1423 tax haven
of art, and it is one of the Tate Galleries. It was opened in 2000 and the building used to be a POWER STATION. The gallery SPONSORS (=provides money for) the Turner Prize.
ta-ter /'teɪtə/ n AmE, slang for POTATO
Ta-ti, Jacques /tæ'ti:, ʒæk|lɪʒɑ:k/ (1908-82) a French film actor and DIRECTOR who appeared in humorous films such as Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)
Tat-ler /'tætlə/ 1 a famous magazine published in London in the early eighteenth century, started by Sir Richard Steele, containing poetry, stories, news etc 2 a British monthly magazine which reports on the social events and lives of rich and fashionable people
tat-tered /'tætədl-ɜ:d/ adj 1 (especially of clothes) old and torn: a tattered shirt/banner 2 (of a person) dressed in old torn clothes
tat-ters /'tætəz-ɜ:z/ n [P] 1 old torn or worn-out clothing or bits of cloth 2 in tatters (of clothes) old and torn: fig.) His reputation is in tatters. (=ruined)
tat-tle /'tætl/ v infml, derog 1 [I] infml, usually derog to talk about small unimportant things, or other people's private affairs: GOSSIP -> see also TITTLE-TATTLE 2 also tell on (usually said by children) to tell (a parent, teacher, or other adult) that another child has done something bad, usually in order to get the other child into trouble (=have them punished): Don't tattle on me! —tler n
tat-tle-tale /'tætlteɪl/ n (said of children) someone who tattles: We're not playing with you any more, because you're a tattletale!
tat-too¹ /tə'tu:, tə-/ n pl. -toos a pattern, picture, or message put on the skin by tattooing: The sailor had a tattoo saying 'I love Anne' on his chest.
tattoo² v [T] 1 to make (a pattern, picture, message etc) on the skin by pricking (PRICK) with a needle and then pouring coloured DYES in: He had the words 'I love Anne' tattooed on his chest. 2 to mark by doing this: a tattooed arm/chest
tattoo³ n pl. -toos 1 an outdoor military show with music, usually at night: the Edinburgh tattoo 2 a rapid continuous beating of drums, especially played as a military signal
tat-too-ist /tə'tu:ɪst, tə-/ n a person whose job is tattooing
tat'too ,parlour BrE, tattoo parlor AmE -> n a place where you can go to get a tattoo
tat-ty /'tæti/ adj infml derog, especially BrE untidy or in bad condition; SHABBY: tatty clothes | a few tatty old chairs —tily adv —tiness n [U]
Ta-tum, Art /'teɪtəm/ (1910-56) a US JAZZ piano player, who was born almost blind, and is considered to be one of the greatest ever
taught /tɔ:t/ past tense & participle of TEACH
taunt¹ /tɔ:nt/ v [T(with, for)] to try to make (someone) angry or upset by making unkind remarks, laughing at faults or failures etc: They taunted her with her inability to swim. | He was taunted for being fat. —ingly adv
taunt² n [often pl.] a remark or joke intended to hurt someone's feelings or make them angry: cruel taunts about her ill health
Tau-rus /'tɔ:rəs/ n 1 [U] the second sign of the ZODIAC, represented by a BULL, which some people believe affects the character and life of people born between April 21 and May 21 2 also Taurean [C] someone who was born between April 21 and May 21 —Taurean adj
taut /tɔ:t/ adj 1 tightly drawn; stretched tight: Pull the string taut | taut muscles -> opposite SLACK 2 showing signs of worry or anxiety; TENSE: a taut expression on her face —ly adv —ness n [U]
taut-en /'tɔ:tən/ v [I,T] to make or become taut
tau-tol-o-gy /tɔ:'tɒlədʒi||tɔ:'tɑ:-/ n [C,U] (an) unnecessary repeating of the same idea in different words, as in the sentence: He sat alone by himself. —gical /,tɔ:tə-'lɒdʒɪkəl, ||-'lɑ:-/ adj —gically /kli/ adv
tav-ern /'tævən||-ɜrn/ n old use a PUB
taw-dry /'tɔ:dri/ adj cheaply showy in appearance and quality; lacking good TASTE: tawdry jewellery —drily adv —driness n [U]
taw-ny /'tɔ:ni/ adj having a brownish yellow colour: a lion's tawny fur
