porter
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por·ter¹ /'pɔːtəʳ||'pɔːrtər-/ n 1 a person employed to carry travellers' bags at railway stations, airports etc. Most people now carry their own bags or use a TROLLEY. 2 a person employed to carry loads at markets 3 especially BrE a person in charge of the entrance to a hotel, school, hospital etc → compare JANITOR 4 AmE an attendant employed in a sleeping-carriage in a train
porter² n [U] (especially in former times) a dark brown bitter beer
Porter, Cole /kəʊl/ (1891-1964) a US musician who wrote many popular songs and MUSICALS (=plays or films that use singing and dancing to tell a story). His songs are still popular, and are admired for their clever and amusing words. They include Night and Day, Let's Do It, and I've Got You Under My Skin.
por·ter·house /'pɔːtəhaʊs||'pɔːrtər-/ also ,porterhouse 'steak n [C,U] (a) STEAK of high-quality BEEF
port·fo·li·o /pɔːt'fəʊliəʊ||pɔːrt-/ n pl. -lios 1 a large flat case like a very large book cover, for carrying drawings, business papers etc 2 a collection of drawings or other papers contained in this: The artist showed us a portfolio of her drawings. 3 a collection of different business shares owned by a particular person or company: an investment portfolio 4 the job of a particular government minister: The Prime Minister offered him the foreign affairs portfolio. | a minister without portfolio (=who is not responsible for any particular government department)
port·hole /'pɔːthəʊl||'pɔːrt-/ n a small usually circular window in the side of a ship or aircraft: a row of illuminated portholes
por·ti·co /'pɔːtɪkəʊ||'pɔːrt-/ n pl. -coes or -cos a covered entrance to a building, sometimes consisting of a roof supported by PILLARS
Por·til·lo, Michael /pɔː'tɪləʊ||pɔːrt-/ (1953-) a British politician in the Conservative Party who had important government jobs until he lost his position as a Member of Parliament in the 1997 election. He was elected to Parliament again in 1999, but in 2003 he announced that he was going to leave politics.
por·tion¹ /'pɔːʃn||'pɔːr-/ n [ʘʘ] 1 [C] a part of something larger, considered separately from the rest: the front portion of the train | The computer factory represents only a small portion of the company's business. | the first portion of the book 2 [C] a share of something that is divided among two or more people: The driver must bear a portion of the blame for the accident 3 [C] a standard amount of a particular food for one person as served in a restaurant: He was hungry and ordered an extra portion of potatoes. 4 [S] fml or lit a person's fate or fortune; LOT: Sorrow has always been her portion.
portion² v
portion sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T(among, between)] to divide and give; share: The money was portioned out among the four children.
Port·land /'pɔːtlænd||'pɔːrt-/ a port on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, in northern Oregon in the northwestern US, which is the largest city in the state
port·ly /'pɔːtli||'pɔːrt-/ adj euph or humor (especially of a rather old man) round and fat; STOUT: a portly old gentleman
—liness n [U]
port·man·teau /pɔːt'mæntəʊ||pɔːrt-/ n pl. -teaus or -teaux /təʊz/ old-fash a very large case for a traveller's clothes, especially one that opens into two equal parts
port'manteau ,word n an invented word that combines the meaning and sound of two words; BLEND: 'Motel' is a portmanteau word, made up from 'motor' and 'hotel'.
Port·mei·ri·on /pɔːt'meɪriən||pɔːrt-/ a small village on the coast of North Wales, designed and built by Clough Williams-Ellis. It is based on an Italian fishing village and is popular with tourists. It is also known as the place where the popular 1960s British television programme The Prisoner was filmed.
Por·to·bel·lo Road /ˌpɔːtəˈbelə ˈrːdl,ˌpɔːr-/ a street in West London, where a market is held every Friday and Saturday and ANTIQUES (=valuable old furniture, jewellery etc) are sold
,port of 'call n pl. ports of call 1 a port where a ship stops (regularly) for travellers, supplies, repairs etc: Out next port of call was Istanbul. 2 infl a place which one visits or stops at during a journey or set of activities: My next port of call is the library.
