973
Old Bailey, the
under the ground from which it is able to make a lot of
money: the oil-rich Gulf States
**oil-rig** /'ɔɪlrɪg/ also **'oil platform** *n* a large piece of equip-
ment for getting oil from underground, especially from
under the sea
**oils** /ɔɪlz/ *n* [P] paints (especially for pictures) containing oil:
*to paint in oils* ➔ compare WATERCOLOUR
**oil-skin** /'ɔɪl-skn/ *n* [C;U] (a garment made of) cloth treated
with oil so that water will not pass through it: *a fisherman
in oilskins*
**oil slick** also **slick** *n* a usually long wide sheet of oil floating
on water, especially as a result of an accident to an oil-
carrying ship
**oil tanker** *n* a ship with large containers for carrying oil
**oil well** *n* a hole made in the ground from which oil is
obtained
**oil-y** /'ɔɪli/ *adj* **1** of, about, or like oil: *an oily liquid* **2** covered
with or containing oil: *oily fried food/hair* **3** *derog* unpleasant-
ly polite; UNCTUOUS: *an oily manner*
**oink** /ɔɪŋk/ *v* [I] *infml* to make the sound that a pig makes
➔**oink** *n*
**ointment** /'ɔɪntmənt/ *n* [C;U] an oily substance, often
medicinal, to be rubbed on the skin ➔ see also **fly in the
ointment** (FLY³)
**OJ** /ˌəʊ 'dʒeɪ/ *n* [U] *AmE infml* orange juice: *Eggs over easy,
hashbrowns, and a glass of OJ, please.* ➔ see also O.J.
SIMPSON
**O-jib-wa, Ojibway, the** /əʊ'dʒɪbweɪ, -wə/ *n* [C+plural] ➔
see CHIPPEWA
**OK** *written abbrev.* for OKLAHOMA
**OK!** /əʊ 'keɪ/ *trademark* a British magazine which publishes
pictures and articles about famous people
**o-kay¹, OK** /əʊ'keɪ/ *adj, adv infml* **1 a)** all right: *The car's
going okay now. | Is my hair okay? | Is it OK with/by you if I
borrow this book? | 'Sorry I'm late.' 'That's OK.'* **b)** satisfac-
tory, but not wonderful: *'What was the film like?' 'Oh, OK, I
suppose.'* **2** (asking for or expressing agreement, or giving
permission) all right; agreed: *Let's go there, okay? | 'Can I use
your car?' 'OK.'* **3 OK, yah** (an expression of agreement
thought to be typically said by YUPPIES and HOORAY HENRYS)
**okay², OK** *v* **okayed, OKed; okaying, OKing** [T] *infml* to agree
to; give permission to: *Has the bank okayed your request for a
loan?*
**okay³, OK** *n* *pl.* **okays, OKs** *infml* approval; permission: *I got
the OK to leave early.*
**OK Cor·ral, the** /ˌəʊ keɪ kə'rɑːl||-'ræl/ a CORRAL (=an area
surrounded by fences where animals can be kept) in the
town of Tombstone, Arizona. In 1881 it was the scene of a
famous gunfight in which Wyatt EARP and his brothers
Morgan and Virgil, who was the DEPUTY MARSHAL of Tomb-
stone, and Doc Holliday, fought against a group of criminals
called the Clanton gang. Three of the Clantons were killed,
and Virgil Earp lost his job as deputy marshal because the
people believed that the Earps had murdered the Clantons.
The story was made into a well-known film, *Gunfight at the
OK Corral* (1957), and this phrase is sometimes used humor-
ously when talking about a fight involving several people: *It
was more like the gunfight at the OK Corral than a football
game.*
**O-kee-cho-bee, Lake** /ˌəʊkɪ'tʃəʊbi/ a large lake of FRESH
(=not containing salt) water in southern Florida, US. Water
flows from it into the Atlantic Ocean through the EVERG-
LADES.
**O'Keeffe, Georgia** /əʊ'kiːf/ (1887–1986) a US artist known
especially for her large beautiful paintings of flowers and
animal bones. Her later paintings were often influenced by
the desert scenery of New Mexico, where she went to live. ➔
see colour photo on page A29
**O-ke-fe-no-kee Swamp** /ˌəʊkɪ'fənəʊki 'swɒmp
-'swɑːmp/ a large area of SWAMP land in the US, in southeast
Georgia and northeast Florida. It is the home of many
ALLIGATORS and many kinds of snake and bird. Most of the
area is now included in the Okefenokee National Wildlife
Refuge.
