12.0 L

12.1 label...
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label n. 1 identification, identifier, ID, mark, marker, earmark,
tag, ticket, sticker, stamp, imprint, hallmark, brand, Brit
docket: The label shows the weight, composition, and price of
the contents. A proper shipping label should show both source
and destination. 2 name, denomination, designation, appellation,
nickname, epithet, sobriquet, classification, characterization,
description: It is difficult to give a label to the kind of
novels she writes. 3 trade mark, trade name, brand, logo, mark:
Many supermarket chains market products under their own label.


--v. 4 identify (as), mark, tag, earmark, ticket, stamp,
hallmark, imprint, brand, Brit docket: In those days, every
liberal was labelled a communist. Prepared food packages must be
labelled with their ingredients. 5 name, denominate, designate,
call, term, dub, classify, categorize, pigeon-hole, class,
characterize, describe, portray, identify, Colloq US peg: We
cannot label Voltaire either spiritualist or materialist.

laborious adj. 1 arduous, burdensome, onerous, strenuous, gruelling,
back-breaking, Herculean, exhausting, taxing, tiring, fatiguing,
wearying, wearisome, toilsome, difficult, tough, hard, uphill,
stiff: Few realize how laborious farm work can be. 2
painstaking, detailed, careful, thorough, diligent, scrupulous,
exhaustive, steady, steadfast, relentless, unrelenting, dogged,
assiduous, sedulous, persevering, persistent, untiring,
tireless, indefatigable, unremitting: After laborious research
the virus was finally identified. 3 industrious, hard-working,
dogged, determined, unwavering, obstinate, stubborn, unflagging,
obdurate: He made a laborious effort to get ahead. 4 laboured,
strained, forced, ponderous, overworked: The book contains some
of the most laborious prose ever written.

labour n. 1 toil, (hard) work, travail, exertion, effort,
laboriousness, strain, drudgery, pains, industry, slavery,
donkey-work, Colloq sweat, grind, elbow-grease, Brit swot: They
know the labour involved in building a road. 2 employees,
workers, wage-earners, labourers: A meeting between labour and
management is scheduled for today. 3 effort, task, job, chore,
undertaking: Raising funds for the museum was a labour of love.
4 travail, childbirth, parturition, labour pains, contractions,
delivery: She went into labour at midnight, and the twins were
born just after four.

--v. 5 work, toil, travail, drudge, strain, strive, struggle,
slave, Colloq sweat, grind, Brit peg away (at), swot: We
laboured hard to get where we are today. 6 dwell on, overdo,
overemphasize, harp on, overstress, strain, Colloq belabour: I
heard you the first time, so don't labour the point. 7 labour
under. be burdened or troubled or distressed by, be deluded or
deceived by, be disadvantaged by, suffer, endure: He is
labouring under a misapprehension. She labours under the
impression that she will not be affected by a lack of education.


laboured adj. 1 strained, forced, difficult, hard, laborious, heavy:
His breathing became laboured. 2 overdone, excessive,
overwrought, ornate, elaborate, overworked, over-embellished,
contrived, affected, artificial, unnatural: Her writing style
is very laboured and much too stiff.

labourer n. worker, workman, hand, blue-collar worker, working man,
manual worker, drudge, Colloq Brit navvy: Get some labourers to
clear away that rubble.


labyrinthine
adj. labyrinthian, maze-like, mazy, tortuous, sinuous, winding,
convoluted, complicated, confusing, perplexing, puzzling,
enigmatic, baffling, confounding, complex, Daedalian or
Daedalean or Daedalic, daedal, intricate, Byzantine, twisted,
gnarled, snarled, tangled, knotted, knotty, Gordian: The plot
was so labyrinthine that the audience was unable to follow it.

lace n. 1 lace-work, tatting, openwork, filigree, mesh, web,
webbing, net, netting, network: She wore a collar of handmade
lace. 2 shoelace, shoestring, bootlace, cord, string, thong,
tie, lacing: They made me remove my belt, tie, and laces before
locking me in a cell.


--v. 3 thread, weave, string, twine, interweave, intertwine:
First lace the cord through the eyelets, then draw it tight. 4
spike, fortify, strengthen: I saw her lace my punch with vodka,
so I didn't drink it. 5 lace into. a attack, assault, beat,
assail, thrash, belabour, fall on or upon, set upon, pounce on
or upon, lay into, Colloq light into: The brothers laced into
one another with a fury. b berate, scold, revile, attack,
upbraid, castigate, rant or rave at: She really laced into me
for being an hour late for dinner.


lacerate v. gash, cut, slash, tear, rip, claw, mangle; wound, rend,
hurt: My feet were lacerated by the sharp stones. She suffered
a lacerating attack from him for forgetting to pass on the
message.

lack n. 1 want, deficiency, dearth, absence, scarcity, shortage,
need, insufficiency, paucity, deficit, inadequacy: We suffered
from a severe lack of water. The orchestra is experiencing a
serious lack of talent at the moment.

--v. 2 want, need, require, be deficient in, be or fall short
of, be without: He lacks the votes needed to win. Simon lacks
the ability to paint any better.


lackadaisical
adj. 1 lethargic, languorous, languid, listless, lazy,
sluggish, spiritless, idle, indolent, inactive, slothful,
fain‚ant: She's much too lackadaisical to go out and get a job.
2 unenthusiastic, dull, apathetic, insouciant, uncaring,
unconcerned, indifferent, blas‚, cold, cool, lukewarm, tepid,
unexcited, phlegmatic, unemotional, unexcitable, uninterested,
unimpressed, uninspired, unmoved, pococurante: How can you
explain the government's lackadaisical attitude towards the
greenhouse effect?

lacklustre
adj. drab, dull, lustreless, flat, dingy, colourless, dismal,
dreary, unexciting, boring, prosaic, tiresome, tedious,
wearisome, uninteresting, two-dimensional, insipid, vapid,
bland, unimaginative, thick, slow, dense, Colloq wishy-washy,
blah: He gave a very lacklustre performance as Shylock. She has
been leading a lacklustre life since John left.


lad n. boy, young man, fellow, schoolboy, youth, juvenile,
youngster, hobbledehoy, stripling, (street) urchin, (street)
Arab, gamin, Colloq guy, (little) shaver, kid, US sprout: Round
up a few of the lads for a game of football.


ladylike adj. well-bred, well-born, aristocratic, noble; refined,
respectable, cultured, polished, elegant, mannerly, gracious,
genteel, courteous, polite, courtly, dignified, proper, correct,
decorous: I cannot believe that Mrs Gibson did not behave in a

ladylike way.

lag v. 1 fall behind, linger, loiter, delay, straggle, trail, hang
back, dally, dawdle, inch or poke along: If you lag behind too
far, you'll never catch up. 2 diminish, decrease, slacken,
abate, slow (down or up), flag, wane, ebb, falter, fail, let up,
fall (off or away), ease (up), lighten: Contributions to the
fund are lagging. Military preparations are lagging.


laggard n. straggler, idler, dawdler, loiterer, slouch, sluggard,
loafer, snail, loller, Colloq Brit slowcoach , US slowpoke: As
a young boy he was always the laggard, dragging along behind
everyone else.


lair n. 1 den, burrow, hole, nest, tunnel, cave, hollow, covert: We
cautiously approached the lair of the man-eating tiger. 2
hide-out, hideaway, retreat, hiding-place, refuge, asylum,
sanctuary, Colloq hidey-hole or hidy-hole: Oliver will not
emerge from his lair before tea-time.


laissez-faire
n. laisser-faire, laissez-faireism, free enterprise,
non-intervention, non-interference, freedom, free trade,
individualism, laissez-aller or laisser-aller, deregulation,
decontrol, laxness: The government's policy of laissez-faire
has spurred business on.

lambaste v. 1 beat, whip, scourge, flog, lash, maul, horsewhip, cane,
birch, thrash, bludgeon, trounce, drub, pummel, batter,
belabour, cudgel: Terry threatened to lambaste anyone who
interfered. 2 censure, rebuke, scold, reprimand, chide,
admonish, reprove, upbraid, berate, scold, revile, attack,
castigate, flay, Colloq dress down, get on (someone's) back,
rake or haul over the coals, US call down, Slang chew or bawl
out: The press lambasted the company for its unfair employment
policies.

lame adj. 1 crippled, disabled, handicapped, hobbled, limping,
incapacitated, impaired, halting, halt, spavined, Colloq US
gimpy: The mare was found to be lame after the previous day's
hunting. 2 feeble, weak, flimsy, thin, unconvincing,
unpersuasive, awkward, clumsy, poor, ineffective, Colloq
half-baked: Refusing to go because you have a headache sounds

like a pretty lame excuse to me.

lament v. 1 mourn, bemoan, bewail, wail, weep (over), grieve (for or
over), keen (over), sorrow (for or over): A year later, and she
is still lamenting the death of her hamster?!

