1483
Trojan War, the
Triple 'Crown, the 1 a title for winning all three of a set
of important events in various sports a) in British horse-
racing, the title for winning the St Leger, the Derby, and the
Two Thousand Guineas b) in American horse-racing, the
title for winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the
Belmont Stakes c) in Rugby Union, the title for beating all
three of the other home countries 2 a title given to the
BASEBALL player who is the best hitter in his LEAGUE in three
different categories (CATEGORY)
'triple jump n [the S] an ATHLETICS event in which the
competitors take off and land on one foot, follow it by
jumping on that foot and landing on the other, and finish
with a jump landing on both feet
trip-let /'trɪplət/ n 1 [usually pl.] any of three children born to
the same mother at the same time 2 a group of three lines
in a poem → compare COUPLET
trip-lex /'trɪpleks/ n, adj AmE (a unit, especially a flat) having
rooms on three floors of a building: a triplex apartment →
compare DUPLEX
Triplex BrE trademark a special type of safety glass used in car
windows
trip-li-cate¹ /'trɪplɪkət/ adj consisting of or existing in three
parts that are exactly alike: triplicate copies of the contract
triplicate² n in triplicate in three copies, one of which is the
original: All our forms have to be filled out in triplicate.
tri-pod /'traɪpɒd||-poʊd/ n a three-legged support, e.g. for a
camera: to set up a tripod
Trip-ol-i /'trɪpəli/ a city and port in northwest Libya, the
capital of Libya and its largest industrial centre
tri-pos /'traɪpɒs||-poʊs/ n (a course of study for) the set of
examinations for the BA degree at Cambridge University
trip-per /'trɪpər/ n especially BrE, often derog a person on a
pleasure trip, especially one lasting only one day: In summer,
the seaside towns are full of day trippers.
trip-ping-ly /'trɪpɪŋli/ adv especially lit lightly and easily
trip-tych /'trɪptɪk/ n tech a picture made in three parts so
that the side ones can be folded inwards over the middle
one → compare DIPTYCH
trip-wire /'trɪp,waɪər/ n a wire stretched across the ground,
that causes a trap, explosive etc. to work if a person or
animal catches it with their foot
tri-reme /'traɪriːm/ n an ancient warship with three rows of
OARS on each side
tri-sect /traɪ'sekt/ v [T] tech (in MATHEMATICS) to divide into
three especially equal parts
Tris-tan and I-sol-de /ˌtrɪstən ənd ɪ'zɒldə||-ɪ'soʊld/ two
characters in an old love story. Tristan falls in love with
Isolde, who is the wife of his uncle, when they drink a magic
LOVE POTION without realizing what they are drinking. Their
story is told in an OPERA by Richard WAGNER.
Tris-tan da Cun-ha /ˌtrɪstən də 'kuːnə, -njə/ a group of
islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, between South Africa
and South America. The people living there had to be taken
away when a VOLCANO erupted (ERUPT) in 1961, but they
were able to return two years later.
Tris-tram Shan-dy /ˌtrɪstrəm 'ʃændi/ the main character
and NARRATOR (=person who tells the story) in the book The
Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy (1759-67) by Laurence
STERNE. The novel does not have a clear story, and its style
greatly influenced 20th century STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
writers.
trite /traɪt/ adj derog (of a remark, idea etc) used or said too
often to be interesting or meaningful; unoriginal and insin-
cere: All the messages of condolence in these cards sound
really trite. | At the risk of sounding trite, I wish you were
here. —ly adv —ness n [U]
tri-umph¹ /'traɪʌmf/ n 1 [C(over)] a complete victory or
success: His new film is an absolute triumph. | The story of
her triumph over cancer is very moving. | They held a party to
celebrate their election triumph. 2 [U] the joy or satisfaction
caused by this: shouts of triumph | The victorious army
returned in triumph. 3 [C] (in ancient Rome) a procession in
honour of a victorious general
riumph² v [I(over)] to gain victory or success, especially in
dealing with a very difficult situation or opponent; PREVAIL:
to triumph over adversity/over a disabling illness
Triumph trademark an type of MOTORCYCLE made by the
British company Triumph, which is known for being well-
made in a traditional way. The Triumph company also used
to make SPORTS CARS.
