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anything: The belief in free enterprise is at the core of their
political thinking. | the core of the problem 3 tech a) a bar of
MAGNETIC metal used in an electric motor to provide a path
for the magnetic field b) a ring-shaped piece of MAGNETIC
material used in computer memories 4 to the core thor-
oughly; completely: She's American to the core. | The system
is rotten to the core. (=thoroughly bad) 5 the central part of
the Earth or any other planet -> see picture at EARTH; see
also HARD CORE
core² v [T] to remove the core from (a fruit)
Co·rel /kɔːˈrel/ trademark a leading producer of SOFTWARE for
computers. Corel's products include the popular WORD-
PERFECT and Corel Draw PROGRAMS.
co·re·li·gion·ist /ˌkəʊrɪˈlɪdʒənɪst/ n a member of the same
religion
cor·er /ˈkɔːrər/ n a specially shaped knife for coring apples
co·re·spon·dent /ˌkɔːrɪˈspɒndənt || -ˈspɑːn-/ n law a person
charged with ADULTERY (=sex outside marriage) with the wife
or husband of a person wanting a DIVORCE (=an end to the
marriage) -> compare CORRESPONDENT, RESPONDENT
'core time n [U] BrE the period during the middle part of the
day when an office or other place of work that operates
FLEXTIME expects all its people to be working
Cor·fu /ˈkɔːfuː || ˈkɔːrfu/ a Greek island northwest of main-
land Greece which is a popular place for tourists to visit
cor·gi /ˈkɔːgi || ˈkɔːrgi/ n pl. corgis a small dog with short legs
and a pointed nose. British people think of corgis in connec-
tion with the British royal family, as the Queen keeps some
as pets.
co·ri·an·der /ˌkɒriˈændər || ˌkɔːr-/ || also cilantro AmE — n [U]
the strong-tasting leaves or seeds of a small plant, used for
giving a special taste to especially Asian and Mexican food
Co·rin·thi·an /kəˈrɪnθiən/ adj a style of Greek ARCHITECTURE
that uses decorations of leaves cut into stone. It is more
complicated than either the DORIC style or the IONIC style:
Corinthian columns
cork¹ /kɔːk || kɔːrk/ n 1 [U] the light springy BARK (=the outer
covering) of the cork oak (=a tree from Southern Europe
and North Africa): cork tiles on the floor | a cork mat | Cork
always floats. 2 [C] a round piece of this material, or
something of the same shape made of rubber or plastic,
fixed into the neck of a bottle to close it tightly: I couldn't
get the cork out of the wine bottle—I didn't have a corkscrew.
cork² v [T(UP)] to close the neck of (a bottle or similar
container) tightly with a cork -> opposite UNCORK
cork sthg. <-> up phr v [T] infml to keep (especially feelings)
unexpressed; SUPPRESS: corked-up emotions
Cork 1 the largest COUNTY in the Irish Republic 2 the
second largest city in the Irish Republic
cork·age /ˈkɔːkɪdʒ || ˈkɔːr-/ n [U] the charge made by a hotel
or restaurant for allowing people to drink wine which they
have brought with them
corked /kɔːkt || kɔːrkt/ adj (of wine) tasting bad because of a
decaying cork
cork·er /ˈkɔːkər || ˈkɔːr-/ n old-fash infml a very interesting,
noticeable, or excellent person or thing; used especially by
UPPER-CLASS people —corking adj
cork·screw¹ /ˈkɔːkskruː || ˈkɔːrk-/ n an apparatus of twisted
metal with a handle, used for pulling CORKS out of bottles
corkscrew² adj [A] shaped like a corkscrew; SPIRAL
corm /kɔːm || kɔːrm/ n tech the thick underground stem of
certain plants, from which the flowers and leaves grow in
the spring
cor·mo·rant /ˈkɔːmərənt || ˈkɔːr-/ n a large black fish-eating
seabird with a long neck and a beak like a hook
corn¹ /kɔːn || kɔːrn/ n [U] 1 BrE (the seed of) any of various
types of grain plants, such as BARLEY, OATS, and especially
wheat: a field of ripe corn 2 especially AmE & AustrE for a)
MAIZE b) SWEET CORN -> see also INDIAN CORN
corn² n a painful area of thick hard skin on the foot, usually
on or near a toe. Corns are mainly thought of as an old
person's problem: Don't step on my corns. | a corn plaster ->
see also tread on someone's corns (TREAD)
corn·ball /ˈkɔːnbːl || ˈkɔːrn-/ n [U] AmE infml a story or joke
that is CORNY: 'We just watched the three stooges; what
cornball!' | The movie was all cornball.