**o-key-doke** /ˌəʊki 'dəʊk/ also **okey-do-key** /-'dəʊki/ *adj,
adv infml* OKAY
**O-kie** /'əʊki/ *n* *AmE infml* **1** an insulting word for a person
from Oklahoma **2** an insulting word for someone who lives
in the countryside and is considered to be less educated
than people who live in the city
**Ok-i-na-wa** /ˌɒkɪ'nɑːwə||ˌɑː-/ a Japanese island in the west
Pacific Ocean, southwest of Kyushu, where an important
battle took place between the US and Japan in 1945 near the
end of World War II
**O·kla·ho·ma** /ˌəklə'həʊmə/ *written abbrev.* **OK** a state in the
GREAT PLAINS in western central US, whose products include
oil and grain. Oklahoma has a large Native American popu-
lation. Its farmlands became part of the DUST BOWL in the
1930s, when very dry conditions forced many people to
leave their farms and look for work in other places, espe-
cially California.
**Oklahoma!** (1943) a MUSICAL (=a play that uses singing and
dancing to tell a story) by Richard RODGERS and Oscar
HAMMERSTEIN about people who moved to Oklahoma in the
late 1800s. It was made into a successful film in 1955, and it
includes many well-known songs, such as 'Oh what a
beautiful morning!'
**Oklahoma 'City** the capital and largest city of the US state
of Oklahoma. The city was established in one day in 1889,
when 10,000 people went to the area and quickly put up
tents, so that they could become the owners of land that
had just been made available for settlers. It is also known for
the bomb that exploded in a government building there in
1995, killing more than 160 people. ➔ see also MCVEIGH,
TIMOTHY
**o-kra** /'əʊkrə, 'əʊ-lɪ'əʊ-/ also **lady's fingers** *n* [U] a long thin
green vegetable which is the seed POD of a flower, thought of
by many Britons as an unusual vegetable
**O-la-ju-won, Ha-keem** /ˌəʊ'lɑːʒuwɒn||-ɑːn, hæ'kiːm/ (1963–)
a US BASKETBALL player, born in Nigeria, who played for the
Houston Rockets team from 1984 to 2002. He was consid-
ered one of the best CENTERS in the NBA, and won the prize
for MVP (=most valuable player) in 1993–94. He also won a
GOLD MEDAL at the Olympics in 1996.
**old** /əʊld/ *adj* **1** having lived or existed for a long time: *an old
man | a big old house | old and young people | old and new
books/ideas | an old British tradition* | [also *n, the+P*] *The old
(=old people) and the young do not always understand each
other.* **2** (of things) having existed or been in use long
enough to show signs of use or be no longer fresh: *old shoes |
an old car | This bread is a bit old. | She always gives the same
old speech.* **3** having a particular age; of age: *You're old
enough to dress yourself now. | Is your car as old as/older
than mine?* | [after *n*] *'How old is the baby?' 'She's eight months
old.' | a 16-year-old girl* **4** [A] having continued in the
relationship for a long time: *We are (very) old friends. | She's
an old schoolfriend of mine.* **5** [A no comp.] former: *He got his
old job back.* **6** [A] known for a long time: *an old joke | the
old familiar routine | Good old John!* **7** [A no comp.] *infml* (used
for making **any** stronger): *Come any old time.* **8** (**as**) **old as
the hills** very old **9** for **old times' sake** because of or as a
reminder of happy times in the past **10** of **old a)** *lit* long
ago; in the past: *days of old* **b)** rare since a long time ago: *I
know him of old.* **11** **you're as old as you feel** a phrase
often used to make someone feel happier if they are sad
because they think they are getting too old **12** **you're never
too old to learn** an old saying
When speaking of people, **elderly** is a polite way of
saying old. Compare *an old church* and *an old/elderly
lady*. ➔ see also ELDER (USAGE)
**Old** *adj* [only before *n*] (of a language) of an early period in the
history of the language: *Old English | Old Irish* ➔ compare
MIDDLE, MODERN¹
**old 'age** *n* [U] the part of one's life when one is old: *He was
still active in (his) old age. | The effects of old age.*
**old age 'pension** also **retirement pension** *n* [(C; the)U]
especially *BrE* money paid regularly by the state to old people
➔ see also OAP ➔-er *n*
**Old Bai·ley, the** /ˌəʊld 'beɪli/ the most famous law court in
the UK, officially called the Central Criminal Court. It is a