tombstone
1462
is a cruel BULLY who treats Tom Brown and his friends, who
are younger than Flashman, very badly.
tomb·stone /'tu:mstəʊn/ n a GRAVESTONE
Tombstone a city in Arizona in the US, where the gunfight
at the OK CORRAL took place
tom·cat /'tɒmkæt||'tɑ:m-/ also tom /tɒm||tɑ:m/ infml — n a
male cat ➔ compare TABBY
,Tom 'Collins n a strong alcoholic drink served especially in
the US, usually made with GIN, the juice of a LEMON or LIME,
and sugar
tome /təʊm/ n especially lit or humor a large heavy book
tom-fool·er·y /ˌtɒm'fu:ləri||ˌtɑ:m-/ n fml 1 [U] foolish behav-
iour 2 [C usually pl.] a foolish act
,Tom 'Jones (1749) a humorous novel by Henry FIELDING
about the travels, adventures, and sexual relationships of a
young man, Tom Jones, whose behaviour is not always
moral, but who is still likeable. It is one of the first modern
English novels, and it influenced many later writers. Several
films have been made from the book, including a very
successful British film in 1963. ➔ see also JONES, Tom
Tom·lin, Lily /'tɒmlɪn||'tɑ:m-/ (1939–) a US film and theatre
actress and COMEDIAN, who has appeared in films such as
Nashville (1975) and 9 to 5 (1980)
Tom·lin·son, Rick·y /'tɒmlɪnsən||'tɑ:m-, 'rɪki/ (1939–) a
British film and television actor from Liverpool who is best
known for playing the character of Jim Royle in the British
television COMEDY The Royle Family. He also appeared in the
television series Boys from the Blackstuff and in the SOAP
OPERA Brookside. His films include Mike Bassett: England
Manager. He is known for his LEFT-WING political opinions.
Tom·my /'tɒmi||'tɑ:-/ n a name used especially in World War
I for an ordinary British soldier of the lowest rank
'tommy gun n infml a light MACHINEGUN
tom·my·rot /'tɒmirot||'tɑ:mirɑ:t/ n [U] old-fash complete
nonsense
to·mor·row¹ /tə'mɒrəʊ||-'mɔ:r-, -'mɑ:-/ adv during or on the
day following today: I hope it will be sunny tomorrow. | I’ll be
back tomorrow night. | (BrE) I’m starting my new job a week
tomorrow/tomorrow week. (=a week from tomorrow)
tomorrow² n 1 [U] the day following today: Tomorrow will
be my birthday. | I’ll see you at tomorrow’s meeting. | Will it be
ready in time for tomorrow? ➔ see DAY (USAGE) 2 [S;U] the
future: a brighter tomorrow | tomorrow’s world | The comput-
ers of tomorrow will be even more powerful than the ones we
use now. 3 never put off till tomorrow what you can do
today saying necessary jobs should always be done immedi-
ately, for if they are left till later they may be forgotten and
never get done 4 tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
quote a well-known line from a speech by Macbeth in SHAKE-
SPEARE’s play Macbeth 5 do sth like there’s no tomorrow
used in order to say that people are doing something a lot,
or too much: After her divorce, Sheila started spending
money like there was no tomorrow. | Of course I don’t mind
people kissing, but Sara and Michael were making out like
there was no tomorrow – it was horrible!
