British English

II. waste² S2 W3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[Word Family: noun: ↑wastage, ↑waste, ↑wastefulness, ↑waster, ↑wastrel; adjective: ↑waste, ↑wasteful, ↑wasted, ↑wasting; verb: ↑waste; adverb: ↑wastefully]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old North French; Origin: waster, from Latin vastare; ⇨ ↑devastate]
1. NOT USE SENSIBLY to use more money, time, energy etc than is useful or sensible:
Leaving the heating on all the time wastes electricity.
waste something on somebody/something
Don’t waste your money on that junk!
2. NOT USE FULLY [usually passive] to not make full use of someone or something:
Hannah’s wasted in that clerical job.
His talents were being wasted as a lawyer.
3. be wasted on somebody if something is wasted on someone, they do not understand how good or useful it is:
Her good advice was wasted on the children.
4. waste your breath spoken to say something that has no effect:
Don’t try to reason with Paul – you’re wasting your breath.
5. waste no time (in) doing something to do something as quickly as you can because it will help you:
He wasted no time in introducing himself.
6. waste not, want not spoken used to say that if you use what you have carefully, you will still have some of it if you need it later
7. HARM SOMEBODY American English informal to kill someone, severely injure them, or defeat them
waste away phrasal verb
to gradually become thinner and weaker, usually because you are ill

count

I. count¹ S2 W3 /kaʊnt/ BrE AmE verb
[Word Family: noun: ↑count, ↑recount, ↑counter; verb: ↑count, ↑recount; adjective: ↑countable ≠ ↑uncountable, ↑countless]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: conter, from Latin computare; ⇨ ↑compute]
1. FIND THE TOTAL [transitive] (also count up) to calculate the total number of things or people in a group:
I was amazed at the number of plants – I counted 147.
count (up) how many
Count up how many ticks are in each box.
2. SAY NUMBERS [intransitive] (also count up) to say numbers in order, one by one or in groups
count to
Sarah can count up to five now.
count by twos/fives etc
It’s quicker to count by tens (=saying 10, 20, 30 ...).
3. BE ALLOWED [intransitive and transitive] to be allowed or accepted, or to allow or accept something, according to a standard, set of ideas, or set of rules:
A linesman had his flag up so the kick did not count.
count as
Locally produced sales by American firms in Japan do not count as exports.
Today’s session is counted as training, so you will get paid.
count towards
Results from the two rounds count towards championship points.
4. INCLUDE [transitive] to include someone or something in a total:
There are more than two thousand of us, not counting the crew.
count somebody/something among something
I count Jules and Ady among my closest friends.
5. CONSIDER SOMETHING [transitive] to consider someone or something in a particular way
count somebody/something as something
I don’t count him as a friend any more.
You should count yourself lucky that you weren’t hurt.
6. IMPORTANT [intransitive not in progressive] to be important or valuable:
First impressions really do count.
count for
His promises don’t count for much.
His overseas results count for nothing.
7. I/you can count somebody/something on (the fingers of) one hand spoken used to emphasize how small the number of something is:
The number of cougar attacks on humans can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
8. don’t count your chickens (before they’re hatched) spoken used to say that you should not make plans that depend on something good happening, because it might not:
I wouldn’t count your chickens, Mr Vass. I’ve agreed to sign the contract, but that’s all.
9. count your blessings spoken used to tell someone to be grateful for the good things in their life
10. be counting (down) the minutes/hours/days to be waiting eagerly for something to happen:
I'm counting the days until I see you again.
11. count the cost to start having problems as a result of your earlier decisions or mistakes:
We’re now counting the cost of not taking out medical insurance.
12. who’s counting? used to say that you are not worried about the number of times something happens – often used humorously:
Apparently the next Star Trek film (number six, but who’s counting?) will definitely be the last.
13. and counting especially spoken used to say that an amount is continuing to increase:
At eight days and counting, this is the longest strike so far.
14. count sheep to imagine a line of sheep jumping over a fence, one at a time, and count them as a way of getting to sleep
⇨ stand up and be counted at ↑stand¹(5), ⇨ it’s the thought that counts at ↑thought²(12)
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ calculate formal to find out an amount, price, or value by adding numbers together: The students calculated the cost of printing 5000 copies of their book.
▪ work out to calculate something. Work out is less formal than calculate, and is more common in everyday English: You need to work out how much you will need to borrow.
▪ figure out (also figure American English) informal to calculate an amount: We still haven't figured out how much it's all going to cost. | the method for figuring welfare payments
▪ count to find out the total number of things or people in a group by looking at each one and adding them all together: The teacher counted the children as they got on the bus.
▪ total (also total up) to add a number of things together to get a final number: Once the scores have been totaled, we will announce the winner. | Okay, now let's total up who had the most points.
▪ quantify formal to say how much something costs, how much of it there is, how serious or effective it is etc: I think it's difficult to quantify the cost at the moment, for a variety of reasons. | How do you quantify the benefits of the treatment? | a reliable method for quantifying the amount of calcium in the blood
▪ assess formal to calculate what the value or cost of something is, or decide how good, bad etc something is: The value of the paintings was assessed at $20 million. | They are still assessing the damage. | We need to have a better way of assessing students' progress.
▪ estimate to guess an amount, price, or number as exactly as you can, based on the knowledge you have: The police department estimates that the number of violent crimes will decrease by 2%.
▪ put a figure on something to say what you think the exact total amount or value of something is, especially when it is a lot: It's hard to put a figure on it, but the final cost is likely to be over £225 million. | The company has refused to put a figure on its losses.
▪ project to calculate what an amount will be in the future, using the information you have now: The company projects sales of $4 million this year.
count somebody in phrasal verb
to include someone in an activity:
When the game gets started, you can count me in.
count on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb
1. to depend on someone or something, especially in a difficult situation:
You can count on me.
With luck, you might cover your costs, but don’t count on it.
count on (somebody/something) doing something
We’re all counting on winning this contract.
They were counting on him not coming out of hospital.
count on somebody/something to do something
You can count on Dean to ruin any party.
2. to expect something:
The presence of Paula was one thing he hadn’t counted on.
count on (somebody/something) doing something
We didn’t count on so many people being on vacation.
count somebody/something out phrasal verb
1. to not include someone or something in an activity:
I’m sorry, you’ll have to count me out tonight.
2. to decide that someone or something is not important or worth considering:
I wouldn’t count him out. If anybody can make a comeback, he can.
3. count something ↔ out to put things down one by one as you count them:
The teller counted out ten $50 bills.

