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limit
you.') 2 also; in addition: You must pack plenty of food.
Likewise, you'll need warm clothes, so pack them too.
lik·ing /'laɪkɪŋ/ n 1 [S+for] fondness: to have a liking for
sweets 2 to one's liking sometimes pomp suiting one's needs,
wishes, or expectations: Was the meal to your liking, madam?
(=did you like it?)
Li·kud, the /lɪ'kud||-'ku:d/ one of the main political parties
in Israel, known as a RIGHT WING party. Its present leader is
Ariel Sharon.
li·lac /'laɪlək/ n 1 [C] a tree with pinkish-purple or white
flowers giving a sweet smell 2 [U] a colour like the pale
purple colour of these flowers
Lil·ith /'lɪlɪθ/ a female DEVIL (=an evil spirit), who according
to an ancient Jewish tradition, was the first wife of ADAM, and
was also a VAMPIRE (=an evil spirit that sucks people's blood).
Lil·lee, Den·nis /'lɪli, 'denɪs/ (1949–) an Australian CRICKET
player who was a great fast BOWLER, and who played for the
Australian national team between 1971 and 1983
Lil·li·bur·le·ro /ˌlɪlibə'leərəʊl-bər-/ a song which is a SAT-
IRE on Irish Roman Catholics and the appointment of
General Talbot as LORD LIEUTENANT of Ireland in 1687
Lil·li·put /'lɪlɪpʊt, -pʊt/ an imaginary country in the book
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan SWIFT, where all the people,
animals, and buildings are very small —Lilliputian
/ˌlɪlɪ'pju:ʃən/ n
lil·li·pu·tian /ˌlɪlɪ'pju:ʃən/ adj fml extremely small com-
pared with the normal size of things: a doll's house with
lilliputian furniture
Lil·ly·white's /'lɪliwaɪts/ trademark a large store in several UK
cities, which sells sports equipment and sports clothing
Li·lo /'laɪləʊ/ BrE trademark a rubber MATTRESS filled with air
and used as a bed or for floating on water
lilt /lɪlt/ n [S] a regular usually pleasant pattern of rising and
falling sound, especially in speaking or singing: He speaks
with a Welsh lilt.
lil·ting /'lɪltɪŋ/ adj having a lilt: a lilting voice | a lilting tune
lil·y /'lɪli/ n 1 any of several plants with large flowers of
various colours, especially one with clear white flowers. A
white lily is often used as a SYMBOL of purity and beauty. →
see also glid the lily (GILD), WATER LILY 2 consider the lilies
of the field; they toil not neither do they spin quote a
slightly changed phrase from the Bible, used when saying
that things are important even if they do not serve any very
useful purpose
,lily-'livered adj infml cowardly
,lily of the 'valley n pl. lilies of the valley a plant with
several small white bell-shaped flowers with a sweet smell
'lily pad n the leaf of the WATER LILY which floats on the
surface of the water
,lily-white adj especially lit or humor pure white: a lily-white
complexion | (fig.) a person of lily-white character (=of very
pure and honest character)
Li·ma /'li:mə/ the capital city of Peru, which is an important
industrial centre and is also known for its 16th century
university
li·ma bean /'li:mə bi:n||'laɪ-/ n a bean of tropical American
origin with flat seeds which are often dried for later eating
limb /lɪm/ n fml or tech 1 a leg or arm of a person or animal, or
the wing of a bird 2 a (large) branch of a tree 3 out on a
limb alone without support, especially in opinions or argu-
ment 4 -limbed /lɪmd/ having the stated type or number of
limbs: strong-limbed → see also in wind and limb (WIND¹)
—less adj
Lim·baugh, Rush /'lɪmbɔ:/ (1951–) a US radio and tele-
vision talk show HOST. His programmes discuss politics from
a CONSERVATIVE point of view and are very popular. He and
the people who telephone his show often talk about politi-
cal ideas in a very emotional way. In 2003 he said that he
was ADDICTed to drugs that reduce pain, and he went to a
REHABILITATION centre. He is also known for inventing words
for insulting people he does not like, for example 'feminazi'
for FEMINISTS whose ideas he thinks are too strong or
'environmental wacko' for people who strongly support
protecting the environment.
