taxi
1424
taxi¹ /'tæksi/ also taxi-cab
/'tæksikæb/ fm, cab n a car
with a driver that can be
hired for a charge that is
based on the length and
time of the journey: I came
out of the station and hailed
a taxi. (=waved at one to
make it stop) It's quicker by
taxi. -> see TRANSPORT
(USAGE)
taxi² v [I] (of a plane) to move
slowly along the ground before taking off or after landing:
The plane taxied along the runway.
tax-i-der-mist /'tæksɜːdɜːmɪst-ːr-/ n a person whose job
is taxidermy
tax-i-der-my /'tæksɪdɜmi/ n [U] the art of specially
cleaning, preparing, and preserving the skins of fish, birds,
and animals, and filling them with special material so that
they look like living creatures
'taxi driver n a person whose job is to drive a taxi
CULTURAL NOTE In the UK, the STEREOTYPE of a taxi
driver is someone who talks to their passengers about
events in the news whether the passengers want to listen
or not.
tax-i-me-ter /'tæksiˌmiːtər/ n a small machine fitted in
taxis to calculate the charge for each journey
tax-ing /'tæksɪŋ/ adj needing great effort; DEMANDING: Such a
long rough journey would be very taxing for an old man.
'tax in,spector n a government official whose job it is to
decide how much a person, company etc must pay in taxes
'taxi rank also 'taxi stand || cabstand especially AmE — n a
place where taxis wait to be hired
tax-man /'tæksmæn/ n pl. -men /men/ 1 [C] a tax collector
or tax inspector 2 [the] especially BrE the government depart-
ment that collects taxes: George loves to hate the taxman.
tax-on-o-my /tæk'sɒnəmi-'saɪ-/ n [U] fml or tech the system
or process of putting things, especially plants and animals,
into various classes according to their natural relationships
tax-pay-er /'tæksˌpeɪər/ n any person or organization that
has a legal duty to pay tax: The opposition parties have
condemned the new airport as a waste of taxpayers' money.
'tax re,lief n [U] not having to pay a tax, especially the
INCOME TAX one usually pays on a certain amount of the
money one earns: I get tax relief on the first two thousand
pounds of my income.
'tax ,shelter n a plan or method which allows one legally to
avoid paying tax
'tax ,threshold n the level of income at which one starts to
pay tax
'tax ,write-off n AmE, infml something that is TAX-DEDUCTIBLE,
such as a gift to CHARITY or a loss taken in a financial deal
'tax ,year n a year at the end of which one's taxable income
is calculated. In Britain the tax year begins on April 6th. In
the US it begins on January 1st.
Tay-lor, Dam-i-o-la /'teɪlər ,dæmi'əʊlə/ (1989-2000) a
ten-year-old Nigerian boy who was killed in November 2000
in Peckham in south London: In 2002, four teenage boys
were charged with his murder, but they were found not guilty
after the most important WITNESS (=person who saw the
crime), a 14-year-old girl, was found to be lying. The police
were strongly criticized for reducing the number of detectives
trying to solve the murder after the boys had been charged.
Taylor, Elizabeth (1932-) a US film actress who was born in
the UK and is famous for her beauty. Her films include
National Velvet (1944), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and
Cleopatra (1962). She won two Oscars, for Butterfield 8 (1960)
and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). She is known for
her work in supporting people who have AIDS, and for her
many marriages, two of which were to the actor Richard
Burton.
Taylor, Graham (1944-), a British football manager who was
the manager of the England football team from 1990 to 1993.
He resigned when England failed to qualify for the 1994
World Cup.
a London taxi
Taylor, Lawrence (1959-) a US football player for the New
York Giants team in the 1980s and 1990s, who was consid-
ered to be the best LINEBACKER in the NFL. He was known
for being very determined, fast, and powerful.
Taylor, Phil /fɪl/ (1960-) an English DARTS player, who some
people think is the best player ever. He is known as 'The
Power'.
