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call
calculating: These calculations are based on the latest statis-
tics. 2 [U] care in planning, especially for your own advant-
age: He lied with cold calculation.
cal·cu·la·tor /'kælkjəleɪtə/ n a small machine which can
perform calculations, such as adding and multiplying: a
pocket calculator
cal·cu·lus /'kælkjələs/ n pl. -li /-laɪ/, -luses 1 [U] (in MATH-
EMATICS) a system for making calculations about quantities
which are continually changing, such as the speed of a falling
stone or the slope of a curved line ➔ see also DIFFERENTIAL
CALCULUS, INTEGRAL CALCULUS 2 [C] med a stone of chalky
matter which sometimes forms in the body
Cal·cut·ta /kæl'kʌtə/ a city and port in eastern India on the
Hooghly River and capital of West Bengal state. Some people
think of Calcutta as a place with many very poor people. ➔
see also BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA
Cal·der, Al·ex·an·der /'kɔːldə, ˌæleg'zɑːndə || -'zæn-/
(1898–1976) a US SCULPTOR best known for his large outdoor
works of art found in many cities, and for his large MOBILES
(=decorations made of objects tied to wires or string which
move when air blows around them)
cal·dron /'kɔːldrən/ n AmE for CAULDRON
Cal·e·do·ni·a /ˌkælɪ'dəʊniə/ an old name for Scotland used
in poetry and now often used in the names of Scottish
companies. Caledonia was originally the Roman name for
northern Britain. —Caledonian adj
Caledonian Ca'nal, the a CANAL (=artificial river) in
Scotland which joins the Atlantic Ocean to a line of LOCHS
(=lakes), which then connect to the North Sea
cal·en·dar /'kælɪndə/ n 1 a printed table that lists the
days, weeks, and months of the year: a wall/desk calendar |
According to the calendar my birthday falls on a Sunday this
year. | a calendar watch (=one which shows the date) 2 a
system by which the year is divided into parts, and its
beginning, end, and total length are fixed ➔ see also
GREGORIAN CALENDAR, HEGIRA CALENDAR 3 a list of impor-
tant events in the year of a particular organization: The
presidential elections are the highlight of next year's political
calendar. | According to the university calendar your examina-
tions will be in June. 4 AmE for DIARY
calendar 'month n a month measured according to the
CALENDAR especially one of the 12 months of the modern
European system: From January 1st to February 1st is one
calendar month. ➔ compare LUNAR MONTH
calendar 'year n a YEAR
cal·en·der /'kælɪndə/ n tech a machine for rolling, pressing,
and smoothing paper, cloth etc
calf¹ /kɑːf || kæf/ n pl. calves /kɑːvz || kævz/ 1 {C} the young
of the cow or of some other large animals such as the
elephant ➔ see MEAT (USAGE) 2 [U] calfskin: a book bound in
calf 3 in calf (of a cow) PREGNANT ➔ see also kill the fatted
calf (KILL¹)
calf² n pl. calves the fleshy back part of the human leg
between the knee and the ankle
calf love n [U] PUPPY LOVE
calf-skin /'kɑːfˌskɪn || 'kæf-/ n [U] leather made from the skin
of the calf: calfskin boots
Cal·gar·y /'kælgəri/ a city in South Alberta, Canada, which is
next to the Bow and Elbow rivers and contains the most
important PETROLEUM industries in the country
Cal·i·ban /'kælɪbæn/ a character in the play The Tempest by
William SHAKESPEARE. He is an ugly SLAVE owned by PROS-
PERO and is only half human, since his mother is a WITCH
(=a woman who has magic powers), but his father is a DEVIL
(=an evil spirit).
