1067
poison gas
fact actually; in reality: He makes great claims about being
an experienced traveller, but in point of fact he's only been
abroad once. 20 make a point of to take particular care
about: She always makes a point of being punctual. 21 on
the point of just starting to; just about to: I was on the point
of leaving when the phone rang. 22 point of no return a
particular moment at which one has to decide whether to
stop what one is doing or go on, because if one continues
any further one will not be able to stop 23 to the point of
to a degree that can be described as: Her manner of speaking
is direct to the point of rudeness. → see also POINTS, stretch a
point (STRETCH)
point² v 1 [(at, to)] to draw attention to something, or show
where it is or how to get there, by holding out a finger or a
long pointed object towards it: She pointed to the house on
the corner and said, 'That's where I live.' | It's rude to point at
people. 2 [T(at, towards)] to aim or direct: You should never
point a gun if you don't mean to fire it. | Their missiles are
pointed at targets in enemy countries. | She pointed the boat
upstream. 3 [+adv/prep] to be aimed in or show the stated
direction: The arrow points north. 4 [T] to fill in and make
smooth the spaces between the bricks of (a wall, house etc)
with cement 5 point the finger (at) infml to blame (someone)
publicly; ACCUSE 6 point the way to show how to gain a
particular result: This new discovery points the way forward
in the search for a cure. 7 point sb in the right direction to
advise someone on what they should do, or tell them who
can help them: The agency may give straight advice on
projects or simply point applicants in the right direction for
funding. | Which colors suit your skin tone? An image consult-
ant could point you in the right direction.
point sbdy./sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T] 1 [(to)] to show who or
what (a particular person or thing) is, especially by pointing:
You've never met her? Well she's here somewhere, so I'll point
her out to you if I see her. | [wh-] I pointed out to him where I
used to live. 2 [+that] to draw attention to the fact: May I
point out that if we don't leave now we shall miss the bus.
point to/towards sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] to suggest the strong
possibility of; be a sign of: All the evidence points towards
Randall as the murderer.
point sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] fml to make clearer or more
urgent; EMPHASIZE: The increasing number of accidents
points up the need for stricter road-safety measures.
point-blank adj, adv 1 (fired) from a very close position: He
shot the animal point-blank/at point-blank range. 2 (in a
way that is) forceful and direct: a point-blank refusal | I told
him point-blank what I thought of his ridiculous idea.
'point duty n [(on)U] BrE the controlling of traffic by a
policeman standing usually at a point where two roads cross
each other
point-ed /'pɔɪntɪd/ adj 1 shaped to a point at one end: long
pointed fingernails 2 done in a noticeable way and intended
to express a particular message or meaning: She looked in a
pointed manner at the clock and I understood that it was time
to leave. 3 (of something said) aimed noticeably and unfa-
vourably at a particular person: a few pointed remarks about
the length of his hair —ly adv
point-er /'pɔɪntə/ n 1 a thin piece of metal that moves and
points to the numbers on a measuring apparatus 2 [(to)] infml
a helpful piece of advice or information: I'm new to this job,
so I'd be grateful if you could give me a few pointers. 3 a stick
used for pointing at things on a large map, board etc 4 a
hunting dog that stops with its nose pointed towards a
hunted animal or bird that it has smelt
poin-til-lis-m /'pɔɪntɪlɪzəm, 'pɔɪn-/ n [U] a style of paint-
ing which uses dots of colour to get its effect, developed in
the late 19th century by artists who did not agree with the
ideas of IMPRESSIONISM. The most famous painter to use this
style was Seurat. → see also IMPRESSIONISM, SEURAT —list n,
adj: the 19th-century French pointillist Seurat | a pointillist
painting
point-less /'pɔɪntləs/ adj often derog 1 done for no reason;
meaningless: pointless violence 2 that cannot have any
result; useless; FUTILE: It's pointless to try to negotiate with
them because they'll never change their minds. —ly adv
—ness n [U]
'point man n AmE a person, especially a soldier, who goes
ahead of a group to see if there is any danger
point of 'order n fml a matter connected with the organiza-
tion of an official meeting: to raise a point of order | On a
point of order, Mr Chairman, shouldn't the minutes be read
first?
point of 'reference n something one knows about already
which helps one when one thinks about something else
point of 'view also viewpoint n a particular way of
considering or judging a situation, person, event etc: We
need someone with a fresh point of view, who can suggest
changes. | From the government's point of view it would be
better if this information were kept secret. | Try to look at it
from their point of view. (=to see the situation as they see it)
points /pɔɪnts/ n [P] 1 BrE || switches AmE — a pair of short
RAILS that can be moved to allow a train to cross over from
one track to another 2 the ends of the toes, as used to dance
on in BALLET 3 the gaining of more points than one's
opponent in BOXING, rather than knocking him down: Smith
beat Jones on points. | a points victory
points-man /'pɔɪntsmən/ BrE || switchman AmE — n pl.
-men /mən/ 1 a person who operates railway POINTS 2 a
police or traffic officer controlling and directing traffic
where two roads cross
point-to-'point n pl. point-to-points BrE a horse race across
country from one place to another, usually with points
along the way marked with flags. This sport is especially
popular with upper-class people who live in the country.
point-y /'pɔɪnti/ adj infml POINTED
Poi-rot, Her-cule
/'pwɑ:rəʊlpwɑ:'rəʊ,
'eərkju:lɚ'kju:l/ a character
in books by Agatha
CHRISTIE. He is a clever Bel-
gian DETECTIVE (=someone
whose job is to solve crimes
and catch criminals), who
always discovers who the
criminal is by using the 'little
grey cells' (=his brain). Poirot
is a small man whose appear-
ance is very neat, and who
has a MOUSTACHE. There is a
popular British television
programme based on stories
about Poirot.
Hercule Poirot
poise¹ /pɔɪz/ n [U]
apprec 1 good judgment and self-control in one's actions,
combined with a quiet confidence in one's abilities; COMPO-
SURE 2 a well-balanced way of holding or moving one's
body: the dancer's graceful poise
poise² v [T+obj+adv/prep] to hold or place in a carefully
balanced position: He poised the glass on the edge of the shelf.
poised /pɔɪzd/ adj 1 [F+between] in a condition of (danger-
ous) uncertainty: The sick man is poised between life and
death. 2 [F(for /-to-v)] in a state of readiness to act or move:
The army was poised for a major attack/poised to
attack. 3 [F+adv/prep] not moving, as if hanging in the air:
The bee hung poised above the flower. 4 [F+adv/prep] carefully
balanced: She sat poised on the edge of her chair as if ready to
go. 5 apprec having or showing poise
poi-son¹ /'pɔɪzən/ n 1 [C,U] (a) substance that can cause
illness or death if taken into the body: These mushrooms
contain a deadly poison. | a bottle of rat poison (=for killing
rats) | Arsenic is a poison. | They hate each other like poison.
(=very much) | fig.) the poison (=extremely harmful influence)
of pornography 2 [U] humor slang alcoholic drink: What's your
poison? (=What would you like to drink?)
poison² v [T] 1 to harm or kill with poison: Someone tried to
poison our dog. 2 to put poison into or onto (something):
Someone tried to poison our dog's food. | a poisoned arrow/
water supply 3 to make dangerously impure: Exhaust fumes
from cars are poisoning the air of our cities. 4 to have a
damaging influence on: Their minds have been poisoned by
propaganda. | His insensitive remarks will poison relations
between the two superpowers. → see also FOOD POISON-
ING 5 especially BrE to infect (especially a part of the body): a
poisoned foot —er n
poison 'gas n [U] gas used in war to kill or harm an enemy