599
good Samaritan
of her bad behaviour. ➔ see also DO-GOODER 3 [the P] good
people generally; those who do what is right: Christians
believe the good go to heaven when they die. 4 for good (and
all) for ever: We thought she'd come for a visit, but it seems
she's staying for good. 5 good for you BrE || also good on you
AustrE dial — (used to express approval and pleasure at
someone's success, good luck etc) 6 to the good with a
profit of (an amount): I sold it for more than I paid for it, so
I'm £5 to the good. 7 up to no good doing or intending to do
something wrong or bad: When I saw him climbing through
the window behind the shop I knew he was up to no
good. 8 What's the good of ... ? also What good is ... ?
What is the use or purpose of (something or doing some-
thing)?: What's the good of buying a boat when you don't
have enough spare time to use it? | What good is money when
you haven't any friends? ➔ see also GOODS 9 the good, the
bad, and the ugly humor a phrase used to mean 'all sorts of
people or things', originally the title of a film
good ,after'noon interj, n an expression used when meeting,
or being met by, someone in the afternoon
good 'book n [the] old-fash, sometimes humor the Bible
good·bye /gud'baɪ/ also bye infml — interj, n (an expression
used when leaving, or being left by, someone): We said our
goodbyes and left. | 'I'm off now. Bye!' 'Goodbye, John. See you
tomorrow.'
good 'day interj, n 1 especially AustrE & AmE (an expression used
when meeting, or being met by, someone, especially in the
morning or afternoon) 2 old-fash, especially BrE HELLO or good-
bye
good 'deed n an action which helps others, especially done
by Scouts and Guides, who were supposed to do a good deed
every day: Have you done your good deed for the day?
good 'evening interj, n an expression used when meeting, or
being met by, someone in the evening ➔ compare GOOD
NIGHT
good 'faith n in good faith (of a deal etc) made with
honesty and no intention to deceive: The contract was
drawn up in good faith.
good-for-nothing n a person who is worthless, useless etc:
Get out of bed, you lazy good-for-nothing! —good-for-
nothing adj [A]
Good 'Friday in the Christian religion, the day on which
Jesus was crucified (CRUCIFY). It is the Friday before EASTER
and it is a public holiday in the UK.
Good ,Friday A'greement, the the unofficial name for
the Belfast Agreement which was signed after long and
difficult discussions on 10th April 1998, a Good Friday. The
agreement offered some hope of improving RELATIONSHIPS in
Northern Ireland between Protestants and Catholics, and
between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The
Irish Republic was given more influence in Northern Ireland
by taking part in a new North-South Authority, and agreed
not to claim the right to govern Northern Ireland. It was
also agreed that TERRORISTS who were in prison, should be
set free over a two-year period. The people of Northern
Ireland and the Irish Republic were then asked to vote on
the agreement, and accepted it by a large majority. A vote
was held in the same year in the two countries and most
people voted to say that they supported the agreement. As a
result, the Northern Ireland Assembly was established.
Good 'Housekeeping trademark a monthly magazine
which contains articles and pictures about decorating your
home, cooking, and fashions for women and children
Good 'Humor trademark a type of ICE CREAM sold in the US,
especially in summer, by a person known as the Good
Humor Man, who drives around in a Good Humor Truck,
which plays music
good-'humoured adj having or showing a cheerful friendly
state of mind: a good-humoured smile | He was very good-
humoured about the mess my children made of his kitchen. ➔
see also HUMOUR¹ —ly adv
good·ie, goody /'gudi/ n someone who is good or an
opponent of bad people, especially in books, films etc
good·ish /'gudɪʃ/ adj [A] BrE 1 quite good (but not very
good) in quality 2 (with a) rather; to quite a high degree:
You can walk from here to the park but it's a goodish distance.
(=quite a long way)
Good King Wen·ces·las /ˌgud kɪŋ 'wensəsləs/ a popular
Christmas CAROL (=a traditional religious song):
Good King Wenceslas looked out,
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even.
'good ,life, the a simple way of living in which people are
close to nature, e.g. by growing their own food: People move
to remote parts of Britain in search of the good life.
Good Life, the a British television SITCOM made in the
1970s about a MIDDLE-CLASS husband and wife living in a
SUBURB of London who decide that they do not want to live
a normal life any more. Their NEIGHBOURS are very surprised
when the man leaves his well-paid job, and they struggle to
live by growing food and keeping animals in their small
garden.
,good 'looker n infml an unusually good-looking person,
especially a woman
,good-'looking adj better-looking, best-looking (especially
of a person) having an attractive appearance ➔ see BEAUTI-
FUL (USAGE)
,good 'looks n [P] a person's attractive appearance: She's
kept her good looks in old age.
good·ly /'gudli/ adj [A] old use or pomp 1 large (in amount):
There were a goodly number of people present. 2 pleasant or
satisfying in appearance: The table spread with food made a
goodly sight.
Good·man, Benny /'gudmən/ (1909-86) a US JAZZ musician
and band leader who played the CLARINET, and who helped
to make BIG BAND music popular in the 1930s. He was
known as 'The King of Swing'.
Goodman, John (1952-) a US film and television actor
whose films include The Big Lebowski (1998) and O, Brother,
Where Art Thou? (2000). He played the husband in the
television programme Roseanne for many years.
good 'morning interj, n an expression used when meeting, or
being met by, someone in the morning
,good 'name n [S (ø)] the good opinion that people have of
someone or something: This threatens to damage the good
name of the firm. ➔ compare REPUTATION
,good-'natured adj naturally kind; ready to help, to forgive,
not to be angry etc —ly adv —ness n [U]
,good 'neighbourliness n [U] BrE when countries or
people try to have friendly and helpful relationships with
others that are near them
good·ness /'gudnəs/ n [U] 1 the quality of being
good 2 the best part, especially the part of food which is
good for the health: If you boil the vegetables too long they'll
lose all their goodness. 3 (used in expressions of surprise and
annoyance): My goodness! | Goodness (gracious) me! | For
goodness' sake stop talking! | I wish to goodness he'd be
quiet. ➔ see SAKE (USAGE)
good 'night interj, n (an expression used when leaving, or
being left by, someone at night, especially before going to
bed or to sleep): Good night, sleep tight. ➔ compare GOOD
EVENING
,good 'offices n [P] fml services provided, especially by
someone in a position of power or influence, that help
someone out of a difficulty: Through the good offices of the
ambassador we were able to get special permission to travel.
goods /gudz/ n 1 [P] articles for sale: There's a large variety
of consumer goods in the shops. | frozen goods 2 [P] BrE ||
freight especially AmE —heavy articles which can be carried by
road, train etc: a goods train/waggon 3 [P] possessions
which can be moved, as opposed to houses, land etc;
personal property: He bequeathed her all his worldly
goods. 4 [the P] BrE infml a desirable thing or person: She
thinks he's the goods. | He's full of promises but in fact he
rarely comes up with/delivers the goods. (=produces what
is needed or expected) ➔ see also DRY GOODS, GOODS AND
CHATTELS
,good Sa'maritan n someone who gives help to people in
trouble or need, without thinking of themselves (from the
Bible story of the Good Samaritan who made a special effort
to help someone whom other people had taken no notice
of)