King, Rodney
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King, Rodney /'rɒdnɪl 'rɔ:d/ (1966-) an African-American man who was violently attacked by a group of white police officers in Los Angeles in 1991. The attack was filmed by a member of the public, and this film was later shown on US television. When the police officers were judged in a court of law in 1992, the JURY decided that they were not guilty of being too violent, and this led to RIOTS (=violent public protests) in Los Angeles. Many people in the US thought that this event proved that African Americans were still not being treated fairly by the legal system.
King, Stephen /'sti:vən/ (1947-) a popular US writer of frightening stories such as *The Shining* (1977) and *The Green Mile* (1996). Both these stories, and many other Stephen King books, have been made into films.
King, The Elvis PRESLEY; an informal name still used for the famous singer, especially by people who love his music
King and 'Country debate, the a famous DEBATE¹ (1) at Oxford University in 1933, in which students noted that they would not fight for their king and country. People at the time found this very shocking.
kingdom /'kɪŋdəm/ n **1** a country governed by a king or queen, or of which a king or queen is the head of state: *He ruled his kingdom wisely.* | *the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland* | *(fig.)* *the kingdom of God* → compare EMPIRE **2** an area in which the stated thing has the greatest influence; REALM: *the kingdom of the mind* **3** any of the three great divisions of natural objects: *the animal/plant/mineral kingdom* **4** kingdom come *infml, often humor* **a)** the state after death: *The bomb blew him to kingdom come.* (=killed him) **b)** an extremely long time: *You'll have to wait until kingdom come for him to buy you a drink!* **5** Thy Kingdom come a phrase from the LORD'S PRAYER
A kingdom may be ruled over by a queen, like Britain is at present.
Kingdom 'Hall n a place of worship for JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
King 'Edward n a common British type of potato which has a light-coloured skin and is often baked with its skin on
king·fish·er /'kɪŋˌfɪʃər/ *n* a small brightly-coloured bird that feeds on fish in rivers, lakes etc
King 'James 'Bible, the also the King 'James 'Version an English translation of the Bible produced for King James I of England in 1611, which is also known as the Authorized Version. For hundreds of years this was the main type of Bible used in both the US and the UK, and many well-known sayings from the Bible come from this translation. It is now used much less often and has been replaced by more modern translations.
King Kong /ˌkɪŋ 'kɒŋ||-'kɔːŋ/ *n* a very large GORILLA who is the main character in the film *King Kong* (1933). He is taken to New York city, but he escapes and destroys buildings and hurts or kills many people. The most famous scene is where he climbs to the top of the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING carrying a woman in one arm.
King Lear /ˌkɪŋ 'lɪər/ *n* a play by William SHAKESPEARE about an old king who decides to divide his KINGDOM among his three daughters according to how much each of them says she loves him. Two daughters, GONERIL and REGAN, pretend to love him very much, and he divides the kingdom between them. The third daughter, CORDELIA, is the only one who really loves him, but she receives nothing because she says that she loves him no more and no less than she should. As a result there are many sad and terrible events, including the deaths of Lear and his three daughters.
king·ly /'kɪŋli/ *adj fml* belonging to or suitable to a king: *a kingly manner/feast*
king·mak·er /'kɪŋˌmeɪkər/ *n BrE* a person who influences the choice of people for important jobs: *The party chairman is trying to play the role of kingmaker.*
king of the 'castle