lim·ber¹ /'lɪmbər/ v
limber up phr v [I] to make the muscles stretch and move
easily by exercise, especially when preparing for a race, game
etc
limber² adj apprec, fml or lit loose (in muscle); moving and
bending easily; SUPPLE
lim·bo¹ /'lɪmbəʊ/ n [U] 1 (often cap.) (in the Roman Catholic
religion) a place which is neither heaven nor HELL where the
souls of those who have not done evil may go after death,
even though they were not Christians during their life →
compare PURGATORY 2 a state of uncertainty: I'm in limbo,
waiting to know whether or not I've got the job.
limbo² n pl. -bos a West Indian dance in which a dancer
leans backwards and passes under a rope or bar which is
lowered closer and closer to the floor
lime¹ /laɪm/ n [U] 1 also quicklime — a white substance
obtained by burning LIMESTONE 2 a white powder made by
adding water to this, used in making cement, for liming
fields etc
lime² v [T] tech to add lime to (fields, land etc) in order to
control acid substances
lime³ also 'lime tree also linden especially AmE — n a tree
sometimes planted along streets because of its attractive
appearance and sweet-smelling yellow flowers
lime⁴ n 1 a tree which bears a small juicy green fruit with a
sour taste 2 the fruit of this tree: a glass of lime juice
lime·ade /ˌlaɪm'eɪd/ n [U] a green drink made of the juice of
limes, with sugar added, and sometimes gas
,lime 'green adj, n (of) a light yellow-green colour
lime·light /'laɪmlaɪt/ n 1 [the] the centre of public attention:
a hospital that has been in the limelight because of the new
techniques of heart surgery being pioneered there | when a
famous author's husband steals the limelight and writes a
best-seller 2 [U] a bright white light produced by heating
lime in a strong flame, which was formerly used in theatres
to light the stage
lim·e·rick /'lɪmərk/ n a usually humorous short poem with
five lines, three long and two short ones. An example of a
limerick is:
There was a young man from Bengal
Who went to a fancy-dress ball
He decided, for fun
To dress as a bun
But a dog ate him up in the hall.
Lim·e·rick 1 a COUNTY in the southwest of the Republic of
Ireland 2 the main town of this county
lime·stone /'laɪmstəʊn/ n [U] a type of rock containing
CALCIUM and other substances → see also LIME¹
li·mey /'laɪmi/ n pl. -meys slang, especially AmE, usually humor or
derog an Englishman
lim·it¹ /'lɪmɪt/ n 1 [C] also limits — the farthest point or edge,
which cannot or must not be passed: Other countries' vessels
are not allowed to fish within a 12-mile limit of our coast. | to
reach the limit of one's patience I'll help as much as I can,
but there's a limit to what I can do. (=I can't do everything) | I
can't walk 10 miles; I know my limits. | (fig.) Her ambition
knows no limit(s). (=is extremely great) 2 [C] the greatest or
smallest amount or number which is fixed as being legal,
correct, necessary etc: The government has imposed an 8%
limit on pay awards. | The bank has written to say I've gone
over my credit limit. (=I have borrowed more than I am
allowed) | safety limits | time limit | The motorist was found by
police to be below/over the limit. (=having less/more than the
highest level of alcohol in the blood at which one may
legally drive a vehicle) 3 [the] infml someone or something
that is too annoying, difficult, painful etc to bear: This is the
third time in a week that the electricity supply has been cut off
– it really is the limit. 4 off limits (to) especially AmE where one
is not allowed to go; out of BOUNDS (to): The town is off
limits to military personnel. 5 within limits not beyond a
certain point, amount, time etc: to keep our spending within
(reasonable) limits | You can do what you like—within limits.
limit² v [T(to)] to keep within a certain size, amount, number,
area, or place; RESTRICT: We must limit our spending. | We
must limit ourselves to an hour/to one cake each.