tax¹ /tæks/ n 1 [C,U(on)] (an amount of) money which must be paid to the government according to income, property, goods bought etc: In Britain, the Inland Revenue collects taxes. | The government plans to increase taxes by five per cent over the next year. | If you sell the painting you'll have to pay capital gains tax (on it). | Half of my wages go in tax. | a plan to impose a tax on betting | They are promising big tax cuts. | The payments were spread over a long period for tax purposes. (=in order to pay less tax on them) -> see also CORPORATION TAX, DIRECT TAX, INCOME TAX, POLL TAX, PURCHASE TAX, VAT 2 [S+on] a heavy demand; STRAIN: The long journey would be too much of a tax on my father's strength. 3 before/ after tax before/after paying the tax on money received: What does he earn before tax?
Compare tax, tariff, duty, and dues. Tax is the most general word when talking about money collected by a government. A tariff is a tax set by a government on general types of goods entering or leaving the country: a tariff on electronic goods. Duty (often duties) is used about particular sums of money paid as tax in connection with particular goods or events: I had to pay customs duty on the stereo system I had brought from Japan. | death duties (=a tax on property paid when the owner dies). Dues (pl.) is used about sums of money paid officially (but not directly to a government) for the use of something or for advantages given: harbour dues | trade union dues.
tax² v [T] 1 to charge a tax on: Tobacco and alcoholic drinks are taxed heavily in Britain. 2 to make heavy demands on; STRAIN: I found they were taxing my patience by asking such stupid questions. -> see also TAXING. —able adj: taxable income/profit
tax sbdy. with sthg. phr v [T+obj/v-ing] fml to charge with or blame for (something bad): He was taxed with neglecting the safety regulations.
tax and 'spend n [U] an expression meaning the practice of charging people high taxes in order to spend more money on public services such as education and WELFARE, used by people who disapprove of this practice. This practice used to be connected with the Democratic Party in the US and with the Labour Party in the UK, but most politicians no longer agree with it. -> see also NEW LABOUR, OLD LABOUR
tax-a-tion /tæk'seɪʃən/ n [U] 1 the act of taxing: The government obtains revenue through direct taxation (=the taxing of income) and indirect taxation. (=the taxing of goods) 2 money raised from taxes: We must increase taxation if we are to spend more on education. 3 taxation without representation -> see BOSTON TEA PARTY
'tax a,voidance n [U] any legal way of reducing the amount of tax one has to pay -> compare TAX EVASION
'tax break n AmE a reduction in taxes that can be had by taking advantage of government rules that may change from time to time: The government is offering tax breaks to companies that are environment friendly. | a tax break for insulating your home
tax-de'ductible adj that may legally be subtracted from one's total income before it is taxed: My travelling expenses are tax-deductible.
tax-de'ferred adj AmE not taxed until a later time: tax-deferred income/savings
'tax disc n (in Britain) a small round piece of paper which car drivers must stick on their WINDSCREEN to show that they have paid their road tax -> see picture at CAR
'tax e,vasion n [U] illegally paying less tax than one should e.g. by not declaring certain income -> compare TAX AVOIDANCE
'tax ,exile n a person who leaves a country to avoid paying high taxes, and goes to live in another country. Such people are usually POP STARS, film stars, or other people who earn large amounts of money.
tax-'free adj, adv free from taxation: She earns £16,000 a year tax-free in her job overseas. | a tax-free salary
'tax ,haven n a place where many people, especially rich people (tax exiles) choose to live because it has very low rates of tax