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wander
player, songwriter, and band leader, known for his humorous performances. His songs include Honeysuckle Rose and Ain't Misbehavin'.
Waller, Robert James /'rɒbət dʒeɪmz||'rɑ:bərt-/ (1939-) an American writer of short stories and NOVELS, including The Bridges of Madison County
wal·let /'wɒlɪt||'wɑ:l-/ n 1 also billfold AmE -.a small flat leather case, for holding papers and paper money, carried especially by a man: He opened/closed/folded his wallet. ➔ compare PURSE 2 AmE A PURSE 3 a long leather case for official papers ➔ see picture at PURSE
wall-'eyed adj AmE having an eye or both eyes which show too much white because the IRIS points to the side rather than straight ahead
wall·flow·er /'wɔ:lflaʊə/ n 1 a garden plant with sweet-smelling yellow or red flowers 2 informal a person who does not share (fully) in a social activity because of lack of CONFIDENCE or unpopularity, especially a woman who has not been invited to dance
Wal·lis, Sir Barnes /'wɒlɪs||'wɑ:-, bɑ:rnz||bɑ:rnz/ (1887-1979) A British engineer and inventor. He is known especially for developing the BOUNCING BOMB, which was used to destroy DAMS (=large walls built across rivers) in Germany during World War II. The story of how he invented this bomb is told in the film The Dam Busters.
wal·lop¹ /'wɒləp||'wɑ:ɻ/ n informal a powerful blow: I gave him a real wallop.
wallop v [T] informal 1 to hit hard 2 [at]) to defeat thoroughly, especially in a game: He walloped me at tennis - I lost 6-1, 6-0, 6-2.
wal·lop·ing /'wɒləpɪŋ||'wɑ:-/ adj [A] informal very big: a walloping (great) house in the country
wal·low¹ /'wɒləʊ||'wɑ:-/ v [(in)] 1 to move, roll, or lie about happily in deep mud, dirt, water etc, as some animals do: Pigs like wallowing in the mud. | (fig.) Don't just wallow in self-pity; do something about your problems! 2 (of a ship) to roll and struggle in a rough sea: The ship wallowed helplessly among the great waves.
wallow² n 1 [singular] an act of wallowing 2 [C] a place where animals come to wallow
wall | painting n a picture actually painted on a wall, not just hung on one, especially a FRESCO
wall·pa·per¹ /'wɔ:lpeɪpə/ n [C;U] (a particular) decorative paper (for) covering the walls of a room: We've put up/hung (a) plain/patterned wallpaper in the bedroom. | a roll of wallpaper
wallpaper² v [T] to cover the walls of (a room) with wallpaper
Wall's /wɒlz/ also Wall's Ice Cream trademark a popular BRAND (=type) of ice cream sold in the UK
Wall Street a street in Manhattan in New York City, which is the main financial centre of the US. The US STOCK EXCHANGE is on Wall Street, and the street's name is sometimes used to mean the stock exchange: a political crisis that caused panic on Wall Street
Wall Street 'Crash the sudden large fall in the value of company SHARES on the US Stock Exchange in October 1929. For about two years before this, the price of shares had risen very fast, and when people realized that companies were therefore worth more than their true value, they lost confidence. The severe fall that followed led directly to the GREAT DEPRESSION of the 1930s.