--n. 2 lamentation, moaning, mourning; keen, dirge, elegy,
knell, Requiem, monody, threnody, thanatopsis, epicedium, Scots
and Irish coronach: Laments for Kitty's late husband were heard
throughout the village.

lamentable
adj. deplorable, wretched, miserable, terrible, distressing,
awful, regrettable, pitiful, despicable, intolerable,
unfortunate: The hall was left in a lamentable state after the
party. His death was presaged by a lamentable series of events.

lamentation
n. mourning, grieving, moaning, weeping, wailing, crying,
sobbing, lamenting: The lamentation went on far into the night.

lampoon n. 1 burlesque, caricature, satire, parody, pasquinade or
pasquil, squib, Colloq take-off, Brit send-up: The students
published a hilarious lampoon of the teaching staff.


--v. 2 burlesque, caricature, satirize, parody, pasquinade or
pasquil, mock, ridicule, squib, US skewer, Colloq take off, put
or run down, Brit send up: The cows we hold most sacred are
often lampooned by irreverent cartoonists.


lance n. 1 spear, pike, javelin, assegai; lancet: He transfixed the
knight with his lance, and claimed victory in the joust.

--v. 2 pierce, stab, puncture, prick, incise, open, slit: The
boil must be lanced at once to draw out the poison.

land n. 1 earth, (solid) ground, terra firma: After weeks in an
open boat, Captain Bligh was relieved to have land under his
feet again. 2 dirt, earth, soil, turf, sod, loam, mould:
Trumble tilled the land as his ancestors had done for
generations. 3 property, grounds, real property or realty or US
and Canadian also real estate, acreage; estate: How much land
goes with the house? 4 fatherland, motherland, nation, country,

homeland, native land: The land of our fathers flowed with milk
and honey.

--v. 5 arrive, alight, light, touch or come or go down, splash
down, settle on or upon, come to rest, berth, dock, disembark,
debark, go ashore, deplane, dismount: The plane was forced to
land on the water. We land at dawn. 6 catch, capture, take
captive, Colloq bag: He was unable to land the shark unaided.
7 Colloq get, secure, obtain, win, acquire: He finally landed a
job with his father-in-law. Sadie finally landed a millionaire!

landing n. 1 touchdown, alighting, splashdown, docking: The fog made
landing quite dangerous. 2 disembarkation, deplaning, arrival:
After landing, passengers proceed through passport control. 3
landing-place, dock, pier, jetty, wharf, quay: We walked onto
the landing to watch the ship come in.

landlady n. 1 proprietor or proprietress, lady of the house, mistress,
manager or Brit manageress, hostess: My landlady owns three bed
and breakfasts. 2 See landlord, 2, below.

landlord n. 1 host, publican, proprietor, innkeeper, hotelier, manager,
restaurateur, Boniface: Landlord! Two pints of your best
bitter! 2 landlady, landowner, householder, (property) owner,
lessor, Brit freeholder: My landlord has raised my rent
claiming that his expenses have increased.

landmark n. 1 feature, guide, guidepost; identification: The tower
serves as a landmark for those seeking the castle. 2
turning-point, watershed, milestone, monument: His essay
remains a landmark in philosophical thought.

--attributive 3 critical, crucial, pivotal, important, historic,
significant, precedent-setting, momentous, notable, noteworthy,
major: This stands out as a landmark decision in the annals of
criminal law.

landscape n. prospect, view, scene, aspect, vista, countryside: Here and
there the landscape is dotted with spinneys.


language n. 1 speech, tongue, idiom, parlance, dialect, idiolect,
patois, jargon, cant, argot, vernacular, Colloq lingo: How many
languages do you speak? 2 communication, intercourse,

interaction: Karl von Frisch studied the language of the bees.
3 jargon, lingua franca, vocabulary, terminology, vernacular,
Colloq lingo: In medical language, a head cold is called
'coryza'. 4 wording, words, phrasing, phraseology, style,
diction: Guarantees, insurance policies, and other such things
should be written in simple language.

lanky adj. thin, loose-jointed, lank, lean, gaunt, gangling, rangy,
long-legged: They recruited three tall, lanky youths for the
basketball team.

lapฐ v. 1 Often, lap up. lick up, tongue; sip, drink: In a moment,
the cat had lapped all the cream from the saucer. 2 wash,
splash, ripple, plash, purl: The water rose till it was lapping
at the doorstep. 3 lap up. a consume, drink, eat: The dog
lapped up every last scrap of food. b accept, believe, credit,
fall for, Colloq swallow (whole), buy: She lapped up Felix's
sob story and invited him in at once.


lap n. 1 circuit, orbit, ambit, circle, tour, trip, revolution:
She runs four laps round the track every day for exercise. 2
flap, fold, lappet, projection, lapel, overlap: This lap hides
the zip.


--v. 3 overlap, fold, enfold, envelop, wrap: Lap the fabric so
as to cover the seam.

lapse n. 1 slip, error, mistake, fault, failing, oversight, blunder,
shortcoming, omission, Formal lapsus, Colloq slip-up, fluff,
goof: Apart from a brief lapse, the child behaved very well.
Owing to a lapse, your payment was not credited. 2 gap, break,
interval, intermission, interruption, pause, lacuna, hiatus,
Prosody caesura, Colloq hold-up: Listeners in Scotland
experienced a lapse in transmission, for which we apologize. 3
decline, lowering, fall, deterioration, drop, diminution,
descent: There has been a serious lapse in church attendance.

--v. 4 decline, lower, fall, drop, diminish, sink, slip, slump,
subside, deteriorate: Despite the doctor's best efforts, he
lapsed into a coma. 5 run out, expire, be discontinued, become
void, terminate, end, cease, stop: Your option to sell the
shares at the offering price lapses on Friday. 6 pass, elapse,
go by, slip away: Three months had lapsed since she last saw

him.

large adj. 1 big, great, broad, stout, heavy, thickset, chunky,
stocky, heavy-set, brawny, husky, sturdy, hefty, muscular,
strapping, burly, solid, weighty, corpulent, fat, obese, rotund,
portly, adipose, beamy, overweight: Two large gentlemen came up
and offered to help me find the door. 2 big, generous,
bountiful, charitable, eleemosynary, philanthropic, open-handed,
magnanimous, munificent, unselfish, big-hearted, large-hearted,
substantial, considerable, ample, beneficent, liberal; goodly,
kind, good; Colloq tidy: We have to thank Mr Wilson for large
donations to our Christmas fund. 3 big, huge, ample, enormous,
gigantic, immense, colossal, monumental, massive, mammoth,
Brobdingnagian, gargantuan, elephantine, monstrous, staggering,
sizeable, substantial, wide, broad, capacious, extensive, Colloq
jumbo, US humongous, ginormous: The house has a large dining
room. Supertankers are the largest ships afloat.

--adv. 4 big, prominently, overwhelmingly, imposingly,
eminently, pre-eminently: The problem looms large in the
history of biology.

--n. 5 at large. a free, unfettered, at liberty, on the loose,
unconfined, unrestrained: One of the robbers is still at large.
b generally, mainly, in general, chiefly, as a whole, in a body,
altogether, in the main: The people at large support reductions
in taxes.

largely adv. chiefly, mainly, as a rule, by and large, generally, in
general, to a great extent, mostly, in great part, in great
measure, in the main, on the whole, pretty much, essentially, at
bottom, basically, fundamentally: The voters are largely in
favour of keeping the present government.


largesse n. largess, gifts, alms, grants, bonuses, endowments, presents,
contributions, donations, hand-outs; support, subvention, aid,
subsidy, charity, philanthropy, generosity, munificence, bounty,
liberality, open-handedness: The church depends on the largesse
of its members.


lark n. 1 frolic, spree, escapade, caper, fling, romp, adventure,
revel, jape, game, antic, horseplay, shenanigans, mischief,
prank, practical joke: The boys say they took the horse just as

a lark.

--v. 2 Often, lark about. frolic, caper, romp, revel, play,
sport, cavort, gambol, Colloq skylark: We spent a lot of time
larking about after our exams.

lascivious
adj. 1 lustful, randy, lecherous, licentious, lewd, prurient,
salacious, libidinous, erotic, sensual, lubricious or lubricous,
ruttish, goatish, hircine, satyr-like, wanton, Cyprian,
debauched, Slang horny, hot: I wouldn't let that lascivious old
man near my daughter. 2 pornographic, obscene, blue, lurid,
indecent, smutty, dirty, Fescennine, filthy, vile, ribald,
bawdy, gross, coarse, offensive: He said that such lascivious
novels should be banned and certainly not read in schools.

lashฐ n. 1 whip, scourge, cat-o'-nine-tails, cat, quirt, knout,
bull-whip, thong; rope's end: The bosun gave him twenty of the
best with his lash. 2 stroke, blow, strike, slash, cut: Few
could stand up after five lashes with his whip.

