1097
Princess and the Pea, The
prime 'cost n [U] the actual cost of producing an article, as
opposed to money spent on selling it, on renting factories
etc → compare OVERHEADS
prime me'ridian [the] the imaginary line drawn from
north to south on the earth, which passes through Green-
wich, England, and from which east and west are measured
on a map in degrees
Prime 'minister, prime minister abbrev. PM infml n the
chief minister and leader of the government in certain coun-
tries, especially those with a parliamentary system of govern-
ment. In Britain, the prime minister is the leader of the
political party which has the most members in the House of
Commons and is an elected member of the House. If the
prime minister loses support in the House of Commons, they
are expected to RESIGN, as Margaret THATCHER did in 1990.
——ship n
Prime Minister's 'Question Time a period of time
each week when any member of the British HOUSE OF COM-
MONS may ask the PRIME MINISTER questions. It used to take
place every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, but since 1997
there has been just one longer Question Time each week.
There are often loud and angry disagreements during Ques-
tion Time, which are broadcast on radio and television, and
many people feel that the arguing and interrupting shows
one of the worst features of the British political system.
prime 'mover n 1 tech a natural force, such as wind or
moving water, which can be used directly or to produce a
more useful form of power 2 [of, in] a person or thing that
has great influence in the development of something impor-
tant
prime 'number also prime n tech a number that can be
divided exactly only by itself and the number one: 23 is a
prime number.
prim-er¹ /'praɪmə/ n 1 [C;U] a paint or other substance for
spreading over the bare surface of wood, metal etc before
the main painting → see also PRIME 2 [C] a tube containing
explosive, used to fire a gun, explode a bomb etc → see also
PRIME
pri-mer² /'praɪmə || 'prɪmər/ n old-fash a simple beginner's
book in a school subject
'prime rate n the lowest rate of interest at which money can
be borrowed at a particular time and place, offered by banks
to certain borrowers: US prime rates are edging downwards.
→ compare BASE RATE, DISCOUNT RATE
prime 'rib also prime 'fore rib, fore rib n [U] an
expensive piece of BEEF which is usually roasted (ROAST)
'prime time n [U] especially AmE PEAK TIME
pri-me-val also -mae- especially BrE /praɪ'mi:vəl/ adj 1 very
ancient; having been in existence for a very long time:
primeval forests 2 of the earliest period in the existence of
something, such as the Earth, the universe etc: Primeval
clouds of gas formed themselves into stars.
prim-i-tive¹ /'prɪmɪtɪv/ adj 1 [A] of the earliest stage of
development, especially of life or of human beings: Primi-
tive man made himself primitive tools from sharp stones and
animal bones. | primitive art on the walls of caves 2 simple;
roughly made or done; not greatly developed or improved:
Small seashells were often used as a primitive kind of
money. 3 derog old-fashioned and inconvenient: primitive
living conditions, without electricity or running water ——ly
adv ——ness n [U]
primitive² n 1 a painter, SCULPTOR, etc of the time before the
Renaissance: an Italian primitive 2 a modern painter who
paints simple and rather flat-looking pictures
pri-mo-gen-i-ture /ˌpraɪməʊ'dʒenɪtʃər/ n [U] tech the sys-
tem according to which property owned by a father goes
after his death to the eldest son
pri-mor-di-al /praɪ'mɔːdiəl || -ɔːr-/ adj fml existing from or at
the beginning (of time): Scientists used to believe that all the
stars developed from a primordial mass of gases. → compare
PRIMAL ——ly adv
pri,mordial 'soup n [S] infml the mixture of substances, gases
etc thought to have existed before the BIG BANG (=the explo-
sion that began the universe)
primp /prɪmp/ v [I;T] to do one's hair, put on MAKE-UP, dress
carefully etc, so that one looks nice (used especially of
women): She's primping in front of the mirror upstairs.