tri-um-phal /traɪ'ʌmfəl/ adj of or marking a triumph: a
triumphal arch/procession
tri-um-phant /traɪ'ʌmfənt/ adj 1 victorious or successful: a
triumphant army 2 taking great pride and joy in one's
success or victory: The victorious general made a triumphant
return. —ly adv: 'I've done it!' he exclaimed triumphantly.
tri-um-vir-ate /traɪ'ʌmvɪrət||ˈtraɪ-/ n [C+sing./pl. v] 1 a group of
three people together governing a country, especially in
ancient Rome 2 fm a group of three, especially one regarded
by others as threatening
triv-et /'trɪvɪt/ n 1 a three-legged stand for holding a pot
over a fire 2 a metal stand, usually with short legs, placed
under a hot pot or dish to protect a surface
triv-i-a /'trɪviə/ n, [P] 1 unimportant or useless matters or
details; TRIFLES 2 detailed facts connected with current or
past events, famous people etc: sports trivia | Here's a good
trivia question for you: Who played Mrs Danvers in 'Rebecca'?
triv-i-al /'trɪviəl/ adj 1 usually derog of little worth or impor-
tance; INSIGNIFICANT: Why do you get angry over such trivial
matters? | It cost a trivial sum. (=a small amount) 2 ordinary:
trivial everyday duties —ly adv
triv-i-al-i-ty /ˌtrɪvi'æləti/ n usually derog 1 [C] something
trivial 2 [U] the state of being trivial
triv-i-al-ize also -ise BrE /'trɪviəlaɪz/ v [T] to treat (some-
thing) as if it is trivial; reduce to unimportance: These
newspapers' sensational treatment of the news trivializes it.
—ization /ˌtrɪviəlaɪ'zeʃən || -ə-/ n
Trivial Pur'suit trademark a popular type of BOARD GAME in
which players have to answer questions about a variety of
subjects, such as music, sport, and science
TRO /ˌtiː ɑːr 'əʊ/ n abbrev. for TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER
Troc-a-de-ro, the /ˌtrɒkə'dɪərəʊ||ˌtrɑːkə'deərəʊ/ a large
building near Piccadilly Circus in central London, with many
shops and EXHIBITIONS
tro-chee /'trəʊkiː/ n tech a measure of poetry consisting of
one strong (or long) beat followed by one weak (or short)
beat, as in 'father' → compare IAMB —chaic /trəʊ'keɪ-ɪk/
adj
trod /trɒd||trɑːd/ past tense of TREAD
trod-den /'trɒdn||'trɑːdn/ past participle of TREAD
trog-lo-dyte /'trɒglədaɪt||'trɑːg-/ n a person who lives in a
CAVE, especially in PREHISTORIC (=very ancient) times
troi-ka /'trɔɪkə/ n 1 a Russian carriage drawn by a team of
three horses side by side 2 a group of three people working
together, especially in government; TRIUMVIRATE
Tro-i-lus and Cres-si-da /ˌtrɔɪləs ənd 'kresɪdə/ a play by
William SHAKESPEARE, set at the time of the TROJAN WAR,
about the unhappy love affair between two lovers, Troilus and
Cressida
Tro-jan¹ /'trəʊdʒən/ n 1 someone who lived in the ancient
city of Troy 2 work like a Trojan old-fash to work very hard
Trojan² trademark a type of CONDOM sold in the US
Trojan 'Horse n 1 the Trojan Horse a wooden horse used
by Greek soldiers to trick their enemies the Trojans during the
Trojan War. The Greeks hid inside a large wooden model of a
horse and were taken into Troy by Trojan soldiers, who
thought that it was a gift. 2 someone or something that is
accepted because it seems good or harmless, but that is
really intended to cause harm: Senator Simon claimed the
new law would reduce violence on TV, but opponents have
attacked it as being a 'Trojan Horse' that would lead to
censorship of TV programming.
Trojan 'War, the n a war which is said to have been fought
between the Greeks and the Trojans because the Trojan prince
Paris had carried off Helen, wife of Menelaus, a Greek king.
The war was won by a trick in which Greek soldiers, hidden
inside a wooden model of a horse, were taken into Troy by
the Trojans who thought that the horse was a gift. HOMER
describes the Trojan War in his book the Iliad.