periphrasis
1034
built on the periphery of the town | (fig.) people on the periphery
of our movement who have less influence than they would like
to think → compare OUTSKIRTS 2 med the places outside the
brain and the SPINAL CORD where the nerves end, e.g. in the
fingers or toes
pe·riph·ra·sis /pə'rɪfrəsɪs/ n pl. -ses /-siːz/ [C;U] 1 fml (an
example of) the use of long words or phrases, or of unclear
expressions, when short simple ones are all that is
needed 2 tech (in grammar) (an example of) the use of
AUXILIARY words instead of inflected (INFLECT) forms
per·i·phras·tic /ˌperɪ'fræstɪk/ adj fml or tech using or
expressed in periphrasis —ally /-kli/ adv
per·i·scope /'perɪskəʊp/ n a long tube with mirrors fitted in
it so that people who are lower down, especially in SUBMA-
RINES, can see what is above them
per·ish /'perɪʃ/ v 1 [I] (especially in writing or in news-
papers) to die, especially in a terrible or sudden way:
Hundreds perish in aircrash disaster! (=a newspaper HEAD-
LINE) 2 [I;T] especially BrE to (cause to) decay or lose natural
qualities: The chlorine in the swimming pool has perished the
rubber in this swimsuit. 3 Perish the thought! (said as an
answer to an unwelcome suggestion) I hope that this will
not happen!
per·ish·a·ble /'perɪʃəbl/ adj (especially of food) likely to
decay quickly if not kept in proper conditions: perishable
goods such as butter, milk, fruit, and fish —perishables n [P]
a cargo of perishables
per·ish·er /'perɪʃər/ n infml, often humor, BrE a troublesome
person, especially a child: Come out of there, you little
perisher!
per·ish·ing /'perɪʃɪŋ/ adj infml, especially BrE 1 [F(with)] also
perished — (of a person) feeling very cold: Let's get indoors –
I'm perishing/perished (with cold). 2 [F] (of weather) very
cold: It's really perishing this morning! 3 [A] old-fash annoy-
ing; DAMN: Tell those perishing kids to shut up! —ly adv:
perishingly cold
per·i·style /'perɪstaɪl/ n 1 a row of PILLARS round an open
space next to a building, a temple etc 2 the space sur-
rounded by a row of pillars
per·i·to·ne·um /ˌperɪstə'niːəm/ n pl. -neums or -nea /-niːə/
med the inside wall of the ABDOMEN
per·i·to·ni·tis /ˌperɪstə'naɪtɪs/ n [U] med an INFLAMMATION
(=a poisoned and sore condition) of the peritoneum
per·i·wig /'perɪwɪg/ n a white WIG for men, with rolls of
curls at the sides, fashionable in the 18th century and now
worn by male and female lawyers in British courts
per·i·win·kle¹ /'perɪwɪŋkəl/ n a small plant with light blue
or white flowers that grows along the ground
periwinkle² n a WINKLE
per·jure /'pɜːdʒər||'pɜːr-/ v perjure oneself to tell a lie
intentionally after promising solemnly to tell the truth,
especially in a court of law
per·jur·er /'pɜːdʒərər||'pɜːr-/ n a person who perjures
himself/herself
per·ju·ry /'pɜːdʒəri||'pɜːr-/ n 1 [U] the act of perjuring
oneself: to commit perjury 2 [C] a lie told on purpose,
especially in a court of law. Perjury is an offence under
British and American law.
perk¹ /pɜːk||pɜːrk/ also perquisite fml — n [usually pl.] infml
money, goods, or an advantage that one gets regularly and
legally from one's work in addition to one's pay: With all the
perks, such as free meals and a car, she's really earning over
£15,000 a year. | 'Surely you shouldn't take all that stationery
home?' 'Oh, it's one of the perks of the job.'
perk² v
perk up phr v [I;T(= perk sbdy. ↔ up)] infml to (cause to) become
more cheerful, show interest etc: She perked up when her
boyfriend's letter arrived. | I need a drink to perk me up.
