American Conference, the
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American 'Conference, the a group of football teams
in the US that play against one another. There is another
group of teams called the NATIONAL CONFERENCE, and the best
team from that group plays the best team from the American
Conference in the SUPER BOWL, which is the most important
game of the year → see also FOOTBALL
American 'Dream, the the idea that the US is a place
where everyone has the chance of becoming rich and success-
ful. Many IMMIGRANTS to the US in the early 20th century
believed in the American Dream.
American 'English n [U] the type of English used in the
US, which is different in some ways from the English used
in other places, especially in its pronunciation and in some
of its words → compare BRITISH ENGLISH
American Ex'press also Amex trademark a US company
that has a CREDIT CARD service, exchanges foreign money,
and sells TRAVELLER'S CHEQUES. It has offices all over the
world, and advertisements for the American Express Card
often use the phrase 'Don't leave home without it'.
American 'football n [U] BrE a game played by two teams
of eleven players, who carry, throw, or kick an OVAL (=egg-
shaped) ball; FOOTBALL AmE → see colour photo on page A45
American 'Gothic a painting by the US artist Grant WOOD,
which shows a very serious-looking farmer holding a PITCH-
FORK, with his wife standing beside him. It is often copied in
a humorous way in advertisements.
American Graf'fiti (1973) a US film made by George
LUCAS about a group of young men in California in the
1960s, who go out at night, drive around in big cars, and try
to attract girls
American 'Idol a very popular US television programme in
which people who want to be famous singers compete to
win the chance to make a CD with a record company. The
singers perform on television while in front of a large group
of people. The people watching on television vote for their
favourite singer, and at the end of each programme, the
most popular singers are asked to return. This is done for
several weeks until one person is the winner.
American 'Indian n a NATIVE AMERICAN. The word Ameri-
can Indian is now used mostly to talk about the native
peoples of Central and South America. In the US, the word
Native American is preferred.
A·mer·i·can·ism /ə'merɪkənɪzəm/ n a word, phrase, or
sound that is typical of the English language as it is used in
the US
A·mer·i·can·ize also -ise BrE /ə'merɪkənaɪz/ v [T] to make
something, such as a spelling, a place, a way of working etc,
American in character —ization /ˌəˌmerɪkənaɪ'zeʃən||
-kənə-/ n [U]
American 'League, the one of two groups of profes-
sional BASEBALL teams that make up the highest level of
baseball in the US and Canada. Every year, the team that
wins in this LEAGUE plays against the winning team of the
NATIONAL LEAGUE in the WORLD SERIES. → see Cultural Note
at BASEBALL
American 'Legion, the a national organization for
former members of the US armed forces
American 'Psycho a novel by the US writer Brett Easton
Ellis, that was also made into a successful film. When the
book was PUBLISHED, some people criticized the amount of
violence, especially towards women, and the detailed way in
which the violence is described. Other people said that the
characters and the story are SYMBOLIC rather than real, and
that the book is about modern SOCIETY'S GREED and desire
for too much food, money, power, and possessions.
American Revo'lutionary 'War, the also the A,meri-
can Revo'lution, the American War of
Inde'pendence especially BrE (1775-83) the war in which
people in Britain's colonies (COLONY) in North America
became independent and established the United States of
America. The Americans thought they were being treated
unfairly, because they had to pay taxes to Britain, but they
were not represented in the British parliament, so they
demanded 'No taxation without representation'. They were
also angry because they had to pay the cost of keeping the
British army in their country, and because Britain would not
allow them to develop the area west of the Appalachian
mountains. Angry feelings on both sides led to the BOSTON
MASSACRE and the BOSTON TEA PARTY and the war itself
began in 1775. General George Washington led the Ameri-
can soldiers and was later helped by the French. In 1776 the
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS rang the LIBERTY BELL in Philadel-
phia to tell the people about the DECLARATION OF INDEPEND-
ENCE. The war ended in 1781 when the British surrendered
(SURRENDER), and a peace agreement was signed in 1783. →
see also VALLEY FORGE, BUNKER HILL, REVERE, PAUL
American 'Way, the a set of beliefs or values that many
Americans hold but which are not laws or written down in
any form
CULTURAL NOTE Examples of types of beliefs which would
be considered part of the American Way are: working
hard, believing in yourself and your ability to change your
situation for the better, and treating people fairly.
Sometimes people use the phrase 'the American Way' in
a negative way to mean that they think Americans believe
that they deserve to have material wealth such as bigger
cars and houses and expensive things: It isn't the
American Way to trample over the rights of the individual.
It's the American Way – better things and more of them.
A·mer·i·cas, the /ə'merɪkəz/ North America, Central
America, and South America considered together as a group
America's 'Cup, the a sailing competition held every
three or four years, in which teams from the US, Australia
and other nations compete
America the 'Beautiful a PATRIOTIC song which most
people in the US learn when they are children:
O Beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain;
for purple mountain majesties
above the fruited plain...
Am·er·in·di·an /ˌæmər'ɪndiən/ n tech another word, used
especially in works on ANTHROPOLOGY and ARCHAEOLOGY
for NATIVE AMERICAN
am·e·thyst /'æmɪθɪst/ n [C;U] (the colour of) a purple stone
used in jewellery —amethyst adj
Am·ex /'æmeks/ trademark abbrev. for AMERICAN EXPRESS
a·mi·a·ble /'eɪmiəbəl/ adj pleasant and well-intentioned;
likable; friendly: an amiable young man —bly adv —bility
/ˌeɪmiə'bɪləti/ n [U]
am·i·ca·ble /'æmɪkəbəl/ adj typical of friends; made or done
in a friendly way: We reached an amicable agreement. —bly
adv —bility /ˌæmɪkə'bɪləti/ n [U]
AMICUS /'æmɪkəs/ a TRADE UNION in the UK for people
working in the manufacturing (MANUFACTURE) industry
(=the business of producing goods in factories), especially
people who have technical or skilled jobs
a·mid /ə'mɪd/ also a·midst /ə'mɪdst/ prep fml or lit in the
middle of; among: He felt strange amid so many people. | Two
shots were fired, and amid the confusion the killers got away.
The dollar fell in value today, amid rumours of weakness in
the US economy.
a·mid·ships /ə'mɪdˌʃɪps/ adv tech in the middle part of
ship
a·mi·go /ə'miːgəʊ/, a·mi·ga /-gə/ fem. — n Sp a friend
A·min (Da·da), I·di /ɑːˌmiːn 'dɑːdɑː, 'ɪdi/ (1925-2003)
known as Idi Amin. He was the President of Uganda from
1971 until he was forced to leave the country in 1979. In
1972 he forced 80,000 people of Indian origin to leave
Uganda, and many of them came to live in the UK. He was
known especially for cruel and violent treatment of anyone
who opposed him.
a·mi·no ac·id /ˌæmi:nəʊ 'æsɪd, əˌmaɪ-/ n any of several
substances coming from and necessary to living matter. PRO-
TEINS are chiefly built up from these substances.
a·mir /ə'mɪər/ n an EMIR
A·mis, Kingsley /'eɪmɪs/ (1922-95) a British writer known
for his humorous novels, such as LUCKY JIM (1954) and The
Old Devils (1986). He was the father of Martin Amis.
Amis, Martin (1949-) a British writer whose NOVELS include
The Rachel Papers (1973), Time's Arrow (1991), and Yellow Dog
(2003). He is the son of Kingsley Amis.