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largesse
lank /læŋk/ adj derog (of hair) straight and lifeless —ly adv
—ness n [U]
lank·y /'læŋki/ adj (especially of a person) ungracefully tall
and thin —iness n [U]
lan·o·lin /'lænə-lɪn/ n [U] a fatty substance obtained from
sheep's wool, used in skin creams
lan·tern /'læntənl-ərn/ n 1 a container, usually of glass and
metal, that encloses and protects the flame of a light; more
often used outside than inside 2 tech the top of a building or
tower, such as a LIGHTHOUSE with windows on all sides →
see also CHINESE LANTERN, MAGIC LANTERN
lan·tern-jawed adj (of a person) having long narrow jaws
and cheeks that sink inwards
lan·tern·slide /'læntənˌslaɪdl-ərn-/ n an early type of SLIDE
made of glass, as used in a MAGIC LANTERN
lan·yard /'lænjɑːdl-jɑːrd/ n 1 a short piece of rope, used on
ships for tying things 2 a thick string on which a knife or
whistle is hung round the neck, especially by sailors
Laos /laʊs||la:əus/ a country in southeast Asia between
China and Cambodia. Population: 5,921,545 (2003). Capi-
tal: Vientiane.
lap¹ /læp/ n 1 the front part of a seated person between the
waist and the knees: The child sat on its mother's lap. 2 in
the lap of luxury infml in very great comfort: He wants to
marry a millionairess and live in the lap of luxury. 3 in the
lap of the gods dependent on chance or fate; uncertain
lap² v -pp- 1 [T(UP)] (of animals) to drink by taking up with
quick movements of the tongue: The cat lapped the milk. |
(fig.) She lapped up the compliments. (=accepted them eagerly
or without thought) 2 [(against):T] (of water) to move or hit
with little waves and soft sounds: waves gently lapping
(against) the shore
lap³ n 1 [C] an act of lapping a liquid with the tongue 2 [the]
the sound of lapping, e.g. of waves
lap⁴ n (in racing, swimming etc) a single journey round or
along the track: a three-lap race | (fig.) The last lap (=the last
stage) of our journey is from Frankfurt to London.
lap⁵ v -pp- 1 [+adv/prep] (in racing) to race completely round
the track: Niki Lauda lapped in under two minutes. 2 [T] (in
racing, swimming etc) to pass (a competitor) having covered
a complete lap more than them 3 [T+obj+adv/prep] especially lit
to fold over or round; wrap round; surround
ˈlap ˌdancing n [U] dancing in which a young woman uses
sexy movements and removes her clothes while sitting on a
customer's LAP in a NIGHTCLUB —lap dancer n
lap·dog /'læpdɒg||-dɔːg/ n 1 often derog a small pet
dog 2 derog a person completely under the control of
another (usually important) person
la·pel /lə'pel/ n the part of the front of a coat or JACKET that is
joined to the collar and folded back on each side towards
the shoulders: narrow lapels
lap·i·da·ry¹ /'læpɪdəri||-deri/ adj [A] 1 tech (of words) cut in
stone: lapidary inscriptions 2 BrE pomp apprec (of something
said or written) very clever, amusing etc, and deserving to be
remembered
lapidary² n a person skilled in cutting precious stones,
making them shine etc
lap·is laz·u·li /ˌlæpɪs 'læzjuli||-'læzəli/ n [C;U] (the colour
of) a bright blue SEMIPRECIOUS stone
Lap·land /'læplənd/ an area of northern Europe consisting of
parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It is very cold
and is thought of by British children as the home of SANTA
CLAUS and his REINDEER (=a type of large deer with long
horns). The people who live there are called SAAMI, though
the old English name for them was Lapps. → see also SAAMI
—Laplander n
La Plante, Lyn·da /lə 'plɑːnt, 'lɪndə/ (1943–) a writer of
very popular crime DRAMAS for British television which
include Prime Suspect and Widows. She is known for making
women the most important characters in her plays and
books.
