palliasse
1004
TRUCK and having a hole into which the fork can be fixed 2 AmE, old-fash a STRAW MATTRESS (=part of a bed that one sleeps on) or temporary bed 3 AmE for SKID
pal-li-lasse, palliasse /'pæliæsɪl pæli'æs/ n old-fash or lit a thin cloth case filled with STRAW for sleeping on
pal-li-ate /'pælieɪt/ v [T] fml 1 to lessen the unpleasant effects of (illness, suffering etc) without removing the cause 2 to make (something) seem less wrong by giving excuses —ation / pæli'eɪʃən/ n [U]
pal-li-a-tive /'pæliətɪv/ n [(for)] fml something that palliates: The government’s new economic measures are merely palliatives; they don’t get to the root of the trouble.
pal-lid /'pælɪd/ adj (of the face, skin etc) unusually or unhealthily pale; WAN: a pallid complexion | (fig.) She gave a pretty pallid (=dull and lifeless) performance. —ly adv —ness n [U]
Pall Mall / pæl 'mæl/ a wide street in west central London, between TRAFALGAR SQUARE and ST JAMES'S PALACE known, especially formerly, as a fashionable area where there are a lot of GENTLEMAN'S CLUBS → compare MALL
pal-lor /'pælər/ n [S] unhealthy paleness of the skin or face
pal-ly /'pæli/ also palsy-walsy adj [F(with)] infml having a friendly relationship (with); FRIENDLY sometimes used in a disapproving way: They are very pally. | I didn’t know you were pally with her.
palm¹ /pɑːmlpæm, pæːlm/ n 1 also 'palm tree any of a large family of mainly tropical trees which are usually very tall and have branchless stems and a mass of large leaves at the top → see also COCONUT, DATE³ 2 bear/carry off the palm fml to be judged to be the best of all, especially in some kind of sport, study, or skill
palm
palm² n 1 a) the surface of the hand between the base of the fingers and the wrist on the side that can be bent inwards → see picture at HAND b) the part of a GLOVE that covers the inside of the hand 2 hold/have someone in the palm of one’s hand to have complete power over someone → see also ITCHY PALM, cross someone’s palm (with silver) (CROSS²), grease someone’s palm (GREASE²)
palm³ v [T] to hide in the palm of one’s hand, especially when performing a trick or stealing something: The magician palmed the coin and suddenly produced it from a boy’s ear.
palm sthg./sbdy. off phr v [T] infml 1 [(on, onto, as)] to get rid of (something bad or unwanted) by persuading someone that it is acceptable: The fruit seller palmed off some bad oranges onto the old lady. | He tried to palm the painting off as a real Renoir. → compare FOB off, PASS off 2 [(with)] to persuade (someone) to accept something worthless by lying or some other deception: They tried to palm me off with an obsolete computer/with some excuse. → compare FOB off with
Palm 'Beach a city in the southeast of Florida in the US, which is a popular tourist centre, especially as a place for rich people to go in the winter
Pal-me, O-lof /'pælmə, 'əuləf/ (1927-86) a Swedish politician who was Prime Minister from 1969 to 1976 and from 1982 until 1986, when he was shot and killed by an unknown man. Palme was highly respected internationally and his murder was very shocking to many people.
Palme d'Or / pɑːm 'dɔːr/ n a prize given at the Cannes film FESTIVAL for the best film shown at the event
Palm-er, Arnold /'pɑːmər/ (1929-) a US GOLFER who was one of the most successful players of the 1950s and 1960s. He won the BRITISH OPEN twice, the US OPEN once, and the US MASTERS TOURNAMENT four times.
Palmer-Tom-kin-son, Ta-ra / pɑːmə 'tɒmkɪnsn||-mər 'tɑːm-, 'tɔːrə/ (1971-) a British woman who is an IT GIRL. She is famous for being very rich and going to lots of parties, wearing expensive clothes, and shopping in fashionable places such as Chelsea. She is also known for being a friend of the Royal Family. She successfully dealt with a drug and alcohol problem and has PRESENTED various television programmes. She is sometimes informally called TP-T, especially by some newspaper and magazines.
pal-met-to / pæl'metəu/ n pl. -tos or -toes a small palm tree with deeply cut leaves, found especially in the south-eastern US
palm-ist /'pɑːmɪst||'pærm-, ˋpæːlm-/ || ˋusually ˋpalm reader AmE — n a person who claims to be able to tell what someone is like, or what their future is, by examining the lines on the palm of their hand → compare FORTUNE-TELLER
palm-ist-ry /'pɑːmɪstri||'pærm-, ˋpæːlm-/ also ˋpalm reading n [U] the art or practice of a palmist
'palm oil n [U] oil obtained from the nut of an African palm tree
Palm-ol-ive /pɑːm'ɒlɪv||-'ɑːl-/ trademark a type of soap or green liquid soap used for washing dishes
Palm 'Springs a city to the east of Los Angeles in California, known especially for being popular with rich and famous people and for its GOLF COURSES
Palm 'Sunday (in the Christian church) the Sunday before Easter (from the palm leaves that were spread on the ground in front of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem). In some churches people who attend the service on Palm Sunday are given a piece of palm leaf folded into the shape of a cross.
palm-y /'pɑːmi||'pærmi, ˋpɑlmɪ/ adj (especially of a period in the past) active and successful; PROSPEROUS
Pal-o-mar, Mount / pələʊmɑr/ a mountain near San Diego, California, where the Mount Palomar Observatory (= a special building from which scientists study the stars) is based. Its equipment includes a very large TELESCOPE.
pal-o-mi-no / pælə'miːnəu/ n pl. -nos (sometimes cap.) a horse of a golden or cream colour, with a white MANE and tail
pal-pa-ble /'pælpəbəl/ adj fml 1 (especially of something bad) easily and clearly known by the senses or the mind; OBVIOUS: a palpable lie 2 that can be touched or physically felt; TANGIBLE: an almost palpable atmosphere of mistrust. → opposite IMPALPABLE —bly adv: What you say is palpably false.
pal-pate /'pæl'peɪt||'pælpert/ v [T] med to examine by touching: The doctor palpated his abdomen. —pation / pæl'peɪʃən/ n [C|U]
pal-pi-tate /'pælpɪteɪt/ v [I] 1 med (of the heart) to beat fast and irregularly 2 [(with)] fml (of a person or the body) to tremble: He was positively palpitating with excitement.
pal-pi-ta-tions / pælpə'teɪʃənz/ n [P] med irregular or unusually fast beating of the heart, caused by illness, too much effort etc
pal-sied /'pɔːlzid/ adj old use weakened by or suffering from palsy: The cup slipped from his palsied grasp.
pal-sy /'pɔːlzi/ n [U] 1 old use or med for PARALYSIS 2 a disease causing trembling of limbs → see CEREBRAL PALSY
pal-sy-wal-sy / pælzi 'wɔːlzi / adj infml PALLY
Pal-trow, Gwyn-eth
Gwyneth Paltrow
/'pæltrəu, 'gwinɪθə/ (1972-) a US film actress who won an Oscar in 1998 for the film Shakespeare in Love. When she received her Oscar, she gave a very emotional speech and cried.
pal-try /'pɔːltrɪ/ adj 1 worthless or worthlessly small; DERISORY: The management offered us a paltry 3% salary increase. 2 showing a nasty or ungenerous character; PETTY: What a paltry trick that was to play.
pam-pas /'pæmpæz, -pæs/ n [(the) S] the large wide treeless plains in parts of South America
'pampas grass n [U] tall grass with sharp-edged blades and feathery silver-white flowers
pam-per /'pæmpər/ v [T] to pay too much attention to