girder
584
The knight girded on his sword. 2 gird (up) one's loins bibl,
pomp, or humor to get ready for action
gir·der /'g3:də||'g3:r-/ n a strong beam, usually of iron or
steel, which supports a floor, roof, or bridge
gir·dle¹ /'g3:dl||'g3:r-/ n 1 a firm article of underwear for
women, worn round the waist and HIPS that supports and
shapes the stomach, hips, and bottom 2 especially lit some-
thing which surrounds something else: A girdle of islands
enclosed the lagoon.
girdle² v [T] especially lit to go all the way round: Our airline's
routes girdle the world.
girl /g3:l||g3:rl/ n 1 a young female person: There are more
girls than boys in this school. | a girl acrobat → see CHILD
(USAGE) 2 a daughter, especially young: My little girl is ill. |
Their eldest girl is getting married on Saturday. 3 infml a
woman: The men have invited the girls to play football
against them. 4 a) [often in comb.] a woman worker: the office
girls | shop girls b) (especially formerly) a female servant: a
girl who looks after the children 5 infml old-fash a girlfriend:
John's girl 6 a girl in every port a phrase used about sailors,
who are often mentioned in jokes as having a different girl
waiting for them at each of the ports they visit 7 there was
a little girl and she had a little curl the first line of a
NURSERY RHYME (=an old song or poem for children):
There was a little girl, and she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead;
And when she was good she was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid!
8 what are little girls made of? a line from a NURSERY
RHYME (=an old song or poem for children). The answer is
'sugar and spice and all things nice'. → see also what are
little boys made of? (BOY¹) 9 What's a nice girl like you
doing in a place like this? a phrase which people believe is
often used by a man as a way of introducing himself to a
woman when he is interested in her sexually, now often
used humorously
Some people, especially women, feel that it is
offensive to call a woman a girl after she has become an
adult, particularly in a situation where men are not called
boys, e.g. at (3) above.
girl 'Friday n a girl or woman worker who does several
different jobs in an office
girl·friend /'g3:lfrend||'g3:rl-/ n 1 the regular female friend
of a boy or man. The word is used especially when talking
about the relationships of young people. Older people prefer
to use the word 'partner' or 'friend'. 2 a female lover 3 espe-
cially AmE a woman's female friend with whom she spends
time and shares amusements: She's always on the phone to
her girlfriends. → see WOMAN (USAGE); see also BOYFRIEND
girl 'guide n the former name for a GUIDE
girl·hood /'g3:lhud||'g3:rl-/ n [C usually sing.;U] the state or
time of being a young girl → see also BOYHOOD, CHILDHOOD
girl·ie, girly /'g3:li||'g3:rli/ adj [A] infml (especially of a maga-
zine or picture) showing young women with (almost) bare
bodies, photographed in positions which are intended to be
sexually exciting. As long as they are not considered to be
PORNOGRAPHIC, girlie magazines can be sold openly in
shops. Some people would like to change this, to make them
less easily available. → compare PAGE THREE GIRL
girl·ish /'g3:lI||'g3:r-/ adj of or like a girl: sounds of girlish
laughter | his girlish shyness —~ly adv —~ness n [U]
'girl ,power n [U] infml 1 the idea that women should take
control over their own lives or situations 2 the social or
political influence that women have
Girl 'Scout n a member of the Girl Scouts organization set
up in the US in 1912. It is similar to the Guide Association.
gi·ro /'dʒaIrəʊ/ n 1 [U] a system of banking used in Britain,
run by a bank or post office, in which a central computer
handles the accounts which are held at different branches,
so that payments can be made directly from one person's
account to that of another 2 [C] (in Britain) a cheque from
the state to a person who is unemployed: I haven't got any
money, my giro hasn't come yet.
