1473
training college
cyclist weaved his way through the busy traffic. 3 business
done by a railway, ship or air travel company etc, in carrying
goods or passengers: passenger traffic 4 [(in)] trade, espe-
cially in illegal goods: the traffic in drugs/drug traffic
traffic² v -ck-
traffic in sthg. phr v [T] to carry on trade, especially of an
illegal or improper kind, in (a particular type of goods):
trafficking in stolen goods
traf·fi·ca·tor /'træfɪkeɪtə/ n BrE, becoming rare an INDICATOR
(=flashing light on a car that shows a driver's intention of
turning left or right)
traffic calming n [U] the use of methods such as building
SLEEPING POLICEMEN across a road, or making the road
narrower, to prevent vehicles from passing too quickly
through an area
traffic circle n AmE for ROUNDABOUT
traffic cone n a CONE-shaped marker used on a road
especially for showing where repairs are being done
traffic cop n AmE infml 1 a police officer who directs traffic
by standing in the road and waving his arms 2 a police
officer who stops drivers who break the law and writes them a
TICKET¹ (=written notice of an offence against the driving
laws)
traffic court n AmE a court in a town or city in the US that
deals with people who have done something illegal while
driving
traffic island n an ISLAND
traffic jam n a situation in which there is so much traffic
on a road that it moves only very slowly (or not at all)
traf·fick·er /'træfɪkə/ n [(in)] a person who carries on trade,
especially in illegal goods: drug traffickers
traffic light also 'traffic signal n [usually pl.] any of a set of
coloured lights used for controlling and directing traffic,
especially where one road crosses another
traffic offence n an illegal act connected with driving a
motor vehicle, especially speeding (driving too fast) or
illegal parking
traffic warden n BrE an official responsible for controlling
the parking of vehicles on city streets
tra·ge·di·an /trə'dʒiːdiən/ n fml an actor or writer of TRAG-
EDY
tra·ge·di·enne /trəˌdʒiːdi'ɛn/ n old-fash or pomp an actress of
TRAGEDY
tra·ge·dy /'trædʒədi/ n 1 [C] a serious play that ends sadly,
especially with the main character's death, and is often
intended to teach a moral lesson: 'Hamlet' is one of Shake-
speare's best-known tragedies. 2 [U] plays like this consid-
ered as a branch of literature 3 [C;U] a terrible, unhappy, or
unfortunate event: Their holiday ended in tragedy when their
hotel caught fire. | It was a great tragedy that she died so
young.
tra·gic /'trædʒɪk/ adj 1 very sad, unfortunate etc: a tragic
accident 2 [A no comp.] of TRAGEDY: a tragic actress ➔ com-
pare COMIC —ally /kli/ adv
tra·gi·com·e·dy /ˌtrædʒɪ'kɒmɪdiː-'kaː-/ n [C;U] a (type of)
play or story that combines tragic and amusing parts
—comic adj
trail¹ /treɪl/ v 1 [T] to drag or allow to drag behind, espe-
cially without making any effort: He sat on the side of the
boat and trailed his feet in the water. 2 [I(ALONG, behind)] to be
dragged along behind: Her long skirt was trailing along in
the mud behind her. 3 [T(to)] to follow the trail of; TRACK: The
police trailed the criminal to his hiding-place. 4 [I+adv/prep] to
walk slowly and tiredly: The defeated army trailed along the
road/trailed back to camp. 5 [I] (of a plant) to grow over or
along the ground: trailing ivy 6 [(T)] to fall behind (a
competitor): At half-time our team was trailing by two goals
to one. | According to the latest polls, the Republicans trail the
Democrats by 10%. 7 [T] to advertise in advance by means of
a TRAILER
trail off phr v [I] (especially of a voice) to become gradually
weaker and reduce to nothing
trail² n 1 the track or smell of a person or animal, especially
as followed by a hunter: The hunters followed the tiger's
trail. | The bank robbers rode off, with the sheriff's men
(hard/hot) on their trail. (=following (closely behind
them)) 2 a path across rough country made by the passing
of people or animals: The trail led over Boulder Pass and
then descended to a lake. 3 [(of)] a stream of dust, smoke,
people, vehicles etc, behind something moving: The car
raced past, leaving a trail of dust. | (fig.) He left a trail of
broken hearts/unpaid bills behind him. ➔ see also blaze
a/the trail (BLAZE)
trail·blaz·er /'treɪlˌbleɪzə/ n someone who begins or dis-
covers something that has not been done before: a trail-
blazer in the field of medicine
trail·er /'treɪlə/ n 1 a vehicle pulled by another vehicle: He
transports his boat by putting it on a trailer behind his
car. 2 an advertisement for a new film or TV show, usually
consisting of small pieces taken from it 3 AmE for CARAVAN
'trailer house n a MOBILE HOME
'trailer park also 'trailer court n AmE an area where many
trailers stand and are used as houses: The hurricane
destroyed a trailer park on the edge of town.
