fancywork
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fan·cy·work /'fænsiwɜːk||-wɜːrk/ n [U] decorative sewing;
EMBROIDERY
fan·dan·go /fæn'dæŋgəʊ/ n pl. -gos 1 [C] (the music for) a
very active Spanish or South American dance 2 [U] AmE
foolish noisy behaviour
fan·fare /'fænfeə/ n a short loud ceremonial piece of usually
TRUMPET music played to introduce a person or event: to
sound a fanfare | (fig.) The plan was announced with much
fanfare.
fang /fæŋ/ n a long sharp tooth of an animal, such as a dog or
a poisonous snake
fan·light /'fænlait/ BrE || transom, transom window
AmE — n a small window over a door or a larger window
Fan·nie Mae /'fæni 'mei/ a US financial institution which
buys and sells LOANS and MORTGAGES to banks and other
institutions, but does not deal directly with ordinary borrow-
ers
fan·ny /'fæni/ n slang 1 AmE the part of the body on which one
sits; BOTTOM 2 BrE taboo the outer sex organs of a woman
Fanny Hill a book written in 1749 by John Cleland about the
sexual adventures of a young woman, Fanny Hill. It is written
in a very elegant style but has many sex scenes, and for many
years it was not legal to sell it in Britain because it was
considered OBSCENE.
'fanny pack n AmE a small bag for money, keys etc, which you
wear in front of your body on a belt around your waist;
BUMBAG (BrE)
fan·ta·si·a /fæn'teɪziə, fanta'zi:ə||fæn'teɪzə/ n 1 a piece of
music that does not follow any regular style 2 a piece of
music made up of a collection of well-known tunes
Fan·ta·si·a /fæn'teɪziə||-3ə/ trademark (1940) a US film made
by Walt DISNEY, which consists of a number of different short
CARTOONS, each one with its own piece of CLASSICAL music.
The CONDUCTOR of the music is Leopold STOKOWSKI, and
the cartoons include one in which a group of HIPPOPOTA-
MUSES dance.
fantas·ize also -ise BrE /'fæntəsaɪz/ v [I(about); T+that; obj] to
form strange or wonderful ideas in the mind: She fantasized
about winning the lottery. | He fantasized about meeting
Marilyn Monroe.
fan·tas·tic /fæn'tæstɪk/ adj 1 infml extremely good; wonder-
ful: a fantastic meal | You look fantastic! 2 extremely great or
large: She won a fantastic sum of money in the casino. 3 (of
an idea, plan etc) too extreme or unrelated to reality to be
practical or reasonable; PREPOSTEROUS: Your proposals are
utterly fantastic; we couldn't possibly afford them. 4 odd,
strange, or wild in shape, meaning etc; not controlled by
reason: He was troubled by fantastic dreams. → -ally /-kli/ adv:
fantastically expensive
fan·ta·sy /'fæntəsi/ n 1 [U] imagination, especially when
unlimited or allowed complete freedom 2 [C,U] something
produced from free imagination, whether expressed in
words or not: The whole story is a fantasy. | He lives in a
world of fantasy. | sexual fantasies 3 [U] stories about imagi-
nary worlds which often involve magic. The characters are
often searching for an object which will cause good to win
over evil, and they usually fight with swords rather than
modern weapons. → compare SCIENCE FICTION
'Fantasy Island a US television series, in which people
visited a mysterious tropical island where their dreams could
come true
fan·zine /'fænziːn/ n a magazine written by and for very
keen supporters of a particular performer, sports team etc.
Fanzines are usually written without official approval and
are known for their strong opinions and lack of respect for
people in authority.
