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quiet
is examining the energy question closely. | It's a question of
finding enough time. | At the end of the meeting, a number of
important questions were still unresolved. 3 [C;U(about)] (a)
doubt or uncertainty: There's no question about it: she did it. |
This incident raises further questions about the effectiveness of
airport security. | His honesty is beyond question (=cannot
be doubted)/is open to question. (=may be doubted) | [+that]
There's no question about her sincerity/that she is sincere.
(=she is certainly sincere) 4 in question under considera-
tion; being talked about: That is not the point in ques-
tion. 5 out of the question impossible: You can't go to the
wedding in that old shirt; it's quite out of the question. 6 pop
the question infml to ask someone to marry you: It took him
months to pluck up enough courage to pop the ques-
tion. 7 there's no question of there's no possibility of:
There's no question of our dismissing you. (=we certainly will
not) -> see also LEADING QUESTION, VEXED QUESTION, beg the
question (BEG), call into question (CALL)
**question²** *v* [T] 1 [about] to ask (someone) questions: *Two
men are being questioned by the police in connection with the
robbery.* 2 to have or express doubts about: *I would never
question his honesty/his ability.* | [+wh-] *I question whether
this policy will be effective.* -> see ASK (USAGE) ——**er** *n*
**ques·tion·able** /'kwestʃənəbəl/ *adj* 1 not certain: *It's
questionable whether she told him.* 2 perhaps not true, right,
or honest: *highly questionable behaviour in money matters*
——**bly** *adv*
**ques·tion·ing** /'kwestʃənɪŋ/ *adj* appearing to have doubts
or want information: *She gave him a questioning look.* ——**ly**
*adv*
**'question mark** *n* the mark (?) used at the end of a sentence
that asks a question: *(fig.) There's a big question mark over the
future of this football club.* (=it may soon no longer exist)
**'question ,master** *especially BrE* || *usually* **quizmaster** *AmE* —
*n* the person who asks the questions in a QUIZ game
**ques·tion·naire** /,kwestʃə'neə , kes-/ *n* a written set of
questions which a large number of people are asked to
answer in order to provide information, e.g. for a govern-
ment or company
**Question of 'Sport, A** a British television QUIZ programme
in which well-known sportsmen and sportswomen answer
questions about sport
**'question tag** *n* TAG
**'question time** *n* [U] the period of time in a parliament
when ministers answer members' questions. Question time
is shown on television and can be interesting to watch
because of the loud, sometimes angry discussions which
take place. -> see also PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTION TIME
**Question Time** a British television programme, shown
since the 1970s, on which politicians and other well-known
people connected with the government or business discuss
questions asked by members of the audience
**Quet-zal-co-at-l** /,ketsɔlkəu'ætl/ a Native American god of
central America, shown as a snake with feathers on its head
and thought of as the god of air and water
**queue** /kju:/ *BrE* || **line** *AmE* — *n* [(of)] 1 a line of people, cars
etc, waiting to move, to get on a vehicle, to enter a building
etc: *There was a long queue outside the cinema/at the bus
stop.* | (fig.) *There's a queue of people waiting for new houses.* |
(fig.) *policies aimed at reducing the dole queues* (=the number
of people without work) -> see also jump the queue
(JUMP) 2 *tech* a computer feature that allows similar opera-
tions of different users to be dealt with one at a time: *There
are four jobs in the queue.* | *Shut down that queue as soon as
it's empty.*
**queue²** *v* [!(UP, for)] *BrE* 1 to form or join a line while waiting:
*We queued (up) for the bus.* | *People are queueing to buy
tickets.* 2 [;T(up)] *tech* to put into a QUEUE: *I corrected the
mistakes but I haven't queued the file yet.* | *Your job's queued
up and should print out in a couple of minutes.*
**queue-jump** *v* [!] BrE *derog* to join a queue at a point in front
of other people who have been waiting longer than oneself
——**jumper** *n*
**quib·ble** /'kwɪbəl/ *v* [i(about, over, with)] *derog* to argue about
small unimportant points or details: *Don't quibble (with her)*
over the money; pay her what she asks. —**quibble** *n:* I have
just one quibble (=small complaint): *there's not enough salt.*
——**bler** *n*
**quiche** /ki:ʃ/ *n* [C;U] a flat open pastry case filled with a
mixture of eggs and cream and such things as cheese, BACON
and vegetables
**CULTURAL NOTE** In Britain and the US, quiche is often
humorously associated with weakness if it is being eaten
by a man, and people sometimes make a joke by saying
'Real men don't eat quiche'.