Tom Sawyer ➔ see SAWYER, Tom
,Tom 'Thumb a character in a FAIRY TALE (=a story for
children in which magical things happen) who was only as
big as a person’s thumb
'tom-tom n a long narrow drum usually played by being
beaten with the hands
ton /tʌn/ n 1 [C] pl. tons or ton a measure of weight ➔ see
TABLE 2 2 [C[of]] also tons pl. — infml a very large quantity: I
bought tons of fruit while it was cheap. 3 [S] infml a heavy
weight: This book weighs a ton. (=is very heavy) 4 [(the)S]
old-fash infml 100 miles per hour: The motorcyclist must have
been doing a ton as he passed me. ➔ see also TON-UP
5 come down on someone like a ton of bricks infml to
turn the full force of one’s anger against someone, usually as
a punishment ➔ see also TONS; compare TONNE
ton·al /'təʊnəl/ adj of tonality or tone or having tonality ➔
see also ATONAL
ton·al·i·ty /təʊ'nælɪti/ n tech 1 [C;U] the character of a tune
depending on the musical KEY in which it is played 2 [C] a
musical KEY
tone¹ /təʊn/ n 1 [C] the quality or character of the sound
produced by a particular instrument or singing voice: The
piano has a beautiful tone. 2 [C] also tones pl. — a particular
quality of the voice regarded as expressing a particular
feeling or meaning; manner of expression: The speaker
urged us in ringing tones to support his cause. | I don’t like
your tone (of voice); don’t take that tone with me. (=I am
annoyed or displeased by the way you are talking to
me) 3 [S;U] a) the general quality or nature of something:
the optimistic tone of the report | Her friendly opening speech
set the tone for the whole conference. b) high quality of
character: These dreadful people bring down/lower the tone
of the neighbourhood. 4 [C] a variety or shade of a colour,
different from other varieties because of more light or
darkness, the addition of a slight quantity of another colour
etc: a picture painted in various tones of blue ➔ see also
TWO-TONE 5 AmE for NOTE 6 [C], also step especially AmE — tech
a difference in the highness of a musical note equal to that
between two notes which are two notes apart on a piano:
There is a tone between B and C sharp; B and C are half a ton
apart. ➔ see also SEMITONE 7 the sound made by various
electronic instruments, especially push-button telephones or
telephone answering machines: Please leave a message after
the tone. 8 [U] tech the healthy and proper state of firmness
of the organs, muscles etc, of the body: Exercise improves
muscle tone. 9 -toned /təʊnd/ having the stated TONE ➔ see
also DIALLING TONE
tone² v
tone sthg. ⇔ down phr v [T] to reduce the violence or
forcefulness of; MODERATE: In his public statement he toned
down the criticisms he had made in private. | That orange
paint’s rather garish for the bedroom; I’d tone it down a bit!
tone in phr v [[(with)]] to match; HARMONIZE: I think black
shoes would tone in better with your coat than red ones.
tone sbdy./sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] to make stronger, healthier
or more lively: Swimming is the best way to tone up your
body.
,tone-'deaf adj unable to tell the difference between different
musical notes
'tone ,language n tech a language, such as Chinese or
Yoruba, in which highness or lowness of sound are used for
expressing the difference in meaning between words that
otherwise sound the same
tone·less /'təʊnləs/ adj lacking colour, spirit etc; lifeless or
dull: a toneless voice/reply —–ly adv
'tone ,poem n a piece of music written to represent a poetic
idea, scene etc, musically
Tong·a /'tɒŋə||'tɑ:-/ a country consisting of about 170 small
islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Population: 108,148
(2003). Capital: Nuku'alofa. It is ruled by a king and is a
member of the British COMMONWEALTH. —Tongan n, adj
tongs /tɒŋz||tɑ:ŋz, tɔ:ŋz/ n [P] an instrument consisting of
two movable arms joined at one end, used for holding or
lifting various objects: She used (a pair of) tongs to put some
more coal on the fire. | sugar tongs for picking up lumps of
sugar
tongue /tʌŋ/ n 1 [C] the movable fleshy organ in the
mouth, used for tasting, moving food around, and, in
human beings, for producing speech 2 [U] the tongue of an
animal such as the cow, cooked as food: ham and tongue
sandwiches 3 [C] any of various objects like a tongue in
shape, such as the piece of hanging metal in the middle of a
bell or the piece of material under the LACES in a shoe:
Tongues of flame shot out from the burning hut. | a tongue of
land 4 [C] fml or lit a spoken language: This dictionary is
specially intended for people whose native tongue is not Eng-
lish. 5 [(the)S] (in certain phrases) the tongue considered as
the organ of speech: She has rather a sharp tongue. (=severe
or unkind way of speaking) | Hold your tongue! (=Keep
quiet!) | I meant to say Friday, not Monday: it was a slip of
the tongue. 6 get one’s tongue (a)round infml to pronounce
(a difficult word, name etc) correctly: I find it hard to get my
tongue round these Polish names. 7 give/get a tongue
lashing AmE infml to give or receive a spoken expression of
annoyance or disapproval: He got a tongue-lashing from his
mother for tracking mud all over the living-room car-
pet. 8 set tongues wagging to cause much interest and talk;
make people GOSSIP 9 speak with a forked tongue Am