Kar·a·dzic, Rad·o·van //kæræditf||kɑː-,
'rædævæn||'rɑːdævæn/ (1945-) the leader of the Bosnian Serbs who fought against the Bosnian government during the Bosnian War. The UN (=United Nations) decided that he was responsible for the killing of many Muslims and Croats who lived in towns and villages that the Serbs took, and has charged him with war crimes and wants him to appear in a special law court in the Netherlands.
Kar·a·jan, Herbert von /'kærəjaːnˈkɑː-/ (1908–89) an Austrian CONDUCTOR and director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra who made many musical recordings
Kar-an, Don-na /'kærən, 'dɒnəl'dɑː-/ (1948-) a US fashion designer, whose company is DKNY (=Donna Karan New York)
kar-a-o-ke /,kæri'əukill,kɑːrə-/ n 1 [C] a machine which plays recorded music that a person can sing to 2 [U] the practice of singing to recorded BACKING music, as a form of relaxation, usually in a bar. Karaoke became very popular in British PUBs and American bars in the 1990s, having been introduced from Japan.
kar·at /'kærət/ n AmE a CARAT
ka·ra·te /kəˈrɑːti/ n [U] a style of fighting and self-defence from the Far East, including hitting with the hands and kicking
kar·ma /'kɑːməl-ɑːr-/ also kamma n [U] 1 (in Hinduism and Buddhism) the force produced by a person's actions in life which will influence them later or in future lives. Bad actions in this life lead to being born again as a poor or unfortunate person or as an animal, but good ones lead to rebirth as a better or more fortunate person. 2 infml luck resulting from one's actions; fate: bad karma —-mic adj
Kar·nak /'kɑːnækˈkɑːr-/ a village in Egypt where many TEMPLES (=holy buildings) of the PHARAOHs have been found, especially a very large and impressive temple built for the god Amon
Ka·ri·ba Dam, the /kə,ri:bə 'dæm/ one of the world's biggest DAMs (=a large wall built across a river or lake) built across the Zambezi river in southern Africa
Kar·loff, Bor·is /'kɑːlɒfˈkɑːrlɔf, -a:f, 'borɪsˈbɔː-/ (1887-1969) a British actor, who is known for his work in US HORROR FILMS (=films that are intended to make you feel frightened), and who is especially famous for appearing as the MONSTER in the film FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
Kar·pov, An·a·to·ly /'kɑːpɒlf/ˈkɑːrpɒf, ˈænəˈtəʊli/ (1951-) a Russian CHESS player famous as one of the greatest players of all time. In 1974 the world champion Bobby Fischer of the US would not agree to terms for a match and FIDE, the organization that controls chess, said it would recognise Karpov as world CHAMPION. Karpov was world champion from 1974–1985 and 1993–1999.
Kar-zai, Ham-id /kɑːˈzaɪlˈkɑːr-, ’hæmɪdˈhɑː-/ (1957-) an Afghan politician who became president of Afghanistan in 2001 when its political leaders chose him to govern the country after the Taliban had left
Kashmir /ˌkæʃˈmɪər/ an area of northwest India and northeast Pakistan. After India became independent in 1947, Kashmir was divided so that part of it now belongs to India, and part to Pakistan. In the Indian part of Kashmir, there is often fighting between Indian soldiers and Kashmiri SEPARATISTS (=people who want to start a new country with its own government). —Kashmiri n, adj
Kas·pa·rov, Gar·ry /'kæspərofll-əf, 'gəri/ (1963-) a CHESS player, born in Azerbaijan, who became the youngest ever world chess CHAMPION in 1985 and remained champion until 2000. Some people think he is the best chess player ever. In 1993 he started his own chess organization, called the Professional Chess Association, because of a disagreement with FIDE, the organization that controls chess.