**quick** /kwɪk/ *adj* 1 **a)** performing an action in an unusu-
ally short time; acting with speed; fast: *a quick worker* | *He's
quick with his hands.* | [F+to-v] *She's quick to learn/quick at
learning.* | *His opponents were quick to take advantage of his
mistake.* | *Bring me that book, and be quick about it!* (=hurry
up) **b)** done in a short time; soon finished: *a quick journey* |
*a quick drink* 2 easily showing anger (in the phrases *a quick
temper, quick tempered*) 3 *old use* living; alive: [also n, the+P]
*the quick and the dead* 4 clever and able to learn or under-
stand fast: *a quick learner* | *She's very quick.* -> see CLEVER
(USAGE) ——**ly** *adv:* *You got here quickly; did you come by car?* |
*Come quickly; he's drowning!* | *The report was quickly pre-
pared for publication.* ——**ness** *n* [U]
**quick** *adv* quickly; fast: *Come quick; something terrible has
happened.* | *Everyone wants to get rich quick.* | *a quick-acting
drug*
**quick³** *n* [(the) U] the flesh to which the fingernails and
toenails are joined: (fig.) *He cut me to the quick* (=upset me
deeply) *with his unkind remark.*
**'quick bread** *n* [U] *AmE* any of several kinds of bread which
do not use YEAST so can be baked immediately: *a selection of
quick bread recipes*
**,quick-'change** *adj* [A] (of an actor) frequently changing
clothes during a performance: *a quick-change artist*
**quick·en** /'kwɪkən/ *v* [I;T] 1 to (cause to) become quicker:
*the quickening pace of technological change* 2 *old use or lit* to
(cause to) show life: *The seeds are quickening in the soil.* | *The
recent television series has quickened* (=increased) *interest in
this subject.*
**quick-fire** /'kwɪkfaɪə/ *adj* sharp and lively, usually of
speech or conversation
**quick-freeze** /'kwɪkfri:z/ || *also* **flashfreeze** *AmE* — *v* [T]
to freeze food rapidly so that the quality is not damaged
**quick-ie** /'kwɪki/ *n* *infml* something done or made in a hurry:
*a quickie divorce*
**quick-lime** /'kwɪk-laɪm/ *n* [U] LIME
**quick-sand** /'kwɪksænd/ *n* [C;U] wet sand which sucks in
anyone or anything that tries to cross it
**quick-sil-ver** /'kwɪk_sɪlvə/ *n* [U] *old use* for MERCURY
**quick-step** /'kwɪkstep/ *n* (music for) a dance with fast steps
**,quick-'witted** *adj* clever; quick to understand and take
action
**quid** /kwɪd/ *n* *pl.* **quid** *BrE infml* 1 a pound in money; £1: *She
earns at least 200 quid a week.* 2 to be **quids in** to be in a
fortunate position: *If you can sell your car for the same price
as you bought it, you'll be quids in.*
**quid pro quo** /,kwɪd prəu 'kwɔ:/ *n* *pl.* **quid pro quos** [(for)]
*Lat* something given or received in exchange for something
else: *We let them have a discount on purchases as a quid pro
quo for the use of their computer.*
**qui-es-cent** /kwi'esənt, kwai-/ *adj* *fml* at rest; in a state of
inactivity, especially one that will not last ——**ly** *adv*
——**cence** *n* [U]
**qui-et** /'kwaɪət/ *adj* 1 with little noise: *a quiet voice* | *Be
quiet! I'm telephoning.* | *The latest model has a new quieter
engine.* 2 without unwanted activity or excitement; untrou-
bled; calm: *a quiet life* | *The situation at the border is fairly
quiet at the moment.* (=without fighting, shooting etc) 3 not
attracting attention: *Can I have a quiet word with you?* | *her
quiet confidence* 4 **All Quiet on the Western Front** the title
of a book about World War I. The phrase is now sometimes
used humorously when talking about a period of calm and
peace during an argument. ——**ly** *adv* ——**ness** *n* [U]
**quiet** *n* [U] 1 the state of being quiet; quietness: *Calm down,*