cocktail dress 260
mixture of small pieces of fruit, usually eaten at the end of a meal: a tin of fruit cocktail → see also MOLOTOV COCKTAIL
'cocktail dress n [C] a formal dress for wearing to parties or other evening social events
'cocktail lounge n a public room in a hotel, club etc where alcoholic drinks can be bought
'cocktail ,party n a party for which you usually dress formally and at which there is no dancing. Alcoholic drinks are served, and there is usually something light to eat, such as QUICHE or CANAPÉS.
**CULTURAL NOTE** A cocktail party is thought of as an UPPER-CLASS activity for fashionable people and also as a party that is typically held at a formal public occasion, for example before a PRESS CONFERENCE or at the LAUNCH of a new book.
'cocktail stick n a small pointed stick on which small pieces of food, e.g. squares of cheese, can be served
'cocktail ,waitress n AmE a woman who serves drinks to people sitting at tables in a BAR (3a)
'cock-up n BrE slang something that has been done badly or put into complete disorder: She made a complete cock-up of the arrangements. → see also COCK UP
cock·y /'kɒki||'kɑːki/ adj infml self-confident in an unpleasant way; COCKSURE ——iness n
co·coa /'kəʊkəʊ/ n 1 [U] an unsweetened brown powder made by crushing the cooked seeds of a tropical tree (CACAO) and removing some of the fat, used for giving the taste of chocolate to foods and drinks 2 [C,U] (a cupful of) a drink made from hot milk or water mixed with this powder, often drunk at bedtime, especially by children: a mug of cocoa → compare CHOCOLATE
co·co·nut /'kəʊkənt/ n 1 [C] the very large brown hard-shelled nut-like fruit of a tall tropical tree (coconut palm), with white flesh and a hollow centre filled with juice (coconut milk) 2 [U] the flesh of this seed eaten raw or used in cooking: shredded coconut | coconut oil
,coconut 'matting n [U] a type of hard rough matting made from the material on the outside of a COCONUT and made into e.g. DOORMATS (=a mat on which to clean one's shoes before entering a house)
'coconut ,shy n (in Britain) a game at a FAIR in which people throw balls at coconuts to win a prize by knocking them off posts
co·coon¹ /kə'kuːn/ n a protective case of silky threads in which some kinds of PUPA (=an insect in its inactive stage) are enclosed → compare CHRYSALIS
cocoon² v [T(from, against)] to keep in a protective covering: (fig.) He was cocooned against real hardship by his family's wealth.
Co·co the Clown /ˌkəʊkəʊ ðə 'klaʊn/ (1900–74) a Russian-born CLOWN, one of the greatest CIRCUS performers ever, who was well known in Britain especially in the 1950s
Coc·teau, Jean /'kɒktoʊ||kɑːk'toʊ, ʒɒ̃||ʒɑːn/ (1889–1963) a French writer and film DIRECTOR, who was an important member of the SURREALIST movement. His work includes the films Orphée (1950) and Les Enfants Terribles (1950), and the play La Machine Infernale (1934).
cod /kɒd||kɑːd/ also cod·fish /'kɒdˌfɪʃ||'kɑːd-/ n pl. cod or cods [C,U] (the white flesh, used as food, of) a large N Atlantic sea fish: fishing for cod | cod fillets/steaks
COD /ˌsiː əʊ 'diː/ abbrev. for cash on delivery; an arrangement by which you pay for goods when they are delivered to you. In the US, this arrangement is also called 'collect on delivery'.