--v. 3 flog, beat, thrash, switch, whip, scourge, horsewhip,
lambaste, flail, smite, thwack, Colloq whack: Any boy was
liable to be lashed for the most trivial misdemeanour. 4 lash
out. attack, flay, lambaste, belabour, punish; criticize,
berate, scold: She often lashes out at her critics quite
virulently.

lash v. fasten, tie, bind, secure, rope, fix, strap, make fast: His
crew lashed Odysseus to the mast as they sailed past the land of
the Sirens.

lass n. girl, young woman, miss, mademoiselle, schoolgirl,
Old-fashioned maiden, maid, damsel, demoiselle; Scots lassie,
Irish colleen: He has married a young lass from Arbroath.

lasso n. 1 lariat, rope, SW US reata or riata: The cowboy tossed the
lasso round the calf's neck.


--v. 2 rope: He lassoed steers to practise for the rodeo.

lastฐ adj. 1 hindmost, rearmost, aftermost; final: I was the last
person to board the plane. 2 latest, newest, most recent or up

to date: What was the subject of his last novel? During the
last week I have seen seven films. 3 final, concluding,
terminal, ultimate, terminating: The last train to London
leaves at eleven. She was the last speaker of Cornish. 4
definitive, conclusive, decisive, closing: That is my last word
on the subject.

--adv. 5 behind, at or in the end, in or at the rear, after:
My horse always seems to come in last.


--n. 6 end, termination, finish: That was the last we ever saw
of Charlie. 7 at last. finally, eventually, ultimately, at
length: At last we shall see the results of our work.


last v. 1 continue, endure, survive, keep on, persist, remain, stay,
abide, carry on, hold out, Colloq go the distance: He wouldn't
last a day in my job. 2 wear, stand up, endure, survive: This
shirt has lasted through innumerable washings.


lastฐ n. mould, matrix, form, model, pattern: These shoes were not
made on the same last as those.

lasting adj. permanent, enduring, durable, everlasting, long-term,
undying, eternal: She made a lasting contribution to
ophthalmology.

late adj. 1 tardy, delayed, overdue, behindhand, dilatory,
unpunctual; belated, US past due: He was even late for his own
wedding. Better late than never. Your mortgage payment is late
again. 2 recent, last, new, fresh, current, up to date: Have
you got a copy of a late edition of today's newspaper? 3
deceased, departed, dead; former, past, ex-, recent, previous,
preceding, old (See also 5., below.): Here is a song by the
late, great Bing Crosby. He has a meeting with Lord Pamby, late
chairman of United Oxidation. 4 of late. See 5., below.

--adv. 5 recently, lately, previously, formerly, once,
heretofore, in recent or former time(s), of late, latterly (See
also 3., above.): They are dining tonight with Sir Keith, late
of Scotland Yard. 6 till or at an advanced hour or time: I was
up late last night. She married late. 7 tardily, unpunctually,
belatedly: We arrived too late for the first act. 8 recently,
lately: As late as a week ago they were still holding the job

open for her.

lately adv. See late, 5.


latest adj. 1 See lastฐ, 2. 2 fashionable, current, modern, up to the
minute, Colloq in: She drives the latest model.

--n. 3 most recent or up-to-date or modern development or news
or example: What's the latest? Have you seen the latest in
scuba gear?

lather n. 1 suds, froth, foam: He spread lather on his face and began
to shave. 2 sweat; dither, fuss, pother, flutter, Colloq tizzy,
state, flap: He got into a real lather when he missed the
train.

--v. 3 soap (up); foam, froth: The barber lathered my chin
thoroughly. 4 thrash, beat, belabour, maul, drub, flog, whack,
pummel, buffet, whip, flail, lash: If he dared to swear, his
father would lather him.

laud v. praise, commend, celebrate, sing or speak or sound the
praises of, honour, acclaim, extol, glorify, promote, advance,
recommend, exalt: Bramble's paintings have been lauded by
leading art critics the world over.

laudable adj. praiseworthy, meritorious, creditable, admirable,
outstanding, excellent, noteworthy, notable, commendable,
estimable, creditable: He has made a laudable effort to keep up
in his work.

laudatory adj. laudative, praiseful, eulogistic, panegyric(al),
encomiastic(al), complimentary, favourable: None of the
laudatory comments made in the introduction was true.


laugh v. 1 titter, giggle, snigger, snicker, chuckle, chortle,
guffaw, split one's sides, Colloq break or crack up, roll on the
floor, go into hysterics, roar with laughter, hoot: Whenever he
wore his hat, they couldn't stop laughing. 2 Often, laugh at.
a deride, ridicule, mock (at), jeer (at), make a mockery of,
poke fun (at), make fun or sport (of), make an ass or a fool
(out) of, tease, taunt, pull (someone's) leg, satirize,
pasquinade or pasquil, parody, lampoon, jest (at), joke (about),

scoff (at), scorn, Colloq Brit take the mickey out of, US roast:
They laughed when I sat down - I didn't know the chair was
broken. Why did the other children laugh at you? b laugh away or
off, spurn, dismiss, brush aside, minimize, shrug off, reject,
ignore, disregard, deny, belittle, Colloq pooh-pooh: He laughed
off his injury and insisted on continuing to work.

--n. 3 titter, giggle, snigger, snicker, chuckle, chortle,
guffaw, horse laugh: She would do anything for a laugh.


laughter n. laughing, tittering, giggling, sniggering, snickering,
chuckling, chortling, guffawing: Children's laughter filled the
air.


launch v. 1 start (off), set in motion, set or get going, begin,
embark upon or on, initiate, inaugurate: The council is about
to launch a scheme for dockside development. The attack was
launched at dawn. 2 originate, establish, organize, set up,
found, open, start: Robson is talking about launching a new
company. 3 shoot, fire, discharge, hurl, throw, sling, pitch,
fling, catapult, send, dispatch or despatch: The enemy launched
ground-to-air missiles against our planes. 4 float, set afloat:
Two frigates will be launched today.


--n. 5 inauguration, start, initiation, opening: The launch of
the offensive is scheduled for noon tomorrow. 6 boat, skiff,
tender, motor boat, runabout, gig, dinghy: The launch will
shuttle passengers between the pier and the cruise ship.


launder v. 1 wash, clean, scrub, cleanse: The chambermaid laundered
three shirts for me. 2 legitimize, legitimatize, legitimate,
legalize: The money from heroin was being laundered through
several car dealerships.


laurels n.pl. honour(s), distinction(s), fame, awards, tributes,
rewards, acclaim, acclamation, glory, renown, celebrity,
popularity, reputation; successes, accomplishments: With no new
fields to conquer, he is resting on his laurels.


lavatory n. water-closet, WC, toilet, bathroom, Colloq Brit the Gents,
the Ladies('), Men's (Room), rest room, privy, Chiefly military
or institutional latrine; Nautical head; Brit (public)
convenience, US equipment, outhouse; Colloq (little) boys' or

girls' room, powder-room, Brit loo, lav, US can; Slang Brit bog:
Our new house has two upstairs bathrooms and a downstairs
lavatory.


lavish adj. 1 profuse, abundant, liberal, copious, plentiful,
prolific, opulent: He wore a silk tunic with lavish gold
embroidery. 2 generous, liberal, open-handed, unstinting,
bountiful, unsparing, unselfish, effusive, free: She showered
the most lavish gifts on her children. 3 extravagant, wasteful,
exaggerated, prodigal, improvident, excessive, unreasonable,
immoderate, profligate, uncurbed, unrestrained, intemperate:
The council was accused of lavish overspending on the civic
centre.


