1587
Wood, Elijah
Women's Institute are also known for singing the song
JERUSALEM at their meetings and for selling home-made jam
and cakes.
women's 'lib also ,women's libe'ration /.../ — n [U]
old-fash the women's movement —women's libber n
CULTURAL NOTE Some people associate women's lib with
the idea of women burning their BRAS to show that they
are free, which some women did in the 1960s when the
movement began.
'women's ,movement [the] (all the women who join in
making) a united effort to improve the social and political
position of women and to end sexual DISCRIMINATION →
compare MEN'S MOVEMENT
'women's room also ladies' room n, especially AmE euph a
public TOILET for women
women's ,studies n [P] studies, such as history or litera-
ture, concerned with women's changing position in society
won /wʌn/ past tense & participle of WIN
won·der¹ /'wʌndər/ v 1 [(about);T+wh-obj] to express a wish
to know, in words or silently: 'Does she know we're here?' 'I'm
just wondering.' (=I don't know) | I wonder what really
happened. | What are they going to do now, I wonder? | I was
just wondering how to do it. | His opponents wonder out
loud/wonder aloud whether he is capable of doing the job. |
(in polite requests) I wonder if I can/could have some more
tea. 2 [(at);T+(that);obj] to be surprised and want to know
(why): 'She left home.' 'I don't wonder, after the way he treated
her.' | The fact that she left home is not to be wondered at. | I
wonder he dares to show his face here again after the way he
behaved! 3 [(about);T+if/whether;obj] to suggest or think (some-
thing) that is not so; doubt: 'Does she mean it?' 'I wonder.' |
He says such stupid things that sometimes I wonder if/whether
he's got any brains at all! —ingly adv
1 If you wonder why/who/whether etc, you ask
yourself a question: I wonder why she did that?
2 Compare wonder and admire. You can wonder at
(=be very much surprised by) both good and bad things:
The country boy wondered at all the high buildings in the
city. You can admire good things (=look at them with
pleasure and respect) without being surprised by them: I
have always admired the poetry of T. S. Eliot. 3 Wonder
can be used to soften requests: I wonder if..., or for
more serious or difficult requests I was wondering if...,
can be used: I wonder if you could post this letter for
me? | I was wondering if you could let me stay for a few
days.
wonder² n 1 [U] a feeling of strangeness, surprise etc,
usually combined with admiration, that is produced by
something unusually fine or beautiful, or by something
unexpected or new to one's experience: We were filled with
wonder at the sight of the beautiful mountains. | The children
gazed in wonder when they saw snow for the first time. 2 [C]
something that causes this feeling, especially a wonderfully
made object: The temple of Diana and the hanging gardens of
Babylon were two of the Seven Wonders of the World in
ancient times. | technological wonders → see also SEVEN
WONDERS OF THE WORLD 3 [C] apprec a wonderful person,
especially one who is able to do things that need great skill,
cleverness, or effort: He's a wonder, the way he arranges
everything without any help. 4 do/work wonders to bring
unexpectedly good results: She looked so tired before, but her
holiday has worked wonders/done wonders (for her). 5 it's a
wonder (that) it's surprising: It's a wonder you recognized me
after all these years. 6 (it's) no wonder/little wonder/small
wonder it is not surprising; naturally: It's no wonder you've
got a headache when you drank so much last night. 7 Won-
ders will never cease especially humor (used for expressing
surprise when the opposite of what one expects happens) →
see also CHINESE WONDER 8 a one-hit wonder used about
a singer, musical group etc that has only one successful song
and then is never very successful again, or about the song
that was successful: Flying Pickets, one-hit wonders of the
seventies, are still touring the cabaret circuit. | One Shot calls
itself the magazine of one-hit wonders, and it's devoted to the
artists and their music that made it to the top once.
wonder³ adj [A] unusually good of its kind: a new wonder
drug which they hope will cure cancer
Wonder, Ste·vie /'sti:vi/ (1950-) a US SOUL singer, song-
writer, and piano player who was born blind. He started
making records with the MOTOWN record company when he
was 12, and became one of the most successful and influen-
tial popular musicians in the world. His songs include
Superstition (1972) and I Just Called To Say I Love You (1984).
