1219
saffron
London where many famous dancers performed, and where
the ROYAL BALLET was based for many years. The theatre was
also often used for OPERA performances. In the late 1990s, it
was decided to destroy the old building to build a new one
in its place.
sad-ly /'sædli/ adv 1 in a sad manner: He walked sadly
away. 2 unfortunately: Sadly, our plan failed. 3 in a way
that is wrong or unacceptable: The garden was beautiful
once, but has been sadly neglected. | If you think you can get
money from him you're sadly mistaken (=completely
wrong); he never lends anything to anyone.
sa-do-mas-o-chis-m /ˌsædəʊ'mæsəkɪzəm/ n [U] the gain-
ing of pleasure from being cruel to others (SADISM) and also
from being hurt (MASOCHISM) —chist n —chistic
/ˌsædəʊməsə'kɪstɪk/ adj
s.a.e., S.A.E. /es si 'i:/ BrE abbrev for 1 stamped addressed
envelope; one often has to send an s.a.e. to get a reply from
e.g. an advertiser 2 self-addressed envelope → compare
SASE
sa-fa-ri /sə'fɑ:ri/ n a trip through wild country, especially
in east or central Africa, hunting or photographing big
animals: They went on safari searching for the rare black
rhinoceros.
safari² adj [A] (of clothes) made of light material, usually
with two pockets on the chest and a belt, originally made to
be suitable for the weather in Africa: a safari suit/jacket
safari park n a park in which large groups of wild animals
are kept, so that one can drive round in a car and look at
them
safe¹ /seɪf/ adj 1 [F(from)] out of danger; not threatened by
harm; not able to be hurt; protected: We were safe from
attack in the underground shelter. | Don't cry; you're safe
now. | Your money will be as safe as houses (=completely
safe) with me. 2 not hurt; unharmed: They prayed for the
safe return of the kidnapped child. | The fragile china sur-
vived the bumpy journey safe and sound. (=completely
undamaged) 3 not allowing or likely to cause danger or
harm: Flying is one of the safest forms of travel. | Don't walk
on that old roof – it isn't safe. | Keep these papers in a safe
place. | a safe form of energy | Is this water safe for drinking? |
[+to-v] Is this a safe place to swim? | Is it safe to swim here? →
opposite UNSAFE 4 not likely to cause disagreement: Don't
mention his divorce; stick to safe subjects. 5 not involving
any risk: a safe investment/decision | It's safe to say/a safe
bet that house prices will continue to rise. | a safe method of
birth control 6 (of a person) fit to be trusted; unlikely to take
risks; RELIABLE: a safe driver | She wouldn't agree to the
children going until she felt satisfied they would be in safe
hands. (=carefully looked after) 7 (of a seat in a parliament)
certain to be won in an election by the present holder: a safe
Labour seat 8 better safe than sorry it is wiser to take care
in advance than to risk loss, danger etc when doing some-
thing: I've checked that the safety harness is in good condition
– better safe than sorry! 9 on the safe side taking no risks;
being more careful than may be necessary: Let's be on the
safe side and take more money than we think we'll need. → see
also play it safe (PLAY), FAIL-SAFE —ly adv: Drive safely. | I
think we can safely assume (=without much risk of being
wrong) that she will pass the exam. —ness n [U]
safe² n a box or cupboard with thick metal sides and a lock,
sometimes built as part of a wall, used for protecting
valuable things from thieves and fire: to break into/crack a
safe
safe-break-er /'seɪfˌbreɪkə/ BrE || safe-crack-er
/'seɪfˌkrækə/ especially AmE — n a person who opens safes by
force to steal
safe-conduct n [C,U] SAFE PASSAGE
safe-deposit box also safety-deposit box n a small
box for the safe storing of small valuable objects, usually in
a special room in a bank: I've lost the key to my safe-deposit
box.
safe-guard¹ /'seɪfgɑ:d-gɑ:rd/ n [(against)] a means of pro-
tection against possible dangers: This clause in the contract is
a necessary safeguard against our losing money on the deal. |
The law contains new safeguards to protect customers who buy
used cars.
safeguard² v [T(from, against)] to be a safeguard for; protect:
This agreement will safeguard the newspapers from govern-
ment interference.
safe 'haven n 1 a place where one is protected from
dangers 2 an area within a country where a group of people
can live without fear of attack or PERSECUTION on e.g.
religious grounds
safe 'house n a house where someone can hide or take
shelter, e.g. when enemies are looking for them or when they
are planning an illegal activity. Safe houses are especially
thought of in connection with spies (SPY).
safe-keep-ing /ˌseɪf'ki:pɪŋ/ n [U] the action or state of
protection from harm or loss for things of value: Put your
important documents in the bank for safekeeping. | They
were left in my safekeeping so I can't really lend them to you.
safe 'passage also safe conduct n [C,U] official protec-
tion for someone when they are in danger or passing
through a dangerous area
safe 'seat n a political seat which is always won by the same
political party and is in no danger of being won by another
safe 'sex n [U] sex which reduces the risk of the spread of
AIDS and other infections, e.g. by using a CONDOM
safe-ty /'seɪfti/ n 1 [U] the condition of being safe; freedom
from danger, harm, or risk: The safety of the ship is the
captain's responsibility. | She led the children to a place of
safety. | There are fears for the safety of the climbers. (=they
might be hurt or dead) | The management took all reasonable
safety precautions. | Safety checks are carried out on all
industrial machinery. | Let's try to stay together as a group:
there's safety in numbers. | It's very important to teach
children about road safety. 2 (in AMERICAN FOOTBALL) two
points gained by making the opposing team set the ball down
in its own GOAL. This usually happens by tackling (TACKLE)
the player with the ball.
'safety belt n a SEAT BELT, especially in an aircraft
'safety catch n a lock on a gun to prevent it from being
fired accidentally
'safety curtain n a theatre curtain made of material that
will not burn, which may be lowered in front of the stage
'safety-deposit box n a SAFE-DEPOSIT BOX
safety-first adj [A] sometimes derog showing a wish to take no
risks; CAUTIOUS: a safety-first attitude
'safety glass n [U] strong glass that breaks only into small
pieces which are not sharp, used, for example, in car
windows
'safety island n AmE for ISLAND
'safety lamp n a miner's lamp made so that its flame cannot
explode the gases found underground
'safety match n a match which can be lit only by rubbing it
along a special surface on its box or packet
'safety measure n action taken to prevent something
dangerous from happening: The wearing of hard hats on
building sites has been an important safety measure.
'safety net n a large net stretched out below someone
performing high above the ground to catch them if they
fall: A safety net was spread below the tightrope walker. | (fig.)
What happens to the poor people who are not caught by the
government's safety net of welfare payments?
'safety officer n someone in an organization who is
responsible for the safety of the people who work there
'safety pin n a wire pin that has a cover at one end and is
bent round so that its point can be held safely inside the
cover; used e.g. to fasten babies' nappies (NAPPY)
'safety razor n a RAZOR with a cover fitting over the thin
blade to protect the skin from being cut
'safety valve n a part of a machine, especially of a steam
engine, which allows gas, steam etc, to escape when the
pressure becomes too great: (fig.) Vigorous exercise is a good
safety valve if you're under a lot of pressure at work.
Safeway /'seɪfweɪ/ trademark a SUPERMARKET, with stores in
many cities in the US. It also used to have stores in the UK
but these were sold to Morrisons in 2003.
saf-fron /'sæfrən/ n [U] 1 powder of a deep orange colour
obtained from a flower and used for colouring and giving a