worm cast
1594
himself into her affections. 2 to remove living worms from
the body of (e.g. a dog), especially by chemical means
worm sthg. ⇔ out phr v [T(off)] to obtain by questioning,
especially over a period of time: We eventually managed to
worm the secret out (of her).
'worm cast n a tubelike pile of earth left on the surface of the
ground by an EARTHWORM
'worm-eaten adj 1 full of holes, especially (of furniture)
from WOODWORM 2 infml derog old and no longer usable;
WORN-OUT
'worm gear also 'worm wheel n a GEAR with an arrange-
ment inside curving round and round
worm-hole /'wɜmhəʊl||'wɜːrm-/ n 1 a hole in the ground
left by a worm 2 a hole in wood made by WOODWORM
worm·wood /'wɜːmwʊd||'wɜːrm-/ n [U] a plant with a bitter
taste, used in making ABSINTH (=an alcoholic drink) and
some medicines
Wormwood 'Scrubs also The Scrubs infml a prison in
West London. In 1998, prisoners there claimed that some of
the prison officers treated them in an unfair, sometimes
violent way, and the government set up an INQUIRY to
discover the truth.
worm·y /'wɜːmi||'wɜːrmi/ adj 1 of or like a worm 2 contain-
ing worms: a wormy apple 3 with holes made by worms;
WORM-EATEN
worn /wɔːn||wɔːrn/ past participle of WEAR
worn-'out adj 1 completely finished by continued use; no
longer usable: worn-out shoes 2 [F] very tired: She was
worn-out after three sleepless nights. → compare OUTWORN
wor·ried /'wʌrid||'wɜːrid/ adj [(about)] experiencing worry;
anxious: a worried look/frown | She seems very worried about
something. | We were worried sick (=very worried) when the
children didn't come home. | [F+(that)] They are worried (that)
the hijackers will make further demands. →-ly adv
wor·ri·some /'wʌrisəm||'wɜːri-/ adj which troubles one or
makes one anxious
wor·ry¹ /'wʌri||'wɜːri/ v 1 [T] to make anxious or uncom-
fortable; cause worry to: The increasingly poor quality of his
work is beginning to worry his teachers. | Heights don't worry
me. | What worries me most is the possibility of a nuclear
accident. | a very worrying situation/new develop-
ment 2 [(about, over);Tobj] to be anxious (about), especially
over a period of time: Worrying about your health can make
you ill. | Don't worry! | [+wh-] Don't worry how much you
spend. (=it doesn't matter) | [+that] The teacher worried that
the exam might be too difficult for her students. | (BrE 'I'm
afraid I can't come after all.' 'Ah well, not to worry.' (=it
doesn't really matter) 3 [T] (especially of a dog) to chase and
bite (an animal): The dog was found worrying sheep, and had
to be shot. →-rier n →-ingly adv
worry at sthg./sbdy. phr v [T] to keep attempting to deal
with something, using great effort: She worried at the prob-
lem until she found an answer.
worry² n 1 [U] an uncomfortable feeling in the mind caused
by a mixture of fear and uncertainty; anxiety: lines of worry
on her face 2 [C] a person or thing that causes this feeling:
It's a worry to me having to leave the children alone in the
house. | We have no money worries. | The profit and loss
figures have prompted worries over/about the company's
future.