'trailer trash n [U] AmE infml an offensive word for poor,
uneducated people in the US who live in TRAILER PARKS. They
are usually white and are considered to belong to the lowest
social class. ➔ compare WHITE TRASH
Trail of 'Tears, the the journey which the Cherokee tribe
of Native Americans were forced to take in 1838 and 1839.
The American government forced them to leave their homes
in Georgia, Tennessee, and several other states, in order to
go to what was then called Indian Territory and is now part
of the state of Oklahoma. Between 4000 and 8000 Cherokee
people died on this journey. Other Native American tribes
were forced to take similar journeys, which were also called
the Trail of Tears.
train¹ /treɪn/ n 1 a line of connected railway carriages pulled
by an engine: to catch/miss the train | I prefer travelling by
train. | There is no train service (=trains do not run) between
here and Wales. ➔ see also BOAT TRAIN 2 a long line of
moving people, animals, and vehicles: a camel train 3 a part
of a long dress (e.g. one worn for a wedding) that spreads
over the ground behind the wearer 4 [+of] a chain of related
events, thoughts, actions etc: The telephone rang and inter-
rupted my train of thought. 5 old use a group of servants or
officers attending a person of high rank
You can travel by train, or on a particular train. At
the beginning of your journey you get on(to) the train and
at the end of your journey you get off (it), get out (of it),
or alight fml (from it). ➔ see also DRIVE (USAGE),
TRANSPORT (USAGE)
train² v 1 [I;T(as, in)] to give or be given a course of instruction
or practice, especially in a profession or skill: She trained as
a singer under a famous professor of music. | [+obj+to-v] These
dogs are trained to detect explosives. | [+to-v] He's training to
be a doctor. | a well trained dog/voice 2 [I;T(for)] to prepare for
a test of physical skill, especially by exercising: Every morn-
ing John spends two hours training for the race. 3 [T] to
direct the growth of (a plant) by bending, cutting, tying
etc 4 [T(on)] to aim (a gun, camera etc) at something or
someone: The firemen trained their hoses on the burning
building. ➔ see TEACH (USAGE) —able adj
train·bear·er /'treɪnˌbeərə/ n an attendant who holds up
the TRAIN of a dress, especially at a wedding
train·ee /ˌtreɪ'niː/ n a person who is being trained: a
trainee reporter
train·er /'treɪnə/ n 1 a person who trains people or animals
for sports, work etc 2 BrE || sneaker, tennis shoe AmE — a
strong shoe for sports; thick PLIMSOLL ➔ see PAIR (USAGE)
train·ing /'treɪnɪŋ/ n 1 [S;U(in)] the process of training or
being trained; instruction: On the course she received (a)
thorough training in every aspect of the job. | a training
programme 2 [U(for)] a course of special exercises, practice,
food etc, to keep sportsmen or animals healthy and fit: The
champion has gone into training/is in training for his next
fight. 3 in/out of training in/not in a good healthy condi-
tion for a sport, test of skill etc
Training and 'Enterprise Council, the ➔ see TEC
'training college n [C;U] BrE a college, usually for adults,
that gives specialized instruction: a teacher training college |
a training college for pilots