--v. 4 squander, waste, throw away, dissipate, spend, expend,
sink: We lavished a fortune on the gardens. 5 shower, bestow,
thrust, heap, pour: Granny always lavished gifts on us.

law n. 1 rule, regulation, ordinance, statute, act, enactment,
by-law, measure, edict, decree, order, directive, injunction,
command, commandment, canon, mandate, ukase: They have a law
that forbids smoking on aeroplanes. 2 corpus juris, (legal)
code, constitution, rules and regulations, charter, Law equity:
The law must be applied equally to all citizens. 3 principle,
proposition, theory, theorem, formula, axiom, deduction,
corollary, postulate, conclusion, inference: Not every
observable phenomenon obeys the laws of physics.

lawful adj. 1 legal, licit, legitimate, de jure, constitutional, just,
rightful, valid, proper: I am the lawful heir. 2 permissible,
allowable, justifiable, authorized, allowed, permitted: It is
not lawful to let your dog foul the footpath.

lawless adj. 1 anarchic(al), anarchistic, chaotic, unruly, unregulated:
There was a lawless period between the revolution and the
establishment of government. 2 illegal, illicit, unlawful,
criminal, felonious, larcenous, dishonest, corrupt, venal,
Colloq crooked: Holding a demonstration without a permit is a
lawless act. 3 villainous, nefarious, wicked, sinful,
flagitious, iniquitous, treacherous: He was once a member of a
lawless motor-cycle gang.

lawn n. sward, greensward, turf, sod, green: I lay back on the lawn

and gazed at the sky.

lawyer n. counsel, advocate, member of the bar, legal practitioner,
Brit solicitor, barrister, Queen's or King's counsel, bencher,
US attorney(-at-law), counselor(-at-law), Slang US mouthpiece:
We have turned the case over to a lawyer.

lax adj. 1 loose, slack, casual, slipshod, easygoing, careless,
negligent, permissive, weak, indulgent, flexible, relaxed: Law
enforcement has always been lax in that city. 2 imprecise,
undefined, indefinite, non-specific, unspecific, vague,
shapeless, amorphous, general, broad, inexact, hit-or-miss,
careless, untidy, Colloq sloppy: His ideas about tactics are
too lax for a military man.


layฐ v. 1 place, put (down), set (down), position, deposit; spread:
Lay the cloth on the table, then lay the book on top of it. 2
set, arrange: The table was laid for four. 3 Often, lay down.
establish, build, construct: Before I can argue my case, I must
lay a firm foundation of trust. 4 stake, bet, wager, gamble,
hazard, risk: I'll lay ten to one that you won't be able to
move that crate. 5 destroy, suppress, exorcize: Did Edward
ever succeed in laying that ghost of a rumour that haunted his
career for so long? 6 present, offer, submit, set or put forth,
advance, bring or put forward, set out: We have laid our
proposal before the board. 7 charge, impute, direct, lodge,
prefer, aim, attribute, ascribe: There is no justification for
laying the blame on Leonard. 8 copulate (with), couple (with),
have (sexual) intercourse (with), sleep (with), lie (with), bed,
go to bed (with), mate (with), have sex (with), go all the way
(with), service, Slang screw, shack up (with), Brit roger, Taboo
fuck. 9 lay bare. expose, reveal, uncover, disclose, divulge,
bring to light, show, unveil, lift the veil from: She laid bare
the most intimate details of their relationship. 10 lay down.
stipulate, require, demand, insist on, dictate: She laid down
the conditions on which he could return home. 11 lay hold of.
seize, grab, snatch, nab, catch or get hold of, get: I have
been trying to lay hold of that book for weeks. 12 lay in. See
19 (a), below. 13 lay into. attack, assault, set about, assail,
lambaste, belabour: We laid into the gang and gave them a sound
drubbing. 14 lay it on. exaggerate, overstate, embroider:
Don't believe what Frank tells you - he really lays it on pretty
thick sometimes. 15 lay low. See 18 (c), below. 16 lay off. a

suspend; dismiss, discharge, fire, let go, cashier, drum out of
the corps, Colloq (give the) sack, (give the) axe, kick out,
(give the) boot, boot out, give (someone) his or her walking
papers: Fifty workers were laid off because business was slack.
b let up, quit (it), stop (it), cease, desist, leave off, leave
alone, Colloq knock (it) off, cut (it) out, come off (it): I
wish you'd lay off for a while and stop bothering me. You must
lay off phoning your mother twice a day. 17 lay on. a provide,
cater (for), supply: The company laid on quite a Christmas
party. b impose, charge, assess; demand, require: In addition
to enforcing payment of back taxes, they laid on a penalty of 20
per cent. 18 lay out. a design, plan, outline, sketch, arrange,
set up: The art department laid out the advertisements for the
new campaign. b advance, disburse, spend, expend, pay, give,
contribute, Colloq shell out, ante up, kick in with, fork out:
The salesmen often lay out the money for their expenses and are
then reimbursed. c lay low, floor, prostrate, knock down or out,
strike or cut down, flatten, fell, strike down, Colloq knock for
six, kayo or K.O.: He laid out the challenger with a blow to
the solar plexus. 19 lay up. a lay in, amass, accumulate, save
(up), hoard, preserve, store, keep, put away, put by: We laid
up a supply of canned goods for the winter. b hospitalize,
incapacitate, disable, confine to bed, keep indoors: She has
been laid up with a virus all week.


lay adj. 1 secular, non-clerical, laic, non-ecclesiastical: He
served as a lay preacher for many years. 2 amateur,
non-professional, non-specialist: Members of the lay public did
not immediately understand the dangers of the greenhouse effect.


layฐ n. ballad, song, air, refrain, strain, melody; poem, ode,
lyric, rhyme, ballade: Macaulay wrote a book entitled Lays of
Ancient Rome .


lazy adj. 1 indolent, slothful, dilatory, idle, shiftless, inactive,
listless, fain‚ant, otiose, slack, lax, lethargic: He's so lazy
and so rich that he pays someone just to walk his dog. 2 slow,
languid, easy, easygoing, sluggish, slow-moving, languorous:
The hot lazy summer days were whiled away fishing.


12.2 lead...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


lead v. 1 conduct, escort, usher, guide, show the way, pilot, steer:
If you lead, I'll follow. 2 cause, influence, prompt, bring,
incline, induce, persuade, move, dispose, convince: What led
you to suspect the butler? 3 head (up), direct, govern,
command, supervise, superintend, preside (over), take the lead,
take or assume command (of), manage, captain, Colloq skipper:
The orchestra would like you to lead. Who is going to lead the
men into battle? Nicole leads a weekly discussion group on
alcoholism. 4 come or be or go first, excel, surpass, exceed,
precede, be ahead (of), outstrip, distance, outrun, outdo: They
lead the world in the production of sugar. 5 live, experience,
spend, pass; while away: He is leading a life of ease on the
French Riviera. 6 be conducive to, create, engender, cause,
contribute to, result in, bring on or about, produce: Your
stubbornness can lead only to frustration. 7 lead astray. lead
on, mislead, misguide, misdirect, deceive; fool, decoy,
hoodwink, Colloq bamboozle: She might have been led astray by
that wolf in sheep's clothing. 8 lead off. start (off or in or
out or up), begin, commence, get going or moving, get under way,
initiate, inaugurate, Colloq kick off: The proceedings will
lead off with the national anthem. Who is going to lead off the
singing? 9 lead on. a See 7, above. b lure, entice, seduce,
beguile, inveigle, tempt: They led me on with offers of a huge
salary. 10 lead up to. a prepare or pave or clear (the way),
do the groundwork or spadework, precede: The events leading up
to the overthrow of the government may never be known. b
approach, broach, bring up, present, introduce, work up or round
or around to, get (up) to: I should lead up to the subject
delicately, if I were you.

--n. 11 front, vanguard, van, lead or leading position or
place, advance or advanced position or place: The horse that he
had bet on was in the lead coming down the home straight. 12
advantage, edge, advance, supremacy, margin, priority, primacy,
pre-eminence: She has the lead over all her competitors. Our
team had a two-point lead at half-time. 13 direction, guidance,
leadership, precedent, example, model, exemplar, pattern,
standard: We decided to follow his lead. 14 tip, clue, hint,
suggestion, cue, intimation; prospect, possibility, potential;
Colloq tip-off: Barry is following up some leads for a new job.
The advertisement produced some new sales leads. 15 leash,
tether, restraint, cord, chain: The dog fetches his lead

himself when he wants to go out. 16 protagonist, hero or
heroine, leading or starring role or part, leading or lead actor
or actress, leading lady or man, male or female lead, principal;
prima donna, diva, prima ballerina, premiŠre danseuse, premier
danseur: She has the lead in the new production of Giselle .
17 wire, cable, Brit flex: Connect this lead to the power
source.