Gi·ro·bank /'dʒaIrəʊbæk/ the former name of a British
bank, now called the Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank,
which operates through local post offices in the UK
girt /g3:t||g3:rt/ past tense & participle of GIRD
girth /g3:θ||g3:rθ/ n 1 [C;U] especially tech the measure of
thickness round something: the girth of a tree | (humor) his
rather ample girth (=said of a fat person) 2 [C] a band which
is passed tightly round the middle of a horse DONKEY etc, to
keep the load or SADDLE (=rider's seat) firmly on its back →
see picture at HORSE
Gish, Lil·li·an /gIʃ, 'lIlIən/ (1893-1993) a US film and theatre
actress, most famous for appearing in SILENT FILMS (=films
made with no sound). Her films include Birth of a Nation
(1915), Broken Blossoms (1918), and much later, The Whales
of August (1987).
gis·mo, gizmo /'gIzməʊ/ n especially AmE infml a small piece of
equipment intended for a particular purpose; GADGET
gist /dʒIst/ n [S the (of)] the main points or general meaning: I
haven't time to read this report; can you give me the gist of it?
gîte /ʒi:t/ n Fr a furnished house in a country area of France
that people can book for a holiday
CULTURAL NOTE Gîtes are quite popular with British people
because they are cheaper than hotels and more
comfortable than camping. They are especially popular
with MIDDLE-CLASS people.
Giu·li·a·ni, Ru·dolph /ˌdʒu:li'ɑ:ni, 'ru:dɒlf| -da:lf/ (1944-
) a US lawyer and politician, who was the MAYOR of New York
City from 1993 until 2001. As mayor, he made New York
City cleaner and safer. He is admired for his leadership after
September 11 2001, when TERRORISTS used planes to attack
and destroy the World Trade Center.
give¹ /gIv/ v gave /geIv/, given /'gIvən/ TO CAUSE OR ALLOW
SOMEONE TO HAVE SOMETHING 1 [T+obj(i)+obj (d)] to cause some-
one to have, hold, receive, or own: Give me the tickets. |
[+obj(d)+to] Give the tickets to me. | Their teacher gave them a
lot of homework. | My mother gave us chicken for lunch. | A
30-year-old man has been given an artificial heart in a special
operation. | I'll give you our plants to look after while we're
away. | He gave me his coat to mend. | (fig.) He gave the old lady
his arm (=allowed her to lean on it) as she crossed the
road. 2 a) [T+obj(i)+obj(d)] to hand (something) over as a
present: I gave my father some socks for Christmas. |
[+obj(d)+to] I gave those socks to my father. | We've just been
given a piano by some friends of ours. | This piano was given
to us by some friends of ours. b) [+adv/prep] to supply;
(money); CONTRIBUTE: It's a very deserving charity; please
give generously. → see also GIVE OF 3 [T+obj(i)+obj(d)] to allow
to have: Give him enough time to get home before you
telephone. | I'll give you 24 hours to make a decision. | Were
you given a choice, or did you have to do it? | (infml) I'd give
their marriage a year at most. (=I think it will only last a
year) | Given the chance (=if someone gave me the chance)
I'd love to try again. → see also GIVEN² 4 [T(to)] to provide or
supply; cause someone, or people in general, to have (espe-
cially something non-material): The shop gives a generous
discount on large orders. | The apple tree doesn't give much
fruit. | to give evidence in a murder trial | [+obj(i)+obj(d)]
Whatever gave you that idea? | Can you give me more
information? | Who gave you permission to do that? | I'd like
you to give me your honest opinion of my work. | Please give
your parents my regards. | Digging the garden gave me a pain
in the back. | The drop in prices should give sales a boost.
Has official approval been given to the scheme? 5 [T(for)] to
pay in order to buy; pay in exchange (for something): I can't
believe you gave £3000 for that broken-down old car! |
[+obj(i)+obj(d)] How much will you give me for this silver teapot?
TO PERFORM AN ACTION; MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN OF
EXIST 6 [T] a) to perform or carry out (an action): Give the
signal to fire! | He gave a deep sigh. | The prisoner gave a
shrug of indifference. b) [+obj(i)+obj(d)] to cause (an action) to
be performed on or to (something or someone): Give me a
kiss. | She gave the tin a good polish. | He gave her hand a
reassuring squeeze. | I gave the ball a kick. 7 [T(to)] to
produce (an effect, appearance etc): She gives the impression
of being very well organized. | His books have given pleasure
to millions. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] The news gave us a shock. | I hope
my son didn't give you any trouble. 8 [T] to cause (a perform-
ance, amusement, or public event) to take place: He gave a
reading of his poetry. | Another performance will be given next
week. | The President is giving a press conference tomorrow.