pomade
1072
po·made /pə'meɪd, pə'meɪd||pəʊ'meɪd/ n [U] a sweet-
smelling oily substance rubbed on men's hair to make it
smooth, especially in former times
po·man·der /pəʊ'mændər, pə'mæn-||'pəʊmændər/ n a box
or ball-shaped container holding sweet-smelling substances,
HERBS etc, used for giving a room or cupboard a pleasant
smell
pom·e·gran·ate /'pɒmɪɡrænɪt||'pɑːm-/ n a round thick-
skinned reddish fruit containing a mass of small seeds in a
red juicy flesh
pom·mel /'pʌməl/ n 1 the rounded part at the front of a
horse's SADDLE → see picture at HORSE 2 the ball-shaped
end of a sword handle
'pommel horse n a piece of equipment used in men's
GYMNASTICS consisting of a large rectangular form with two
handles on the top and supported by a frame, or the event
in which men compete on this equipment
pom·my /'pɒmɪl'pɑː-/ n a POM
pomp /pɒmp||pɑːmp/ n [U] solemn and splendid ceremonial
show, especially on a public or official occasion: all the pomp
of an imperial coronation
Pom·pa·dour, Madame de /'pɒmpəduər||'pɑːmpədoʊr/
(1721-64) the lover of King Louis XV of France from 1745
until her death. She often influenced the king, especially
when he had to choose government officials and make
political decisions.
Pom·pei·i /pɒm'peɪi||pɑːm-/ an ancient city in southern
Italy, southeast of Naples, which was buried under the ASH
and LAVA (=hot liquid rock) from the VOLCANO Mount
VESUVIUS when it suddenly erupted (ERUPT) in 79AD. Every-
thing was preserved exactly as it was then, because the ash
and lava covered it completely. So when scientists started to
dig the city up in the 18th century, they learned a lot about
how ordinary people lived in Roman times.
Pom·pey /'pɒmpɪi||'pɑːm-/ (106-48 BC) a Roman GENERAL
(=military leader) and politician who opposed Julius Caesar
but was defeated by him in 48 BC
Pomp·id·ou, Georges /'pɒmpɪdu:||'pɑːm-, ʒɔːrʒ||ʒɔːrʒ/
(1911-74) a French politician who was President of France
from 1969 until his death. The POMPIDOU CENTRE in Paris
was given its name in his honour.
'Pompidou Centre, the a MUSEUM in central Paris which
has paintings by important 20th century artists. The build-
ing, which is very modern, is made of glass and has metal
tubes in bright colours on the outside.
pom·pom /'pɒmpɒmˌ'pɑːmpɑːm/ n 1 a small woollen ball
used as a decoration on garments, especially hats 2 also
pompon /-pɒn||-pɑːn/ — a round ball made of loose plastic
strings used by CHEERLEADERS, who used to be called pom-
pom girls
pom·pous /'pɒmpəs||'pɑːm-/ adj derog foolishly solemn and
thinking oneself to be important. Pompous words or phrases
are marked pomp in this dictionary: The railway guard was a
pompous little official, who acted as though he controlled the
whole railway system. —ly adv —ness, -posity
/pɒm'pɒsɪti||pɑːm'pɑːs-/ n [U]
ponce¹ /pɒns||pɑːns/ n BrE 1 derog slang a man who acts in an
EFFEMINATE way 2 a man who lives with, and on the money
earned by, a PROSTITUTE; a PIMP
ponce² v
ponce about/around phr v [I] BrE derog slang (of a man) to
act like a PONCE, or in a foolish time-wasting way
Ponce de Le·ón, Juan /pɒns də 'liːɒn||pɑːns-,
wɑːn||hwɑːn/ (1460-1521) a Spanish EXPLORER who took con-
trol of Puerto Rico for Spain in 1508 and discovered FLORIDA
in 1513, when he was searching for the FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH,
a flow of water coming from the ground which was supposed
to make anyone who drank it stay young for ever
pon·cho /'pɒntʃəʊ||'pɑːn-/ n pl -chos a garment for the top
half of the body consisting of a single piece of usually thick
woollen cloth, rather like a BLANKET, with a hole in the
middle for the head
ponc·y, -ey /'pɒnsɪl'pɑːn-/ adj BrE derog slang like or typical of
a PONCE: wearing a poncy little pale blue bow tie
pond /pɒnd||pɑːnd/ n an area of still water smaller than a
lake, especially one that has been artificially made: The farm
has a pond from which cattle can drink. | a duck pond →
compare LAKE, POOL
pon·der /'pɒndər||'pɑːn-/ v [(on, over);T] to spend time in
carefully considering (a fact, difficulty etc): She pondered for
some minutes before giving an answer. | Successive committees
have pondered over this problem without finding a solution. |
The cabinet would do well to ponder the advisability of such a
course of action. | [+v-ing] They're pondering moving their
offices outside London. | [+wn-] We pondered whether to tell him.
