O
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O,o
O¹, o /əʊ/ pl. O's, o's n 1 [C,U] the 15th letter of the English alphabet 2 [U] spoken zero: My phone number is six o four double two (=60422) 3 [U] a common type of blood
O², o /əʊ/ interj 1 used when praying or talking to someone in authority: O Lord, in you I put my trust. 2 especially poet another form of OH: O wild West Wind!
o³ /ə/ prep lit or old use 1 of 2 on
oaf /əʊf/ n a stupid ungraceful person, especially male: You clumsy oaf! —ish adj —ishly adv —ishness n [U]
oak /əʊk/ n 1 [C] a large tree with hard wood, common in northern countries: an ancient oak (tree) 2 [U] the wood of this: an oak door | polished oak 3 great oaks from little acorns grow saying small things can grow into very big things over time
oak·en /ˈəʊkən/ adj [A] especially lit made of oak
Oak·land Raid·ers, the /ˌəʊklænd ˈreɪdəzl-ærz/ an AMERICAN FOOTBALL team based in Oakland, California. Their home STADIUM is the Network Associates Coliseum, and they have won the NFL CHAMPIONSHIPS four times and the Super Bowl three times.
Oak·ley, An·nie /ˈəʊkli, ˈæni/ (1860–1926) a US woman who was very skilled at shooting, and who performed in BUFFALO BILL's Wild West Show. The musical show and film Annie Get Your Gun is based on her life.
Oaks, the /əʊks/ a horse race for fillies (=young female horses) held every year at Epsom in the UK, one of the most important events in British FLAT RACING (=racing on level ground, not jumping over fences)
oa·kum /ˈəʊkəm/ n [U] small pieces of old rope used for filling up small holes in the sides of wooden ships
OAP /ˌəʊ eɪ ˈpiː/ n BrE abbrev. for old age pensioner; a person who is old enough to receive an OLD AGE PENSION from the government. In the UK, this usually means a woman over 60 or a man over 65. The usual polite word for people like this is senior citizens and the words OAP and old age pensioner are becoming less common: Tickets are £6, or £3 for students and OAPs.
oar /ɔːr/ n 1 a long pole with a wide flat blade at one end, used for rowing a boat, usually while held in position by ROWLOCKS on the boat: He pulled hard on the oars. 2 BrE put/shove/stick one's oar in infml to give opinions about other people's affairs without being asked to: This is our business – nobody asked you to stick your oar in!
oar·lock /ˈɔːlɒk||ˈɔːrlɑːk/ n AmE for ROWLOCK
oars·man /ˈɔːzmən||ˈɔːrz-/, oars·wom·an /-ˌwʊmən/ fem. — n pl. -men /-mən/ a person who rows a boat, especially in races
oars·man·ship /ˈɔːzmənʃɪp||ˈɔːrz-/ n [U] skill in rowing
OAS, the /ˌəʊ eɪ ˈes/ abbrev. for the Organization of American States; an organization whose members include the US and Canada and most of the countries of Central and South America. Its aims are to preserve peace and to help the economic development of the area.
OASDHI /ˌəʊ eɪ ˌes ˌdiː eɪtʃ ˈaɪ/ abbrev. for Old Age, Survivors, Disability, and Hospital Insurance; the SOCIAL SECURITY insurance programme provided by the US government for people who have worked in the US for a certain number of years. The programme provides PENSIONS (=money for older people who have stopped working), money for people who have been permanently injured, and MEDICARE (=medical care for older people).
o·a·sis /əʊˈeɪsɪs/ n pl. -ses /-siːz/ 1 a place with water and trees in a desert: The caravan stopped for the night at an oasis. 2 a place or situation that is different from its surroundings, usually in a pleasant or comforting way: Her bedroom was an oasis of calm in the noisy house.
Oasis a British ROCK GROUP who were one of the most popular groups of the 1990s.
Their music is an example of BRITPOP. Their songs, which are written by Noel Gallagher and sung by his brother Liam, include Wonderwall, and their ALBUMS include Definitely Maybe (1994) and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995).
oast house /ˈəʊst haʊs/ n BrE a building, usually with a pointed top, for drying HOPS (=the plant used in making beer)
oat·cake /ˈəʊtkek/ n a flat cake made of oatmeal
Oates, Captain Law·rence /əʊts, ˈlɒrəns||ˈlɔː-/ (1880–1912) a British EXPLORER who went with Captain SCOTT on his journey to the South Pole. On the way back, Oates was suffering from FROSTBITE and could no longer walk fast enough, so he deliberately killed himself by going out into the snow, because he did not want to delay the other members of the team.
CULTURAL NOTE Oates' last words, 'I am just going outside, and may be some time', are now often said humorously by someone when they are about to do something difficult or slightly dangerous, and they are not sure when they will return.
oath /əʊθ/ n pl. oaths /əʊðz/ 1 a solemn promise: to swear an oath | Repeat the oath after me. 2 an expression of strong feeling using religious or sexual words improperly: oaths and curses 3 be on/under oath law to have made a solemn promise to tell the truth: The judge reminded the witness that she was under oath. 4 take the oath to make a solemn promise to tell the truth in a court of law
oat·meal /ˈəʊtmiːl/ n [U] 1 crushed oats used for making cakes and PORRIDGE 2 AmE for PORRIDGE
oats /əʊts/ n [P] 1 a grain that provides food for people and animals 2 OATMEAL 3 be off one's oats BrE infml to have lost the wish to eat 4 feel one's oats infml to feel full of life and ready for action → see also WILD OATS
ob·du·rate /ˈbdʒʊrət||ˈɑːbdə-/ adj fml, usually derog refusing to change one's beliefs or feelings, especially in spite of people's attempts to persuade one; STUBBORN: Despite all my pleas she remained obdurate. —ly adv —racy n [U]
OBE /ˌəʊ biː ˈiː/ n abbrev. for Officer of the Order of the British Empire; a special honour given to some British people for things they have done for their country. OBE is written after someone's name to show that they have been given this honour: John Smith, OBE | She's been given/awarded an OBE. → see also CBE, MBE
o·be·di·ent /əˈbiːdiənt/ adj [(to)] doing what one is ordered to do; willing to obey the orders of someone in a position of power, such as a parent or teacher: an obedient dog/child → opposite DISOBEDIENT —ly adv —ence n [U(to)]
o·bei·sance /əʊˈbeɪsəns/ n [C;U(to)] fml a show of respect and obedience, especially by bending the head or upper part of the body: He made a deep obeisance to the Queen.
ob·e·lisk /ˈɒbəlɪsk||ˈɑːz-, ˈəʊ-/ n 1 a tall pointed stone PILLAR built usually in honour of a person or event 2 (in printing) a DAGGER
O·ber·am·mer·gau /ˌəʊbərˈæməgaʊl-bərˈæmər-/ a town in Bavaria, southern Germany, known for the PASSION PLAY (=a play telling the story of Jesus' suffering and death) performed by the people of the town every ten years since 1634, as a way of thanking God for saving them from the PLAGUE (=a very infectious disease that killed large numbers of people)
O·be·ron /ˈəʊbərɒn||-rɑːn/ the king of the fairies (FAIRY) and the husband of TITANIA in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William SHAKESPEARE