perk³ v [I;T] infml for PERCOLATE
perk·y /'pɜːki||'pɜːrki/ adj infml apprec confidently cheerful; full
of life and interest: a perky little chap —ily adv —iness n [U]
Perl·man, Itz·hak /'pɜːlmən||'pɜːrl-, 'jɪtsak/ (1945-) an
American VIOLIN player, born in Tel Aviv, who is considered
one of the best players of the twentieth century
perm¹ /pɜːm||pɜːrm/ also permanent wave fml, also perma-
nent AmE — n the putting of waves or curls into straight
hair by chemical treatment so that they will last for several
months
perm² v [T] infml to give a perm to: I'm having my hair permed
today.
perm³ v [T(from)] BrE infml (in the POOLS) to pick out and
combine a specific number of (the names of football teams)
from a larger number, in order to get the best SCORE
per·ma·frost /'pɜːməfrst||'pɜrməfrɔst/ n [U] a thick-
ness of soil, especially below the Earth's surface, that is
frozen all the time
per·ma·nence /'pɜːmənəns||'pɜːr-/ also per·ma·nen·cy
/-nənsi/ n [U] the state of being permanent → opposite
IMPERMANENCE
per·ma·nent¹ /'pɜːmənənt||'pɜːr-/ adj lasting or intended
to last for a long time or for ever: This car wax gives
permanent protection against heavy rain. | Is this your perma-
nent address, or are you only staying there for a short time? | a
permanent job | I think he's a permanent fixture in her life
now. (=they will be together for a long time) → compare
IMPERMANENT, TEMPORARY —ly adv: permanently incapacit-
ated
permanent² n AmE for PERM
Permanent 'Secretary n the non-political head of a
British government department. Each main government
department (such as Health or Education) is run by a SECRE-
TARY OF STATE, who is an elected politician, and a Permanent
Secretary, who is a member of the CIVIL SERVICE and does not
change when the government changes.
permanent 'wave n fml a PERM
permanent 'way n BrE a railway track and the stones and
beams on which it is laid
per·man·ga·nate /pə'mæŋgəneɪt||pər'mæŋgəneɪt/ also
per,manganate of 'potash n [U] a dark purple chemical
compound used for disinfecting (DISINFECT)
per·me·a·ble /'pɜːmiəbl||'pɜːr-/ adj fml or tech that can be
permeated, especially by water → opposite IMPERMEABLE
—bility /ˌpɜːmiə'bɪləti||ˌpɜːr-/ n [U]
per·me·ate /'pɜːmieɪt||'pɜːr-/ v [I+adv/prep, especially into,
through;T] to spread or pass through or into every part of (a
thing, place etc): Water permeated through the cracks in the
wall. | The smell of her perfume permeated the room. | A
feeling of sadness permeates all his music. —ation
/ˌpɜːmi'eɪʃn||ˌpɜːr-/ n [U]
per·mis·si·ble /pə'mɪsəbl||pər-/ adj fml allowed; that is
permitted: a permissible stretching of the rules —bly adv
per·mis·sion /pə'mɪʃn||pər-/ n [U] an especially formal act
of allowing; written or spoken agreement; CONSENT: With
your permission (=if you allow me) I'll leave now. | [+to-v] Did
he give you permission to take that pay? | The company has
applied to court for permission to renegotiate the contract. →
see also PLANNING PERMISSION; see REFUSE (USAGE)
per·mis·sive /pə'mɪsɪv||pər-/ adj allowing people a great
deal of freedom (perhaps too much freedom), especially in
sexual matters: My parents were permissive and let me make
my own mistakes | We live in a permissive age. —ly adv
—ness n [U]
permissive so'ciety, the often derog society, such as in
Britain and the US in the 1960s and 1970s, in which there is a
lot of freedom, especially in sexual behaviour, and many
different kinds of relationships and LIFESTYLES are accepted.
Some people connected the permissive society with the use
of drugs for pleasure and a lack of moral standards, espe-
cially in relation to sex.
per·mit¹ /pə'mɪt||pər-/ v -tt- rather fml 1 [T] to allow, espe-
cially by a formal written or spoken agreement: [+obj(+obj)]
You are not permitted access to (=you are not allowed to see
or use) the confidential files. | [+v-ing] The rules of the club do
not permit smoking. | [+obj+to-v] Will you permit us to leave
now? | (fml) Permit me to say how pleased I am that ..
2 [T+obj+adv/prep] to allow to be or to come: She won't permit
dogs in the house. 3 [I] to make it possible (for a stated thing
to happen): I'll come after the meeting if time permits. (—if it
finishes early enough) | The party will be held in the garden
weather permitting. (=if the weather is good enough to