cutthroat
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cutthroat² n 1 especially old use a murderer; fierce criminal 2 also ,cutthroat 'razor — an old-fashioned type of RAZOR with a very sharp open blade
cut-ting¹ /'kʌtɪŋ/ n 1 a stem, leaf etc that is cut from a plant and put in soil or water to form roots and grow into a new plant: Do you mind if I take a cutting from this plant? 2 BrE || clipping AmE — an article, photograph etc that is cut out from a newspaper or magazine: a cutting from an old newspaper | a cuttings file/library for use by researchers 3 also cut AmE — something produced by cutting, especially a passage cut through a hill for a road or railway
cutting² adj bitter or severe; causing pain: a cutting east wind (=strong and cold) | a cutting remark (=unpleasant and unkind)—ly adv
,cutting 'edge n [S;U] 1 the quality of sharp directness, especially in speaking or writing 2 the most advanced position, where important action is taken: This new model is at the cutting edge of computer technology.
'cutting room n 1 a room where a film is cut and the final form prepared 2 on the cutting room floor infml useless, worthless, unwanted: I suppose I'll be on the cutting room floor when they announce the redundancies.
cut-tle-fish /'kʌtl̩ˌfɪʃ/ n pl. cuttlefish a sea animal like a SQUID with a hard body and ten arms (TENTACLES) that puts out a black inky liquid when attacked
Cut-ty Sark, the /ˌkʌti 'sɑːk||-'sɑːrk/ a CLIPPER (=fast sailing ship) which was built in 1869 and carried tea from China to England. It is now a MUSEUM ship at GREENWICH in London.
cut-up /'kʌtʌp/ n AmE a person who entertains others by behaving in an amusing way → see also CUT UP
Cuz-co /'kuskəʊ/ a city in southern Peru, once the most important city of the Inca people, with many palaces and temples. Much of ancient Cuzco was destroyed by the Spanish in 1533.
CV /ˌsiː 'viː/ n BrE abbrev. for curriculum vitae; a short written account of your education and your previous jobs, which you send to an employer when you are looking for a new job; RÉSUMÉ: Try and get some experience in sales – it would look good on your CV
cwm /kuːm/ n a short valley in Wales
cwt written abbrev. for HUNDREDWEIGHT
cy-an /'saɪən||'saɪ-æn, -ən/ adj deep greenish-blue —cyan n [U]
cy-a-nide /'saɪənaɪd/ n [U] a very strong poison: Their spies are instructed to swallow cyanide capsules if they are caught.
cy-ber-crime, cyber crime /'saɪbəkraɪm||-bər-/ n [C,U] criminal activity that involves the use of computers or the Internet
cy-ber-fraud /'saɪbəfrɔːd||-bər-/ n [U] the illegal act of deceiving people on the Internet in order to obtain money or other things
cy-ber-net-ics /ˌsaɪbə'netɪks||-bər-/ n [U] the scientific study of the way in which information is moved about and controlled in machines, the brain, and the nervous system —ic adj —ically /kli/ adv
cy-ber-space /'saɪbəspeɪs||-bər-/ n [U] a word from SCIENCE FICTION used to mean the place where electronic messages, information, pictures etc exist when they are sent from one computer to another: We didn't meet in San Francisco – we met in cyberspace!
cy-borg /'saɪbɔg||-bɔːrg/ n a man-like creature that is partly human and partly machine
Cyc-la-des, the /'sɪklədiːz/ [P] a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, including Naxos and Paros
cyc-la-mate /'sɪkləmeɪt/ n [C,U] any of various artificial sweeteners, used (especially formerly) by people trying to avoid sugar
cyc-la-men /'sɪkləmən/ n pl. cyclamen a plant of the PRIMROSE family, with white, purple, pink, or red flowers
cy-cle¹ /'saɪkəl/ n 1 a number of related events happening in a regularly repeated order: the cycle of the seasons | the seemingly endless cycle of violence in this troubled part of the world → see also LIFE CYCLE 2 the period of time needed for this to be completed: a 50-minute cycle 3 a group of songs, poems etc connected with some central event or person
cycle² n a bicycle: My cycle's been stolen. → see BICYCLE (USAGE)
cycle³ v [+adv/prep] to travel by bicycle: Do you cycle to work? | He goes cycling every weekend.
