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cambric
service on your telephone that lets you know who is calling
before you answer the telephone
call girl n a woman PROSTITUTE who makes her arrangements
by telephone
cal·lig·ra·phy /kə'lɪgrəfi/ n [U] (the art of producing) beau-
tiful writing by hand —pher, -phist n
call-in n AmE for PHONE-IN
call·ing /'kɔ:lɪŋ/ n 1 a strong urge or feeling of duty to do a
particular kind of work; VOCATION 2 fml a person's profession
or trade
cal·li·pers also calipers AmE /'kælɪpəz||-ərz/ n [P] 1 an
instrument consisting of two legs fixed together at one end,
used for measuring thickness, the distance between two
surfaces, and inner width (DIAMETER) → see PAIR
(USAGE) 2 BrE metal supports fixed to the legs to help a
person with weak legs to walk
cal·lis·then·ics, calisthenics /ˌkælɪs'θenɪks/ n [U+sing./
pl. v] physical exercises intended to develop healthy, strong,
and beautiful bodies —ic adj [A]
callˌletters n [P] AmE → see CALL SIGN
callˌnumber n AmE the number written on a library book
that tells what part of the library it is kept in
call of 'nature n euph a need to pass liquid or solid waste
matter from the body
callˌoption n tech the right to buy a fixed number of SHARES
at a particular price within a set period of time
cal·lous /'kæləs/ adj 1 unkind; without sympathy for the
sufferings of other people: his callous disregard for the safety
of his workers 2 med (of the skin) hard and thick → compare
CALLUS —ly adv —ness n [U]
call-out n BrE an action of calling, for example, a service
engineer to come and do a job in your house: Do you have a
call-out charge as well as a charge for labour? | a £30 call-out
fee
cal·low /'kæləʊ/ adj derog (of a person or behaviour) young
and without experience; IMMATURE: a callow youth
callˌscreening n [U] 1 a special service that you can buy
from your telephone company which prevents particular
people from calling you 2 when you let an answering
machine answer your telephone calls, and you then only
talk to callers that you want to speak to
call sign also 'callˌletters AmE — n a name, made up of
letters and numbers, given to people operating radios, or to
radio stations, to prove who they are
call-up BrE || draft AmE — n an order to serve in the armed
forces: He got his call-up papers in July. → see also CALL UP
cal·lus /'kæləs/ also cal·los·i·ty /kə'lɒsɪti||kə'lɑː-/ n an
area of thick hard skin: calluses on his hands → compare
CALLOUS
call 'waiting n [U] a telephone service that allows you to
receive another call when you are already talking on the
telephone, without ending the first call
calm¹ /kɑ:m||kɑ:m, kɑ:lm/ adj 1 free from excitement, nerv-
ous activity, or strong feeling; quiet and untroubled: The
police chief advised his men to stay/keep calm and not lose
their tempers. | a calm manner | After yesterday's fighting on
the border, the situation is now fairly calm again. 2 a) (of
weather) not windy: After the storm it was calm. b) (of
water) not rough; smooth; still: The sea was calm. —ly adv
—ness n [U]
calm² n [S;U] 1 peace and quiet; absence of excitement or
nervous activity: working in the calm of the library 2 an
absence of wind or rough weather; stillness: the calm after
the storm
calm³ v [T] to make calm: She calmed the baby by giving him
some milk. | This announcement will calm the fears of conser-
vationists.
calm down phr v [I;T(= calm sbdy. ↔ down)] to make or become
calm: Calm down – there's nothing to worry about! | We tried
to calm him down, but he kept shouting and swearing.
