queen 1130
at CARDS 5 derog slang a male HOMOSEXUAL. This word is used
by homosexuals among themselves, but they consider it
offensive when it is said by other people.
queen² v [T] 1 (in CHESS) to change (a PAWN) into a
queen 2 queen it BrE infml derog (of a woman) to behave in an
unpleasantly proud way
Queen a British ROCK group who were very popular in the
1970s and 1980s, and whose songs include *Bohemian Rhapsody*
and *We Are the Champions*. Their main singer was
Freddie MERCURY, and they were known especially for playing
to very large crowds, for example in football STADIUMS. -> see
colour photo on page A30
Queen, the Her Majesty the Queen; the official title of the
queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland. The Queen is the official head of state of Britain and
of other countries in the COMMONWEALTH, but has little real
political power. She has to give her official agreement (Royal
Assent) to all new laws before they can actually become laws
but in fact she does not have the right to refuse this agree-
ment. -> see also ELIZABETH II
Queen 'Anne 1 a style of furniture, popular in the UK in
the 18th century. Queen Anne tables and chairs typically
have curving legs. 2 a plain style of building using red brick,
popular in the UK during the time of Queen ANNE
queen 'consort n pl. queens consort (often caps.) (a special
title sometimes given to) the wife of a ruling king -> compare
PRINCE CONSORT
Queen El,izabeth 'Hall, the a concert hall at the SOUTH
BANK in London, known as a place for performances of
CLASSICAL music
Queen Elizabeth II, the /,kwɪn ɪ,ˈlɪzəbəθ ðə 'sekənd/
the full name of the QE2
Queen E'lizabeth ,Islands, the a group of islands in
the Arctic Ocean that are part of Canada
queen-ly /'kwi:nli/ adj apprec like or suitable for a queen: her
queenly dignity
Queen Mab /kwɪn 'mæb/ the queen of the fairies (FAIRY) in
old stories and in literature
Queen Mary 2, the /kwɪn ,meəri 'tu:/ -> see QM2
queen 'mother n the mother of a ruler
Queen Mother, the (1900-2002) the mother of the
British Queen Elizabeth II, whose official title was Queen Elizabeth,
the Queen Mother. She was one of the most popular and
respected members of the royal family, and was thought of
as a kind and caring person. She was known to be very
interested in horse racing, and she was often called, 'the
Queen Mum' in British popular newspapers.
Queen of 'Hearts, the 1 a character in the book *Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland* by Lewis CARROLL, who is known
for ordering people's heads to be cut off, by saying 'Off with
his head!' -> see also ALICE IN WONDERLAND 2 a character
from a NURSERY RHYME (=an old song or poem for young
children):
The Queen of Hearts, she baked some tarts,
All on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts, he stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.
Queen of She-ba, the /,kwɪn əv 'ʃi:bə/ n 1 someone
who is very rich or who spends money as if they were very
rich, from a story in the Old Testament of the Bible about
the wealth of the Queen of Sheba 2 and I'm the Queen of
Sheba humor used as a reply when someone claims that they
are famous or that they have done something impressive,
but you do not believe them: *'I'd like to reserve a table for
tonight - this is Demi Moore.' 'Oh yeah, and I'm the Queen of
Sheba.'*
Queen of the 'May n -> see MAY QUEEN
Queens /kwi:nz/ one of the five BOROUGHS of New York
City, at the western end of Long Island. It contains LaGuardia
Airport and John F. Kennedy Airport, which are two of
the busiest airports in the world, and Shea Stadium, which is
where the New York Mets play BASEBALL. It is known as an
area where people of many different races live.
Queen's 'Bench, the also the ,Queen's 'Bench
Di,vision n a division of the HIGH COURT of Justice in
England and Wales. This name is used when a queen is
ruling, and it changes to the KING'S BENCH when a king is
ruling. -> see also HIGH COURT
Queens-ber-ry rules, the /,kwi:nzbəri 'ru:lz||-beri-/ n
[P] the rules of fair fighting in the sport of BOXING, which
were established in 1867 by a British lord, the Marquess of
Queensberry
Queen's 'Counsel n a QC
Queen's 'English, the n [S] a name sometimes used for
good correct English, as written and spoken in the UK.
When a king is ruling instead of a queen, it is called the
'King's English'.
Queen's 'evidence also King's evidence BrE || state's
evidence AmE -> n turn Queen's evidence BrE (of a
criminal) to give information in a court of law against other
criminals, especially in order to get less punishment oneself
'queen-size adj AmE (of a bed, sheets etc) being larger than
standard size: a queen-size mattress
Queens-land /'kwi:nzlənd/ a state in northeast Australia,
whose capital and largest city is Brisbane. Its products include
sugar, wool, and many types of mineral, including coal.
Queensland is a popular place for tourists because of its warm
weather, its beaches on the Gold Coast, and the GREAT
BARRIER REEF. -> see picture at AUSTRALIA
Queens-'Midtown ,Tunnel, the a TUNNEL for traffic in
New York City, which goes under the East River and con-
nects Manhattan and Queens
Queen's Park 'Rangers -> see QPR
Queen's 'speech, the a speech given by the Queen at the
official opening of the British Parliament each year, usually
in October. The speech is actually written by the govern-
ment, and it gives details of the government's plans for the
next year, including the new laws it intends to make. When
a king is ruling instead of a queen, it is called the 'King's
Speech'.
queer¹ /kwɪə/ adj rather old-fash 1 strange or difficult to
explain: What a queer story. | It's queer that she never
answered. 2 infml slightly unwell: I'm feeling a little queer; I
think I'll go home. 3 infml derog for HOMOSEXUAL -> see QUEER²
(USAGE) 4 infml slightly mad: She's a bit queer in the
head. 5 in queer street BrE slang in debt; in trouble over
money matters -> -ly adv -> -ness n [U]
queer² n old-fash infml derog a male HOMOSEXUAL
In this meaning queer is a rather old-fashioned and
insulting word for a homosexual person. But it is also
often used by homosexual people about themselves, and
in this use it is neither old-fashioned nor insulting.
queer³ v queer someone's pitch to spoil someone's plans or
chances
'queer ,bashing n [U] the act of attacking people because
they are HOMOSEXUAL
quell /kwel/ v [T] to bring to an end, especially by force:
*'Army Quells Rebellion'* (in newspaper) | *The government's
reassurances have done nothing to quell the doubts of the
public.*
quench /kwentʃ/ v [T(with)] 1 to satisfy (one's thirst) by
drinking: *She quenched her thirst with a glass of cold milk.* a
thirst-quenching drink 2 *lit* to put out (flames, a light etc)
quer-u-lous /'kwerǝlǝs/ adj *fml* derog habitually complaining,
especially in a weak self-pitying way: *querulous voices/old
ladies* -> -ly adv -> -ness n [U]
que-ry¹ /'kwɪərɪ/ n a question or doubt: *I'd like to raise a few
queries here.*
query² v [T] to express doubt or uncertainty about: *I would
like to query the speaker's last point.* | [+wh-] *He queried
whether the law allowed this sort of procedure.*
quest /kwest/ n [(of, for)] especially *lit* a long search; an attempt
to find something: *the continuing quest for a cure for the
disease* | *They travelled in quest of gold.* -quest v [(for,
after)]
ques-tion¹ /'kwestʃǝn/ n 1 [C] a sentence or phrase which
asks for information: *I asked you a question and you didn't
answer.* | *The question is: how was he killed?* | In response to
your last question, no, I do not intend to resign. | Answer three
out of the five questions on the exam paper. 2 [C] a matter
that needs to be settled or dealt with; ISSUE: *The government*