FAO /ef ei 'əʊ/ abbrev. for 1 the FAO the Food and Agriculture
Organization; a part of the UNITED NATIONS whose aim is to
increase food production, especially in poorer countries, for
example by teaching better farming skills. It is also respon-
sible for sending food to areas where there are serious
shortages. 2 for the attention of; a note written on a letter
or envelope when you want a particular person in an
organization to see it or deal with it
FAQ /fæk/ abbrev. for frequently asked questions; used especially
about computers and the INTERNET, for example by an organi-
zation giving answers to the most common questions that
people ask about a product, a service etc
far¹ /fɑː/ adv farther /'fɑːðə||'fɑːr-/ or further
/'fɜːðə||'fɜːr-/, farthest /'fɑːðɪst||'fɑːr-/ or furthest
/'fɜːðɪst||'fɜːr-/ 1 at, to, or from a great distance; a long
way: We didn't go (very) far. | Have you come far? [+adv/prep]
We walked far into the woods. | They travelled far from home. |
How far is it to the station? (fig.) I don't know how far (=how
much) I should believe him. | (fig.) A pound doesn't go very far
(=buy much) these days. | (fig.) She's an excellent young
musician; she should go far. (=be very successful in the
future) | (fig.) Her rudeness went too far. (=she was too rude) |
(fig.) You're taking/carrying that joke too far. (=going
beyond what is acceptable) 2 [+prep, especially into] at or to a
great distance in time: They worked far into the night. | We
can't plan far beyond August. | He can see far into the
future. 3 very much: It's far too hot in this room; open the
windows. | Tell him to go away; I'm far, far too busy to see
him. | The film is far better/worse than the book. | She is by
far the best teacher. | She is the best teacher by far. → see
MORE (USAGE) 4 as/so far as to the degree that: I will help
you as far as I can. | So far as I know (BrE)/as far as I know
(AmE), they are coming by car. 5 far and away by a great deal
or amount; very much: She is far and away the best actress in
the country. 6 far and wide also far and near everywhere:
They looked far and wide for the missing dog. | People came
from far and near to see the Pope. 7 far be it from me to
(used especially to show disagreement or disapproval) I
certainly would not want to: Far be it from me to interfere in
your work, but isn't this rather an impractical idea? 8 far
from a) very much not; a long way from being; not at all:
I'm far from pleased with your behaviour. | She is not a good
driver - far from it! b) also so far from rather than; instead
of; the opposite of: (So) far from taking my advice, he went
and did just what I had warned him against. 9 in so far as
also in as far as, insofar as —to the degree that: I'll help you
in so far as I can. 10 it is a far, far better thing I do than I
have ever done quote a phrase from the book A Tale of Two
Cities by Charles Dickens, said by the main good character
of the book when he is about to give his own life to save
that of someone else 11 so far a) up to the present: He's
had three wives so far. | 'Have you met your new neighbour?'
'Not so far.' b) to a certain point, degree, distance etc: When
the level reaches so far, stop the flow. | We can extend your loan
so far and no further. 12 So far, so good Things are
satisfactory up to this point, at least: We're over the wall. So
far, so good. Now we've got to swim the river. → see FARTHER²
(USAGE)
USAGE Far is usually used in questions or negatives about
distance: How far did you walk? | Did you walk far? | No,
we didn't walk far. It is also used in simple statements
after too, as, and so: We walked as far as the river. | We
walked much too far. Compare: We walked a long way
(far could not be used here except in very formal or
literary writing).
far² adj farther or further, farthest or furthest 1 being a long
way away: Let's walk back to the office; it's not far. | In the far
distance I saw a rider approaching. | (lit or poet) He lives in a
far country. 2 [A] also farther (of one of two things) more
distant: She swam to the far side of the lake. | It's in a
cupboard at the far end of the room. 3 [A] (of a political
position) very much to the LEFT or RIGHT; extreme: the far
left | a supporter of far right ideas 4 a far cry from com-
pletely different and often less good than: The present
economic situation is a far cry from the one predicted by the
previous government.
Far·a·day, Michael /'færədeɪ/ (1791-1867) a British scientist
who discovered the connection between electricity and
MAGNETISM and produced the first DYNAMO (=a machine that
changes some other form of power into electricity)
far·a·way /'fɑːrəweɪ/ adj [A] 1 distant: faraway places 2 (of
the look in a person's eyes) dreamy, as if looking at or
thinking about something distant
farce /fɑːs||fɑːrs/ n 1 [C] a light humorous play full of silly
things happening 2 [U] the branch of theatrical writing
concerned with this type of play 3 [S] a situation or event
that is silly and empty and pretending to be something which