butterfly

but‧ter‧fly /ˈbʌtəflaɪ $ -ər-/ BrE AmE noun (plural butterflies) [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: buterfleoge, from butere ( ⇨ ↑butter¹) + fleoge 'fly'; perhaps because many types of butterfly are yellow, or because people believed that butterflies steal milk and butter]
1. a type of insect that has large wings, often with beautiful colours
2. have/get butterflies (in your stomach) informal to feel very nervous before doing something:
I always get butterflies before an exam.
3. the butterfly a way of swimming by lying on your front and moving your arms together over your head while your legs move up and down
4. someone who usually moves on quickly from one activity or person to the next:
Gwen’s a real social butterfly.

tough

I. tough¹ S2 W2 /tʌf/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative tougher, superlative toughest)
[Word Family: adverb: ↑toughly, ↑tough, ↑toughly; verb: ↑toughen; noun: ↑toughness; adjective: ↑tough]
[Language: Old English; Origin: toh]
1. DIFFICULT difficult to do or deal with:
It was a tough race.
She’s had a tough life.
The company admitted that it had been a tough year.
Tough decisions will have to be made.
The reporters were asking a lot of tough questions.
have a tough time (of it) (=face a lot of difficult problems)
The family has had a tough time of it these last few months.
it’s tough doing something
It’s tough being married to a cop.
be tough on somebody (=cause problems for someone or make their life difficult)
Having to stay indoors all day is tough on a kid.
It was a tough call (=a difficult decision), but we had to cancel the game because of the weather.
I find his books pretty tough going (=difficult to read).
Gage predicted the president’s proposal would be a tough sell (=something that is difficult to persuade someone about) before Congress. American English
when the going gets tough (the tough get going) informal (=used to say that when a situation becomes difficult, strong people take the necessary action to deal with it)
2. STRONG PERSON physically or emotionally strong and able to deal with difficult situations:
The men who work on the oil rigs are a tough bunch.
tough cookie/customer informal (=someone who is very determined to do what they want and not what other people want)
as tough as nails/as tough as old boots (=very tough)
He’s as tough as nails – a good man to have on the team.
3. STRONG MATERIAL not easily broken or made weaker:
tough, durable plastic
a very tough, hard-wearing cloth
4. STRICT/FIRM very strict or firm
tough on/with
My mother was very tough on my sister.
It’s time to get tough with drunk drivers.
The EU is taking a tough line with the UK over this issue.
5. VIOLENT AREA a tough part of a town has a lot of crime or violence
tough neighborhood/area/part of town etc
a tough area of Chicago
6. tough!/that’s tough! spoken used when you do not have any sympathy with someone:
‘I’m getting wet.’ ‘Tough! You should’ve brought your umbrella.’
She didn’t tell us she was coming, so if this screws up her plans that’s just tough.
7. tough luck! spoken
a) used when you do not have any sympathy for someone’s problems:
Well, that’s just their tough luck! It was their mistake.
b) British English used when you feel sympathy about something bad that has happened to someone:
You didn’t get the job? Oh, tough luck!
8. tough shit! spoken not polite used when you do not have any sympathy for someone’s problems
9. VIOLENT PERSON likely to behave violently and having no gentle qualities:
one of football’s most notorious tough guys
tough young thugs looking for trouble
10. FOOD difficult to cut or eat OPP tender:
The meat was tough and hard to chew.
the tough outer leaves of the cabbage
11. tough love a way of helping someone to change their behaviour by treating them in a kind but strict way

