ster·num /'stɜːnəm|-3ɪr-/ n pl. -nums or -na /nə/ med BREASTBONE
steroid /'stɪərɔɪd, 'ste-/ n any of various chemical compounds, including many HORMONES that have a strong effect on the workings of the body. → see also ANABOLIC STEROID
ster·to·rous /'stɜːtərəs\|-3r-/ adj lit or humor making a noisy sound while breathing: a stertorous sleeper ︷ly adv
stetho-scope /'steθeskəup/ n a medical instrument with two pipelike parts that fit into a doctor's ears and a cuplike part that is put on someone's chest, so that the doctor can hear the sound of the heartbeat
stet /stet/ interj (used as a note for asking a printer not to remove or change writing which has been crossed out)
Stevens, Cat /'stivənz/ (1947-) a British POP SINGER and songwriter, who was successful in the 1960s and 1970s, and who then became a follower of the religion ISLAM, stopped making records, and changed his name to Yusuf Islam
ste•ve•dore /'stiːvədɔːr/ n especially old fash AmE a person whose job is loading and unloading ships; DOCKER
Stetson /'stetsən/ trademark n a tall hat with a wide BRIM (=edge), worn especially in the American West
Stevens, Thad·de·us /'θædiəs/ (1792-1868) a US politician in the REPUBLICAN PARTY who was strongly opposed to SLAVERY and was an important supporter of the programme of RECONSTRUCTION after the American CIVIL WAR
Stevens, Wallace (1879–1955) a US poet whose collections of poems include Harmonium and The Man with the Blue Guitar
Stevenson, Ad-lai /'sti:vensən, 'ædlar/ (1900–65) a US politician in the Democratic Party who competed in the elections for President in 1952 and 1956, but was beaten by EISENHOWER both times. He helped to establish the UN (=United Nations) in 1946, and was the US DELEGATE (=elected representative) to the UN from 1961 to 1965.
Stevenson, Rob·ert Lou·is /ˈrɒbət ˈluːɪlˈrɑːbərt-/ (1850–94) a Scottish writer whose books TREASURE ISLAND and KIDNAPPED are among the best-known adventure stories in English. He also wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde → see also JEKYLL AND HYDE
Stevens Report, the a report that was made available to the public in 2003 by Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and which was the result of British government INVESTIGATIONS since 1989. The report said that members of the army and the police in Northern Ireland had secretly helped the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a LOYALIST PARAMILITARY group, to murder Catholics in the 1970s and 1980s, including Pat Finucane, a SOLICITOR who was shot in 1989.
stew¹ /stjuːˈstux/ v [ʃt] 1 to cook or be cooked slowly and gently in liquid: stewed apples → see COOK (USAGE) 2 stew in one's (own) juice infml to (be left to) suffer as a result of one's own actions
stew² n 1 [C;U] a dish consisting usually of meat and vegetables cooked together in liquid: a vegetable/fish/beef stew → see also IRISH STEW; see COOK (USAGE) 2 [S] a) infml a confused anxious state of mind: There’s no need to get in a stew; everything will be all right. b) a difficult situation; MESS: the government’s attempts to get out of the stew it has got itself into
stew·ard /'stjuːəd/ n 1 stew·ard·ess /-dʒs/ fem.
— a person who serves passengers on a ship, plane, train etc: the chief steward | an air stewardess (=on a plane) 2 BrE a man who arranges and is in charge of a public amusement, such as a horse race, a meeting etc: The winning jockey may not have ridden fairly, so there will have to be a stewards' enquiry. 3 a man who arranges the supply and serving of food in a place such as a club or college 4 especially old use a man who is employed to look after a house and lands, such as a farm → see also SHOP STEWARD
stew·ard·ship /'stjuːdʒɪpɪl'stʊɪrd-/ n [U(of)] fml or pomp the responsibilities connected with something: He has faithfully exercised the stewardship of his post.
Stew·art, Alec /'stjuːrət/ (1963-) a British CRICKET player, who played for the England cricket team 133 times, which is more than any other player. He was captain of the team in 1998 and 1999. He was a very good BATSMAN and WICKET KEEPER.
Stewart, James (1908–97) a very popular US film actor, known for his soft, slow way of speaking and for often playing very ordinary, honest characters. His many films include Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and he also acted in several films by the director Alfred HITCHCOCK, including Rear Window. → see colour photo on page A33
Stewart, Martha (1947-) a US businesswoman who has her own television programme and magazine in which she gives people advice on things such as cooking, gardening, and decorating. She also has a WEBSITE where she sells different types of products for the home. She is very famous in the US and people on TALK SHOWS often make jokes about her. In 2003 she was accused of FRAUD and of lying to police INVESTIGATORS and in 2004 she was sent to prison for five months.
Stewart, Rod (1945–) a British POP SINGER who was popular especially in the 1970s and is known for his rough voice and his unusual hairstyle. His songs include Maggie May (1971) and Sailing (1975).
stewed /stjuːdl/ stud/ adj 1 BrE (of tea) kept too long before pouring, and so tasting too strong and bitter 2 cooked in liquid: stewed prunes/tomatoes 3 [F] infml drunk
'stewing steak n [U] BEEF (=meat from a cow) that is not tender enough to eat if it is not cooked slowly in liquid for a long time, or made into a STEW
St Hel-ens, Mount /sənt 'helənzparallelseint-/ 'a VOLCANO in Washington State in the northwestern US, which erupted (ERUPT) in 1980 after a quiet period of over a hundred years, sending out ASH (=powder produced when something has been burnt) and LAVA (=hot liquid rock) over a wide area. The large amount of ash in the air affected the weather in many northern parts of the world for some time.
sticks
stick¹ /stɪk/ n 1 [C] a small thin branch or part of a branch that has fallen or been cut from a tree: We gathered some sticks to build a fire. → see also TWIG 2 [C] a thin rod of wood or metal used to support the body when walking; WALKING STICK: Since the accident she has had to walk with a stick. → see also CANE 3 [C] a long thin piece of wood used a) for hitting: I'll take a stick to (=hit) that dog if it doesn't keep quiet. → see also BIG STICK b) for playing certain sports: a lacrosse/hockey stick 4 [C(of)] a thin rod of any material: a stick of rock (=a hard kind of sweet) | a stick of chalk/celery/dynamite/butter/gum | incense sticks 5 [U] BrE infml severe treatment: She really gave him (the) stick about the way he made a mess of the contract negotiations. | Those workmen will get some stick from me if they don't finish their job properly. 6 [C] old-fashionful, especially BrE a person of the stated type: He's a dull/dry old stick. | She's quite a nice old stick when you get to know her. 7 [C] also stick of furniture infml a piece of furniture, especially of little value or importance: After the terrible fire we were left with hardly a stick (of furniture). → see also STICKS, get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick (WRONG), more than one can shake a stick at (SHAKE)