--adj. 18 leading, foremost, first; main, chief, principal,
premier, paramount: The lead climber fell when the rope broke.
The lead story in today's paper is about an American take-over
bid for the longest-standing British car-manufacturing company.

leaden adj. 1 heavy, onerous, ponderous, dense, burdensome:
Exhausted, he dragged his leaden feet to the next meeting. 2
heavy, dull, numbing, oppressive: I was happy to escape the
leaden atmosphere of the theatre. 3 grey, dull, dingy, gloomy,
glowering, lowering, dreary, dismal, oppressive, dark, sullen,
sombre: The leaden sky seemed to forebode disaster as he fled
across the moor. 4 inert, lifeless, listless, sluggish,
inanimate, inactive, lethargic, languid, languorous, torpid,
spiritless, stagnant, static, dormant, soporific, sleepy: The
refugees trudged along at a leaden pace.


leader n. 1 chief, head, commander, ruler, superior, director,
chairman, chairwoman, chairlady, chairperson, chieftain,
captain, commandant, principal, Colloq boss, bossman, kingpin,
big cheese, number one, numero uno, Brit gaffer, Chiefly US Mr
Big, Slang US the man: The police can identify the leader of
the gang. The leader of the assembly is elected for a year. 2
bandmaster, band leader, director, US and Canadian conductor,
bandleader, concert-master: The leader tapped his baton for
silence.


leadership
n. direction, guidance, management, directorship,
administration, supervision, command, regulation, control,
operation, influence, initiative; governorship, superintendence,
running: The company made huge profits under Katherine's
leadership. The leadership of the country at this time was in
the hands of the privileged class.

leading adj. 1 important, influential, chief, prime, cardinal,

foremost, paramount, primary: A leading politician hinted today
that interest rates might go down soon. 2 best, outstanding,
pre-eminent, greatest, supreme, peerless, matchless, unequalled,
unrivalled, unsurpassed: He was the leading writer of his time.


leaflet n. folder, circular, brochure, handbill, bill, booklet,
advertisement, US and Canadian throw-away, flier or flyer,
Colloq Brit advert: The candidate gave out leaflets urging us
to vote for him.


leafy adj. green, verdant, bosky, woody, shady, shaded, arborescent:
We lay beneath the leafy bowers and dreamed of summers past.

league n. 1 confederation, association, alliance, combination,
coalition, federation, confederacy, guild, society, fraternity,
union, band, fellowship, club: The teams in the south favour
forming a football league of their own. 2 in league (with).
allied (with), united (with), associated (with), leagued (with),
federated (with), collaborating (with), conspiring (with), in
collusion (with), Colloq in cahoots (with): The suspects are
said to be in league with saboteurs.

--v. 3 ally, unite, associate, band, combine, collaborate, join
(forces), conspire, collude: Did most people league with the
rebels or the official government?

leak n. 1 leakage, leaking, discharge, trickle, escape, seepage,
seeping, oozing, exudation: We have to stop leaks of
radioactive waste from power plants. 2 hole, fissure, crack,
chink, crevice, aperture, opening, puncture, cut, break, split,
gash, rent, tear, gap, flaw: There was a leak in the balloon
and it began to descend. 3 disclosure, revelation: The press
knew about his defection because of a security leak.


--v. 4 escape, discharge, spill, trickle, drip, seep, ooze,
exude, extravasate: Oil was leaking out through a hole in the
container. 5 disclose, divulge, let slip, release, give away
(the game), make known or public, let (something or it) be
known, Colloq spill the beans (about); let the cat out of the
bag: Someone as yet unidentified leaked the scandal to a
reporter. 6 leak out. transpire, become known, come out, be
revealed: Their secret relationship has leaked out.

leanฐ adj. 1 thin, slim, slender, rangy, spare, wiry, lanky, lank,
skinny, angular, bony, raw-boned, gaunt, gangling, gangly,
spare, meagre, skeletal, scraggy, scrawny, haggard, emaciated,
pinched, wasted, shrunken, macilent: He has the lean leggy
build typical of a runner. 2 unfruitful, unproductive, barren,
infertile, poor, meagre, scanty, bare, arid, sparse,
impoverished: The Kanes tried for years to eke a living from
the lean soil. 3 impoverished, destitute, needy,
poverty-stricken, penurious, indigent, necessitous, hard, bad,
difficult: The Depression was a lean period for most people.

lean v. 1 rest (against or on or upon), be held up or supported by:
She leant her head on his shoulder. 2 incline, slant, tilt,
bend, tip: Isn't that pole leaning over too much? 3 Often,
lean towards. favour, gravitate towards, tend towards, be
disposed towards, prefer, show a preference for, incline
towards, be or lean on the side of, be biased towards, be
(prejudiced) in favour of: She leans towards conservatism when
it comes to morality. 4 lean on. a rely on, depend on, count
on, believe or trust in, pin one's hopes or faith on or upon:
You can lean on me if you need help. b pressure, bring pressure
to bear on, intimidate, threaten, cow, terrorize, terrify,
scare, frighten, warn, menace, endanger, imperil, Brit
pressurize: Sometimes the gang would lean on a shopkeeper who
refused to pay for 'protection'.

leaning n. bent, inclination, bias, prejudice, favouritism, partiality,
predilection, liking, taste, preference, penchant, sympathy,
tendency, tendentiousness: The judges' leanings in favour of
short-haired dogs are well known.

leap n. 1 spring, bound, jump, vault (into); hurdle, clear, hop
over, skip over, negotiate: He leapt into the saddle. Superman
leaps tall buildings at a single bound. 2 jump, cavort, gambol,
dance, frisk, caper, frolic, romp, prance, curvet: He leapt for
joy at the news that he had won first prize. 3 jump, rush,
hasten, form hastily, accept (prematurely or without question):
The speaker kept leaping from one subject to another. Don't leap
to conclusions about her strange behaviour. 4 leap at. jump at,
accept, be eager for, move quickly, take: I leapt at the chance
to apply for a scholarship.

--n. 5 spring, bound, jump, vault, hurdle, hop, skip: With one

leap I was on the other side. 6 jump, increase, (up)surge,
rise, upswing, growth, escalation: The figures show a leap in
inflation for the month. 7 by leaps and bounds. rapidly,
quickly, swiftly, speedily: The plans for the new theatre are
progressing by leaps and bounds.

learn v. 1 Often, learn of. find out, discover, hear (of), chance or
hit upon, understand, gather, have revealed to one; determine,
ascertain, uncover: I learned today that you are leaving. I
learned of your plans yesterday. 2 be taught, be instructed in,
master, become proficient (in), acquire knowledge (of): I
learned German at school. 3 understand, see the light, get the
picture, Colloq catch on, get the idea, get it, Brit twig: No
matter how often they are told, some people never learn. 4
memorize, commit to memory, learn by heart: Bolton was told to
learn his part by the next day.

learned adj. (well-)informed, erudite, knowledgeable, au fait,
cultured, intellectual, highbrow, (well-)educated, scholarly,
academic, scholastic, lettered, experienced, skilled, practised,
accomplished, expert, literate, well-read, (well-)versed,
(well-)trained, (well-)grounded: The consultants to the
encyclopedia are all learned people.


learner n. student, pupil, scholar, trainee, apprentice, novice, tiro
or tyro, abecedarian, beginner, initiate, neophyte: Learners of
English as a second language will benefit from this book.

learning n. knowledge, erudition, culture, scholarship, lore,
information, wisdom: You have the advantage of being able to
draw on centuries of learning.

lease n. 1 rental agreement or contract, sublease, sublet: A new
ten-year lease will be signed tomorrow.


--v. 2 rent (out), let (out), sublet (out), sublease (out),
charter (out), hire (out): They leased their home to us for the
summer. We arranged to lease their boat for the weekend.


leaveฐ v. 1 go (away or off), depart, set off, be off, get away or
off, retire, retreat, withdraw, decamp, (make an) exit, run, be
gone, bid (someone or something) goodbye, say goodbye or adieu
(to), take (one's) leave (of), quit, desert, pull out, check

out, fly, Colloq push or shove off, take off, skedaddle, flit,
disappear, do a disappearing act, pull up stakes, up-anchor,
Slang beat it, scram, vamoose, split, Brit beetle off, do a
bunk, do a moonlight flit, hop it, Taboo slang Brit bugger off:
Please leave at once. May I leave the room? She left him alone.
2 go or run off, deviate from: The car left the road and hit a
tree. 3 forget, mislay, lose: I left my car keys somewhere in
the house. 4 abandon, desert, take leave of, wash one's hands
of, turn one's back on; quit, resign from, give up, renounce,
drop (out of): She left him because he mistreated her. I left
school at sixteen. 5 make, render, cause to be or become or
remain: The beauty of the place left me speechless. 6
bequeath, will, hand down, devise, demise, transfer: Her aunt
left some valuable paintings to my wife. 7 entrust, commit,
assign, cede, relinquish, give over or up, consign, resign:
They are leaving all the responsibility to me. 8 cause or allow
to remain, have as a remainder, yield, give: Seven from eleven
leaves four. 9 leave off. stop, cease, desist, forbear, give
up, refrain from, discontinue, abstain (from), renounce: He
won't leave off gossiping about her. 10 leave out. omit,
disregard, ignore, neglect; count out, reject, exclude,
eliminate, bar, except: You left out the best part. Don't leave
me out of the fun!


leave n. 1 permission, authorization, consent, freedom, liberty,
licence, sanction, dispensation: Who gave you leave to borrow
my car? 2 furlough, leave of absence, time off, sabbatical,
recess, holiday, vacation: I am overworked and badly in need of
some leave. 3 departure: He took his leave of us at last.


lecherous adj. lewd, lascivious, salacious, libidinous, sensual,
lubricious or lubricous, lustful, concupiscent, licentious,
prurient, dirty-minded, filthy-minded, carnal, goatish, hircine,
randy, libertine, wanton, profligate, depraved, degenerate,
decadent, dissolute, Slang horny: The lecherous villain dared
to proposition my wife.

lecture n. 1 speech, address, talk, discourse, disquisition, treatise,
dissertation, paper, lesson, instruction, sermon, declamation,
harangue, diatribe, philippic, screed: The preacher delivered a
lecture on the evils of drink. 2 reproof, reprimand, rebuke,
criticism, censure, reproach, scolding, upbraiding, chiding,
berating, tongue-lashing, remonstration, Colloq dressing-down,

telling-off, Slang Brit wigging, US and Canadian chewing-out: I
had to listen to another lecture about staying out late.

