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lumber
perhaps only for a short time: The old man is confused but he
does have lucid moments. —ly adv —ity /lu:'sɪdɪti/ n [U]
Lu·ci·fer /'lu:sɪfə/ in the Christian religion, another name
for the DEVIL. In the Old Testament of the BIBLE Lucifer was
an ANGEL (=a good spirit who lives with God) who tried to
take power from God, and was forced to leave Heaven and
live in Hell.
luck¹ /lʌk/ n [U] 1 the good or bad things that happen to a
person in the course of events (as if) by chance; fate;
fortune: Luck was with us/was on our side and we won
easily. | The hotel was full, so we decided to try our luck
elsewhere. | As luck would have it (=by chance) a policeman
was passing by. | (infml) He reached the food before I did, worse
luck! (=unfortunately) | When I got to the theatre they had just
sold the last ticket – that's just my luck! (=typical of my
luck) 2 success or something good that happens as a result
of chance; good fortune: Good luck! | What a stroke of luck
I met you in time to stop you! | Give it three drops of oil—and
one more for luck! | I'm sorry you didn't pass your driving
test— better luck next time! 3 be down on one's luck to
have bad luck, especially to be without money 4 be in/out
of luck to have/not have good fortune: We're in luck; the
train hasn't left yet. → see also HARD LUCK, push one's luck
(PUSH¹)
luck² v
luck out phr v [I] AmE infml to be lucky: We really lucked out
finding this nice apartment for such a low rent.
luck·i·ly /'lʌkɪli/ adv as a result of good luck: Luckily (for me),
she was in when I called.
luck·less /'lʌkləs/ adj especially lit without good fortune;
unlucky: a luckless man
luck·y /'lʌki/ adj having, resulting from, or bringing good
luck: to wear a lucky charm | [+to-v] We were lucky to escape
injury. | [+ (that)] You should count yourself lucky (that) he
didn't hear what you said. | Try once more – third time
lucky! (=you should succeed the third time you try) | 'I'm
going to ask if I can take a month's holiday.' 'You'll be
lucky!' (=you are very unlikely to get what you ask for,
because you are asking for too much) —iness n [U]
CULTURAL NOTE Some people think it is lucky to find a
FOUR-LEAVED CLOVER or to pick up a penny that you have
found on the ground. Other people hang a HORSESHOE
above the door to bring good luck. In the UK, people say
that it is lucky if a black cat walks across your path, but in
the US this is considered unlucky. → see also the Cultural
Notes at SUPERSTITION, UNLUCKY
Lucky Charms trademark a type of sweet breakfast CEREAL
with MARSHMALLOWS (=soft sweets) in different colours and
shapes including pink hearts and orange stars, eaten espe-
cially by children in the US
lucky dip n BrE 1 [C] grab bag AmE — a container filled
with wrapped objects of various values, into which a person
puts their hand and picks one out; it is often a way of giving
small presents to children at a party 2 [S] infml something
whose result depends on chance; LOTTERY
Lucky Jim /ˌlʌki ˈdʒɪm/ (1954) a humorous novel by Kings-
ley AMIS about a young college LECTURER, Jim Dixon, who
has modern political and social ideas, and has a lot of
problems with the rather old-fashioned people that he works
with
Lu·co·zade /'lu:kəzeɪd/ trademark a type of drink which
contains GLUCOSE and is said to give people energy when
they have been playing sports or when they have been ill →
compare GATORADE
lu·cra·tive /'lu:krətɪv/ adj (especially of a business, trade, or
job) bringing in plenty of money; profitable —ly adv
lu·cre /'lu:kə/ n [U] derog or humor money or profit (especially
in the phrase filthy lucre)
Lu·cre·tius /lu:'kri:ʃəs/ (?99-55 BC) a Roman PHILOSOPHER
and poet, known for his long poem De rerum natura (On the
nature of things) in which he discusses the nature of the
universe
Lucy Show, The /'lu:si ʃəʊ/ → see I LOVE LUCY
Lud·dite, luddite /'lʌdaɪt/ n derog someone who is opposed
to change, especially the introduction of new work methods
and machinery (from the Luddites, groups of English indus-
trial workers in the early 19th century who tried to destroy
new labour-saving machinery as a protest against unem-
ployment and low pay)
lu·di·crous /'lu:dɪkrəs/ adj so foolish as to cause or deserve
disrespectful laughter; RIDICULOUS: What a ludicrous sugges-
tion! —ly adv —ness n [U]
Lud·lum, Ro·bert /'lʌdləm, 'rɒbət||'ra:bərt/ (1927-2001) a
US writer of popular NOVELS about spies (SPY). His books
include The Bourne Identity and The Scarlatti Inheritance.
