963
can be eaten 2 a small piece of metal with a hole through it
for screwing onto a BOLT in order to fix or fasten some-
thing 3 inml a person who is or seems to be mad: He's a bit of
a nut. 4 inml a person who is very keen on the stated thing;
FREAK: She's a Clark Gable nut; she's seen all his films. 5 inml
one's head: You must be off your nut! (=mad) 6 [usually pl.]
BrE a small lump of coal 7 [usually pl.] taboo slang, especially AmE a
TESTICLE 8 a hard/tough nut to crack inml a difficult
question, person etc to deal with 9 do one's nut BrE slang to
suddenly become very angry or worried: I told him what she
had said about him and he did his nut. 10 for nuts BrE inml
(especially after can't) at all: She can't sing for nuts! → see
also NUTS, NUTS AND BOLTS, GINGER NUT
NUT, the /ˌen juː ˈtiː/ abbrev. for the National Union of
Teachers; one of the main professional TRADE UNIONS which
represents teachers in England and Wales, in both govern-
ment and private schools
nut-brown adj lit having a pleasant dark red-brown colour:
nut-brown ale/complexion
nut-case /ˈnʌtkes/ n inml humor a mad person; NUT
nut-crack-er /ˈnʌtˌkrækə/ also nutcrackers pl. — n a tool
for cracking the shell of a nut: Have we got a nutcracker/a
pair of nutcrackers in the house?
Nutcracker, The (1892) a BALLET with music by TCHAI-
KOVSKY about a girl who dreams that her NUTCRACKER
becomes a prince. It is one of the most popular ballets, and
is often performed at Christmas.
nut-house /ˈnʌthas/ n pl. -houses /ˌhaʊzɪz/ slang for PSY-
CHIATRIC HOSPITAL
nut-meg /ˈnʌtmeg/ n 1 [C] a small hard seed of a tropical
tree, which is usually made into a powder used (as a SPICE) to
give a particular taste to food 2 [U] this powder: a pinch of
nutmeg
Nu-tra-Sweet /ˈnjuːtrə swiːt‖ˈnuː-/ trademark a type of arti-
ficial SWEETENER used instead of sugar in many foods and
drinks
nu-tri-a /ˈnjuːtriəl‖ˈnuː-/ n [U] (the fur of the) COYPU: a
nutria coat
nu-tri-ent /ˈnjuːtriənt‖ˈnuː-/ n, adj tech (a chemical or food)
providing what is needed for life and growth: This soil
contains valuable nutrients.
nu-tri-ment /ˈnjuːtrɪmənt‖ˈnuː-/ n [U] fml food needed for
life and growth; NOURISHMENT
nu-tri-tion /njuːˈtrɪʃən‖nuː-/ n [U] the process of giving or
getting food; NOURISHMENT: Good nutrition is essential for
good health. | the science of nutrition → see also MALNUTRI-
TION
nu-tri-tion-ist /njuːˈtrɪʃənɪst‖nuː-/ n a person with special
knowledge about foods and how they affect health, growth,
and disease
nu-tri-tious /njuːˈtrɪʃəs‖nuː-/ adj valuable to the body as
food; nourishing (NOURISH): Milk is very nutritious. | a nutri-
tious meal —ly adv
nu-tri-tive /ˈnjuːtrɪtɪv‖ˈnuː-/ adj 1 [no comp.] fml or tech of
nutrition: What is the nutritive value of potatoes? 2 fml nutri-
tious
nuts¹ /nʌts/ adj [F] inml 1 mad; CRAZY: I'll go nuts if I have to
wait much longer! 2 [+on/about/over] very keen on: She's nuts
about flying/the boy next door.
nuts² interj slang, especially AmE (an expression of annoyance,
anger, or fearless refusal): Nuts to you and your friends!
,nuts and 'bolts n [(the)P] the simple facts or skills of a
subject or job: to learn the nuts and bolts of cooking
nut-shell /ˈnʌt-ʃel/ n 1 the hard outer covering of a
nut 2 in a nutshell inml described in as few words as
possible: There's a lot I could say about the show but to put it
in a nutshell, it was terrible.
nut-ty /ˈnʌti/ adj 1 a) tasting like nuts: wine with a nutty
taste b) filled with nuts: a nutty cake 2 slang mad; CRAZY:
another of his nutty ideas | She's as nutty as a fruitcake.
(=completely mad) —tiness n [U]
nuz-zle /ˈnʌzəl/ v 1 [I;T(UP, against)] (especially of an animal)
to rub, touch, or push gently with the nose: The horse
nuzzled (up) against me. | The dog nuzzled the sleeping
child. 2 [T+obj+adv/prep] to press close, usually with repeated
short movements: She nuzzled her head against his shoulder.
NV written abbrev. for NEVADA
NVQ /ˌen viː ˈkjuː/ n abbrev. for National Vocational Qualifica-
tion; a British examination for students at school and
people in work in many practical subjects. NVQs were
started by the British government, working together with
employers in various types of business and industry, as a
means of establishing a standard level of skill that can be
easily recognized. → see also GNVQ
NW written abbrev. for NORTHWEST or NORTHWESTERN
NY written abbrev. for NEW YORK (city or state)
NYC written abbrev. for NEW YORK CITY
Nye-re-re, Jul-i-us /ˌnjɛˈrɛrɪ, ˈdʒuːliəs/ (1922–99) a Tanza-
nian politician who was one of the leaders of the country's
fight for independence from the UK. He was the first
President of Tanzania (1964–85) and he strongly believed that
African countries should develop their own farming and
industry without copying Western economic ideas.
ny-lon /ˈnaɪlɒn‖-lɑːn/ n [U] a strong synthetic substance
made into cords, plastics, and material for clothes: nylon
thread/thread made of nylon | a nylon shirt
ny-lons /ˈnaɪlɒnz‖-lɑːnz/ n [P] women's nylon STOCKINGS: a
pair of nylons
nymph /nɪmf/ n 1 (in CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY) any of the less
important goddesses of nature, represented as young girls
living in trees, streams, mountains etc 2 lit a girl or young
woman
nym-phet /nɪmˈfet, ˈnɪmfɛt‖nɪmˈfet/ n humor a young girl of
about 12–15 years old, regarded as sexually desirable
CULTURAL NOTE This word became popular after it was
used in Vladimir NABOKOV's book LOLITA.
nym-pho-ma-ni-a /ˌnɪmfəˈmeɪniə/ n not tech [U] strong
sexual desire in a woman to a degree considered as
unhealthy or socially unacceptable
nym-pho-ma-ni-ac /ˌnɪmfəˈmeɪniæk/ also nym-pho
/ˈnɪmfəʊ/ slang — adj, n derog (of or being) a woman with
nymphomania
NYPD Blue /ˌen waɪ piː diː ˈbluː/ a US television pro-
gramme about a police station in New York City and the
police officers who work there
Ny-quil /ˈnaɪkwɪl/ trademark a type of liquid medicine sold in
the US, which reduces pain, helps people stop coughing,
and helps them sleep
NYSE /ˌen waɪ es ˈiː/ abbrev. for NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE
NZ written abbrev. for New Zealand