--v. 3 make or deliver or give a speech or address or talk,
discourse; sermonize, hold forth, moralize, pontificate, orate,
preach, declaim, expound, go on about, harangue: She lectures
on Chinese art of the 18th century. He insists on lecturing to
everyone he meets. 4 reprove, reprimand, rebuke, reproach,
scold, upbraid, berate, chide, tongue-lash, remonstrate with,
rail at, fulminate against; admonish, warn; Colloq dress down,
tell off, send (someone) away or off with a flea in his or her
ear, Slang Brit wig, US and Canadian chew out: She is always
lecturing me about keeping my room tidy.


ledge n. shelf, projection, step, mantel or mantle, mantelpiece or
mantlepiece, overhang, sill: We stood on a small ledge of rock
unable to move.

leer v. 1 ogle, eye: He leers at every pretty girl.


--n. 2 ogle, the eye, Colloq once-over, Slang glad eye: She
was repelled when he gave her a leer.

leery adj. suspicious, sceptical, dubious, doubtful, doubting,
distrustful, wary, cautious, chary, careful: I was very leery
of his story.

leeway n. space, elbow-room, room, play, scope, slack, latitude, wide
berth; freedom: We allowed him some leeway to make changes in
the manuscript.

left adj. 1 left-hand, sinistral, Nautical port, (formerly)
larboard, Heraldry sinister: In most countries, the driver sits
on the left side. 2 leftist, left-wing, progressive, liberal,
socialist(ic), pink; radical, communist(ic), red: The party's
platform has become a bit too left for my taste.

--n. 3 left side or hand or fist, Nautical port, port side,
(formerly) larboard: The fort is on the left as you enter the
bay. The champion has a powerful left.

left-handed
adj. 1 clumsy, awkward, gauche, fumbling, maladroit,

cack-handed: He has a left-handed way of doing things. 2
insulting, disparaging, derisive, uncomplimentary, insulting,
paradoxical, ambiguous, questionable, dubious, doubtful:
Calling her piano-playing 'not bad' was a left-handed
compliment.

leftover n. 1 Usually, leftovers. remainder(s), remnant(s), rest,
residue, residuum, balance, surplus, excess, superfluity,
overage; scrap(s), leavings, crumbs, odds and ends, debris or
d‚bris, refuse, waste, rubbish, rubble, detritus, Archaic orts:
I'm just having leftovers for dinner tonight.

--adj. 2 remaining, residual, extra, excess, unused, uneaten:
Save some of the leftover ice-cream for later.


leg n. 1 limb, member, Colloq pin, peg, stump, Slang gam: I have a
touch of arthritis in my left leg. 2 support, brace, prop,
upright, standard, column, pillar: One of the legs of this
table is about to collapse. 3 part, portion, segment, stretch,
stage, section, length, lap: The first leg of my journey passed
without incident. 4 a leg up. boost, assistance, push, help,
helping hand, advance, support, US and Canadian assist: Let me
give you a leg up over the wall. Gordon might give you a leg up
in getting a job. 5 leg it. run, hurry, hasten, scurry, Colloq
scoot, skedaddle: He legged it down the street to catch the
bus. 6 not a leg to stand on. defenceless, unsupported,
insupportable or unsupportable, indefensible, unjustifiable,
untenable, invalid: She insists she's right, but she hasn't got
a leg to stand on. 7 on one's or its last legs. decrepit,
failing, exhausted, dying, worn out, run-down, falling apart or
to pieces, broken-down, the worse for wear; dilapidated,
rickety, shabby, ramshackle, crumbling, tumbledown: George
looked as if he was on his last legs. My car is on its last
legs. 8 pull (someone's) leg. tease, mock, jeer at, taunt, gibe,
make fun of, chaff, guy, fool, deceive, Chiefly Brit twit,
Colloq rib, kid, rag: We were just pulling his leg, but he took
it seriously. 9 shake a leg. a hurry (up), hasten, rush,
Colloq get going or moving or cracking, look alive or lively:
You'll have to shake a leg to catch that train. b dance, trip
the light fantastic (toe), Slang hoof it, US cut a rug: What do
you say we go out and shake a leg tonight? 10 stretch one's
legs. (take or go for a) walk, (take some) exercise: After
sitting for so long, I have to stretch my legs.


legal adj. 1 lawful, licit, statutory, acceptable, permissible,
permitted, admissible, authorized: The police officer was found
to have exceeded his legal authority. 2 legitimate, proper,
right, rightful, sound, constitutional, authorized, Slang legit:
I question whether his business is legal. Who is the legal heir?
3 judicial, juridical, judiciary, forensic: The case is without
legal precedent.


legalistic
adj. narrow(-minded), disputatious, contentious, litigious,
literal, strict, niggling, hair-splitting, cavilling, quibbling,
Jesuitical, pettifogging, nice, fine, subtle, Colloq
nit-picking: Her argument is legalistic and ignores the spirit
of the law.

legend n. 1 epic, saga, myth, story, (folk) tale, romance, narrative,
fable, tradition, fiction, Scandinavian Edda: There are scores
of legends woven into the cultural fabric of our lives. 2
celebrity, phenomenon, tradition, wonder, luminary, personage,
somebody: Someone said that Rudolph had become a legend in his
own mind. 3 key, table of symbols, code, explanatory note:
Refer to the legend for explanations of symbols used in the map.
4 motto, slogan, inscription, caption, title: The legend reads,
'Dieu et mon droit'.

legendary adj. 1 fabled, storied, traditional; heroic, epic, mythic:
Legendary tales have been identified in every culture. 2
fanciful, imaginary, fabulous, mythical, romantic, fictional:
Was King Arthur a real person or a legendary figure? 3 famous,
celebrated, noted, famed, well-known, renowned, illustrious,
immortal, prominent, eminent, great, acclaimed, noteworthy:
Irena became known for her legendary dinner parties.


legible adj. readable, decipherable, clear, understandable, plain,
distinct: The handwriting is legible, but I don't know what
language it's in.

legitimate
adj. 1 valid, proper, right, rightful, authorized, legal,
genuine, real, true, authentic: Which one of them was the
legitimate Anastasia? 2 lawful, licit, legal, by law, de jure,
statutory: Bonnie Prince Charlie claimed to be the legitimate

ruler of Scotland. 3 commonsensical, sensible, reasonable,
proper, correct, acceptable, valid, logical, justifiable, just,
fair: The question is perfectly legitimate and deserves a
proper answer.


--v. 4 legitimize, legitimatize, legalize, authorize, sanction,
warrant, validate, certify: By signing before two witnesses,
she legitimated her will.


leisure n. 1 spare or free time, time (off), liberty, freedom,
opportunity: How many people these days have the leisure to do
what they like? 2 holiday, vacation, respite, relief, rest,
recreation, relaxation, ease, breathing-space, quiet,
tranquillity, repose, US military rest and recreation, R and R:
Everyone needs a few days of leisure now and then. 3 at
leisure. a unoccupied, inactive, retired, resting, free, on
holiday or chiefly US and Canadian vacation; at liberty,
available, unemployed: I have been at leisure for a year now.
b Often, at one's leisure. at one's convenience, when
convenient, unhurriedly, in one's own time: I shall mow the
lawn at my leisure.