Lu·do /'lu:dəʊ/ BrE || Parcheesi AmE trademark — a children's
game played with small flat objects (COUNTERS) on a board
luff /lʌf/ v [(UP)] naut to bring the front of a sailing boat closer
to or directly facing the wind
Luft·han·sa /'lufthænzə/ trademark a German AIRLINE
Luft·waf·fe, the /'luftvafə||-vu:fə/ the German Airforce,
during World Wars I and II → see also BLITZ
lug¹ /lʌg/ v -gg- [T+obj+adv/prep] infml to pull or carry with great
effort and difficulty: She lugged the heavy case up the stairs.
lug² n 1 a little piece, such as a small handle, that sticks out
from something 2 AmE slang a rough, awkward, and stupid
person
luge /lu:ʒ/ n [U;C] a sport in which a person slides down a
track made of ice on a special vehicle with long metal blades
instead of wheels (a luge)
lug·gage /'lʌgɪdʒ/ especially BrE || also baggage especially AmE
— n [U] the cases, bags, boxes etc of a traveller: I've put your
luggage on the train. → see also HAND LUGGAGE
'luggage rack n especially BrE a shelf in a train, bus etc for
putting one's bags and cases on
'luggage trolley n BrE 1 a metal frame with two wheels at
the bottom, on which a heavy bag or SUITCASE can be
fastened and pulled along 2 also baggage cart AmE a small
cart which is often provided at an airport or station to help
people move their luggage
'luggage van BrE || baggage car AmE — n the part of a
train in which only boxes, cases etc are carried
lug·hole /'lʌghəʊl, 'lʌgəʊl/ n BrE humor an ear
Lu·go·si, Bel·la /lu:'gəʊsi, 'belə/ (1882-1956) a Hungarian
born US actor, who became famous on BROADWAY for his
role in Dracula (1927), which was made into a film in 1931.
He had a heavy accent and often appeared in low-budget
horror films. He became a drug addict and died during the
production of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956), frequently
voted the worst film ever made.
lu·gu·bri·ous /lu:'gu:briəs/ adj sorrowful; MOURNFUL: a
lugubrious expression —ly adv —ness n [U]
lug·worm /'lʌgwɜ:m||-wɜ:rm/ n a small worm that lives in
the sand by the sea and is used by fishermen to catch fish
Lu Hsün /ˌlu: ˈʃʊn/ → see LU XUN
Luke, Saint /lu:k/ one of Jesus Christ's DISCIPLES (=his close
friends and followers). He is believed to have been a doctor
and to have written The Gospel according to St Luke, which
describes the life and teaching of Jesus.
luke·warm /ˌlu:k'wɔ:m||-ɔ:rm/ adj usually derog 1 (espe-
cially of liquid) slightly warm; TEPID 2 showing hardly any
interest; not eager: His plan got a lukewarm reception from
the committee.
lull¹ /lʌl/ v [T] to cause to sleep, rest, or become less active:
The movement of the train lulled me to sleep. | Their plan was
to lull their opponents into a false sense of security and
then strike.
lull² n [Sin] a (short) period of reduced activity: a lull in the
fighting
lul·la·by /'lʌləbaɪ/ n a pleasant song used for causing chil-
dren to sleep
lu·lu /'lu:lu:/ n AmE infml something very good or exciting: The
roller coaster at Magic Mountain is a real lulu.
lum·ba·go /lʌm'beɪgəʊ/ n [U] not tech pain in the lower back
lum·bar /'lʌmbə/ adj med of the lower part of the back
lum·ber¹ /'lʌmbə/ v [+adv/prep] to move in a heavy awkward
manner: The old truck lumbered up the hill.