ˈɑːn-/ BrE a humorous name for
an area of Tuscany, in Italy, where many UPPER-CLASS
(=belonging to the highest social class) British people live or
go to stay on holiday
chi·a·ro·scu·ro /ˌkiˌɑːrə'skʊərəʊ/ n [U] tech the arrange-
ment or treatment of light and dark parts in a picture
chic /ʃiːk/ n [U] good style, especially in your manner or the
way you dresses; a fashionable SOPHISTICATED quality: She
wears her clothes with great chic. —chic adj: a chic little hat
—ly adv
Chi·ca·go¹ /ʃ'kɑːɡoʊ/ the third largest city in the US. It is
in the state of Illinois, on the southwest shore of Lake
Michigan, and is an important industrial and business centre.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Chicago was famous for its
GANGSTERS (=professional violent criminals working in
groups), such as Al CAPONE. Chicago has many very tall
buildings, including the SEARS TOWER, famous MUSEUMS
(such as the Art Institute), and universities (such as the
University of Chicago and Northwestern University). Its air-
port, O'Hare, is the busiest in the world. Chicago is often
known as the 'Windy City'.
Chicago² a MUSICAL that was first performed in a theatre in
1975 and which is based on the play Chicago by Maurine
Dallas Watkins. The story is about two women who have
both COMMITted murder and who both want to be famous
in Chicago in the 1920s. A silent film was made of the story
in 1927. In 2002, Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones,
and Richard Gere appeared in another film of the story,
which was directed by Rob Marshall.
Chi,cago ,Board of 'Trade, the an important market in
Chicago, US, in which future contracts for the delivery of
commodities (COMMODITY) are bought and sold
Chi,cago 'Cubs, the a Major League baseball team based
in Chicago, Illinois. Their home STADIUM is Wrigley Field,
and they have won 16 League PENNANTS and the World
Series CHAMPIONSHIPS twice.
Chi,cago 'Symphony ,Orchestra, the abbrev. the
CSO a US ORCHESTRA (=a large group of musicians) based in
Chicago, Illinois. For many years, its CONDUCTOR was Sir
Georg SOLTI.
Chi,cago 'Tribune, The a daily newspaper produced in
Chicago and known for the high quality of its writing and
reporting. It is also sold in other parts of the US.
chi·ca·ne·ry /ʃ'keɪnəri/ n [U] deception; dishonest and
deceitful practice
Chi·ca·no /tʃɪ'kɑːnoʊ/ n pl. Chicanos AmE a US citizen who
comes from Mexico or whose family originally came from
Mexico. The word Chicano is considered offensive by some
people.
chi-chi /'ʃiːʃiː/ adj infml, rather derog trying to be fashionable but
appearing too showy or decorated
chick /tʃɪk/ n 1. a baby bird, especially a chicken: chicks
cheeping for their mother 2 old-fash slang a young woman:
Many women find this word offensive.
chick·a·dee /'tʃɪkədiː/ n AmE 1 a small American
bird 2 My little chickadee especially AmE a phrase used as an
expression of fondness (first used by W. C. Fields in the film
of the same name)
chick·en¹ /'tʃɪkən/ n 1 [C] a common FARMYARD bird. A
female chicken is a hen and a male chicken is a cock (BrE) or
rooster (AmE): He keeps chickens on his farm. → see also
CHICK, CLUCK 2 [U] the meat of this bird eaten as food: Do
you like roast chicken? | chicken sandwiches → see MEAT
(USAGE) 3 [C] slang a person who lacks courage; coward:
Don't be such a chicken! 4 [U] infml a children's game to test
one's courage: to play chicken 5 one's chickens will/have
come home to roost one's bad or unwise actions will cause
problems for one now 6 no (spring) chicken infml no longer
young → see also count one's chickens before they're
hatched (COUNT) 7 a chicken and egg situation also
chicken and egg problem, dilemma etc a) when a prob-
lem cannot be solved because it involves two things or
situations, and each of them causes the other and results
from it: I was facing the classic chicken and egg situation,
each time I failed to get a job I lost confidence, and that made
me even more likely to fail next time. | We've got a chicken and
egg problem, because we can't attract more fans unless we get
better players, but it'll be hard to afford better players before
we start attracting more fans. b) when two things happen
together and it is hard to see which of them caused the
other: Shy people like to study, or else people who like to study
are shy – maybe it's a chicken and egg situation. | We could
spend hours arguing over the chicken and egg issue of crime
and poor social conditions.