'Corn Belt, the a large area in the central part of the 'US
which produces a lot of corn (= MAIZE in British English) as
food for cattle. It includes Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and parts
of other states.
'corn bread n [U] (especially in the US) bread made from
CORNMEAL
'corn chip n AmE crushed corn formed into a bite-sized flat
piece and fried (FRY), often eaten as a SNACK especially with a
DIP
'corn circle -> see CROP CIRCLE
corn·cob /ˈkɔːnkɒb || ˈkɔːrnkɑːb/ also cob n the woody cen-
tral part of an ear of CORN. PIPES are sometimes made from
corncobs, and in the US corncob pipes are thought of as
being used by poor people who live in country areas.
corn·crake /ˈkɔːnkreɪk || ˈkɔːrn-/ n a European bird with a
loud sharp cry
'corn dog n AmE a FRANKFURTER covered in CORN BREAD, fried
(FRY), and usually served on a stick. Corn dogs are usually
eaten at outdoor shows or sporting events rather than at
home.
'corn dolly n a figure made from STRAW used for decoration.
Corn dollies were originally made in many societies to give
thanks for the HARVEST and to wish luck for the next year's
crop.
cor·ne·a /ˈkɔːniə || ˈkɔːrn-/ n a strong transparent protective
covering on the front outer surface of the eye -> see picture
at EYE —-neal adj
corned beef /ˌkɔːnd ˈbiːf || ˌkɔːrnd-/ n [U] 1 also bully beef
BrE a kind of pressed cooked BEEF in tins, which is cheap to
buy and is sometimes thought of as typical army food 2 AmE
beef which has been completely covered in salt water and
SPICES to preserve it. It has a dark pink colour when cooked
and a taste different from ordinary beef: corned beef and
cabbage
cor·ne·li·an /kɔːˈniːliən || kɔːrn-/ also carnelian n a reddish,
reddish-brown, or white stone used in jewellery
Cor·nell /kɔːˈnel || kɔːrn-/ also Cornell University an
important US university in Ithaca, New York, which is one of
the IVY LEAGUE colleges
cor·ner¹ /ˈkɔːnər || ˈkɔːrn-/ n 1 [(of)] (the inside or outside of)
the point at which two lines, edges, surfaces, roads etc,
meet: I hit my knee on the corner of the table. | The number's
in the top left-hand corner of the page. | There's a telephone at
the corner of the street. | Out of the corner of my eye, I saw
them sneaking out of the room. | They live just round the
corner. (=very near) | (fig.) Politicians are always telling us
that better times are just round the corner. (=coming soon) |
(fig.) The company has been through a bad period but I think
we've now turned the corner. (=the situation is improving)
-> see also CORNER SHOP 2 [(of)] a part of the world,
especially a distant one: People came from all four corners
of the world (=from every country) to see the Olympic
Games. | They live in a remote corner of England. 3 a
difficult or threatening position from which it is difficult to
escape: They've forced me into a corner: I'm going to have to
give them what they want. | The champion's in a tight corner
here; it looks as if he's going to lose the game. 4 also 'corner
kick — (in football) a kick taken from the corner of the field:
They scored from a corner. 5 [(on) usually sing.] a position of
complete control over the supply of certain goods: They're
trying to establish a corner on the silver market. 6 corner of
a foreign field a phrase from a poem by Rupert Brooke, who
was a soldier in World War I. The poem begins 'If I should die,
think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field
that is forever England.' -> see also ENGLAND 7 -corned
/kɔːnd || kɔːrnd/ having the stated number or kind of
corners: a three-cornered hat | (fig.) The election was a three-
cornered fight. (=with three parties competing against each
other) -> see also HOLE-AND-CORNER, cut corners
(CUT) 8 back someone into a corner also paint, force, box
etc someone into a corner to put someone into a difficult
situation in which they do not have any choices about what
to do (often used in business and politics): Backing them
into a corner and trying to make them accept the deal isn't
going to work. | When Mel's forced into a corner, he'll take a