Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

3 ADJ [ADJ n] Casual clothes are ones that you normally wear at home or on holiday, and not on formal occasions. □  I also bought some casual clothes for the weekend. ●  casu|al|ly ADV [ADV -ed, ADV after v] □  They were smartly but casually dressed.

4 ADJ [ADJ n] Casual work is done for short periods and not on a permanent or regular basis. □  …establishments which employ people on a casual basis, such as pubs and restaurants. □  It became increasingly expensive to hire casual workers.

ca sual ga me (casual games ) N‑COUNT A casual game is a simple video game that is easy to play. □  There's a big market for casual games.

casu|al|ize /kæ ʒuəla I z/ (casualizes , casualizing , casualized ) in BRIT, also use casualise VERB If a business casualizes its employees or casualizes their labour, it replaces employees with permanent contracts and full rights with employees with temporary contracts and few rights. [BUSINESS ] □ [V -ed] …a casualised workforce. [Also V n] ●  casu|ali|za|tion /kæ ʒuəla I ze I ʃ ^ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the casualisation of employment.

casu|al|ty ◆◇◇ /kæ ʒuəlti/ (casualties )

1 N‑COUNT A casualty is a person who is injured or killed in a war or in an accident. □  Troops fired on demonstrators near the Royal Palace causing many casualties.

2 N‑COUNT A casualty of a particular event or situation is a person or a thing that has suffered badly as a result of that event or situation. □ [+ of ] Fiat has been one of the greatest casualties of the recession.

3 N‑UNCOUNT Casualty is the part of a hospital where people who have severe injuries or sudden illnesses are taken for emergency treatment. [BRIT ] □  I was taken to casualty at St Thomas's Hospital. in AM, use emergency room

casu|ist|ry /kæ zju I stri, [AM ] kæ ʒu-/ N‑UNCOUNT Casuistry is the use of clever arguments to persuade or trick people. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]

cat ◆◇◇ /kæ t/ (cats )

1 N‑COUNT A cat is a furry animal that has a long tail and sharp claws. Cats are often kept as pets.

2 N‑COUNT Cats are lions, tigers, and other wild animals in the same family.

3 → see also Cheshire cat , fat cat , wildcat

4 PHRASE If you let the cat out of the bag , you tell people about something that was being kept secret. You often do this by mistake.

5 PHRASE In a fight or contest, if one person plays cat and mouse , or a game of cat and mouse , with the other, the first person tries to confuse or deceive the second in order to defeat them. □  The youths have played cat and mouse with the police.

6 PHRASE If you put the cat among the pigeons or set the cat among the pigeons , you cause fierce argument or discussion by doing or saying something. [BRIT ] □  If we win, that will put the cat among the pigeons.

7 PHRASE If you say ' There's no room to swing a cat ' or ' You can't swing a cat ', you mean that the place you are talking about is very small or crowded. □  It was described as a large, luxury mobile home, but there was barely room to swing a cat.

cata|clysm /kæ təkl I zəm/ (cataclysms ) N‑COUNT A cataclysm is an event that causes great change or harm. [FORMAL ]

cata|clys|mic /kæ təkl I zm I k/ ADJ A cataclysmic event is one that changes a situation or society very greatly, especially in an unpleasant way. [FORMAL ] □  Few had expected that change to be as cataclysmic as it turned out to be.

cata|comb /kæ təkuːm, [AM ] -koʊm/ (catacombs ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Catacombs are ancient underground passages and rooms, especially under a city, where people used to be buried.

Cata|lan /kæ təlæn/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is Catalan belongs or relates to Catalonia, its people, or its language. Catalonia is a region of Spain.

2 N‑UNCOUNT Catalan is one of the languages spoken in Catalonia.