guilty 620
REMORSE: She was tortured by guilt. | feelings of guilt
—less adj —lessly adv —lessness n [U]
guilt·y /'gɪlti/ adj 1 ([of]) having broken a law or disobeyed a rule: 'Prisoner at the bar, how do you plead: guilty or not guilty?' (=a formal question in a British court of law) | The police suspect that the secretary may be the guilty party. (=person) → opposite INNOCENT; see Feature on page A23 2 ([of]) responsible for behaviour that is morally wrong or socially unacceptable: Politicians are guilty of ignoring this serious problem. | Whoever wrote this is guilty of appalling bad taste. 3 ([about]) having or showing a feeling of guilt or shame: She had a guilty look on her face. | a guilty conscience | I feel very guilty about forgetting to post your letter. —ily adv —iness n [U]
guin·ea /'gɪni/ n (the value of) a former British gold coin, worth £1.05
Guinea a country in West Africa between Senegal and Sierra Leone. Population: 9,030,220 (2003). Capital: Conakry. Guinea used to belong to France. —Guinean n, adj
Guinea-Bis·sau /ˌgɪni bɪ'sɔː/ a small country in West Africa between Guinea and Senegal. Population: 1,100,000 (1998). Capital: Bissau. Guinea-Bissau used to belong to Portugal.
'guinea fowl n pl. guinea fowl a grey African bird with white spots which may be kept for its eggs and for food
'guinea pig n 1 a small roundish furry animal rather like a rabbit but with short ears and no tail, which is often kept by children as a pet, and is sometimes used in scientific tests 2 a person who is the subject of some kind of test: I must try this new recipe out on someone. Will you be my guinea pig? | They're using us as guinea pigs for their experiment.
Guin·e·vere /'gwɪnɪvər/ the wife of King Arthur in old stories, who had a sexual relationship with Sir LANCELOT → see also ARTHURIAN LEGEND
Guinness /'gɪnɪs/ trademark 1 a type of STOUT (=a strong dark beer) which has a creamy white FROTH on top of it when it is poured into a glass. It is thought of as the national drink of Ireland and many people remember the phrase used in old advertisements, 'Guinness is good for you'. 2 the company that produces Guinness. It is a large, international company that produces many types of alcoholic drink, and in 1997 it joined with GRAND METROPOLITAN to form a new company called DIAGEO.
Guinness, Sir Al·ec /'ælɪk/ (1914-2000) a British actor in films and in the theatre, whose best-known films are The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and STAR WARS (1977). He is also remembered for playing the part of George Smiley in the television film of John Le Carré's book about spies (SPY), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
'Guinness Af·fair, the a criminal case in 1990, in which four wealthy businessmen with the Guinness company were found guilty of INSIDER TRADING → see also SAUNDERS, ERNEST
'Guinness Book of 'Records, The trademark a book produced every year, which contains facts about people, events, and things that are the biggest, fastest, longest, shortest etc. Many people who are mentioned in The Guinness Book of Records have achieved something that is amusing rather than serious, such as eating the most PIZZA or walking backwards for the longest distance. People sometimes talk about 'getting into the Guinness Book of Records' when they have done something silly.
guise /gaɪz/ n fml an outer appearance, especially one that is intended to deceive: There is nothing new here; just the same old ideas in a different/new guise. | In his new film he appears in various guises: as a lawyer, a soldier, a window cleaner etc.
gui·tar /gɪ'tɑːr/ n a musical instrument that has usually six strings, with a long neck, played by striking or plucking (PLUCK) the strings with the fingers or a small piece of hard material (a PLECTRUM BrE || PICK AmE). It can have either a hollow wooden body (acoustic guitar) or, when played using electricity, a solid plastic body (electric guitar). —ist n → see picture at STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
Guj·a·ra·ti, Gujerati /ˌgʊdʒə'rɑːti/ n 1 [U] the language of the Indian state of Gujarat, in the west of the country 2 [C] someone who comes from Gujarat. There are many people in the UK who come from Gujarat, or whose family originally came from there. —Gujarati adj
gu·lag /'gu:læg||-'lɑ:g/ n any of various prison camps in the former USSR, established in 1930. The bad conditions in gulags were described by Alexander Solzhenitsyn in his book The Gulag Archipelago.
