Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

2 N‑COUNT A brew is a particular kind of tea or coffee. It can also be a particular pot of tea or coffee. □  …a mild herbal brew.

3 VERB If a person or company brews beer, they make it. □ [V n] I brew my own beer. ●  brew|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the brewing of home-made alcohol.

4 VERB [usu cont] If a storm is brewing , large clouds are beginning to form and the sky is becoming dark because there is going to be a storm. □ [V ] We'd seen the storm brewing when we were out in the boat.

5 VERB [usu cont] If an unpleasant or difficult situation is brewing , it is starting to develop. □ [V ] At home a crisis was brewing. □ [V ] There's trouble brewing.

6 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A brew of several things is a mixture of those things. □ [+ of ] Most cities generate a complex brew of pollutants. □ [+ of ] …a potent brew of smooth salesmanship and amateur psychiatry.

brew|er /bruː ə ^r / (brewers ) N‑COUNT Brewers are people or companies who make beer.

brew|ery /bruː əri/ (breweries ) N‑COUNT A brewery is a place where beer is made.

bri|ar /bra I ə ^r / (briars ) N‑COUNT A briar is a wild rose with long, prickly stems.

bribe /bra I b/ (bribes , bribing , bribed )

1 N‑COUNT A bribe is a sum of money or something valuable that one person offers or gives to another in order to persuade him or her to do something. □  He was being investigated for receiving bribes.

2 VERB If one person bribes another, they give them a bribe. □ [V n] He was accused of bribing a senior bank official. □ [V n to-inf] The government bribed the workers to be quiet.

brib|ery /bra I bəri/ N‑UNCOUNT Bribery is the act of offering someone money or something valuable in order to persuade them to do something for you. □  He was jailed on charges of bribery.

bric-a-brac /br I kəbræk/ N‑UNCOUNT Bric-a-brac is a number of small ornamental objects of no great value.

brick /br I k/ (bricks )

1 N‑VAR Bricks are rectangular blocks of baked clay used for building walls, which are usually red or brown. Brick is the material made up of these blocks. □  She built bookshelves out of bricks and planks. □  …a tiny garden surrounded by high brick walls.

2 PHRASE [usu cont] If you are banging your head against a brick wall , what you are saying or doing is not having any effect although you keep saying or doing it. [INFORMAL ] □  I wanted to sort out this problem, but it was like banging my head against a brick wall.

3 PHRASE If you hit a brick wall or come up against a brick wall , you are unable to continue or make progress because something stops you. [INFORMAL ] □  After that my career just seemed to hit a brick wall.

4 PHRASE You can use bricks and mortar to refer to houses and other buildings, especially when they are considered as an investment. □  As an investment, bricks and mortar are not what they were.

5to come down on somebody like a ton of bricks → see ton

brick|bat /br I kbæt/ (brickbats ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Brickbats are very critical or insulting remarks which are made in public about someone or something.

brickie /br I ki/ (brickies ) N‑COUNT A brickie is the same as a bricklayer . [BRIT , INFORMAL ]

brick|layer /br I kle I ə ^r / (bricklayers ) N‑COUNT A bricklayer is a person whose job is to build walls using bricks.

brick|work /br I kwɜː ^r k/ N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to the bricks in the walls of a building as the brickwork . □  There were cracks in the brickwork.

brid|al /bra I d ^ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Bridal is used to describe something that belongs or relates to a bride, or to both a bride and the person she is marrying. □  She wore a floor-length bridal gown. □  …the bridal party.

bride /bra I d/ (brides ) N‑COUNT A bride is a woman who is getting married or who has just got married.