Browse dictionary
Showing 1-20 of 625 results in 625 entries
1. ad hocism, n. View full entry 1956
...depreciative. The use of (or tendency to use) ad hoc measures, rather than general long-term strategies, to deal with issues, situations, etc....
2. adless, adj. View full entry 1905
...Of a newspaper, radio station, etc.: that is without advertisements; not carrying advertisements....
3. adultescent, n. View full entry 1996
...An adult who has retained the interests, behaviour, or lifestyle of adolescence. Cf. kidult, Middle Youthmiddle1....
4. advertorial, n. View full entry 1914
...An advertisement or publication giving information about a product or service in the style of an editorial or objective report. Also as a mass noun: this as a method or genre of...
5. Afghanistanism, n. View full entry 1948
...Preoccupation (esp. on the part of journalists) with distant events, as a diversion from controversial domestic issues (see quot. 1950)....
6. Airey, n. View full entry 1945
...attrib. Designating a system for constructing houses from precast concrete sections. Of a house: built using this system....
7. airmail, n. View full entry 1911
...Mail conveyed by air; a service for conveying letters, parcels, etc., by air....
8. air shot, n. View full entry 1920
...U.S.Coal Mining. An explosive charge surrounded by a pocket of air to dampen the effects of the explosion; a small explosion produced in this way. Cf. shot7f,...
9. Alclad, n. View full entry 1927
...A composite material consisting of sheets of aluminium alloy coated with pure aluminium (or an aluminium alloy different from that of the core) so as to increase corrosion resistance....
10. Aldwych farce, n. View full entry 1925
...Any of a series of farces, esp. those written by Ben Travers, presented at the Aldwych Theatre in the 1920s and early 1930s, typically characterized by broad satirical humour and featuring eccentric...
11. alnico, n. View full entry 1935
...Any of a group of iron alloys containing nickel, aluminium, and cobalt, used to make permanent magnets....
12. anodize, v. View full entry 1931
...To cover (aluminium or its alloys) with a protective layer of aluminium oxide by means of electrolysis....
13. arcology, n. View full entry 1969
...A style of urban planning, orig. proposed by the Italian-born U.S. architect Paolo Soleri (b. 1919), which envisages fully integrated cities, each contained within a massive vertical structure, thereby allowing...
14. Armco, n. View full entry 1920
...A proprietary name for a soft iron of high purity. Usu. attrib....
15. art moderne, n. View full entry 1900
...Modern art; spec. a streamlined style in applied art and architecture, popular esp. in the 1930s (freq. attrib.)....
16. austempering, n. View full entry 1937
...A quenching process used in the manufacture of steel or cast iron (see quot. 1949)....
17. austenite, n.2 View full entry 1902
...(See quot. 1910.)...
18. autobiopic, n. View full entry 1977
...A film based on events in the life of the film-maker; an autobiographical film. Cf. biopic...
19. autofrettage, n. View full entry 1919
...The process of strengthening a tube, esp. a gun barrel, by subjecting it to internal pressure high enough to enlarge the bore and push the inner metal (but not the outer metal)...
20. backgrounder, n. View full entry 1957
...A handout of background publicity material. Also a press conference or interview at which a government official explains the background of an action or policy....