Wall Street Journal The a respected US daily newspaper, which is also sold in many other countries and which deals mainly with business and ECONOMICS ➔ compare FINANCIAL TIMES
wall-to-'wall adj 1 (of a floor covering) over the whole floor: wall-to-wall carpeting 2 [A] informal, sometimes derog filling up all the possible space or time; continuous: Our stereo gives wall-to-wall sound. | wall-to-wall advertising on TV
wal·ly /'wɒlɪ||'wɔ:-/ n BrE informal a foolish or useless person, especially male
Wal-Mart /'wɒl mɑ:t||-mɑ:rt/ trademark a large store in the US that sells many different types of goods, such as clothes, toys, and garden equipment, at low prices
wal·nut /'wɒ:lnʌt/ n 1 [C] (a tree that produces) an eatable nut shaped like a human brain: a coffee and walnut cake ➔ see picture at NUT 2 [U] the wood of this tree, considered to be excellent for furniture: a walnut bureau
Wal·pole, Sir Rob·ert /'wɒlpəʊl, 'rɒbət||'rɑ:bərt/ (1676-1745) a British politician in the WHIG party, who is usually regarded as the first British Prime Minister, a position which did not previously exist, and which he held from 1721 to 1742
wal·rus /'wɒ:lrʌs||'wɒ:l-, 'wɒ:l-/ n pl. -ruses or -rus a large sea-animal, like a very large SEAL with two long teeth (TUSKS) standing out from the face and pointing downwards ➔ see picture at SEAL
,walrus mous'tache /||...'/ n a thick MOUSTACHE hanging down at both ends
Walt Disney ➔ see DISNEY, WALT
Walt Disney World /wɒ:lt 'dɪzni wɜ:ld||wɜrld/ trademark the official name for DISNEYWORLD
Walter Mitty adj ➔ see MITTY, WALTER
Wal·ters, Bar·ba·ra /'wɒ:ltəz||-ərz, 'bɑ:bərə||'ba:r-/ (1931-) a US television PRESENTER known for talking to political leaders, and for being very skilful at asking them questions and making them answer in an honest way
Walters, Ju·lie /'dʒu:li/ (1950-) a British film and television actress and COMEDIAN, who is known especially for appearing as humorous characters on television, and for her part in the film Educating Rita (1983)
Wal·ton, Bill /'wɒ:ltən/ (1952-) a US BASKETBALL player who is known especially for having played for the UCLA and Portland Trail Blazer teams. After he stopped playing basketball he started working as a commentator for TV.
Waltons, The /'wɒltənz/ a 1970s US television programme about a large family called the Waltons, living in the state of VIRGINIA in the 1930s. The best known character is the oldest child, John-Boy, who writes in his DIARY about what happens to his family. The stories and morals of the programme are rather old-fashioned, and people sometimes mention the Waltons as an example of a 'perfect' family that is not very realistic.
waltz /wɒ:ls||wɒ:lts/ n 1 a rather slow formal dance for a man and a woman, performed especially in a BALLROOM 2 music for this dance: Strauss waltzes
waltz v 1 [I (round)] to dance a waltz 2 [I+adv/prep] informal to go easily, successfully, or confidently: We can't just waltz up to a complete stranger and introduce ourselves. | He waltzed through the exam (=passed it easily) 3 [T+obj+adv/prep] informal to take suddenly or roughly: The police waltzed him off to jail. waltz off with sthg. phr v [T] informal to WALK off with
Waltzing Ma·til·da /wɒ:lsɪŋ mə'tɪldə||wɒlts-/ a popular old Australian song which many Australians think of as their national song. It tells the story of a 'swagman' (=a worker who travels around the country carrying his possessions with him).
wam·pum /'wɒmpəm||'wɑ:m-/ n [U] shells put into strings, belts etc, and formerly used as money or decoration by Native Americans
wan /wɒn||wɒ:n/ adj especially literary (appearing) ill, weak, and tired: a wan smile | The child looked pale and wan. -ly adv -ness n [U]
Wa-na-doo /'wɒnədu:||'wɑ:-/ a French company that provides Internet connections for people in their homes. In 2000 it bought the British company Freeserve and changed the name Freeserve to Wanadoo in 2004.
wand /wɒnd||wɑ:nd/ n a thin stick carried in the hand, especially by a person who does magic tricks: The conjurer waved his magic wand and pulled a rabbit out of the hat.
wan·der /'wɒndə||'wɑ:n-/ v 1 [I (ABOUT, OFF);T] to move about or away from (an area), usually on foot, without a fixed course, aim, or purpose: Look at that little boy wandering about - perhaps he's lost his mother. | Johnny's wandered off somewhere. | Nomadic tribes wander these deserts. | the wandering tribes of the Sahara | a wandering minstrel (fig.) The river wanders (=follows a winding course) through some very beautiful country. 2 [I (from, off, OFF)] to move away from the main idea: Don't wander off the point. 3 [I] (of a person or thoughts) to be or become confused and unable to make or