poison ivy 1068
**poi**son **i**vy n [U] a North American climbing plant that causes painful spots on the skin when touched
**poi**son·ous /ˈpɔɪzənəs/ adj 1 containing poison: poisonous snakes | Some plants have poisonous berries. 2 having the effects of poison: This medicine is poisonous if taken in large quantities. I (fig.) the poisonous (=extremely harmful) influence of their lies 3 derog nasty; very unpleasant: She gave him a poisonous look. →-**ly** adv
,**poi**son-'**pen** ,**let**ter n a usually unsigned letter saying bad things about someone
**Poi**·**tier**, **Sid**·**ney** /ˈpwɑːtiər||ˈpwɑːrjeɪ, sɪdni/ (1924–) a US film actor and DIRECTOR, who was one of the first African American actors to appear in films playing serious characters, rather than STEREOTYPES based on race. His films include *The Blackboard Jungle* (1955), *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), and *GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER* (1967). He won an Oscar in 1963 for *Lilies of the Field*.
**poke**¹ /pəʊk/ v [I;T] 1 [(+obj)+adv/prep] to stretch out sharply or suddenly through or beyond a particular place or opening: His elbow was poking (out) through his torn shirt sleeve. | She poked her head round the corner. 2 [(in, with)] to push a pointed thing into (someone or something); PROD: You nearly poked me in the eye with your pencil. | She poked the fire to make it burn better. 3 poke fun at to laugh or cause others to laugh rather unkindly at; make fun of → see also poke one's nose in (NOSE)
**poke about/around** phr v [I] infml to move things about when looking for something: She poked about in her bag for her ticket. | Who's been poking about in my private drawer?
**poke**² n an act of poking with something pointed: I gave her a poke in the ribs with my elbow to wake her up. → see also pig in a poke (PIG)
**pok**·**er**¹ /ˈpəʊkər/ n a metal rod used to poke a fire in order to make it burn better
**poker**² n [U] a card game usually played for money
'**poker face** n [S] a face that shows nothing of what a person is thinking or feeling (from the game of poker in which players try not to show what they are feeling because they do not want other players to know if their cards are good or bad) →**poker-faced** adj: Melanie waited poker-faced for their next offer.
**po**·**ker-work** /ˈpəʊkəwɜːk||ˈpɑːkəwɜːrk/ n [U] (the art of making) pictures or decoration on wood or leather made by burning the surface with hot tools
**pok**·**y**, **pokey** /ˈpəki/ adj infml derog 1 (of a place) uncomfortably small and unattractive: a poky little house with a poky little garden in front 2 || **pokey** AmE annoyingly slow →**-iness** n [U]
**Po**·**lack** /ˈpəlæk/ n infml, especially AmE an insulting word for a person from Poland, especially for someone in the US whose family originally came from Poland
**Po**·**land** /ˈpələnd/ a country in central Europe, east of Germany and west of Belarus. Population: 38,700,000 (2004). Capital: Warsaw. After World War II, Poland became a Communist country, and its government was strongly influenced by the former Soviet Union. A new political group, SOLIDARITY, led by Lech Walesa, began to oppose the Communist government in 1980, and in 1989 Solidarity became the party of government. Poland's main industries traditionally include coal, SHIPBUILDING, and farming, but new industries are now being developed. Poland became a member of the EU in May 2004. It is a strongly Catholic country. People from Poland are called Poles.
**Po**·**lan**·**ski**, **Roman** /pəˈlænski/ (1933–) a Polish film DIRECTOR who, after some early films in Poland, has made his films in English. His films are often about violence or madness, and they include *Rosemary's Baby* (1968), *Chinatown* (1974), and *The Pianist* (2002), for which he won an Academy Award. He was married to the actress Sharon Tate, who was murdered by Charles Manson and his followers in 1969. He left the US in 1977 because he was wanted by the police for having sex with very young women, and he has worked in Europe since then.
**po**·**lar** /ˈpəʊlər/ adj [A] 1 of, near, like, or coming from lands near the North or South Poles: the polar ice-cap | As our climate warms up, the polar ice-caps will begin to melt. 2 fml or tech exactly opposite in kind, quality etc: The two systems of government are polar opposites.
