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ulcer
U,u
U, u /ju:/ pl. U's, u's n 1 [C,U] the 21st letter of the English alphabet 2 [S,U] BrE used to describe a film that has been officially approved as suitable for people of any age 3 [C] BrE a mark given to a student's work to show that it is extremely bad
U /ju:/ pron infml a way of writing 'you', used especially in emails and TEXT MESSAGES: I love U!
U., U AmE infml abbrev. for university: Indiana U
UAE /,ju: ei 'i:/ written abbrev. for United Arab Emirates
UAW /,ju: ei 'dʌblju:/ abbrev. for the Union of Automotive Workers; a TRADE UNION in the US for people who work in the car industry, making cars, trucks etc
u-ber- /u:bər, ju:bər/ prefix infml better, larger, or greater: uber-babe Pamela Lee | I want to do something uber-cool with my webpage. -> compare SUPER
UB40 /,ju: bi: 'fɔ:tɪl-'fɔ:r-/ n 1 in the UK, an official card which shows that the person named on the card is receiving UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT (=money paid by the government to someone who does not have a job) 2 the name of a British POP GROUP
u-biq-ui-tous /ju:'bɪkwɪtəs/ adj fml (especially of something that is not liked or approved of) appearing, happening, or existing everywhere: We were plagued throughout our travels by the ubiquitous mosquito. —ly adv —ness n [U]
U-boat /'ju: bəʊt/ n a German SUBMARINE, especially one that was used in the World War II
UCAS /'ju:kæs/ n [U] abbrev. for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service; the official British organization which deals with APPLICATIONS (=official written requests) from students who want to study for a degree at a British university or college -> see also CLEARING
UCATT /'ju:kæt/ abbrev. for the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians; a TRADE UNION in the UK for people who work in the building industry
U-chi-da, Yosh-i-ko /u:'tʃi:də 'jɒʃkəʊ||'joʊ-/ (1921-92) an American writer from a Japanese family who was taken to an INTERNMENT camp during World War II. She wrote mainly for young people, and her book Journey to Topaz was about her experiences in the camp.
UCLA /,ju: si: el 'ei/ abbrev. for the University of California at Los Angeles; part of the University of California. Sports teams from UCLA are well known for being very successful.
UDA /,ju: di: 'ei/ abbrev. for Ulster Defence Association; an illegal Protestant PARAMILITARY organization in Northern Ireland, which has used violence against opposite paramilitary groups such as the IRA and against ordinary Catholics
ud-der /'ʌdər/ n a baglike organ of a cow, female goat etc, from which milk is produced
UEFA /ju'eɪfə/ abbrev. for Union of European Football Associations; the organization that controls the game of football in Europe. The most important competitions that it organizes are the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup, and the European Football Championship.
UEFA 'Cup, the a cup competition organized by UEFA for European football clubs. There are various ways in which teams may be allowed to enter the competition, for example by finishing in the leading positions behind the winner in their national LEAGUE or by winning the national Cup competition.
UFO /'ju:fəʊ, ,ju: ef 'əʊ/ n pl. UFOs abbrev. for an Unidentified Flying Object; a strange object seen flying in the sky, which some people believe to be a spacecraft sent by creatures from another part of the universe
UFW /,ju: ef 'dʌblju:/ abbrev. for the UNITED FARM WORKERS
U-gan-da /ju:'gændə/ a country in east central Africa, between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya. Population: 25,632,794 (2003). Capital: Kampala. After Uganda became independent from the UK in 1962, the country experienced many economic and political problems, especially when Idi AMIN was its president. But since the mid-1980s, the situation has greatly improved. —Ugandan n, adj
ugh /ʊx, ʌg/ interj (an expression of strong dislike): Ugh! This medicine tastes awful!
ug-ly /'ʌgli/ adj 1 unpleasant to look at; extremely unattractive: his ugly face | ugly houses/furniture/ surroundings 2 very unpleasant or threatening: An ugly scene developed when some people in the crowd started fighting. | an ugly wound | Those clouds look ugly; we may have rain. | We were having quite a friendly discussion until politics reared its ugly head. (=began to be talked about, with unpleasant results) 3 ugly as sin very ugly —liness n [U]
Ugly A'merican n AmE an American travelling abroad who behaves in a way that people find offensive, especially by showing a lack of understanding of, or lack of interest in, the CULTURE and way of life of other countries
ugly 'duckling n infml a person less attractive, skilful etc, than others in early life but developing beyond them later (from a story in which a baby bird, thought to be an ugly DUCKLING, grows up to be a beautiful SWAN): I've been an ugly duckling for too long to believe my transformation into a swan will last.
Ugly 'Sisters, the two characters in the FAIRY TALE about CINDERELLA. They are Cinderella's sisters, and are ugly and treat her very badly. In the UK, the story is often performed as a PANTOMIME (=a humorous play for children), and the Ugly Sisters are almost always played by male actors.
U-Haul /'ju: hɔ:l/ trademark a US company that provides large vehicles which people can rent, so that they can move their furniture and other possessions to another home
UHF /,ju: eɪtʃ 'ef/ n [U] abbrev. for ultrahigh frequency; a range of radio waves that produces a high quality of sound: a UHF television
uh-huh /'ʌ hʌh 'hʌ/ interj infml yes
UHT milk /,ju: eɪtʃ ti: 'mɪlk/ n [U] BrE milk that has been heated to a very high temperature to preserve it
UK, the /,ju: 'keɪ/ the United Kingdom
USAGE The full, correct title of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is called this because Great Britain officially only includes England, Scotland, and Wales, and not Northern Ireland. But in less formal situations, Great Britain is often used to mean the same as the United Kingdom. The expression 'the British Isles' is used to mean Great Britain, Ireland, and all the other islands round about.
UKIP /'ju:kɪp/ abbrev. for the United Kingdom Independence Party; a political party which wants Britain to leave the European Union. UKIP was started in 1993, and in June 2004 the party won its first ever seats in the LOCAL GOVERNMENT elections.
U-kraine /ju:'kreɪn/ a country in eastern Europe, between Poland and Russia. Population: 47,732,000 (2004). Capital: Kiev. It was formerly part of the Soviet Union, and is now a member of the CIS. It is sometimes referred to as 'the Ukraine'. —Ukrainian n, adj
u-ku-le-le, ukelele /,ju:kə'leli/ n a musical instrument with four strings, like a small GUITAR, used in playing Hawaiian music and sometimes by COMIC performers
UK 'Unionist ,Party, the a political party in Northern Ireland that wants Northern Ireland to continue to be part of the UK. It supports the aim of peace between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and believes that political groups who use or support violence should not be allowed a place in government.
UL /,ju: 'el/ abbrev. for Underwriters' Laboratories; a US organization which tests the safety of electrical equipment and makes rules for the companies that produce it. Electrical equipment that is approved by the UL has a special SEAL (=mark) on it.
U-laan-baa-tar /,u:lɑ:n 'bɑ:tɑ:/ the capital city of Mongolia, formerly called Ulan Bator
ul-cer /'ʌlsər/ n a sore place appearing on the skin inside or