Kath·e·rine of Ar·a·gon /,kæθərən əv 'ærəgənl-gən/
→ see CATHERINE OF ARAGON
Kath·man·du, Katmandu /,kætmæn'duː/ the capital city of Nepal, in the Himalayas
Ka-un·da, Ken·neth /kaː'undə, 'kenʒθ/ (1924-) a Zambian politician who became the first president of Zambia when it became an independent country in 1964, and was president until 1991
Ka·wa·sa·ki /,ka:wa'sa:ki/ trademark .a MAKE (=type) of MOTORCYCLE made by the Japanese company Kawasaki
Kay, Peter /keɪ/ (1973-) a British COMEDIAN and actor from the north of England, best-known for writing and appearing in the television comedy programme Phoenix Nights
kay·ak /'kaɪæk/ n a light narrow covered boat, especially as used by the Inuit or in sport —kayaker n → see picture at CANOE
Ka-zakh-stan /,kəzək'stɑːn/ a country in central Asia, between Russia and China, which was part of the former SOVIET UNION, and is now an independent country. Population: 16,763,795 (2003). Capital: Astana.
Ka·zan, E·lia /kə'zaːn, 'iːljə/ (1909-2003) a US film and theatre DIRECTOR, who helped to start the Actors' Studio in New York City. He is known as the director of plays such as DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1949), and of films such as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and On the Waterfront (1954).
ka-zoo /kəˈzuː/ n a simple musical instrument played by holding it in the lips and making sounds through it
Kb an abbrev. for KILOBYTE
KC /,ker 'six/ n abbrev. for King's Counsel; in the British legal system, a high-ranking BARRISTER (=a lawyer who represents people in court) who deals with serious cases in a Crown Court. The letters KC are also used after someone's name to show that they have this position. This title is used when a king is ruling, and it changes to 'QC' when a queen is ruling: Sir Samuel W. Jacobs, KC | He became a KC in 1934. → see also SILK
Keane, Roy /kiːn, rɔːl/ (1971-) an Irish football player who has played for Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, and the Republic of Ireland. He is known for being a very strong and determined MIDFIELD player. He was made captain of Manchester United in 1997 and helped the team become very successful. In the 2002 World Cup he was sent home after a disagreement with the manager of the Republic of Ireland.
Kea·ting, Paul /'ki:tɪŋ/ (1944-) an Australian politician and former Prime Minister (1991–96)
Keating, Ro·nan /'rəunən/ (1977-) an Irish singer who used to be in the POP GROUP Boyzone until they split up in 1999. He has since been successful singing on his own.
Kea·ton, Buster /'kiːtn/ (1896–1966) a US film actor who made many humorous SILENT FILMS (=films made with no sound). He is known for appearing as a character with a serious, sad face, who never smiles.
Keaton, Di-ane /dar'æn/ (1946-) a US actress whose films include Annie Hall (1977) and the First Wives' Club (1996)
Keats, John /kiːts/ (1795–1821) a British poet and a leading figure in the ROMANTIC MOVEMENT. He was known for his ODEs (=long poems expressing his feelings about a particular person or thing), and his most famous odes include To a Nightingale, On a Grecian Urn, and To Autumn. He died very young from TUBERCULOSIS.
ke·bab /kɪˈbæblɪkɪˈbɑːb/ BrE ‖ kabob AmE — h '1 a dish of small pieces of meat and usually vegetables cooked on a stick, eaten as part of a Greek meal, or cooked on a BARBECUE 2 a type of FAST FOOD made from thin pieces of meat cut from a larger piece cooked on an electric SPIT, served with vegetables and sauce inside PITTA BREAD
CULTURAL NOTE
In Britain, kebabs are sold in TAKEAWAY shops and kebab VANs parked by the side of the road. These places are open until late at night, and some people like to have a kebab after they have been to the PUB, but this is known for often causing STOMACH UPSETS.
kedg·e·ree /'kedzəriː/ n [U] a dish of rice, fish, and eggs mixed together
Kee·gan, Kev·in /'kiːgən, 'kevʰn/ (1951-) a British football player, one of the most successful players of the 1970s and 1980s, who was also CAPTAIN of the English national team. He was manager of the England team from 1999 to 2000, and has managed several club sides, including Newcastle, Fulham, and Manchester City.
keel¹ /kit/ n 1 a bar along the bottom of a boat from which the whole frame of the boat is built up 2 on an even keel steady; without sudden changes: We must try and get the company back on an even keel.