gulch /gʌltʃ/ n AmE (especially in the western US) a narrow stony valley with steep sides formed by a rushing stream
gul·den /'gʌldən||'gul:–/ n pl. guldens or gulden a GUILDER, the standard unit of money in the Netherlands before the Euro was introduced in 2002
gulf /gʌlf/ n 1 [often cap. as part of a name] a large deep stretch of sea partly enclosed by land: the Persian Gulf 2 [(between)] an area of serious difference or separation, especially between opinions: There seems no hope of a reconciliation; if anything, the gulf between the two families is widening. 3 lit a deep hollow place in the Earth's surface; CHASM
Gulf trademark an American company producing oil and petrol: There is a Gulf garage on the corner.
Gulf, the also the Arabian Gulf, the Persian Gulf a part of the Indian Ocean between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula. All the ships carrying oil from the countries around it have to pass through the Gulf, and this makes it an area of great political and military importance.
'Gulf of 'Mexico, the an area of the Atlantic Ocean south of the US, east of Mexico, and west of Cuba
'Gulf ,States, the 1 the small Arab countries on the Gulf, all of which produce oil and gas. These are Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. 2 AmE the US states whose coasts are on the Gulf of Mexico. These are Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
'Gulf Stream, the a current of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean, which flows northeast towards Europe from the Gulf of Mexico. It makes the UK and Ireland warmer than they would be without it.
'Gulf 'War, the a war which began in 1991, after Iraq attacked Kuwait and took control of it. A United Nations force led by the US, and including soldiers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UK, and France, attacked Iraq and forced the Iraqi army out of Kuwait. The Gulf War was watched on television by millions of people. → see also SADDAM HUSSEIN
'Gulf 'War ,Syndrome n [U] one or more illnesses suffered by soldiers who fought in the Gulf War, which are believed to have been caused by chemicals or drugs used in the war. The most common illnesses are head pains, damage to the memory, and permanent tiredness, but there is disagreement among doctors about whether the disease really exists and whether people suffering from it should be given money by the government.
gull /gʌl/ also seagull n any of several kinds of common fairly large black and white or grey and white flying seabird
gul·let /'gʌlɪt/ n infml the (inner) throat; the foodpipe from the mouth to the stomach: A piece of food got stuck in his gullet. | (fig.) This kind of dishonesty sticks in my gullet. (=unacceptable to me)
gul·li·ble /'gʌlɪbəl/ adj easily tricked or persuaded to believe something: He's so gullible you could sell him anything —bly adv —bility /ˌgʌlɪ'bɪləti/ n [U]
Gul·li·ver's Trav·els /ˌgʌlɪvəz 'trævlz||ˌværz–/ (1726) a book by Jonathan SWIFT which is a SATIRE (=a humorous criticism) on Britain in the 18th century. Each of the imaginary lands that the main character Gulliver visits shows how unreasonable the British government, British customs, wars etc really are. The most famous part of the book is Gulliver's visit to the country of LILLIPUT, where all the people and buildings are very small.
gul·ly, gulley /'gʌli/ n 1 a small narrow valley cut especially into a hillside by heavy rain → see VALLEY (USAGE) 2 a deep ditch or other small waterway
gulp¹ /gʌlp/ v 1 [T(DOWN)] to swallow hastily: She gulped (down) her coffee and rushed out. 2 [I] to make a sudden swallowing movement as if surprised or nervous: He gulped when he saw the bill.
gulp sthg. ↔ back phr v [T] to prevent the expression of feeling (as if) by swallowing: She gulped back her tears.