gravy boat
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vegetables 2 slang, especially AmE something pleasing or valuable that happens or is gained easily
'gravy boat n a small deep long-shaped container with a handle, from which gravy can be poured at a meal
'gravy ,train n [the S] infml, especially AmE something from which many people can make money or profit without much effort, and which one would therefore like to join in: There's so much money invested in this political campaign that everyone's trying to climb on the gravy train.
Gravy Train trademark a type of dog food sold in the US
gray¹ /grer/ adj, v AmE for GREY: gray hair | Her hair is graying.
gray² n AmE 1 [C;U] GREY 2 [C] (usually cap.) (a member of) the CONFEDERATE army
Gray, David (1970-) a British POP SINGER and SONGWRITER who also plays the GUITAR. He is very popular in Ireland and some people think that he is Irish although he was actually born in Manchester. His most successful record is White Ladder and his songs include Shine, This Year's Love, and Please Forgive Me.
Gray, Do-ri-an /'do:rian/ the main character in the novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
Gray, Ma-cy /'meısı/ (1970-) a US singer, songwriter, and musician who is known for her unusual voice. Her songs include I Try, for which she won a Grammy in 2001, and Sweet Baby.
Gray, Thomas (1716-71) an English poet whose best-known work, Elegy written in a Country Churchyard, is usually called Gray's Elegy
Gray's 'Inn a London organization of law students and BARRISTERS and the buildings they use, which is one of the four INNS OF COURT
graze¹ /greiz/ v 1 [I;T] (of an animal) to feed on growing grass (in): The cattle are grazing (in the field). 2 [T] to cause (an animal) to feed on grass: We can't graze the cattle till summer. | The bottom field is being kept for grazing.
graze² v [T] 1 to break the surface of (especially the skin) by rubbing against something: She fell down and grazed her knee. 2 to touch (something) lightly while passing: The wing seemed to graze the treetops as the plane climbed away. | The car just grazed the gate as it drove through.
graze³ n [C usually sing.] a surface wound: She has a nasty graze on her elbow.
GRE, the /ˌdi: ɑ:r 'i:/ n abbrev. for the Graduate Record Exam; an examination taken by students in the US who have done a first degree and want to go to GRADUATE SCHOOL. The results of the GRE are used by graduate schools to choose their students. The GRE is managed by a private company, and students can take the exam more than once if they want to improve their results. ➔ compare SAT
grease¹ /gri:s/ n [U] 1 animal fat when soft after being melted: You'll never get the bacon grease off the plates if you don't use detergent. 2 any thick oily substance, especially one used to help the moving parts of machines to run smoothly: Put some grease on the door hinges to stop them squeaking. | He puts grease on his hair to make it shiny.
grease² /gris, gri:z/ v [T] 1 to put grease on: Grease the dish with butter before pouring in the egg mixture. | Ask the mechanic to grease the axle. 2 grease someone's palm infml to give money to someone in a secret or dishonest way in order to persuade them to do something ➔ see also oil the wheels (OIL2)
Grease (1978) an American MUSICAL (=a film that uses singing and dancing to tell a story), in which John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John appear, about young people in school in the 1950s and their romantic relationships
greased 'lightning n [U] infml something extremely fast: You should see Carl Smith run the 100 metres; he's like greased lightning!
'grease gun n a hand instrument for forcing GREASE into machinery
grease-paint/'gri:s-peint/ n [U] a thick soft substance that comes in many colours and is used by actors and actresses on their faces, hands etc, to change their appearance when acting
grease-proof pa-per /ˌgri:s-pru:f 'pəpə/ n [U] a type of paper which grease or oil cannot pass through, used in Britain especially for wrapping food or in cooking
greas-er /gri:sə, -zə/ n 1 a person who puts grease on machinery to make it run smoothly 2 AmE taboo derog a person from Latin America, especially Mexico
greas•y /gri:si, -zi/ adj 1 covered with or containing grease: greasy food/skin/hair 2 BrE slippery: The roads are greasy after the rain. 3 derog insincerely polite; SMARMY: I detest his greasy smile. —iness n [U]
greasy 'spoon n slang a cheap often dirty restaurant that mainly serves fried food (FRY)
great¹ /greɪt/ adj 1 very large in degree or amount: Take great care. | The show was a great success. | I lost a great deal of money. | There were a great many people there. | She lived to a great age. (=to be very old) | The sense of loss we felt at his death was very great. | It gives me great pleasure to introduce our special guest for this evening. | The plan was supported by the great majority of (=nearly all) the members. 2 of excellent quality or ability: a great war leader | a great achievement | In my view she's one of the greatest modern novelists. | Muhammad Ali, the boxing champion called himself 'the Greatest'. 3 [A] of special importance and seriousness: Most great state occasions, like coronations, are televised nowadays. | one of the great political issues of our times 4 [at] infml splendid; very good: What a great idea! | This new singer is really great! | I think this new singer has a great future. (=will be very successful) | 'I've got the use of a car.' 'Great! We can go to the seaside.' | He's really great at playing the guitar. | [(+to-v)] It's great to see you again! 5 [A] (of a person) unusually active in the stated way: He's a great talker. (=talks a lot) | We're great (=very close) friends. 6 [A] infml (usually with another adjective of size) big: That great (big) tree takes away all the light. | There's a huge great spider in the bath! 7 [A] (used in names to mark something important of its type): King Alfred the Great ➔ see also GREATER 8 go great guns infml to get on with great speed and success 9 great with child bibl for PREGNANT 10 great shakes infml not very good, skilful, effective etc: I'm not a great shakes as a pianist, but I can play a few simple tunes. 11 he/she/it has gone to the great ... in the sky infml humor he/she/it has died: Old Fred the cat has gone to the great mouse-hunting ground in the sky. 12 some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them quote a phrase from SHAKESPEARE's play Twelfth Night 13 great-: a) being the parent of a grandfather or grandmother: great-grandfather b) being the child of a child of a son or daughter: great-granddaughter c) being the brother or sister of a grandfather or grandmother: great-aunt d) being the child of a NEPHEW or NIECE: great-nephew ➔ see BIG (USAGE); see also GREAT² -ness n [U]
great² n pl. greats or great an important or leading person: Charlie Chaplin is one of the all-time greats of the cinema. He's always talking about his connections with the great.
Great Barrier Reef, the the largest CORAL REEF¹ in the world, off the northeast coast of Australia. It is around 2000 km (1250 miles) long.
Great Bear, the another name for URSA MAJOR, a large group of bright stars
Great Britain ➔ see UK (USAGE)
great circle n a circle on the Earth's surface, with the centre of the Earth as its centre: The great circle route is the quickest way to fly from London to Beijing.
great-coat /'greitkout/ n a heavy usually military OVERCOAT
Great Crash, the the CRASH²
Great Dane n a type of very large, tall dog with smooth often light yellow hair
Great Depression, the the severe economic problems that followed the WALL STREET CRASH of 1929. In the early 1930s, many banks and businesses failed, and millions of people lost their jobs in the US and in the UK and the rest of Europe. ➔ see also JARROW, NEW DEAL
Great Divide, the ➔ see CONTINENTAL DIVIDE