Cushion

cush‧ion1 S3 [countable]{noun}

1DH a cloth bag filled with soft material that you put on a chair or the floor to make it more comfortable [↪ pillow]:

a velvet cushion

a cushion cover

2 something that stops one thing from hitting another thing:

Good sports shoes should provide a cushion when running.

3 [usually singular] something, especially money, that prevents you from being immediately affected by a bad situation

cushion against

Savings can act as a cushion against unemployment.

4DGO the soft rubber edge of the table used for playing billiards or snooker

Lapis Lazuli

lap‧is laz‧u‧li {noun}

[uncountable and countable]DCJ a valuable bright blue stone, used especially in jewellery

 

 

Knife

knife1 S3 W3 plural knives [countable]

1DDFU a metal blade fixed into a handle, used for cutting or as a weapon

a knife and fork

Some young people are carrying knives to defend themselves.

a kitchen knife

Use a sharp knife to cut the melon into sections.

2 the knives are out (for somebody) informal used to say that people are being extremely unfriendly in criticizing someone:

The knives are out for the vice president.

3 twist/turn the knife (in the wound) to say something that makes someone more upset about a subject they are already unhappy about

4 stick/put etc the knife in/into someone British English informal to dislike someone and be very unfriendly towards them

5 under the knife informal having a medical operation

6 you could cut the atmosphere/air/tension with a knife used to say that you felt the people in a room were angry with each other

7 like a (hot) knife through butter informal used to say that something happens or is done very easily, without any problems

 

Elegiac

el‧e‧gi‧ac literary

showing that you feel sad about someone who has died or something that no longer exists:

He spoke of her in elegiac tones.

Befit

be‧fit past tense and past participle befitted , present participle befitting [transitive] formal

to be proper or suitable for someone or something:

As befits a castle of such national importance, there are many stories connected with its history.

High Five

ˌhigh ˈfive [countable]

especially American English the action of hitting someone's open hand with your own above your heads to show that you are pleased about something

Chicken

chick‧en1 S2

1[countable]HBA TA a common farm bird that is kept for its meat and eggs [↪ hen, cock, rooster , chick]

2 [uncountable]DFF the meat from this bird eaten as food:

roast chicken

fried chicken

chicken soup

3 [countable] informal someone who is not at all brave [= coward] :

Don't be such a chicken!

4 [uncountable]DGO a game in which children do something dangerous, for example stand on a railway line when a train is coming, and try to be the one who continues doing it for the longest time

5 which came first, the chicken or the egg? used to say that it is difficult or impossible to decide which of two things happened first, or which action is the cause and which is the effect

6 a chicken and egg situation/problem etc a situation in which it is impossible to decide which of two things happened first, or which action is the cause and which is the effect

7 somebody's chickens have come home to roost used to say that someone's bad or dishonest actions in the past have caused the problems that they have now

➔ don't count your chickens before they've hatched at count1 (8), spring chicken

 

Sully

sul‧ly (verb) past tense and past participle sullied , present participle sullying , third person singular sullies [transitive] formal or literary

to spoil or reduce the value of something that was perfect:

a scandal that sullied his reputation

Caravan

car‧a‧van [countable]

1 British EnglishDLO a vehicle that a car can pull and in which people can live and sleep when they are on holiday [=  trailer American English]

caravan site/park (=area of land where people can park their caravans )

2 British EnglishTTB a covered vehicle that is pulled by a horse, and in which people can live [= wagon American English]

 a gipsy caravan

3 a group of people with animals or vehicles who travel together for safety, especially through a desert

Kerchief

ker‧chief [countable]

DCC a square piece of cloth, worn on the head or around the neck

Rinds

rind [uncountable and countable]

the thick outer skin of some types of fruit, such as oranges [↪ peel, zest]:

grated lemon rind

 

the thick outer skin of some foods, such as bacon or cheese

Retriever

re‧triev‧er [countable]

a type of dog that can be trained to find and bring back birds that its owner has shot

 

 

Swig

swig past tense and past participle swigged , present participle swigging [transitive]

informalDFD to drink something in large mouthfuls, especially from a bottle [= gulp]:

He sat swigging beer and smoking.

—swig noun [ countable]

She took a long swig of coke.

Indefatigable

in‧de‧fat‧i‧ga‧ble formal

determined and never giving up:

an indefatigable campaigner for human rights

—indefatigably adverb