'cycle path n [C] BrE a path for bicycles, especially one that is beside a road or in a park
cy-cle-way /'saɪklweɪ/ n BrE a road or path for bicycles, especially one that is not beside a road
cy-clic /'saɪklɪk/ also cy-cli-cal /-klɪkəl/ adj fml happening in cycles: cyclical changes in the level of business activity —~ally /kli/ adv
cy-clist /'saɪklɪst/ n 1 a person riding a bicycle: I overtook a group of cyclists. | a cyclist's helmet 2 a person who is able to ride a bicycle: I'm not much of a cyclist (=I am not good at riding a bicycle) I'm afraid.
cy-clo-cross /'saɪkləʊˌkrɒs||-krɔːs/ n [U] the sport of racing bicycles over rough ground, usually including carrying the bicycle up and down steep slopes. Cyclo-cross bicycles are lighter and have much narrower wheels than MOUNTAIN BIKES.
cy-clone /'saɪkləʊn/ n a very violent tropical wind or storm moving very rapidly in a circle round a calm central area → compare HURRICANE, TYPHOON; see also ANTICYCLONE, STORM (USAGE)
cy-clops /'saɪklɒps||-klɑːps/ n a GIANT in ancient Greek stories who only had one eye, in the middle of his forehead
cy-clo-style /'saɪkləstaɪl/ BrE || mimeograph AmE — v [T] to make (a document etc) cheaply using a special apparatus that makes a STENCIL from which copies are made: a cyclostyled newsletter
cy-clo-tron /'saɪklətrɒn||-trɑːn/ n a piece of equipment used by scientists to find out about the nature of matter. It makes small pieces of atoms called PARTICLES travel in a circular path at an increasingly high speed → compare LINEAR ACCELERATOR
cyg-net /'sɪgnɪt/ n a young SWAN
cyl-in-der /'sɪlɪndər/ n 1 a hollow or solid shape with a circular base and straight sides 2 an object or container shaped like this, especially a hollow metal tube: a cylinder of oxygen 3 the tube within which a PISTON moves backwards and forwards in an engine or piece of machinery: an engine with four/six cylinders | brake cylinders
cy-lin-dri-cal /sɪ'lɪndrɪkəl/ adj in the shape of a cylinder: Beer cans are cylindrical. —ly /kli/ adv
cym-bal /'sɪmbəl/ n either of a pair of round thin metal plates that are struck together to make a loud ringing noise, used in music: a clash of cymbals → see picture at PERCUSSION —ist n
Cym-ru /'kʌmri/ the Welsh name for WALES
cyn-ic /'sɪnɪk/ n sometimes derog someone who thinks that people tend to act only in their own interests, and who always has a low opinion (sometimes unfairly) of people's reasons for doing things: 'I'm sure she's only pretending to be ill, to get people's sympathy.' 'Honestly, Sue, you're such a cynic!' —ism /'sɪnɪsɪzəm/ n [U] appalled by the cynicism of the government's proposals
cyn-i-cal /'sɪnɪkəl/ adj sometimes derog like or typical of a cynic: cynical remarks/behaviour | She was very cynical about the peace conference and said the President was only there to boost his popularity. —ly /kli/ adv
cy-no-sure /'saɪnəʃʊər, 'sɪn-||'saɪnəʃʊər/ n fml or pomp a person or thing that is a centre of attention or interest
cy-pher /'saɪfər/ n, v CIPHER
cy-press /'saɪprəs/ n a tree with dark green leaves and hard wood. It does not lose its leaves in winter.
Cy-prus /'saɪprəs/ a large island in the east Mediterranean Sea. Population: 759,000 (2001). Capital: Nicosia. Cyprus has been divided into two parts since Turkey INVADED (=entered the country using military force) the north in 1974. The Greek Cypriots live in the southern two thirds of the island, and the Turkish Cypriots live in the northern third. Since 1983 the area held by the Turks has called itself the Turkish