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Albert, Prince
side of a cliff or under the ground), which is full of jewels
and valuable objects. When Aladdin finds the lamp and rubs
it, a GENIE (=a magical spirit) appears and says to Aladdin,
'Your wish is my command,' by which he means that
Aladdin may ask for anything he wants and the genie will
give it to him. Aladdin keeps the lamp and, with the genie's
help, becomes rich and marries the SULTAN's daughter. Then
the magician, by offering 'new lamps for old', tricks Alad-
din's wife so that she exchanges the old magic lamp for an
ordinary one. Aladdin finally finds the magician, kills him,
and gets the magic lamp back again. The story of Aladdin is
often performed as a PANTOMIME (=a humorous play for
children) in the UK during the period around Christmas.
Aladdin's Cave
Al·ad·din's 'Cave n a place that contains a large variety of
interesting, valuable, or exciting things: Her apartment is an
Aladdin's Cave of antiques, old books and fine paintings.
Al·ad·din's 'lamp n a magic lamp used by Aladdin. It
contains a GENIE who can give people anything that they
wish for.
à la 'king adj AmE cooked in cream with green pepper and
PIMENTOS: chicken à la king
Al·a·mein /'æləmeɪn/ also El Alamein a place in Egypt
where the British army won an important battle against the
German army in World War II. The British army was led by
Field Marshal MONTGOMERY
Al·a·mo, the /'æləməʊ/ a MISSION building in San Antonio
in Texas, where a famous battle took place in 1836, when
the US and Mexico were fighting each other for the control
of Texas. The Alamo was defended against several thousand
Mexican soldiers by only 180 Americans, including Davy
Crockett. The Americans were eventually all killed, but their
brave action encouraged others, and Texas later became part
of the US. The phrase 'Remember the Alamo!' is used to
encourage people to continue doing something very diffi-
cult → see also MEXICAN WAR
à la mode /ˌæ lə ˈməʊd, ˌɑː lɑ-/ adj, adv 1 [F] according to
the latest fashion 2 [after n] AmE served with ice cream: apple
pie à la mode
Al·a·mo·gor·do /ˌæləməˈɡɔːdəʊlˈɡɔːr-/ a town in the US
state of New Mexico, near the place where the first NUCLEAR
BOMB was exploded in 1945
Al·A·non /ˌæl əˈnɒnlˈnɑːn/ an international organization
for people who are related to ALCOHOLICS (people who cannot
stop drinking) and have had problems because of this. They
meet in groups to talk about their bad experiences so that
they can get support and try to solve their problems. →
compare ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
a·larm¹ /əˈlɑːmɪlˈɑːrm/ n 1 [U] sudden fear and anxiety,
especially when caused by the possibility of danger: There is
no cause for alarm. | The news of the radiation leak caused
widespread public alarm. 2 [C] a warning of danger, given
for example by ringing a bell or shouting: I gave/raised the
alarm as soon as I saw the smoke. 3 [C] any apparatus, such
as a bell, noise, or flag, by which a warning is given: a
burglar alarm | a fire alarm 4 [C] an alarm clock → see also
FALSE ALARM
alarm² v [T] to fill with fear, anxiety, and worry about the
future: The government is alarmed by the dramatic increase
in violent crime. | an alarming increase in the number of
alarm
A
burglar alarm
smoke alarm
heroin addicts | The problem is growing at an alarming rate.
—ingly adv: Unemployment has risen alarmingly.
a'larm clock also alarm n a clock that can be set to make a
noise at any particular time to wake up someone who is
asleep: What time shall I set the alarm (clock) for? → compare
RADIO ALARM; see picture at CLOCK
a·larm·ist /əˈlɑːmɪst|əˈlaɪr-/ n derog a person who always
expects danger, often without good reason, and alarms other
people with fears and warnings —alarmist adj: Don't be so
alarmist - everything's under control. —ism n [U]
a·las /əˈlæs/ interj lit (a cry expressing sorrow or fear) → see
also alas, poor Yorick (YORICK)
A·las·ka /əˈlæskə/ written abbrev. AK the largest state in the
US, which is northwest of Canada and separated from the
main part of the US. It has very cold weather and a lot of ice
and snow. Alaska has an important oil and gas industry. →
see also BAKED ALASKA —Alaskan n, adj
In the past, people went to Alaska to
look for gold, but now it is a popular place for people to
go on a CRUISE (=a holiday on a large comfortable boat)
to see the WHALES and the ICEBERGS. There is often
political CONTROVERSY over whether companies should be
allowed to look for oil in certain parts of Alaska's
WILDERNESS.
Al·ba·ni·a /ælˈbeɪniə/ a small country in the southeast of
Europe next to the Adriatic Sea. Population: 3,582,205
(2003). Capital: Tirana. It is known as one of the poorest
countries in Europe, and it had a very strict Communist
government until 1991.
Al·ba·ni·an /ælˈbeɪniən/ n 1 [C] someone who comes from
Albania 2 [U] the language of Albania —Albanian adj
Al·ba·ny /ˈɔːlbəni/ the capital city of New York State in the
US
Al·barn, Da·mon /'ælbɑːn||-'ɑːrn, 'deɪmən/ (1968-) a British
singer from London who is the main singer and KEYBOARD
player in the ROCK GROUP Blur. He is also a member of the
group Gorillaz which produces music for a FICTIONAL band of
CARTOON musicians.
al·ba·tross /'ælbətrɒs||-trɑːs, -traːs/ n pl. -trosses or
-tross 1 a large strong mostly white seabird that can fly
long distances 2 an albatross around/about one's neck a
continuous reminder that one has done something wrong
(from Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE's poem The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner in which a sailor kills an albatross that is
then hung around his neck to show that he has brought bad
luck to the ship): His remark has become a political albatross
around his neck. | The new tax was proving to be an electoral
albatross.
Al·bee, Edward /'ɔːlbi:/ (1928-) a US writer of plays, known
especially for the plays Zoo Story and Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf?
al·be·it /ɔːl'biːɪt/ conj fml even though; although: It was a
very important, albeit small, mistake. | Attitudes to this ques-
tion are changing, albeit slowly.
Al·bert, Prince /'ælbət||-bərt/ (1819-61) the husband of the
British queen VICTORIA, born in Germany, and also known as
the 'Prince Consort'. He was very interested in art, music,
science, and industry, and he planned and organized the
GREAT EXHIBITION of 1851. Many buildings and other places