IV. last⁴ S1 W2 BrE AmE verb
[Language: Old English; Origin: læstan 'to last, follow']
1. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to continue for a particular length of time
last for/until/through etc
The hot weather lasted for the whole month of June.
last an hour/ten minutes etc
Each lesson lasts an hour.
The ceasefire didn’t last long.
2. [intransitive and transitive] to continue to exist, be effective, or remain in good condition for a long time:
This good weather won’t last.
last (somebody) two days/three weeks etc
A good coat will last you ten years.
Cut flowers will last longer if you put flower food in the water.
3. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] (also last out (something) British English) to manage to remain in the same situation, even when this is difficult:
They won’t be able to last much longer without fresh supplies.
If you go into the job with that attitude, you won’t last long.
She feared she might not be able to last out the afternoon in court without fainting.
4. [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to be enough for someone for a period of time SYN do
last (somebody) for/until/to etc
The batteries should last for 20 hours playing time.
We only had $50 to last us the rest of the month.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to continue to happen
▪ continue to happen without stopping: The good weather seems likely to continue. | Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue. | Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed. | The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
▪ last to continue – use this to say how long something continues for: I know my good luck won’t last forever. | It’s not certain how long the ceasefire will last. | The trial lasted for six days. | The meeting lasted until lunchtime. | The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
▪ go on to continue, especially for a long time: Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
▪ carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems: The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
▪ drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want: The meeting dragged on for another hour. | The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
▪ persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen: See your doctor if the symptoms persist. | If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