co·da /'kəʊdə/ n 1 a usually independent passage that ends a piece of music 2 a partly independent passage that ends a work of literature
cod·dle /'kɒdl||'kɑːdl/ v [T] 1 to MOLLYCODDLE 2 to cook (especially an egg) slowly in water just below boiling point: coddled eggs
code¹ /kəʊd/ n 1 a system of words, letters, numbers etc used instead of ordinary writing, especially to keep messages secret: a message written in code | a computer code | We've broken/cracked their code! (=learnt how to read it) 2 a system of signals used instead of letters and numbers in a message that is to be broadcast, sent by TELEGRAPH etc: telegraphic code → see also MORSE CODE 3 also dialling code BrE || area code AmE — part of a telephone number that represents a particular town or country and is used before the number of the person or organization you wish to call: What's the code for Aberdeen? 4 a collection of established social customs: an accepted code of conduct/moral code 5 a collection of laws or rules: the Napoleonic Code → see also GENETIC CODE, MACHINE CODE, POSTCODE, ZIP CODE
code² also encode fml — v [T] to translate into a CODE (1,2): a coded message → opposite DECODE
'code book n BrE a small book listing the telephone number (codes) you need to ring to connect with a certain town or country: Have you seen the code book?
co·deine /'kəʊdiːn/ n [U] a drug made from OPIUM used as a pain-killing medicine
'code name¹ n a name which few people know or understand given to, for example, a military plan of action, a computer PROGRAM a new technical development etc in order to keep the subject secret from other people: Philip O'Donnell, code name Doc, was the perfect spy.
code name² v [T] to give a code name to (sbdy. or sthg.): We'll code name this project 'Midnight'.
,code of 'practice n pl. codes of practice a set of rules which are not law but describe the attitudes and actions of an industry, an organization, or a group of people involved in a common activity: The insurers' code of practice requires the client to be given a week in which to change his mind.
co·dex /'kəʊdeks/ n pl. codices /'kəʊdɪsiːz/ tech an ancient book written by hand
cod·ger /'kɒdʒə||'kɑː-/ n infml derog or humor an old man (especially in the phrase old codger)
cod·i·cil /'kɒdɪsɪl||'kɑːdɪsəl, -sɪl/ n law a later addition to a WILL (=an official paper stating who is to have your possessions after your death)
co·di·fy /'kəʊdɪfaɪ||'kɑː-/ v [T] to arrange (especially laws) into a CODE or system ——fication /ˌkəʊdɪfɪ'keɪʃn||ˌkɑː-/ [C,U]
,cod-liver 'oil n [U] oil from the LIVER (=an organ of the body) of the COD which is full of useful VITAMINS. Cod-liver oil used to be regularly given to children until the 1940s or 1950s. Many children hated it because of its unpleasant taste.
cod·piece /'kɒdpiːs||'kɑːd-/ n a sometimes decorated bag used formerly to cover the opening in the front of men's tight-fitting trousers
cods·wal·lop /'kɒdzwɒləp||'kɑːdzwɑː-/ n [U] BrE old-fash slang nonsense
'cod war n any of three arguments between Britain and Iceland in 1958, 1972–73, and 1975–76, about Iceland's decision to limit the amount of cod that British boats could catch in the sea around Iceland
Co·dy, Wil·liam Fred·er·ick /'kəʊdi, 'wɪljəm 'fredərɪk/ the real name of BUFFALO BILL
Coe, Se·bas·ti·en /kəʊ, sə'bæstiən||-tʃən/ (1956–) a British ATHLETE who won gold and silver MEDALS at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games. In 1979 he broke three world records in 4 days: the 800 metres, the 1500 metres, and the mile. Coe stopped running in 1989 and was a Conservative MP for some years before becoming a member of the House of Lords. His official title is Lord Coe of Cambourne.
co·ed¹ /ˌkəʊ'ed/ ||'kəʊed/ adj infml (of education, a school etc) coeducational: It used to be a single-sex school but it's gone coed.
coed² n old-fash AmE infml a female student in a college open to both sexes
co·ed·u·ca·tion /ˌkəedʒ'keɪʃn||-dʒə-/ n [U] the system of educating boys and girls together in the same building and classes ——al adj
co·ef·fi·cient /ˌkəʊɪ'fʃnt/ n tech 1 the number by which a VARIABLE is multiplied: In 8pz the coefficient of pz is 8. 2 a number that measures some quality or process: The coefficient of expansion shows the amount by which a substance expands for a particular change of temperature.
Co·en Broth·ers, the /'kəʊən ˌbrʌðəz||-ðərz/ Joel Coen