1523
Vanity Fair
BICYCLE 2 BrE || vacuum tube AmE — a closed glass tube with
no air in it, used especially formerly for controlling a flow of
electricity in a radio, television etc → compare TRANSIS-
TOR 3 the part of a BRASS musical instrument that changes
the sound → see picture at BRASS; see also BIVALVE, SAFETY
VALVE
va-moose /væ'mu:s, və-/ v [! often imperative] AmE old-fash slang
to go away quickly
vamp /væmp/ n old-fash (especially in the 1920s and 1930s) a
woman who intentionally uses her charm to make men do
things for her or give her money —vamp v [I;T] She vamped
him shamelessly.
vam-pire /'væmpaɪər/ n an evil spirit which is believed to
live in a dead body and suck the blood of people while they
are asleep at night
CULTURAL NOTE In stories, vampires are only awake at
night and will die if go into the sun's light. They do not
have a REFLECTION if they stand in front of a mirror; they
do not like GARLIC; they are afraid of the CROSS (=the sign
of the Christian religion); they sleep in a COFFIN, and they
can only be killed if someone pushes a wooden STAKE
(=pointed stick) through their heart. A vampire can also
change into a BAT. There are many books about
vampires, and the most famous one is called Dracula, by
Bram Stoker. There are also many films about vampires,
especially Count Dracula.
'vampire bat also vampire n a South American BAT (=ani-
mal like a flying mouse) which sucks the blood of other
animals
van
luton van
pick-up truck
van¹ /væn/ n often in comb. 1 a road vehicle, usually larger than
a car but smaller than a TRUCK, having an enclosed box-
shaped body and used for carrying goods and sometimes
people: a delivery van | a police van | a van driver 2 especially
BrE a covered railway carriage for goods and sometimes
people: a luggage van → see also GUARD'S VAN, REMOVAL
VAN, MOVING VAN
van² n [the+S] fml or lit for VANGUARD (especially in the phrase in
the van)
va-na-di-um /və'neɪdiəm/ n [U] a hard silvery metal used in
making certain kinds of steel and DYES
Van-brugh, Sir John /'vænbrʌ|væn'bru:/ (1664-1726) an
English ARCHITECT and RESTORATION COMEDY writer. He
designed large houses for UPPER-CLASS people, including
BLENHEIM PALACE, one of the best examples of the BAROQUE
style in the UK, and Castle Howard. His plays include The
Relapse and The Provok'd Wife.
Van Bur-en, Ab-i-gail /væn 'bjʊərən, 'æbɪgeɪl/ (1918-) a
US AGONY AUNT (=someone who gives advice to newspaper
readers about their personal problems) who writes a well-
known newspaper COLUMN called DEAR ABBY
Van Cleef, Lee /væn 'kli:f/ (1925-89) a US actor with a thin
face and narrow eyes who played a VILLAIN for many WEST-
ERNS and crime films. He played an important character in
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). His other films
included High Noon (1952), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1956),
and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).
Van-cou-ver /væn'ku:vər/ 1 a city in British Columbia,
Canada, on the Pacific Ocean. Vancouver is Canada's third
largest city and is an important port and industrial and
business centre. 2 an island off the southwest coast of
British Columbia, Canada, also called Vancouver Island
V & A, the /ˌvi: ənd 'eɪ/ BrE infml VICTORIA AND ALBERT
MUSEUM
van-dal /'vændl/ n a person who intentionally damages or
destroys public property or things belonging to other peo-
ple: The seat-covers on the train had been ripped by vandals.
van-dal-is-m /'vændəl-ɪzəm/ n [U] intentional and needless
damage or destruction, especially of public buildings and
other public property
van-dal-ize also -ise BrE /'vændəl-aɪz/ v [T often pass.] to
damage or destroy (especially a piece of public property)
intentionally: We can't use any of the public telephones round
here; they've all been vandalized.
Van-der-bilt /'vændəbɪlt||-ər-/ a US family known for being
very rich. Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) became extremely
rich by building steamships and railways in the 19th cen-
tury. The most famous family member today is Gloria
Vanderbilt (1924-) who is a fashion designer and actress.
Van Dyck, Sir Anthony /væn 'daɪk/ (1599-1641) a Flemish
painter who lived for some time in England, and is known
especially for his PORTRAITS of the British king CHARLES I and
his family
van-dyke /væn'daɪk/ also van,dyke 'beard n a small,
pointed beard which covers only the chin and over the top
lip
vane /veɪn/ n a bladelike part of certain machines, which has
a flat surface that makes it possible to use the force of wind
or water as the driving power: the vanes of a propeller → see
also WEATHER VANE
Van Gogh, Vin-cent /væn
'gɒx, -'gɒf||-'gəʊ, 'vɪnsənt/
(1853-90) a Dutch painter
who went to live in south-
ern France and who helped
to develop the style of POST-
IMPRESSIONISM. His paint-
ings typically use bright
colours and have thick lines
of paint in circular patterns,
and the most famous ones
include Sunflowers and Irises.
He is also known for being
mentally ill and for cutting
off one of his ears and later
killing himself. Although
Van Gogh was poor during his life, his paintings are now
extremely valuable and are sold for very high prices.
Van Gogh
van-guard /'vængɑːd||-gɑːrd/ n 1 [the+S] the leading posi-
tion at the front of an army or group of ships moving into
battle 2 [C+sing./pl. v] the soldiers who take up this position:
The vanguard is/are under attack. 3 [the+S] the leading or
most advanced position in any course of development: In
the 19th century Britain was in the vanguard of industrial
progress. → compare REARGUARD
va-nil-la¹ /və'nɪlə/ n [U] a strong-smelling substance
obtained from the beans of a tropical plant, used for
improving the taste of certain sweet foods: vanilla ice cream
vanilla² adj 1 having the taste of vanilla 2 sometimes derog
ordinary, uninteresting, and lacking excitement: vanilla
decor
van-ish /'vænɪʃ/ v [I] 1 to disappear or go suddenly out of
sight, especially in an unexplained way: With a wave of his
hand, the magician made the rabbit vanish. 2 to exist no
longer; come to an end: Many species of animal have now
vanished (from the face of the earth). | My fears/hopes van-
ished.
van-i-ty /'vænɪti/ n [U] 1 the quality of being VAIN; unreason-
able pride in oneself or one's appearance, abilities etc; CON-
CEIT: 'He's always looking at himself in the mirror.' 'What
vanity!' 2 fml or lit the quality of being without true lasting
value: the vanity of human wishes 3 vanity of vanities derog
a phrase used before mentioning something that shows
great pride and stupidity: He built a model castle in his front
garden with, vanity of vanities, a procession of garden
gnomes leading up to it.
Vanity 'Fair 1 trademark a magazine sold in the US and UK
that has articles on fashion, some news articles, and some
articles or stories by well-known writers 2 (1847-48) a novel