pon·der·ous /'pɒndərəs||'pɑːn-/ adj fml 1 slow and awkward
because of great size and weight; UNWIELDY: The elephant
lowered its ponderous body into the water. | (fig., derog) the
ponderous government machinery of Whitehall 2 dull
and solemn; lacking lightness or grace: a ponderous style of
writing | the city's ponderous architecture —ly adv —ness n
[U]
pone /pəʊn/ n [U] → see CORN PONE
pong /pɒŋ||pɑːŋ/ v, n [I] BrE infml derog (to make) an unpleasant
smell —y adj: pongy socks
Pon·ti·ac /'pɒntɪæk||'pɑːn-/ trademark a type of US car made by
General Motors.
pon·tif /'pɒntf||'pɑn-/ n tech for POPE
pon·tif·i·cal /pɒn'tɪfɪkəl||pɑːn-/ adj tech 1 with a priest of
high rank in charge: a pontifical high mass 2 of or from a
POPE: a pontifical letter
pon·tif·i·cate¹ /pɒn'tɪfɪkeɪt||pɑːn-/ v [(about, on)] derog to
give one's opinion or judgment as if it were the only correct
one: Why must Father always pontificate about the duties of
women?
pon·tif·i·cate² /pɒn'tɪfɪkət||pɑːn-/ n tech the position or
period of office of a POPE: during the pontificate of John
XXIII
Pontius Pilate → see Pontius PILATE
pon·toon¹ /pɒn'tuːn||pɑːn-/ n a floating hollow metal con-
tainer or flat-bottomed boat that is fastened to others side by
side to support a floating bridge (pontoon bridge) across a
river
pontoon² n [U] BrE for BLACKJACK
po·ny¹ /'pəʊni/ n 1 a small horse → see also PIT PONY,
SHANKS'S PONY, SHETLAND PONY 2 AmE infml a very small
bottle of an alcoholic drink: Could I have a pony of gin,
please?
pony² v ponied, ponying, ponies
pony up (sth) phr v AmE infml to find or produce a particular
amount of money: All investors had to pony up a minimum
of $5000.
'Pony Club, the a British organization that arranges horse
riding activities for children. People usually think of a typical
Pony Club member as a young MIDDLE CLASS girl who is only
interested in horses.
pony ex'press n an American postal service in the 1860s
which used horses and riders to take the post from Missouri
to California. It moved the post much more quickly than
any other way.
po·ny·tail /'pəʊnɪteɪl/ n hair tied in a bunch high at the
back of the head and falling like a horse's tail: She has a
ponytail/wears her hair in a ponytail. → compare PIGTAIL,
PLAIT
'pony·trekking n [U] BrE a holiday activity or sport in
which people ride across the country on ponies
Pon·zi scheme /'pɒnzi skiːm||'pɑːn-/ → see PYRAMID
SCHEME
poo, pooh /puː/ also poo-poo || also poop AmE → n
infml 1 [U] (used especially by and to children) solid waste
from the bowels; EXCREMENT 2 [S] (used especially by and to
children) an act of passing this waste from the body:
Mummy, Lucy's done a poo. —poo v [I;T] infml Bobby's pooed
his pants.
pooch /puːtʃ/ n infml, usually humor a dog
poo·dle /'puːdl/ n 1 a dog with thick curling hair, often cut
in special shapes → see picture at DOG 2 be someone's
poodle BrE humor derog to be too ready to obey someone or
support them in whatever they do