Tay-side /'teɪsaɪd/ a REGION in eastern Scotland in the area
of the River Tay. Its main city is Dundee.
TB BrE, Tb AmE /ti: 'bi:/ n [U] abbrev. for tuberculosis; a serious
infectious disease that affects your lungs and other parts of
your body
tba abbrev. for to be announced; a phrase used in writing to
show that a time, place etc will be given or decided later
T-ball, Tee-ball /'ti: bɔːl/ trademark a type of game like
BASEBALL played in the US by young children who hit the
ball off a stick (TEE)
tbc BrE abbrev. for to be confirmed; used in writing to show that
the time, place etc of a future event is not yet definite: The
concert will be in Harrogate (venue tbc) on the 29th.
T-bill /'ti: bɪl/ n AmE infml a US TREASURY BILL
T-bird /'ti: bɜːd| -bɜːrd/ n an informal name for a THUNDER-
BIRD (=a type of car)
T-bone /'ti: bəʊn/ also ,T-bone 'steak n a thinly cut piece
of BEEF with a T-shaped bone in it
tbs also T, tbsp n written abbrev. for TABLESPOON
TBS /,ti: bi: 'es/ AmE abbrev. for the TURNER BROADCASTING
SYSTEM
TCCB, the /,ti: si: si: 'bi:/ abbrev. for the TEST AND COUNTY
CRICKET BOARD
T cell /'ti: sel/ n BrE medical a type of WHITE BLOOD CELL that
helps the body fight disease
Tchai-kov-sky, Pe-ter Il-yich /,tʃaɪ'kɒfskiːl-'kɔːf-,
'piːtər 'ɪlɪtʃ/ (1840-93) a Russian COMPOSER known especially
for his symphonies (SYMPHONY) and his ballets, such as
Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Other well-known works
are The 1812 Overture and his first piano CONCERTO. His
music is romantic, emotional, and often rather sad.
TCP /,ti: si: 'pi:/ trademark a type of liquid ANTISEPTIC
tea /tiː/ n 1 [U] a hot brown drink made by pouring boiling
water onto leaves of a special kind. It is thought of as a
typically British drink: a cup of tea | Do you take milk and
sugar in your tea?
CULTURAL NOTE Tea has traditionally been a very popular
drink in the UK. It is still popular even though a lot of
people now prefer to drink coffee instead. If you visit a
British person's home, they will often 'put the KETTLE on'
and ask you if you would like a cup of tea, sometimes
informally called a CUPPA or a BREW. It is considered
polite to offer someone who is doing work for you in your
home, such as someone who is fixing something, a cup of
tea. Tea is usually served with milk and sometimes sugar.
If you feel worried or have just experienced something bad
or shocking, a British person will typically tell you to sit
down while they make you 'a nice cup of tea' because it
is believed that tea helps to make you feel calm. ->
compare Cultural Note at COFFEE
2 [U] the specially treated, dried, and finely cut leaves of an
Asian bush used for making tea: China tea | Ceylon tea 3 [C
usually pl.] a cup of tea: Three teas and a coffee please. 4 [C;U]
BrE a small meal served in the afternoon with a cup of tea:
We have tea at four o'clock. | She made sandwiches and a cake
for tea. | It's teatime! -> see also CREAM TEA, HIGH TEA; see
DINNER (USAGE) 5. [U] a drink made by putting leaves or
roots of the stated plant in boiling water, sometimes drunk
for medicinal purposes: mint tea | camomile tea -> see also
BEEF TEA, GREEN TEA 6 not for all the tea in China infml
(used when making a refusal): I wouldn't go back to that job
for all the tea in China. 7 tea and sympathy a lot of
attention and kindness which is not completely sincere and
is not followed by practical help: If Mr Major is serious in
his concern for lesbians and gay men and wants to demon-
strate that his meeting with Sir Ian McKellen was more than
public relations, tea and sympathy, he should announce the
repeal of Clause 28 immediately. 8 more tea, vicar? BrE