Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

8 ADJ [ADJ n] People who believe in black magic believe that it is possible to communicate with evil spirits. □  He was also alleged to have conducted black magic ceremonies. □  The King was unjustly accused of practising the black arts.

9 PHRASE If you say that someone is black and blue , you mean that they are badly bruised. □  Whenever she refused, he'd beat her black and blue. □  Bud's nose was still black and blue.

10 PHRASE If a person or an organization is in the black , they do not owe anyone any money. □  Until his finances are in the black I don't want to get married.

11 PHRASE If someone gives you a black look , they look at you in a way that shows that they are very angry about something. □  Passing my stall, she cast black looks at the amount of stuff still unsold.

12 PHRASE If you say that a particular colour is the new black , you mean that it has become fashionable. □  Beige is the new black, and works wonders for figures and complexions.

13 PHRASE People say that something is the new black to mean that it is suddenly fashionable or popular. □  Intelligence is the new black, and books with an intellectual content are making a comeback.

▸  black out

1 PHRASAL VERB If you black out , you lose consciousness for a short time. □ [V P ] Samadov said that he felt so ill that he blacked out.

2 PHRASAL VERB If a place is blacked out , it is in darkness, usually because it has no electricity supply. □ [be V -ed P ] Large parts of the capital were blacked out after electricity pylons were blown up.

3 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If a film or a piece of writing is blacked out , it is prevented from being broadcast or published, usually because it contains information which is secret or offensive. □ [be V -ed P ] TV pictures of the demonstration were blacked out.

4 PHRASAL VERB If you black out a piece of writing, you colour over it in black so that it cannot be seen. □ [V P n] They went through each page, blacking out any information a foreign intelligence expert could use. [Also V n P ]

5 PHRASAL VERB If you black out the memory of something, you try not to remember it because it upsets you. □ [V n P ] I tried not to think about it. I blacked it out. [Also V P n]

6 → see also blackout

Bla ck A f|ri|ca N‑PROPER Black Africa is the part of Africa to the south of the Sahara Desert.

bla ck and whi te also black-and-white

1 COLOUR In a black and white photograph or film, everything is shown in black, white, and grey. □  …old black and white film footage.

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A black and white television set shows only black-and-white pictures.

3 ADJ A black and white issue or situation is one which involves issues which seem simple and therefore easy to make decisions about. □  She saw things in black and white.

4 PHRASE You say that something is in black and white when it has been written or printed, and not just said. □  He'd seen the proof in black and white.

black|ball /blæ kbɔːl/ (blackballs , blackballing , blackballed ) VERB If the members of a club blackball someone, they vote against that person being allowed to join their club. □ [V n] Members can blackball candidates in secret ballots.

bla ck be lt (black belts )

1 N‑COUNT A black belt is worn by someone who has reached a very high standard in a sport such as judo or karate. □  He holds a black belt in karate.

2 N‑COUNT You can refer to someone who has a black belt in judo or karate as a black belt . □  Murray is a judo black belt.

black|berry /blæ kbəri, [AM ] -beri/ (blackberries ) N‑COUNT A blackberry is a small, soft black or dark purple fruit.