breath test
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'breath ,test n a test made with a BREATHALYSER: The breath
test showed him to be over the limit. (=having drunk too
much alcohol to drive a car)
breath-y /'breθi/ adj (especially of the voice) with noticeable
noise of breath: the breathy sound of the flute —ily adv
—iness n [U]
Brecht, Ber-tolt /brekt, brext, 'bɜ:təʊlt||'bɜ:r-/ (1898–1956)
a German writer of plays and poetry, known especially for
his plays The Threepenny Opera, The Caucasian Chalk Circle,
and Mother Courage. Brecht's plays deal with political ideas
and are similar in form to ancient Greek plays. —Brechtian
adj: a Brechtian style
Brec-on Bea-cons, the /,brekən 'bi:kənz/ a mountain-
ous area and national park between South and Mid Wales,
popular with walkers
breech /bri:tʃ/ n the back end of the barrel of a gun, into
which the SHOT or bullet is put
'breech ,birth also 'breech de,livery n a birth in which
the baby is turned feet first or sideways rather than head
first
breech-es /'bri:tʃɪz/ also britches AmE — n [P] 1 short
trousers fastened at or below the knee: riding breeches 2 now
usually humor trousers → see PAIR (USAGE)
breed¹ /bri:d/ v bred /bred/ 1 [I] (of animals) to produce
young: Some animals will not breed if they are kept in cages. |
(fig., derog) Those people breed like rabbits. (=have a lot of
children) 2 [T] to keep (animals or plants) for the purpose of
producing and developing young animals or new plants: He
breeds tropical fish. | They've bred a new variety of rose with
larger flowers. | The winning horse was bred in Ireland. → see
also CROSSBREED² 3 [T] to cause (an undesirable condition
or feeling) to develop; produce: Flies and dirt breed disease. |
All this uncertainty breeds insecurity. | They oppose corporal
punishment because they believe that violence breeds violence.
→ see also WELL-BRED
breed² n [C(of+sing./pl. v] a kind or class of animal or plant
usually developed under human influence: a strong breed of
dog | a new breed of rose | (fig.) the first of a new breed of
satellites | (fig.) Traditional printworkers could soon be a dying
breed (=no longer exist) because of new technology. → see
also CROSSBREED¹
breed-er /'bri:də/ n a person who breeds animals or plants
breed-ing /'bri:dɪŋ/ n [U] 1 the producing of young by
animals or plants: the breeding season 2 the business of
keeping animals or plants for the purpose of obtaining new
and better kinds, or young for sale: cattle-breeding | selective
breeding | a horse-breeding farm 3 training in good man-
ners, as shown by a person's social behaviour: a person of
breeding
'breeding-ground n [(of)] 1 a place where the young,
especially of wild animals or birds, are produced: Sea cliffs
are the breeding-ground of many seabirds. 2 a place where
something bad can develop freely: Dirt is the breeding-
ground of disease. | These overcrowded slums are a breeding-
ground for crime.
breeze¹ /bri:z/ n 1 [C] a light gentle wind: The flags flapped
gently in the breeze. → see WIND (USAGE) 2 [S] slang, especially
AmE something easily done: Learning English is a breeze! →
see also shoot the breeze (SHOOT¹)
breeze² v [I+adv/prep] infml to move or go quickly and in a
carelessly confident way: He just breezed in, poured himself a
drink, and breezed out again. | She breezed along, smiling at
everyone. | He breezed through the exam. (=passed it easily)
breeze-block BrE /'bri:zblɒk||-blɑ:k/ || cinderblock AmE
— n a light brick for building, made of cement and CINDERS
breez-y /'bri:zi/ adj 1 of or having fairly strong breezes: It's
breezy today, so the clothes we washed will dry
quickly. 2 quick, cheerful, and light-hearted in manner: She
looked very bright and breezy in her yellow sundress. | a
breezy personality —ily adv —iness n [U]
Brem-er, Paul /'bremər/ (1941–) an American DIPLOMAT who
became Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian
Assistance for Iraq in May 2003 after the war following the
INVASION of Iraq had finished. In July 2003 he gave permis-
sion for the Iraq Interim Governing Council to be estab-
lished. He is famous for saying, 'Ladies and gentlemen, we
got him.' after Saddam Hussein had been caught.