Cal·or gas /'kælə gæs||-lər-/ BrE trademark a type of gas that is
sold in metal containers and used where there is no gas
supply
cal·o·rie /'kæləri/ n 1 a measure used to show the amount of
heat or ENERGY that a food will produce. When people are
trying to lose weight by avoiding certain foods, they some-
times say that they are counting their calories or watching
their calories: One thin piece of bread has 90 calories. | a
calorie-controlled diet 2 a unit of heat → compare BTU
cal·or·if·ic /ˌkælə'rɪfɪk/ adj 1 tech heat-producing: This
coal has a high calorific value. 2 infml (of food) tending to
make one fat: That chocolate cake looks very calorific.
ca·lum·ni·ate /kə'lʌmni-eɪt/ v [T] fml to speak calumnies
about (someone); SLANDER
cal·um·ny /'kæləmni/ n [C;U(against)] fml (the act of making)
an incorrect and unjust report about a person with the
intention of destroying the good opinion that other people
have of him/her
cal·va·ry /'kælvəri/ n a model which represents the death of
Christ (CRUCIFIXION)
Calvary the Roman name for the place near Jerusalem where,
according to the Bible, Jesus Christ died by being crucified
(CRUCIFY). Its Aramaic name was Golgotha.
calve /kɑ:v||kæv/ v [I] to give birth to a CALF: The cow calved
yesterday.
calves /kɑ:vz||kævz/ pl. of CALF
Cal·vin, John /'kælvɪn/ (1509–64) a French PROTESTANT
leader and THEOLOGIAN (=someone who studies religion and
religious beliefs), whose ideas strongly influenced the REFOR-
MATION (=the time when many Christians left the Catholic
religion and started the Protestant religion) → see also
CALVINISM
Cal·vin·ism /'kælvɪnɪzəm/ n [U] the Christian religious
teachings of John Calvin, which are based on the idea that
events on Earth are controlled by God and cannot be changed
by humans, and which led to the establishment of the
PRESBYTERIAN church
Cal·vin·ist /'kælvɪnɪst/ adj 1 connected with or following
the ideas of Calvinism 2 also Cal·vin·is·tic /ˌkælvɪ'nɪstɪk/
—having very strict ideas about moral behaviour and tend-
ing to disapprove of pleasure or enjoyment. These attitudes
are thought to be typical of people who believe in Calvinism
—Calvinist n
ca·lyp·so /kə'lɪpsəʊ/ n pl. -sos or -soes a West Indian song
based on a subject of interest in the news, often played by a
STEEL BAND
ca·lyx /'keɪlɪks, 'kæ-||'keɪ-/ n pl. calyces /'kerɪsi:z, 'kæ-
||'keɪ-/, calyxes tech a ring of leaves (SEPALS) which protects a
flower before it opens and later supports the opened flower
cam /kæm/ n a wheel or part of a wheel shaped to change
circular movement into backwards-and-forwards movement
ca·ma·ra·de·rie /ˌkæmə'rɑ:dərɪɪ||-'ræ-, -'rɑ:-/ n [U] the
friendliness and goodwill shown to each other by friends,
especially people who spend time together at work, in the
army etc
Ca·margue, the /kæ'mɑ:g||-'mɑ:rg/ a flat area in southern
France at the DELTA of the River Rhône. It is a national park
which is known for its white horses and its large variety of
wild animals, especially birds.
cam·ber /'kæmbə/ n [C;U] a slight upward curve towards
the centre of a road or other surface, which causes water to
run off to the side
Cam·bo·di·a /ˌkæm'bəʊdiə/ a country in southeast Asia
between Thailand and Vietnam. Population: 11,400,000
(1998). Capital: Phnom Penh. Its former name was Kam-
puchea. Cambodia experienced terrible suffering during the
1970s under the government of POL POT, and during the CIVIL
WAR that followed in the 1980s. But there were free elections
in 1993, and the country began to be rebuilt after many
years of war. —Cambodian adj, n
Cam·bri·an Moun·tains, the /ˌkæmbriən 'maʊntɪnz||
-'maʊntnz/ a group of mountains that go from north to
south through the middle of Wales
cam·bric /'keɪmbrɪk/ n [U] a fine white cloth of cotton or
LINEN