plan

I. plan¹ S1 W1 /plæn/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: ↑plan, ↑planner, ↑planning; verb: ↑plan; adjective: planned ≠ ↑unplanned]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: 'drawing of a building at ground level'; partly from Latin planum 'level ground', partly from French planter 'to plant']
1. INTENTION something you have decided to do:
His plan is to get a degree in economics and then work abroad for a year.
Do you have any plans for the weekend?
There’s been a change of plan – we’re not going to Ibiza after all.
the best plan British English (=the best course of action)
Your best plan would be to take a taxi.
2. METHOD/ARRANGEMENT a set of actions for achieving something in the future, especially a set of actions that has been considered carefully and in detail
plan for
The chairman outlined the company’s plans for achieving a 10% growth in sales.
plan to do something
There are plans to turn the site of the factory into a park.
3. MAP a drawing similar to a map, showing roads, towns, and buildings
plan of
a street plan of London
4. DRAWING
a) technical a drawing of a building, room, or machine as it would be seen from above, showing the shape, size, and position of the walls, windows, and doors ⇨ ↑elevation(4), ↑section¹(7), ↑ground plan(1)
b) a drawing that shows exactly how something will be arranged:
I have to organise a seating plan for the dinner.
5. plan A, Plan A your first plan, which you will use if things happen the way you expect:
We’re going to find a restaurant and buy a meal. That’s Plan A.
6. plan B, Plan B your second plan, which you can use if things do not happen the way you expect:
It’s time to put Plan B into action.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ verbs
▪ have plans I have no plans to retire yet.
▪ change your plans We had to change our plans at the last minute.
▪ abandon/give up your plans The city authorities have abandoned their plans to host the Super Bowl.
▪ cancel your plans The weather got worse, and we had to cancel our plans to have the party outdoors.
▪ shelve a plan (=cancel your plan, although you may do it later) The plan had to be shelved because of lack of money.
■ phrases
▪ a change of plan The day before my flight, my boss phoned and said there’d been a change of plan.
■ adjectives
▪ sb’s immediate plans (=what they are going to do next) So what are your immediate plans after graduation?
▪ the best plan British English (=the best thing to do) I think the best plan is to take the train.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ verbs
▪ have a plan Don’t worry – I have a plan.
▪ make plans (=prepare for something) Mary has been busy making plans for her wedding.
▪ come up with a plan (=think of a plan) The chairman must come up with a plan to get the club back on its feet.
▪ devise/formulate/draw up a plan (=make a detailed plan, especially after considering something carefully) He devised a daring plan to steal two million dollars. | The company has already drawn up plans to develop the site.
▪ carry out a plan (=do what has been planned) The bombers were arrested by the security forces before they could carry out their plans.
▪ keep to/stick to a plan We’re sticking to our original plan.
▪ abandon/scrap a plan (=decide not to continue with it) The plan was scrapped because it was too expensive.
▪ announce/unveil a plan (=officially tell people about it) The government unveiled its plans for a shake-up of the health system.
▪ approve a plan The plan was approved at a board meeting on 24 December.
▪ reject a plan The plan was rejected on the grounds that it would cost too much money.
▪ outline a plan (=describe it in a general way) They listened as he outlined his plan.
▪ implement a plan formal (=to do what has been agreed as part of an official plan) To implement its plans, the company has entered into a partnership with another software developer.
▪ shelve a plan (=not continue with it, although you might continue with it later) The plans will be shelved until an alternative access to the site can be found.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + plan
▪ ambitious The plan was very ambitious, but it worked.
▪ detailed The generals drew up detailed plans for the invasion.
▪ cunning/clever/ingenious They devised a cunning plan to get back their money. | The gang devised a cunning plan to rob the bank.
▪ a five-year/ten-year etc plan Unesco has a 25-year plan to provide basic education to all.
▪ a grand plan (=a plan that involves doing a lot of things in order to achieve something big) Marrying the countess was all part of his grand plan.
▪ a master plan (=a detailed plan for dealing with a complicated situation) The governors came up with a master plan for saving the school.
▪ a business plan We’ve developed a business plan to take over the company.
▪ a peace plan Both sides have agreed to implement the UN peace plan.
▪ a rescue plan (=a plan for saving a company, economy etc) Which rescue plan offers the company the best prospects of survival?
▪ an action plan My accountant developed a detailed action plan with specific targets.
■ phrases
▪ go according to plan (=happen in the way that was arranged) If everything goes according to plan, we’ll finish in January.
▪ a plan of action Ministers are discussing a plan of action to deal with the crisis.
▪ a plan of attack (=a plan to attack or achieve something) At this stage, you go back to the office and work on a plan of attack.
▪ a plan of campaign British English (=a plan to achieve something) What we need now is a plan of campaign.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'do a plan'. Say make a plan.
• • •
THESAURUS (for Meaning 2)
▪ plan a set of actions for achieving something in the future, especially a set of actions that has been considered carefully and in detail: Leaders outlined a plan to end the fighting.
▪ plot/conspiracy a secret plan to do something bad or illegal, made by a group of people: There was a plot to assassinate the President. | a terrorist conspiracy
▪ scheme British English an official plan that is intended to help people: The government has introduced a new scheme to help young people find work.
▪ strategy a carefully designed plan which is intended to achieve a particular purpose over a long period of time: the company’s business strategy | The government’s economic strategy has been criticized by many experts. | We need to develop effective strategies for combating the sale of counterfeit goods.
▪ initiative a new plan for dealing with a particular problem or for achieving a particular aim: a peace initiative | a major new initiative to tackle street crime
▪ policy a plan that members of a government, political party, company etc agree on, that states how they intend to deal with a particular subject or problem: the government’s immigration policy | It’s company policy to allow people to work from home.
▪ programme British English, program American English a series of activities that a government or organization organizes, which aims to achieve something important and will continue for a long time: a five-year programme which will create 2000 new jobs | federal programs for low-income housing

II. up‧set² S2 /ʌpˈset/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle upset, present participle upsetting) [transitive]
[Word Family: adjective: ↑upset, ↑upsetting; verb: ↑upset; noun: ↑upset]
[Date: 1700-1800; Origin: Probably from upset 'to set up, raise' (15-17 centuries)]
1. MAKE SOMEBODY UNHAPPY to make someone feel unhappy or worried:
Don’t do anything that would upset him.
2. CHANGE SOMETHING to change a plan or situation in a way that causes problems:
The chemicals upset the balance of the environment.
3. MAKE SOMETHING FALL to push something over without intending to:
He upset a bowl of soup.
4. DEFEAT to defeat an opponent who is considered to be much better than you:
Jones upset the 40th-ranked American, Cunningham.
5. upset the apple cart informal to completely spoil someone’s plans
6. upset your stomach to affect your stomach and make you feel sick:
The soup was revolting and upset my stomach.