ˌlap of ˈhonour n pl laps of honour LAP of a track,
completed after a race by the winner while people cheer
Lapp /læp/ also Lap·land·er /'læplændə/ n someone who
comes from Lapland. People from Lapland prefer to be
called Saami or Sami. —Lapp adj
lapse¹ /læps/ n 1 [C(of)] a small fault or mistake, especially
one that is quickly put right: a memory lapse/lapse of
memory 2 [C] a failure in correct behaviour, belief, duty etc:
I started to eat the peas with my knife, but I don't think anyone
noticed my little lapse. 3 [S(of)] a passing away, especially of
time: After a lapse of several years he came back to see us.
lapse² v [I] 1 to pass gradually into a less active or less
desirable state: Standards have lapsed recently. | No one could
think of anything more to say, and the meeting lapsed into
silence. | After a year of fame the singer lapsed back into
obscurity. 2 (of a business agreement, official title, legal
right etc) to come to an end, especially because of lack of
use, death, or failure to claim: Her membership of the club
lapsed because she failed to pay her subscription.
lapsed /læpst/ adj [A] 1 no longer following the practices of
especially one's religion: a lapsed Catholic 2 law no longer in
use: a lapsed title
lap·top, laptop /'læptɒp||-tɑːp/ n adj, [A] (of) a computer
small enough to be held on one's knees for use: I'll take the
laptop and do some work on the train.
lap·wing /'læpˌwɪŋ/ also peewit n a small bird with raised
feathers on its head; its cry sounds like the name peewit
La·ra, Bri·an /'lɑːrə, 'braɪən/ (1969–) a Trinidadian CRICKET
player, and one of the best batsmen (BATSMAN) in the history
of the game. He first played for the West Indies in 1990. In
2004 he scored 400 RUNS (=points that you win), the highest
number of runs ever in an international game.
lar·ce·ny /'lɑːsəni||'lɑːr-/ n [C;U] law (an act of) stealing →
see also PETTY LARCENY
larch /lɑːtʃ||lɑːrtʃ/ n a tall upright tree with bright green
needle-like leaves and hard-skinned fruit (CONES)
lard¹ /lɑːd||lɑːrd/ n [U] pig fat made pure by melting, used in
cookery
lard² v [T] 1 to put small pieces of BACON into or on (other
meat) before cooking 2 [(with)] to use lots of noticeable
phrases, especially of a particular kind, in one's (speech or
writing): His conversation was liberally larded with obsceni-
ties.
lar·der /'lɑːdə||'lɑːr-/ n a storeroom or cupboard for food in
a house → compare PANTRY
la·res and pe·na·tes /ˌlɑːriːz ənd pəˈnɑteɪz||ˌlæriːz ənd
pəˈneɪtiːz/ n [P] in classical MYTHOLOGY the Roman gods of
the house, the lares being protectors of people and the
penates protectors of possessions
large /lɑːdʒ||lɑːrdʒ/ adj 1 more than usual in size, number,
or amount; big: a large house/sum of money/number of
people | large employers (=firms who employ lots of people) |
The company is too small to manufacture clothes on a large
scale. → opposite SMALL 2 (as) large as life infml (of a
person) unexpectedly present: We thought he'd gone to Aus-
tralia, but there he was, (as) large as life! 3 at large: a)
(especially of a dangerous person or animal) free; uncon-
trolled: Two of the escaped prisoners are still at large. b) as a
whole; altogether: The country at large is hoping for great
changes. 4 larger than life used about a person, situation,
story etc which seems more exciting or interesting than
ordinary people or situations, with the result that they do
not seem to be real: Pete Waterman is larger than life. He
loves trains, so he owns one, he breeds ornamental fish and
owns a fish farm in Japan. | Army sergeants are often much
larger than life – it takes a big personality to bend a squad of
twenty young men to your will. | Science fiction tends to be
larger than life, with stark contrasts between good and evil.
—ness n [U] → see BIG (USAGE); see also LARGELY, by and
large (BY²)
ˌlarge inˈtestine n the lower bowel, including the COLON
and RECTUM where food is changed into solid waste matter
→ compare SMALL INTESTINE
large·ly /'lɑːdʒli||'lɑːr-/ adv to a great degree; mostly; mainly:
This country is largely desert. | His success is largely due to his
own hard work.
lar·gesse also -gess AmE /lɑːˈʒes||lɑːrˈdʒes/ n [U] (some-
thing given in) generosity to people who do not have
enough