Brem-ner, Ro-ry /'bremnə, 'rɔ:ri/ (1961–) a British IMPRES-
SIONIST (=someone who copies the way that famous people
talk and behave, in a humorous way) who regularly has his
own show on television in which he copies the way well-
known politicians speak, look, and behave in order to
criticize them and to make people laugh
Bren gun /'bren ɡʌn/ n a light MACHINEGUN
Brent, David /brent/ the main character in the British
television comedy programme The Office, played by Ricky
Gervais. Brent is an office manager who thinks that he is very
good at his job and popular with his staff, but he is not.
Actually, he is very bad at his job and often embarrasses
himself and offends other people by the things he says and
does, such as singing to his staff and telling bad jokes.
Brer Rab-bit /,breə 'ræbɪt||,breər-/ the main character in
the children's stories by Joel Chandler Harris. Brer Rabbit is a
clever rabbit from the South of the US, who always manages
to escape from danger or from being caught, usually by
running into a BRIER patch (=group of bushes with sharp
points on their branches).
breth-ren /'breθrən/ n [P] (used as a form of address to
people in church or in speaking of the members of a
profession, association, or religious group) brothers: dearly
beloved brethren
Breu-ghel /'brʌɪɡəl/ → see BRUEGEL
breve /bri:v/ n a long musical note, with a time value twice as
long as a SEMIBREVE
bre-vi-ary /'bri:viəri, 'bre-ɪ-ˌieri/ n a book used in the
Roman Catholic Church, containing the prayers to be said
on each day by priests
brev-i-ty /'brevɪti/ n [U] fml 1 shortness in time: the brevity
of life 2 expression in few words; the quality of being
CONCISE: the brevity of her speech
brew¹ /bru:/ v 1 [T] to make (beer) 2 [I;T(UP)] a) to mix (tea
or coffee) with hot water and prepare for drinking b) (of
tea or coffee) to become ready for drinking: Don't pour the
tea yet – it's still brewing. 3 [T(UP)] to prepare (especially
something bad); PLOT: I'm sure he's brewing trouble. 4 [I]
(especially of something bad) to be in preparation or ready
to happen; develop: It looks as if a storm is brewing. | The
children have been whispering about something – I'm sure
there's mischief brewing.
brew² n the amount or kind of liquid brewed: a strong brew
of tea → see also HOME BREW
brew-er /'bru:ər/ n a person or company that makes beer
Brew-er's /'bru:əz||-ərz/ also ,Brewer's ,Dictionary of
,Phrase and 'Fable a British dictionary of phrases and
stories, that first came out in 1870. Brewer's Dictionary of 20th
Century Phrase and Fable now includes political events, film
stars, famous murders etc
brew-er-y /'bru:əri/ n a place where beer is made
Brezh-nev, Le-o-nid /'breʒnef, 'li:ənɪd/ (1906–82) the
leader of the Soviet Union from 1977 to 1982
bri-ar /'braɪə/ n 1 [C] a tobacco pipe made from the root of a
BRIER 2 [C,U] a BRIER
bribe¹ /braɪb/ v [T(with)] to influence the behaviour or judg-
ment of (especially someone in a position of power or trust)
unfairly or illegally by offering them favours or gifts: She
was charged with attempting to bribe a police officer. | I bribed
him into giving me the documents. | He bribed his way onto the
committee. | [+obj+to-v] They tried to bribe the judge to acquit
them. | (fig.) The child was bribed with a piece of cake to go to
bed quietly.
bribe² n something, especially money, offered or given for
bribing: He was accused of taking/accepting bribes.
brib-er-y /'braɪbəri/ n [U] the giving or taking of bribes:
charges of bribery and corruption
bric-a-brac /'brɪk ə ˌbræk/ n [U] small objects of various
kinds, kept for decoration and sometimes valued because
they are old, unusual, or rare: The house was cluttered with a
lot of worthless bric-a-brac.
brick¹ /brɪk/ n 1 [C,U] (a hard RECTANGULAR piece of) baked
clay used for building: a brick wall | He built his own house
brick by brick. | brick-red (=brownish red) trousers 2 [C]
something in the shape of a brick: a brick of ice cream 3 [C]
especially BrE a small building block as a child's toy 4 [C] Br