'worry beads n [P] a string of BEADS (=small stones or
wooden balls) which are turned over and over in one's
hands to keep one calm in a difficult or worrying situation
wor·ry·wart /'wʌriwɔːt||'wɜːriwɔːrt/ n infml, especially AmE a
person who worries a lot about unimportant things
worse¹ /wɜːs||wɜːrs/ adj 1 (comparative of BAD) of lower quality;
not as good, pleasant, or satisfactory (as someone or some-
thing else): It wasn't a particularly good performance,
although it could have been much/far worse. | He may be late
or, worse still, he may not come at all. | Last year's harvest
was bad, but this year's may be even worse. | The car broke
down when I was driving home from work, and to make
matters worse (=this made the situation even more unpleas-
ant) it was pouring with rain. 2 [F] (comparative of ILL) more ill
(than before): I'm afraid she's getting steadily worse. 3 none
the worse (for) not harmed (by): The children got lost in the
forest, but seemed none the worse (for it) when they arrived
home in the morning. 4 the worse for wear spoilt/not
improved by time and use or work: The defeated challenger
looked somewhat the worse for wear after the big
fight. 5 worse luck BrE infml unfortunately: He reached the
food before I did, worse luck! → compare BETTER; see also go
from bad to worse (BAD)
worse² n [U] something worse: We thought that the situation
was as bad as it could be, but worse was to follow. | I'm afraid
there's been a change for the worse. (=a bad change) →
compare BETTER
worse³ adv 1 (comparative of BADLY) in a worse way: They said
they had fixed the car, but it's now running even worse than
before. 2 to a worse degree: It's hurting worse than before. →
compare BETTER
Some people think that worse should not be used
as an adverb in sentences like He's behaving worse this
year than last year and that it is better to say in a worse
way.
wors·en /'wɜːsən||'wɜːr-/ v [i;T] to make or become worse;
(cause to) DETERIORATE: The situation/crisis has worsened. |
The rain has worsened our difficulties. | the worsening eco-
nomic crisis → compare BETTER
wor·ship¹ /'wɜːip||'wɜːr-/ n [U] 1 strong usually religious
feelings of love, respect, and admiration, especially when
shown to God or a god: They bowed their heads in worship. |
Some societies practise ancestor worship. 2 the act of show-
ing this: They joined together in worship. 3 a religious serv-
ice: They attended divine worship. → see also HERO WORSHIP
worship² v BrE -pp- || -p- AmE 1 [i;T] to show worship or
great honour (to): His followers worshipped at his feet. | Let
us bow down and worship God. | (fig.) She worships her elder
brother/ worships the ground he walks on. (=admires him
(too) greatly) 2 [I] to attend a church 'service: We worship
regularly at church. →-per n
Worship n Your/His Worship a title of respect for a public
official in the UK such as a MAYOR or a MAGISTRATE: Pray
silence for His Worship the Mayor.
wor·ship·ful /'wɜːʃipfʊl||'wɜːr-/ adj [A] especially BrE (used as
a respectful form of address): 'the Worshipful Mayor of
Brighton | the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
worst¹ /wɜːst||wɜːrst/ adj (superlative of BAD) more bad, unpleas-
ant, or unsatisfactory than anyone or anything else: the worst
airline disaster in history | It was the worst winter for 50
years. | a criminal of the worst kind | Who came off worst
(=was defeated) in the argument?
worst² n pl. worst 1 [the+C] the most bad person, thing,
state, or part: I've seen bad work, but this is the worst. | The
worst of it is that I could have prevented the accident if I had
got there five minutes earlier. | to expect/fear/be prepared for
the worst | The worst of the winter is probably over now. 2 at
(the) worst if one thinks of it in the worst way: He's a fool at
(the) best, and at (the) worst he's a criminal. 3 do one's
worst to do as much harm as one can (especially suggesting
that very little harm can be done): We've harvested all the
crops, so now the weather can do its worst. 4 get the worst
of (it) to be defeated 5 if the worst comes to the worst if
the worst possible situation actually happens; if there is no
better way: If the worst comes to the worst, we can always go
by bus tomorrow.
worst³ adv (superlative of BADLY) most badly: The others weren't
very good but she played (the) worst of anybody. (=worse than
all the rest) | It's the old and the poor who suffer worst when
subsidies are cut. | the worst-dressed man in the office
worst⁴ v [T usually pass.] old use to defeat: We were worsted in
battle.
worst 'case sce,nario n a situation under consideration
in which the worst possible events may happen
wor·sted /'wʊstɪd/ n [U] wool cloth: a worsted suit
worth¹ /wɜːθ||wɜːrθ/ prep [(especially after be)] 1 having the
stated value: It's worth much more than I paid for it. | a piece
of land worth £44,500 | How much is your car worth? | The
agreement wasn't worth the paper it was written on. (=was
completely worthless) 2 having possessions of the stated
value: She's worth at least $1,000,000. 3 deserving of: We may
not succeed, but it's worth a try. | [+v-ing] It isn't worth waiting