cal·i·brate /'kælɪbreɪt/ v [T] to mark degrees and dividing
points on (the scale of a measuring instrument)
cal·i·bra·tion /ˌkælɪ'breɪʃən/ n a set of degrees or measure-
ment marks
cal·i·bre also -ber AmE /'kælɪbə/ n 1 {S:U} the level of
quality, excellence, or ability of something or someone: This
work is of (a) very high calibre. 2 [C] a) the inside size
(DIAMETER) of a tube or gun b) the size of a bullet
cal·i·co¹ /'kælɪkə/ n [U] a heavy cotton cloth
calico² adj AmE (of a cat or other animal) having three
colours, usually in spots of black and reddish-brown on
white
Cal·i·for·ni·a /ˌkælɪ'fɔːniə || -'fɔːrniə/ written abbrev. CA a
state in the southwest of the US, next to the Pacific Ocean,
whose main cities include San Francisco and Los Angeles. The
state capital is Sacramento. Disneyland and Hollywood are in
California. The area between San Francisco and San José is
known informally as Silicon Valley and is a centre of the
computer industry. California is known for its farming indus-
try, especially the production of fruit and wine. It is the
world's fifth largest economy. Its NICKNAME is The Golden
State. —Californian n, adj
CULTURAL NOTE When British and American people think
of California, they often think of beaches, warm sunny
weather, and SURFING. The state, especially northern
California, is often considered to be more LIBERAL than
other states in the US, but it has also elected RIGHT-WING
politicians such as Ronald Reagan and Arnold
Schwarzenegger as GOVERNOR. In the 1960s, San
Francisco was a centre of the HIPPY movement which
supported LEFT-WING politics and had RADICAL ideas
about changing society. At the University of California,
Berkeley, there were many protests against the Vietnam
War. California is known as a place where people like to
follow the latest fashions in LIFESTYLE, and where people
want to stay physically fit and look young.
Ca·lig·u·la /kə'lɪgjʊlə/ (12–41 AD) a Roman EMPEROR who was
known for being extremely violent, cruel, and mad
cal·i·pers /'kælɪpəz || -ərz/ n [P] AmE for CALLIPERS
ca·liph, khalif /'keɪlɪf/ n (often cap.) a Muslim ruler: the caliph
of Baghdad
ca·li·phate, khalifate /'keɪlɪfeɪt/ n the country or period
of rule of a caliph
cal·is·then·ics /ˌkæls'θenɪks/ n AmE for CALLISTHENICS
calk /kɔːk/ v [T] to CAULK
call¹ /kɔːl/ v 1 [I;T(OUT)] to speak or say in a loud clear voice;
shout: The teacher called (out) the names of everyone in the
class. | 'Stop,' he called out. | The frightened child called (out)
for help. | The fishermen called to the men on the shore. | I've
been calling for five minutes; why don't they come? 2 [T] to
ask or order (someone) to come by speaking loudly, sending
an order or message etc; SUMMON: Mother is calling me. | He
called me over to his desk. | She has been called to give
evidence to the inquiry. | The minister called the union leaders
to a meeting. | Call a doctor! | If you don't get out I'll call the
police. | I must go now - duty calls! 3 [I;T] to (try to) speak to
by telephone: I called him this morning but he was out. | The
office called to find out where you were. ➔ see TELEPHONE
(USAGE) 4 [I;at, in, on, for] especially BrE a) to make a short visit
to someone: Let's call (in) on John for ten minutes. | You were
out when we called. | He called to collect the money. | Do you
think we should call at Bob's while we're in London? b)
(especially of people selling things) to make regular visits:
The milkman calls every day. 5 [T] to cause to happen by
making an official declaration: The Prime Minister called an
election. | The union leaders are calling a strike. 6 [T+obj+n] to
name: We'll call the baby Jean. | She's called Karina. | What
do you call your dog? (=what is its name?) 7 [T+obj+adj] to
say or consider that (someone or something) is (something):
She called me stupid. | Are you calling me a liar? | I don't call
Russian a hard language. | How can you still call yourself my
friend after what you did? | Did you hear what he called me? |
I don't know what I owe you, but let's call it £5. | I paid for the
meal and you paid for the tickets, so let's call it quits. (=agree
that we don't owe each other anything) 8 [T] to waken
(someone): Please call me at 7 o'clock. 9 [I;(to);T] (of an
animal) to make the usual cry (to another animal): The birds
are calling (each other). 10 [I;T] (in card games) a) BrE to
BID: Who called last? | What did she call? b) to say what will
be TRUMPS c) to demand to see other players' cards (in
POKER) 11 call a spade a spade infml to speak the plain
truth without being delicate or sensitive 12 call collect AmE
|| reverse the charges BrE — to make a telephone call to be
paid for by the person who receives it 13 call it a day infml to
stop work or an activity: It's getting pretty late – let's call it a
day. 14 call one's shot AmE slang to state exactly what you