,**polar 'bear** /ˌpɒlər ˈbeər/ n a large white bear that lives near the North Pole → see picture at BEAR
**Po**·**la**·**ris**¹ /pəˈlærɪs||ˈlær-/ a BALLISTIC MISSILE (=a flying weapon) fired from a SUBMARINE, which was developed in the US in the 1950s and 1960s and is a NUCLEAR WEAPON. Polaris missiles were kept by the military forces of the US and the UK until the 1990s, when they were replaced by TRIDENT missiles.
**Polaris**² another name for the POLE STAR
**po**·**lar**·**i**·**ty** /pəˈlærəti/ n [C;U] 1 fml the state of having or developing two opposite qualities: a growing polarity between the opinions of the government and those of the trade unions 2 tech a) the state of having two opposite POLES³ (3,4,5) b) either of the two states of electricity possessed by POLES³ (in the phrases negative polarity, positive polarity)
**po**·**lar**·**ize** also -ise BrE /ˈpəʊləraɪz/ v 1 [I;T(into)] to divide into groups based on two completely opposite principles, political opinions etc: a highly controversial issue which has polarized the country 2 [T] tech a) to give POLARITY (2a) to b) to cause (light waves) to VIBRATE (=move up and down) in a single particular pattern →**-ization** /,pəʊlərɪˈzeɪʃn||-ra-/ n [U]
**Po**·**lar**·**oid** /ˈpəʊlərɔɪd/ trademark 1 a camera that uses a special film to produce a photograph very quickly 2 a photograph taken with a Polaroid camera 3 [U] a special material which is put on the glass in SUNGLASSES, car windows etc to make the sun seem less bright
**Po**·**lar**·**oids** /ˈpələrɔɪdz/ n [P] SUNGLASSES treated with POLAROID
**pole**¹ /pəʊl/ n 1 (often in comb.) a long straight round rather thin stick or post, especially one stuck upright or nearly upright into the ground as a support: The hut was made of poles covered with grass mats. | a tent pole | a flagpole | (fig.) climbing the greasy/slippery pole of promotion (=where it is easy to fail and go backwards) 2 up the pole infml, especially BrE slightly mad
**pole**² v [I] to use a pole or poles to move along, e.g. in a flat-bottomed boat or when sliding over snow on SKIs
**pole**³ n 1 (the area around) the most northern and southern points on the surface of a PLANET, especially, on Earth, the NORTH POLE or SOUTH POLE or the cold areas around them: the rigours of life at the poles | (fig., lit) from pole to pole (=all over the world) → see also MAGNETIC POLE 2 either of two positions that are as far apart or different as possible: Our opinions on this subject are at opposite poles. 3 either of the two points in the sky to the north and south round which stars seem to turn 4 either of the points at the ends of a MAGNET where its power of pulling iron towards itself is strongest 5 either of the two points at which wires can be fixed onto an electric BATTERY in order to use the electricity (often in the phrases negative pole, positive pole) 6 either end of an imaginary straight line (AXIS) round which a solid round mass turns 7 poles apart widely separated; having no shared quality, idea etc: They are poles apart in their political attitudes.
**Pole** /pəʊl/ n [C] someone who comes from Poland
**pole**·**axe** /ˈpəʊlæks/ v [T] to knock down (as if) with a very hard hit: The boxer was poleaxed by a savage punch to the jaw.
**pole**·**axed** /ˈpəʊləkst/ adj [not before n] 1 infml very surprised and shocked: I was poleaxed when I heard I'd passed the exam. 2 unable to stand because something has hit you very hard: The big Texan staggered and collapsed as if pole-axed.
**pole**·**cat** /ˈpəʊlkæt/ n 1 a small fierce dark brown animal that lives in northern Europe and has a very unpleasant smell 2 AmE infml for SKUNK
**po**·**lem**·**ic** /pəˈlemɪk/ n fml or tech 1 [C] a fierce attack on or defence of an opinion: Before long, the dispute had degenerated into heated polemics. 2 [U] also polemics — the art or practice of attacking or defending opinions, ideas etc
**po**·**lem**·**ic**·**al** /pəˈlemɪkəl/ also **polemic**— adj fml or tech written or said with the main purpose of attacking or