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made up of men who were unable to join the main armed forces because they were either too young or too old, or because their health was bad. Their job was to help to defend the UK if the Germans attacked it. There was a humorous British television show called DAD'S ARMY, about the activities of a Home Guard unit. → compare TERRITORIAL ARMY
**home 'help** *n* a person who is sent in by the medical and social services in Britain or is employed to do cleaning and cooking especially for someone who is ill or very old
**home im'provements** *n* [P] work, e.g. building new rooms, fitting better windows, insulating (INSULATE) the walls etc, which is done to a house to improve its standard of comfort → see also DIY
**CULTURAL NOTE** In Britain, there are many MAKEOVER programmes on television such as *Changing Rooms* in which INTERIOR DESIGNERS show people how they can REDESIGN rooms in order to improve their appearance and make better use of the space available.
**home·land** /'həʊmlænd, -lənd/ *n* **1** the country where a person was born **2** any of several large areas of land set aside for the black population by the government of South Africa, according to the system of APARTHEID
**homeland se'curity** *n* [U] actions taken by the US government within the United States because of the threat of TERRORISM. These actions include watching people who are thought to be involved in TERRORIST activities, and putting them in prison if necessary. They also include preparations for using the army, police, doctors etc immediately if there is a terrorist attack. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the United States Department of Homeland Security was established to organize these actions.
**home·less** /'həʊmləs/ *adj* without a home and therefore often forced to sleep without shelter in streets or parks: Londoners are concerned about the growing numbers of homeless people living in the city. | [also *n*, the+P] help for the **homeless** →**ness** *n* [U]
**CULTURAL NOTE** In the UK, there are far more BEGGARS and homeless people on the streets of cities such as London and Brighton than in the past. Some people believe that one reason for this increase is the government's Care in the Community POLICY which closed many hospitals for people with mental problems and allowed them to return to the COMMUNITY. People have different opinions about beggars. Some people are willing to give them money, but other people think this just makes the problem worse and complain about beggars who behave AGGRESSIVELY. There are charities (CHARITY) such as Shelter which provide homeless people with advice and support. In the centres of British towns and cities, you will often see homeless people selling a magazine called **The Big Issue**. The aim of The Big Issue organization is to help homeless people help themselves, and the magazine sellers are allowed to keep a lot of the money they receive for selling the magazine.
**home 'loan** *n* infml for MORTGAGE
**home·ly** /'həʊmli/ *adj* **1** especially BrE simple; not trying to seem important or special: a homely meal of bread and cheese **2** AmE (of people, faces etc) not good-looking; unattractive → compare HOMEY →**liness** *n* [U]
**home·made** /ˌhəʊm'meɪd/ *adj* (of clothes, food etc) made at home, not bought from a shop
**CULTURAL NOTE** Homemade food is thought of as being better than PROCESSED FOOD because it is fresher and does not contain ADDITIVES and lots of sugar and salt. People also think that homemade food shows that you care more about both the food and about the people who are going to eat it, because of the time and effort needed to make it. Homemade clothes, decorations etc also seem to show that you care about the people you make them for, but they are not expected to be better than ones you can buy in a shop. → see also CONVENIENCE FOOD, INSTANT, TV DINNER
**home·mak·er** /'həʊmˌmeɪkəʳ/ *n* euph, especially AmE a housewife
**home 'movie** *n* a film made privately and intended to be shown at home, not in a cinema
**'Home Office, the** *n* the British government department that deals with the law, the police, prisons, and IMMIGRATION (=the rules and systems concerning who is allowed to enter the UK from other countries). The minister in charge of this department is the Home Secretary and this is one of the most important jobs in the government. → see also INTERIOR MINISTER
**Home on the 'Range** a popular US FOLK SONG, typically thought of as being sung by COWBOYS:
*O give me a home where the buffalo roam,*
*Where the deer and the antelope play;*
*Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,*
*And the skies are not cloudy all day.*
**ho·me·o·path, homoeo-** /'həʊmiəʊpæθ/ *n* a person who practises homeopathy
**ho·me·op·a·thy, homoeop-** /ˌhəmi'ɒpəθi-'ɑːp-/ *n* [U] a system of medicine in which disease is treated by giving very small amounts of a substance which, in larger amounts, would usually produce an illness similar to the disease. Homeopathy is a form of ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE and is not usually practised by GPs in Britain. It is not usually available under the National Health Service, so people must pay for treatment. →**thic** /ˌhəmi'æθɪk/ *adj* →**thically** /kli/ *adv*
**home·own·er** /'həʊmˌəʊnəʳ/ *n* a person who owns their house or flat
**home·page, home page** /'həʊmpeɪdʒ/ *n* the first page of a website, which often contains LINKS to other pages on that website
**'home plate** also **home, homebase** *n* [Sing.] (in BASEBALL) the point over which a PITCHER must throw the ball for the hitter and the last point a runner must touch in order to make a RUN
**ho·mer¹** /'həʊməʳ/ *n* AmE infml a HOME RUN
**homer²** *v* [I] AmE infml to hit a HOME RUN: *Rodriguez homered in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to 5-all.*
**Homer** a Greek poet who probably lived around 800 to 700 years BC. He is known as a very great poet and for his two EPIC poems, the ILIAD and the ODYSSEY, which tell the stories of characters such as ACHILLES and ODYSSEUS and the Greek war against Troy, which have had great influence on European literature. →**Homeric** /həʊ'merɪk||'hou-/ *adj*
**Homer, Wins·low** /'wɪnzləʊ/ (1836–1910) a US painter, known especially for his paintings of the sea and people connected with the sea
**'home room** *n* AmE a classroom where students have to go at the beginning of every school day
**home 'rule** *n* [U] **1** self-government by an area that was once politically dependent. This expression is sometimes used by Scots people instead of DEVOLUTION when speaking of independence for Scotland. **2** Home Rule (in British use) self-government for Ireland, the aim of Irish nationalists from around 1870 until 1921, when the Irish Free State was established
**home 'run** also **homer** infml — *n* (in BASEBALL) a long hit which allows the hitter to run round the complete course and gain a point: *Until Hank Aaron came along, Babe Ruth had hit more home runs than any other player.*
**Homes & Gardens** trademark: a British magazine which contains articles and pictures about decorating your home, GARDENING, and cooking. It is typically read by women, and in the US there is a similar magazine called BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS.
**Home 'Secretary** *n* the British politician who is in charge of the HOME OFFICE, one of the most important positions in the British government. In the US there is a similar politician called the Secretary of the Interior, and in many other countries the politician who has this position is called the Minister of the Interior.
**home·sick** /'həʊmˌsɪk/ *adj* feeling a great wish to be at home, when one is away from it. People feel homesick because they miss their family and friends or places and customs that are familiar to them. →**ness** *n* [U]
**home·spun** /'həʊmspʌn/ *adj* **1** (of cloth) woven or spun