Won·der·bra /'wʌndəbrɑ:||-dər-/ trademark a type of BRA that
pushes a woman's breasts up so that they look larger. There
is a well-known advertisement for the Wonderbra, printed
on POSTERS, which shows an attractive woman wearing the
bra and saying 'Hello Boys!'.
Won·der·bread /'wʌndəbred||-ɚ-/ trademark a type of soft
white bread which is popular in the US. It is sold in a plastic
bag and is already cut into SLICES, and is typically used for
making SANDWICHES for children's lunches. → compare
MOTHER'S PRIDE
won·der·ful /'wʌndəfʊl||-dər-/ adj unusually good; causing
great pleasure or admiration: a wonderful performance |
wonderful news | We're having a wonderful time. —ly adv
won·der·land /'wʌndəlænd||-ɚ-/ n 1 [U] FAIRYLAND 2 [C
usually sing.] a place which is unusually beautiful, rich etc →
see also ALICE IN WONDERLAND
won·der·ment /'wʌndəmənt||-dər-/ n [U] especially lit WON-
DER: The children listened in/with wonderment as he told his
strange tale.
won·drous /'wʌndrəs/ adj poet wonderful: wondrous beauty
won·ky /'wɒŋki||'wɑ:ŋki/ adj BrE infml unsteady and likely to
break, fall, or fail: a wonky table leg | He's got a rather wonky
heart.
won't /wəʊnt/ short for will not
wont¹ /wəʊnt||wɔ:nt/ adj [F+to-v] fml likely (to do or happen);
in the habit of: He is wont to express himself rather forcefully
on that subject. → see also WONTED
wont² n [S] fml (the stated person's) habit or custom: She
spoke for too long, as is her wont.
wont·ed /'wəʊntɪd||'wɔ:n-/ adj [A] fml customary: He drove
with his wonted carelessness.
won·ton /'wɒn'tɒn; ||'wɑ:ntɑ:n/ n [U] a Chinese food made
of small filled cases of DOUGH eaten especially in soup:
wonton soup
woo /wu:/ v [T] 1 especially old use (of a man) to try to persuade
(a woman) into love and marriage
CULTURAL NOTE The TRADITIONAL and old-fashioned way
for a man to woo a woman is for him to buy her flowers,
chocolates, and other presents, to write love letters to her,
and to take her to expensive restaurants. Many men
(especially young men) no longer do this and some
women (especially FEMINISTS) disapprove of this type of
behaviour because they think that by behaving in this way
men are not treating women as equals.
2 (especially in newspapers) to make efforts to gain (the
support of): Politicians try to woo the voters before an election.
—er n
wood /wʊd/ n 1 [U] the substance of which the trunks and
branches of trees are made, which is cut and used for various
purposes, such as burning, making paper or furniture etc:
Put some more wood on the fire. | The box is made of wood. | a
polished wood floor | soft woods such as pine and hard woods
such as ebony | He cut it against the grain of the wood. 2 [C]
also woods pl. — a place where trees grow thickly, smaller
than a forest: We went for a ride in the wood(s). 3 [C] any of
the set of four GOLF CLUBS with wooden heads used for
hitting a ball long distances → compare IRON 4 [the+S] tech
barrels: sherry from the wood (=not from a bottle) 5 out of
the woods BrE free from danger, difficulty etc: The situ-
ation's improving but we're not out of the woods yet. → see
also DEAD WOOD, not see the wood for the trees (SEE)
Wood, Elijah (1981-) an American film and television actor,
best known for playing the part of Frodo Baggins in the
three Lord of the Rings films directed by Peter Jackson. His
other films include Avalon, Forever Young, and Deep Impact.