prim-rose /'prɪmrəʊz/ n 1 [C] (a flower of) a common wild
plant that produces light yellow flowers in the spring 2 [U]
also primrose 'yellow — a light yellow colour 3 primrose
path lit a way of life full of physical pleasure but damaging to
the soul
prim-u-la /'prɪmjʊlə/ n a plant of the primrose family which
is grown in gardens for its brightly coloured flowers
Pri-mus /praɪməs/ also 'primus (stove) trademark BrE a
small STOVE (=a piece of equipment for cooking) that burns
oil and can be easily carried around
prince /prɪns/ n 1 (often cap.) a son or other near male relation
of a king or queen: Prince Rupert 2 (often cap.) a ruler of a
usually small country: Prince Rainier of Monaco | In former
times parts of India were ruled by princes. 3 [(among, of) usually
sing.] lit or pomp a very great, successful, or powerful man of
the stated kind: the merchant princes of Venice
Prince (1958–) a US singer, GUITAR player, and songwriter,
who is known for dressing and performing in a way that is
intended to be sexually exciting and shocking. He was one
of the most successful singers of the 1980s, and his records
include Purple Rain (1984) and Sign O' the Times (1987).
Prince, The (1532) a book by MACHIAVELLI which discusses
what a ruler should do in order to gain and keep power and
be an effective ruler, even if this means being cruel, dishon-
est or immoral
Prince Albert → see ALBERT, Prince
Prince Andrew → see ANDREW, Prince
Prince Charles → see CHARLES, Prince
Prince 'Charming n 1 in the story Cinderella, the prince
who falls in love with Cinderella and marries her, so that
she escapes from her unhappy life 2 infml a perfect man who
a young girl might dream about meeting, who is good
looking, kind, romantic etc, often used humorously
prince 'consort n pl. princes consort (often caps.) a special
title sometimes given to the husband of a ruling queen,
especially to Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria of
Britain → compare QUEEN CONSORT
prince-dom /'prɪnsdəm/ n fml a country ruled by a PRINCE;
PRINCIPALITY
Prince Edward → see EDWARD, Prince
Prince 'Edward Island a PROVINCE in southeast Canada
that is an island in the Gulf of St Lawrence
Prince Harry → see HARRY, Prince
prince-ly /'prɪnsli/ adj 1 of a PRINCE (1,2): the princely courts
of Europe 2 fml apprec fine; splendid; generous: a princely
gift | He offered us a princely sum (=a lot of money) for it.
Prince Na-seem /prɪns næ'si:m/ (1974–) also known as
Prince Naseem Hamed; a British BOXER who fought as a
FEATHERWEIGHT (=a boxer who weighs between 53.5 and 57
kilos) and was WORLD CHAMPION from 1995–2000
Prince of 'Darkness, the a poetic name for the DEVIL
Prince of 'Peace, the a poetic name for JESUS Christ
Prince of 'Wales, the n a title that is given to the first son
of a British king or queen. Prince Charles was given the title
by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in a special ceremony at
Caernarvon Castle in Wales in 1969.
Prince Philip → see DUKE OF EDINBURGH
Prince 'Regent, the the son of the British king, George III,
who acted as king from 1811 to 1820 because his father was
mentally ill. This period of British history is called 'the
Regency' (REGENCY²). When George III died in 1820, the
Prince Regent became King George IV.
Princes in the 'Tower, the the English boy king Edward
V and his brother Richard, who in 1483 were put in prison in
the Tower of London by their UNCLE, who later became King
Richard III. Many people believe that Richard ordered the two
boys to be murdered.
prin-cess /prɪn'ses || 'prɪnsəs/ n (often cap.) 1 a daughter or
other near female relation of a king or queen: Princess
Anne 2 the wife of a PRINCE: Princess Diana
Princess and the 'Pea, The a FAIRY TALE by Hans
Christian ANDERSEN in which a young woman proves that
she is a princess by noticing that there is a PEA (=a small