,port of 'entry n pl. ports of entry a place such as a HARBOUR or airport where people or goods may enter a country
Por·ton Down /ˌpɔːtn ˈdaʊn||ˌpɔːr-/ a place in the south of England where there is a government LABORATORY used for studying chemical weapons and BIOLOGICAL weapons (=weapons that use BACTERIA to kill people by giving them diseases)
Por·to Ri·co /ˌpɔːtəʊ ˈriːkə||ˌpːr-/ → see PUERTO RICO
por·trait /'pɔːtrɪt||'pɔːr-/ n 1 [ʘʘ] a painting, drawing, or photograph of a real person or group of people: I commissioned her to paint my portrait. (=a picture of me). | a portrait painter | (fig.) His book gives/paints a very convincing portrait (=description) of life in medieval England. → see picture at CARICATURE 2 PORTRAIT MODE
'portrait ,mode n [U] tech in portrait mode (of paper, or a picture on a page) with the shorter edge from left to right (HORIZONTAL) and the longer edge from top to bottom (VERTICAL): I can't get my file to print out in portrait mode. → compare LANDSCAPE MODE
,Portrait of the ,Artist as a ,Young 'Man, A (1916) a novel by James JOYCE which is based on his own life
por·trai·ture /'pɔːtrɪtʃəʳ||'pɔːr-/ n [U] the art of making portraits
por·tray /pɔː'treɪ||pɔːr-/ v [T] 1 to be or make a representation or description of: This painting portrays the death of Nelson. | The writer portrays life in a refugee camp very vividly. 2 [as]] to describe according to one's opinion: In British history books Richard III is usually portrayed as a wicked man. 3 to act the part of (a particular character) in a play —al n [C;U (ʘʘ)] The actor's portrayal of Othello was superb.
Ports·mouth /'pɔːtsməʊθ||'pɔːrt-/ a town and port on the south coast of England, known for its navy base and as a place from which ferries (FERRY) take cars and passengers to France
,Port 'Stanley the capital of the Falkland Islands, and known as the place where the FALKLANDS WAR of 1982 began and ended
Por·tu·gal /'pɔːtʃʊgəl||'pɔːr-/ a. country in southwest Europe, west of Spain, which is a member of the EU (European Union). Population: 10,318,084 (2001). Capital: Lisbon. Portugal's traditional industries include fishing and wine, and its more modern industries include clothing and car parts. Portugal's southern coast, the Algarve, is known as a popular place for holidays. Portugal is known in the UK as Britain's oldest ALLY (=a country that agrees to support another country in war), because the two countries have been allies since the 14th century.
Por·tu·guese /ˌpɔːtʃʊ'giːzə ˈ||ˌpɔːr-/ n [U] 1 the language of Portugal, Brazil, and some other countries: Do you speak Portuguese? 2 the Portuguese the people of Portugal
—Portuguese adj: Portuguese wine
,Portuguese ,man-of-'war n a very large JELLYFISH, which has long poisonous parts hanging down from its body
pose¹ /pəʊz/ v 1 [I(for);T] to (cause to) sit or stand in a particular position, especially in order to be photographed, painted etc: After the wedding we all posed for a photograph. 2 [T] to be the cause of (something difficult to deal with); PRESENT: The high cost of oil poses serious problems for industry. | Pollution poses a threat to the continued existence of this species. 3 [T] to ask (a question that is difficult or needs to be carefully thought about) 4 [I] derog to behave unnaturally or pretend to be cleverer, more artistic etc than one really is, in order to attract interest or admiration: Stop posing! → compare POSTURE
pose as sthg. phr v [T] to pretend to be: The spy posed as an office worker to get into the building.
pose² n 1 a position in which someone stands, sits etc, especially in order to be photographed, painted etc: The photographer stood his model in various poses. 2 derog an unnatural way of behaving, or the act of pretending to be cleverer, more artistic etc than one really is, in order to attract (undeserved) interest or admiration; AFFECTATION: He's always talking about his deep interest in literature, but it's just a pose. → compare POSTURE