government programme for training people who have been unemployed for six months or longer to help them get jobs
work·bas·ket /'wɜːrk,ba:skʌtˈwɜːrk,bɑːs-/ also work·box /'wɜːrkbɒksɪl'wɜːrkba:ks/ also sewing basket, sewing kit AmE — n·a small stiff container, usually woven, for small sewing objects such as needles and thread
work·bench /'wɜːrkbɛntʃl'wɜːrk-/ n (a table with) a hard surface for working on with tools: a carpenter at his work-bench
work·book /'wɜːkbuːk/ wɜːrk-/ n a school book with questions and exercises. The answers are usually written in the book by the student.
work·day /'wɜːkdeɪl'wɜːrk-/ also working day n 1 the amount of time during which one works each day
CULTURAL NOTE In Britain and the US most people start work at about 9 o'clock and finish at about 5 o'clock.
2 a day which is not a holiday
worked 'up adj [F(about)] very excited and showing strong feelings, especially when worried: He gets very worked up about going to school and leaves the house crying every day. → see also WORK UP
work-er /'wɜːkər/ |'wɜːr-/ | 1 a person or animal that works, especially in the stated job: unskilled workers | office/farm workers 2 apprec someone who works very hard: She's a real worker; she gets twice as much done as anyone else. 3 someone who works with their hands rather than their mind; WORKING-CLASS person
Workers' Educational Association the full name of the WEA
'work ethic n especially AmE belief in the moral value of work: The Americans have a strong work ethic, but the Japanese have an even stronger one.
'work ex,perience n [U] experience of work in general or of a particular type of work: She's very well qualified but she hasn't got much work experience.
work·fare /'wɜːrkfeər /'wɜːrk-/ n [U] a system in the US that required unemployed people to work before they are given money for food, rent etc by the government
work·flow /'wɜːkfləʊl/ 'wɜːrk-/ n [U] the way that a particular project is organized by a company, including which part of a project someone is going to do, and when they are supposed to do it
work-force /'wɜːrkfɔːs/ n [the+S+sing./pl. v] the people who work in a factory or in industry generally, considered as a group: a workforce of 3500 | The whole workforce is/are out on strike. → compare STAFF
work·horse /'wɜːkhoːsɪl'wɜːrkhoːrs/ n 1 someone who does most of the work in the group to which they belong, especially work that is difficult or uninteresting 2 a vehicle, machine etc, that is very useful, especially in performing ordinary continuous jobs
work·house /'wɜːkhaʊsɪlˈwɜːrk-/ [the] (in Britain in former times) a place for the poor to live when they had no employment, especially when they were too old to work
CULTURAL NOTE Conditions In workhouses were very bad and people were very afraid of having to go there. People now think of workhouses in connection with the Victorians and with writers such as Charles Dickens who described what they were like in order to try and improve the situation of poor people.
working work: The visiting minister had a working breakfast with the head of government. Working clothes 2 (of a person) having a job; who works, especially with the hands: What has the government done for ordinary working people? 3 (of time) spent in work: during working hours 4 (of an idea) useful as a base for planning how to do something: a working theory/hypothesis
working 'capital n the money readily available to a company for the daily running of a business
working 'class also working classes pl. lower class n {the+S+sing./pl. v.] the social class to which people belong who work with their hands, e.g. in factories or mines → see also BLUE-COLLAR, MIDDLE CLASS, UPPER CLASS —working-class adj
WORKING WORKING class can be used in any of the following patterns: a with a singular or plural verb: The working class doesn't / don't support this political party. b in a plural form: The working classes are angry about unemployment. c as an adjective: This is a working-class area. | Most of the people in this area are working-class. Lower class, middle class and upper class can also be used in these patterns.
working 'day n a WORKDAY
'working ,girl n euph a PROSTITUTE
working knowledge n [S(of)] enough practical knowledge to do something: I have a working knowledge of car engines and can do most repairs.
working 'life n the part of a person's life that is spent at work: He's worked for that company for all his working life. (=it is his first and only job). I major changes in the working lives of ordinary people
,working 'lunch also business lunch n a LUNCH where people meet to discuss business etc
working majority n a degree of support in an organization or law-making body which is large enough to ensure the success of its proposals → see also PARLIAMENTARY MAJORITY
'working men's club n BrE a place found in some towns, especially towns in industrial areas, where WORKING-CLASS men go to drink, meet friends, or for entertainment, and which is similar to a PUB
working 'mother n a woman with children who also has a job, especially one outside the home
working 'order n [in, into+U] the state of working well, with no trouble
'working, party n a committee, e.g. in a business organization or a parliament, which examines a particular matter and reports what it finds
work·ings /'wɜːkɪŋzəl/ wɜːr-/ n [P] 1 the way in which something works or operates: I shall never understand the inner workings of an engine/of his mind. 2 the parts of a mine which have been dug out
working 'week n a WEEK
work·load /'wɜːkləʊd/ wɜːrk-/ n the amount of work that a person or machine is expected to do in a particular period of time: She has a very heavy workload.
work·man /'wɜːkmənəl/ wɜːrk-/ n.pl. -men /mən/ 1 a man who works with his hands, especially in a particular skill or trade: The workmen fixed the water system. 2 a bad workman (always) blames his tools saying careless or unskilled people who produce bad work will blame their materials or tools rather than admit that the fault is theirs
work·man·like /'wɜːkmənlaɪk/ˈwɜːrk-/ adj apprec having or showing the qualities of a good workman; workmanlike methods | a very workmanlike job
work·man·ship /'wɜːkmənʃɪpˈwɜːrk-/ n [U] (signs of) skill in making things: Look at the workmanship on this carved desk.
work·mate /'wɜːkmeɪtˈwɜːrk-/ n someone who one works with, usually in a factory job → compare COLLEAGUE
,workmen's compen'sation also workmen's comp
/-'kompil-'ka;mp/ n [U] AmE payment (COMPENSATION) from
one's employer for suffering harm at work or because of one's
work: He received workmen's comp when the machinery hurt
his knee. | You should apply for workmen's comp if you think
that those fumes are the cause of your lung problems.
CULTURAL NOTE In the US, employers have INSURANCE to pay for such accidents, but it is still very difficult to get workmen's compensation, and sometimes it is necessary to take cases to a court of law.
work of 'art n pi. works of art 1 a piece of excellent art, e.g. a painting, SCULPTURE etc 2 something that can be compared to the best art especially because of its beauty, detail etc: My new car is a work of art. | This meal is a work of art.
work-out /'wɜːkəʊt/ wɜːrk-/ n infm/ a period of physical exercise, e.g. when training for a sport → see also WORK OUT