Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Bristles are the short hairs that grow on a man's chin after he has shaved. The hairs on the top of a man's head can also be called bristles when they are cut very short. □  …two days' growth of bristles.

2 N‑COUNT The bristles of a brush are the thick hairs or hair-like pieces of plastic which are attached to it. □ [+ on ] As soon as the bristles on your toothbrush begin to wear, throw it out.

3 N‑COUNT Bristles are thick, strong animal hairs that feel hard and rough. □  It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.

bris|tling /br I sl I ŋ/

1 ADJ [ADJ n] Bristling means thick, hairy, and rough. It is used to describe things such as moustaches, beards, or eyebrows. □  …a bristling white moustache.

2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone's attitude as bristling , you are emphasizing that it is full of energy and enthusiasm. [EMPHASIS ] □  There's a bristling attitude not too far beneath the surface of most New York folk.

bris|tly /br I sli/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Bristly hair is thick and rough. □  His bristly red hair was standing on end.

2 ADJ If a man's chin is bristly , it is covered with bristles because he has not shaved recently. □  …the giant's bristly cheek.

Brit /br I t/ (Brits ) N‑COUNT British people are sometimes referred to as Brits . [INFORMAL ] □  Holiday-mad Brits are packing their buckets and spades and heading for the sun.

Brit|ish /br I t I ʃ/

1 ADJ British means belonging or relating to the United Kingdom, or to its people or culture.

2 N‑PLURAL The British are the people of Great Britain.

Bri t|ish A sian (British Asians )

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A British Asian person is someone of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi origin who has grown up in Britain.

2 N‑COUNT A British Asian is a person who is British Asian.

Brit|ish|er /br I t I ʃə/ (Britishers ) N‑COUNT In American English or old-fashioned British English, British people are sometimes informally referred to as Britishers .

Bri t|ish Su m|mer Time N‑UNCOUNT British Summer Time is a period in the spring and summer during which the clocks are put forward, so that people can have an extra hour of daylight in the evening. [BRIT ] □  When we put the clocks forward in March we go into British Summer Time. in AM, use daylight saving time

Brit|on /br I t ^ə n/ (Britons ) N‑COUNT A Briton is a person who comes from Great Britain. [FORMAL ] □  The role is played by seventeen-year-old Briton Jane March.

Brit|pop /br I tpɒp/ N‑UNCOUNT Britpop is a type of pop music made by British bands. It was especially popular in the mid-1990s. □  …the supposed rivalry between the two leading Britpop bands.

brit|tle /br I t ^ə l/

1 ADJ An object or substance that is brittle is hard but easily broken. □  Pine is brittle and breaks. □  …the dry, brittle ends of the hair.

2 ADJ If you describe a situation, relationship, or someone's mood as brittle , you mean that it is unstable, and may easily change. □  They are nurturing a diplomatic relationship that is dangerously brittle but cannot be allowed to fail.

broach /broʊ tʃ/ (broaches , broaching , broached ) VERB When you broach a subject, especially a sensitive one, you mention it in order to start a discussion on it. □ [V n] Eventually I broached the subject of her early life.

broad ◆◆◇ /brɔː d/ (broader , broadest )

1 ADJ Something that is broad is wide. □  His shoulders were broad and his waist narrow. □  The hills rise green and sheer above the broad river. □  …a broad expanse of green lawn.