--adj. 4 recreational: The 'leisure industry' is booming with
theme parks opening throughout the country. 5 free, unoccupied,
non-working, unencumbered, idle, holiday, vacation: How do you
usually spend your leisure time?

leisured adj. wealthy, rich, affluent, prosperous, moneyed or monied,
well-to-do, leisured: Yachts of that size are strictly for the
leisured classes.

lend v. 1 make a loan of, loan, advance: The bank agreed to lend me
the money for a boat. 2 impart, furnish, bestow, give, confer,
contribute, add: The silk scarf lends cachet to the whole
outfit. 3 lend itself to. suit, fit, be fitted or appropriate
or suitable (to or for), be applicable or adaptable (to or for):
The book lends itself well to film adaptation.

length n. 1 extent, measure, span, reach, size, magnitude, dimension,
measurement: What is the length of a piece of string? The pool
is 25 metres in length and 15 metres in width. 2 duration,
stretch, term, period, space: What length of time did he spend
in prison? 3 at full length. fully, completely, to the fullest

extent: They were stretched out at full length on the floor. 4
at length. a finally, at (long) last, eventually, after a
(long) time or while, ultimately; in the long run: At length,
the doctor emerged from his office. b for a long time,
interminably, for ages: He read to her at length, till she
dozed off. c in depth, thoroughly, completely, exhaustively,
extensively, to the fullest or greatest extent, in detail: I
haven't the time to go into the story at length just now.


lengthen v. make longer, extend, elongate; stretch, drag out, draw out,
prolong, protract, expand, continue: I need to lengthen the
skirt an inch. The ten-minute interview lengthened into an hour.
They lengthened the playing field.


lengthy adj. long, over-long, long-drawn(-out), protracted; endless,
interminable, prolonged, long-winded, wordy, prolix, verbose,
garrulous, talkative, loquacious, boring, dull, tedious: He
underwent a lengthy operation for removal of the clot. She
launched into a lengthy description of the life cycle of a frog.


lenient adj. gentle, kind, kindly, easy, sparing, merciful, tender,
humane, tender-hearted, kind-hearted, indulgent, permissive,
forgiving, easygoing, tolerant, patient, compassionate,
forbearing, understanding, magnanimous, generous, charitable:
Do you think they were lenient in their treatment of prisoners
caught while escaping?

lesson n. 1 exercise, drill, reading, lecture, recitation; assignment,
homework, task: The pupils are having an English lesson at the
moment. You must finish your lessons before you can go out and
play. 2 class, session; instruction, teaching, tutoring,
schooling; practice: I take piano lessons on Tuesday
afternoons. 3 example, exemplar, model, guide, maxim, paragon,
message, deterrent, discouragement; warning, admonition; moral,
precept: Norman's punishment should be a lesson to you. 4
punishment, chastisement, chastening, castigation, scolding,
chiding, rebuke, reprimand, reproof: If she does that again,
I'll give her a lesson she won't forget in a hurry!


letฐ v. 1 allow (to), permit (to), sanction (to), give permission or
leave (to), authorize (to), license (to), suffer (to): Don't
let him go alone. Let George do it. 2 cause (to), arrange for,
enable (to): Let me know if you have any difficulty. Let me

help you. Let the police know of any crime. 3 Sometimes, let
out. rent (out), hire (out), lease (out), charter (out);
contract (out), subcontract (out), farm (out), job (out): Mrs
Finney lets rooms by the week. Much of the work is let out to
people who work at home. 4 let down. disappoint, fail,
frustrate; disenchant, dissatisfy, disillusion: He promised to
be here at nine, but he let me down. 5 let in. admit, allow in;
include, take in, receive, welcome, induct, install or instal:
I'll just open a window and let in some fresh air. I wouldn't
want to be a member of a club that would let in someone like me.
6 let off. a pardon, forgive, excuse, release, discharge, let
go: They let him off with only a severe reprimand. b
exonerate, absolve, clear, acquit, vindicate, Slang let off the
hook: When the real culprit confessed, she was let off. c
detonate, explode, detonate, discharge, fire, set off: Don't
let off those fireworks so near the haystack. d emit, give out
or off, release, throw off or out, let loose, exude: Some
plastics let off an awful smell when they burn. 7 let on. a
confess, admit, disclose, divulge, reveal, expose, let it be
known, let out, say, tell, give away, let slip, betray; leak:
I'll never let on that you are to blame. b feign, affect,
pretend, fake, (put on an) act, simulate, dissemble,
dissimulate: He let on that he had a bad leg and couldn't play
in the match, when in fact he just wanted to go away for the
weekend. 8 let out. a See 7 (a), above. b (let) loose,
liberate, (set) free, release, let go, discharge: He served
three years before being let out. Let the cat out, will you. c
emit, give vent to, produce: She let out a scream that could
have woken the dead. d end, stop, break up, finish, close,
terminate: When does school let out for the Christmas holidays?
9 let up. decrease, abate, ease (up), slacken, diminish, lessen,
mitigate, subside, moderate: Perhaps we can still go if the
rain lets up soon. 10 let up on. ease up on, slack off on: He
didn't let up on haranguing us for an hour.


let n. hindrance, impediment, obstruction, obstacle: People can
now cross the border without let or hindrance.

let-down n. disappointment, disillusionment, disenchantment: She had
practised so hard that losing was all the more of a let-down.

lethal adj. deadly, fatal, mortal: The lethal blow was delivered by a
blunt instrument.


lethargic adj. 1 lethargical, sluggish, slow, dull, heavy, lazy,
indolent, phlegmatic, slothful, idle, languid, languorous,
listless, fain‚ant, inactive, torpid, stuporous, comatose;
indifferent, apathetic: They were so lethargic that they did
absolutely nothing about it. 2 weary, tired, fagged out,
fatigued, enervated, weak, exhausted, drowsy, sleepy, somnolent:
I have a bad cold and feel very lethargic.


lethargy n. 1 sluggishness, sloth, dullness, heaviness, laziness,
indolence, phlegm, idleness, languidness, languor, listlessness,
dolce far niente, inactivity, inertia, torpor, stupor;
indifference, apathy: After taking the medicine, a feeling of
lethargy overtook me. 2 weariness, tiredness, fatigue,
weakness, exhaustion, drowsiness, sleepiness, somnolence: The
strident persistence of my alarm clock dragged me out of my
lethargy.

letter n. 1 character, symbol, sign: Epsilon is a letter in the Greek
alphabet. 2 missive, epistle, communication, note, line,
message, dispatch or despatch; correspondence: Write me a
letter when you get there. 3 letters. literature, the
humanities, belles-lettres, the classics; erudition, culture,
the world of letters, learning, scholarship: He is a widely
known man of letters. 4 to the letter. precisely, literally,
exactly, accurately, strictly, sic, thus, letter for letter,
literatim, word for word, verbatim: The document has been
copied to the letter.


--v. 5 inscribe, write, spell (out): She carefully lettered
the caption under the picture.

lettered adj. literate, literary, (well-)educated, erudite, scholarly,
learned, well-informed, enlightened, knowledgeable,
(well-)versed, well-read, cultured, cultivated: He was greatly
influenced by the lettered men of his time.

let-up n. cease, stop, stopping, ceasing, cessation, surcease, break,
interruption, pause, intermission, suspension, time out or off;
moderation, lessening, abatement, diminution, relief,
hesitation, respite, relaxation: I was nagged without let-up
about getting the work done by the end of the month.

level adj. 1 even, smooth, plane, uniform, plain, flat, flush,
straight, true: The plaster is not level enough to apply the
wallpaper. 2 horizontal; prone, supine: Make sure the playing
field is level. Try to keep the body level when doing this
exercise. 3 uniform, constant, steady, consistent, invariable,
unvarying, unalterable, unchanging, unfluctuating; very: I did
my level best to warn him, but he wouldn't listen. 4 parallel,
even, equal, equivalent, consistent: The top floor of my house
is level with the roof of the one across the street. The problem
arises because wages are not level with inflation. 5 up (on),
informed (about or on), up to date (on or with), au fait (with),
au courant (with): He does his best to keep level with what is
going on in the world. 6 even, tied, equal, neck and neck: The
scores are level. So at half-time, it's level pegging between
Arsenal and Liverpool. 7 See level-headed, below.

--v. 8 level off, even, smooth (out), flatten (out): The
concrete is levelled by dragging a straight-edge over it. 9
destroy, demolish, raze, lay waste, devastate, knock down, tear
down, pull down, wreck, bulldoze: The building was levelled in
a matter of minutes. 10 aim, point, draw a bead, direct, train,
focus: He levelled his gun at her and she screamed. 11 level
with. be or play fair with, be honest or straight with, be open
or frank or straightforward with, Colloq be upfront with: I am
going to level with you - I find you very difficult to work
with.

--n. 12 plane, horizontal, elevation, height; altitude: The
windows are at the same level. 13 floor, storey: On which
level is Mr Stone's office? 14 plane, position, status,
standing, rank, stage: She functions at a higher level, both
administratively and intellectually. 15 on the level. straight,
straightforward, honest, direct, sincere, square, open,
above-board, Colloq upfront, on the up and up, US
straight-shooting: You haven't been on the level with me about
your plans for the company.

level-headed
adj. (well-)balanced, sensible, sane, reasonable,
commonsensical, level, unruffled, undisturbed, unperturbed,
imperturbable, even-tempered, composed, calm, cool, collected,
tranquil, serene, unflappable, poised, relaxed, self-possessed:
Even when she was a teenager, Fran was quite level-headed.


levity n. light-heartedness, lightness, frivolity, frivolousness,
flippancy, trivialization, triviality, facetiousness: Politics
is a weighty business and should not be treated with levity.


lewd adj. lascivious, salacious, lecherous, lustful, licentious,
carnal, goatish, hircine, satyric(al), ruttish, concupiscent,
libidinous, lubricious or lubricous, indecent, offensive, wild,
debauched, obscene, smutty, crude, dirty, foul, filthy, rude,
pornographic, prurient, gross, dissolute, Fescennine, bawdy,
ribald, scurrilous, raw, blue, erotic, suggestive, unchaste,
unvirtuous, Colloq randy, Slang hot, horny: He is said to have
chronicled the lewd goings-on at the Hellfire Club.