spend

spend S1 W1 /spend/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle spent /spent/)
[Date: 1100-1200; Origin: Partly from Latin expendere ( ⇨ ↑expend) and partly, later, from Old French despendre, from Latin dispendere 'to weigh out']
1. MONEY [intransitive and transitive] to use your money to pay for goods or services:
I can’t afford to spend any more money this week.
spend £5/$10 etc
I only want to spend about $20.
spend something on something
More money should be spent on education.
spend something on somebody
Mum never spends any money on herself.
The repairs cost a lot, but it’s money well spent (=a sensible way of spending money).
2. TIME [transitive] to use time doing a particular thing or pass time in a particular place
spend time etc with somebody
I want to spend more time with my family.
spend time etc in/at something
We’ll have to spend the night in a hotel.
His childhood was spent in Brazil.
spend time etc doing something
Stacey spends all her free time painting.
3.
a) spend the night with somebody to stay for the night and have sex with someone
b) spend the night (at something) if someone spends the night at someone’s house, they sleep at that person’s house for a night:
She spent the night at a friend’s house.
4. FORCE/EFFORT [transitive] to use effort or energy to do something:
I love to cook, but I don’t feel like spending the energy every evening.
5. spend a penny British English spoken old-fashioned to ↑urinate – used when you want to avoid saying this directly
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ spend to use money to buy things: I bought two skirts and a T-shirt and I only spent $50. | How much do you spend a week on food?
▪ go through something (also get through something British English) to spend all of an amount of money over a period of time – used especially when saying that someone spends a lot of money: I got through all my money in less than a month, and had to get my parents to send me more.
▪ go to great expense to spend a lot of money in order to do something, because you think it is important or special: The party was wonderful – they had obviously gone to great expense. | There’s no need to go to great expense.
▪ squander /ˈskwɒndə $ ˈskwɑːndər/ to waste money on unnecessary things, instead of saving it or using it carefully: His son had squandered the family fortune on gambling and women.
▪ splash out British English informal to spend a lot of money on something you really want or will enjoy: Let’s splash out on a bottle of champagne. | People often splash out for Christmas and then regret it later.
▪ blow informal to spend a lot of money on something, especially on something that you do not really need: Her husband blew all their savings on a new sports car.
▪ economize to spend less money: We’re trying to economize by eating at home instead of going out for meals.

chunk

chunk /tʃʌŋk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: ⇨ ↑chuck²]
1. a large thick piece of something that does not have an even shape:
ice chunks
chunk of
a chunk of bread
2. a large part or amount of something:
The rent takes a large chunk out of my monthly salary.
chunk of
A huge chunk of the audience got up and left before the end of the show.
3. a chunk of change American English informal a large amount of money:
Lurie risked a pretty big chunk of change on the race.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ piece an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the main part: Could I have another piece of cake? | a piece of broken glass | Emma cut the pie into eight pieces.
▪ bit a piece. Bit is more informal than piece and is often used about smaller pieces: The notes were written on bits of paper. | He threw a bit of wood onto the fire.
▪ lump a small piece of something solid or firm that does not have a regular shape: two lumps of sugar | a lump of coal | a lump of clay
▪ scrap a small piece of paper, cloth etc that is no longer needed: I wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper. | The dog was eating scraps of food off the floor.
▪ strip a long narrow piece of cloth, paper etc: a strip of cloth | The leather had been cut into strips.
▪ sheet a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal: a blank sheet of paper | a sheet of aluminium
▪ slice a thin flat piece of bread, cake, meat etc cut from a larger piece: a slice of pizza | Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.
▪ chunk a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape – used especially about food, rock, or metal: The fruit was cut into large chunks. | a chunk of bread
▪ hunk a large piece with rough edges, which has been cut or has broken off a bigger piece of food, rock etc: a big hunk of cheese | hunks of concrete
▪ block a piece of something solid, which has straight sides: concrete blocks | a block of cheese | a block of ice
▪ slab a thick flat piece of stone, or of cake, meat etc: The floor had been made from stone slabs. | a slab of beef
▪ cube a piece that has six square sides – used especially about food: a cube of sugar | ice cubes
▪ wedge a piece that has a thick end and a pointed end, and is shaped like a ↑triangle – used especially about food and metal: a wedge of cheese
▪ bar a block of soap, chocolate, candy, or metal, which has straight sides: a chocolate bar | a bar of soap | gold bars worth more than £26 million
▪ rasher British English a slice of bacon: I usually have two rashers of bacon for breakfast.