12.3 liability...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



liability n. 1 answerability, responsibility, burden, onus,
accountability: Who bears the liability for the company's
losses? 2 obligation, debt, indebtedness, arrear(s), debit:
Outstanding shares are treated as a liability of the
corporation. 3 disadvantage, drawback, hindrance, impediment,
encumbrance, snag, hitch, barrier, obstacle, obstruction,
burden, onus: Her biggest liability is her inability to read.
4 exposure, susceptibility, vulnerability: The insurer's
liability is spread amongst many underwriters.

liable adj. 1 likely, apt, prone, inclined, disposed: She is liable
to want payment for her contribution. 2 answerable,
responsible, accountable, obligated, blameable, blameworthy, Law
actionable: An owner is liable for damage done by his dog. 3
exposed, susceptible, vulnerable, open, subject: Certain kinds
of plants are more liable to disease.


liaison n. 1 connection, communication, contact, linkage, affiliation,
relationship, relations: Liaison between the ministries is
improving. 2 contact, intermediary, link, tie, medium,
go-between, agent: She acts as liaison between the heads of
research and manufacturing. 3 (love) affair, amour,
relationship, affaire d'amour, affaire de coeur, intrigue,
romance, entanglement, flirtation: David's wife soon found out
about his liaison with the girl in the typing pool.


liar n. fabricator, prevaricator, perjurer, falsifier, teller of
tales, false witness, Ananias, Baron von M•nchhausen, Colloq
fibber: He's a liar if he says he saw me that night - I was ill
in bed.

libel n. 1 defamation, vilification, denigration, denunciation,
deprecation, depreciation, belittlement, disparagement,
derogation, disgrace, ill repute, dishonour, obloquy, shame,
humiliation, mortification: His entire conversation is a
perpetual libel on his acquaintances. 2 slander, calumny, lie,
falsehood, prevarication, untruth, misrepresentation, aspersion,
innuendo, insinuation, slur, smear, blot, stain, smirch, stigma:
For years he suffered the libels circulated by his ex-mistress.


--v. 3 defame, vilify, denigrate, denounce, deprecate,
depreciate, belittle, disparage, derogate, disgrace, dishonour,
shame, humiliate, mortify: He claims to have been libelled by
an article in the newspaper. 4 slander, calumniate, lie about,
misrepresent, asperse, insinuate, slur, smear, malign, stain,
blacken, discredit, besmirch, stigmatize, traduce, vilify, Rare
vilipend, Colloq chiefly US bad-mouth: There is often a fine
line between libelling a person and exercising freedom of
speech.


liberal adj. 1 generous, bountiful, free, open-hearted, open,
open-handed, bounteous, charitable, philanthropic, munificent,
magnanimous, big, big-hearted, unstinting, unselfish, unsparing;
lavish, abundant, ample, large, handsome, plentiful, copious:
Lady Browning is a liberal benefactor of our cause. Thank you
for your liberal contributions. 2 progressive, libertarian,
reformist, humanistic, left (of centre), latitudinarian,
non-partisan, unaligned or non-aligned, individualistic, South
African verligte: The liberal voters found little to attract
them in the latest election. 3 free, not literal, flexible,
lenient, loose, broad, open, disinterested, impartial,
dispassionate, fair, broad-minded, open-minded, unprejudiced,
unbigoted, unjaundiced, unopinionated, tolerant: Judge Reid is
known for his liberal interpretation of the law.


--n. 4 progressive, libertarian, reformer, progressivist,
latitudinarian, independent, freethinker, leftist, left-winger,
South African verligte: They think of themselves as liberals,

not as conservatives.

liberalize
v. 1 broaden, widen, extend, expand, stretch, enlarge: The
purpose of the law is to liberalize the functions of solicitors.
2 loosen, ease, slacken, relax, modify, change, moderate,
soften: The police really ought to liberalize the parking
regulations in this area.


liberate v. 1 (set) free, release, set at liberty, disenthral,
emancipate, manumit, deliver, enfranchise, (let) loose, let go,
let out, let off: When the enemy retreated, the army liberated
the prisoners of war. After her divorce, she felt like a
liberated woman. 2 steal, pilfer, purloin, take, appropriate:
She was caught liberating some books from the library.

liberation
n. freeing, liberating, deliverance, emancipation,
enfranchisement, enfranchising, delivery, rescue, rescuing,
release, releasing, loosing, unfettering, unshackling,
unchaining: The liberation of the prisoners occurred on May
Day, 1945.

libertine n. 1 lecher, reprobate, profligate, rake, rakehell, rou‚,
debaucher, womanizer, seducer, fornicator, adulterer, debauchee,
whoremonger, philanderer, Don Juan, Lothario, Casanova, Colloq
wolf, lady-killer, (old) goat, dirty old man: He fancied
himself a libertine, but women shunned him like the plague.


--adj. 2 licentious, lecherous, reprobate, profligate, rakish,
rakehell, philandering, dissolute, immoral, degenerate,
depraved, debauched, decadent, dirty, filthy, amoral, wanton,
lewd, lascivious, prurient, lubricious or lubricous, salacious,
Paphian, libidinous, ruttish, goatish, hircine, satyric(al),
carnal, bestial, Colloq randy, Slang horny: A paragon of
prudery to his family, Viscount Guarnier secretly led a life of
wild, libertine abandon.

liberty n. 1 freedom, independence, self-determination, autonomy,
self-rule, self-government, self-direction, sovereignty: People
have always been willing to die for their liberty. 2 right,
freedom, franchise, carte blanche, privilege, prerogative,
licence, leave, permission, authorization: I was given the

liberty to go where I pleased. 3 freedom, licence, initiative,
exemption, exception, privilege: On a strict diet, she allowed
herself no liberties whatever. 4 at liberty. free, uninhibited,
unfettered, unconstrained, unrestricted, unrestrained,
liberated: I was at liberty to do as I pleased. 5 take a
liberty or the liberty or often liberties. be unrestrained or
presumptuous or bold or uninhibited or overfamiliar or forward
or aggressive or impudent or impertinent or audacious or
improper; display or exercise boldness or impropriety or
presumption or presumptuousness or indecorum or unseemliness or
boldness or arrogance: She thought he was taking liberties in
asking her to dance. I took the liberty of asking her to
accompany me.


licence n. 1 leave, permission, liberty, authorization, authority,
entitlement, dispensation, right, carte blanche, freedom,
latitude, free choice, privilege, charter: Merely being
eighteen does not give you licence to do exactly as you please.
2 permit, certificate, credential(s), paper(s): Bring along
your driving licence. 3 disregard, deviation, departure,
nonconformity, non-compliance, divergence: Such grammatical
abnormalities are an exercise of poetic licence.

license v. 1 authorize, allow, permit, certify, sanction, approve,
commission: The government once had the power to license books
for publication. 2 certify, document, accredit, entitle,
validate, enable, empower: Whoever licensed him to drive a car
made a grave mistake.


lieฐ v. 1 prevaricate, fabricate, misrepresent, invent, commit
perjury, perjure or forswear oneself, Colloq fib: If he says
that I ate the last cake, he's lying.

--n. 2 falsehood, untruth, falsification, misrepresentation,
fiction, invention, prevarication, fib, fabrication, Colloq
story, cock-and-bull story, (tall) tale, whopper, US fish story,
fish tale: His claim of having been attacked was found to be a
lie.


lie v. 1 recline, stretch out, be prostrate or recumbent or prone
or supine: I'm going to lie down for a nap before dinner. 2
rest, repose; can be found, be, be situated: The book is lying
on the table. The land lies on the Berkshire-Surrey border. 3

rest, repose, be, reside, dwell, abide, remain, belong: The
responsibility lies with you. 4 press, burden, weigh, rest, be:
The onus for the crime lies heavily on him. 5 lie low. hide,
remain concealed or in hiding, keep out of sight, Colloq Brit
lie doggo: You'd better lie low till the affair is forgotten.

--n. 6 lie of the land. state, status, condition, situation,
atmosphere, mood, spirit, temper, character: You ought to
determine the lie of the land before submitting your proposal.


life n. 1 existence, entity, being; sentience, viability: Who can
imagine the possible forms of life in the universe? 2
existence, survival, living, subsistence, sustenance: Certain
nutriments are necessary to life on earth. 3 existence, living,
way of life, lifestyle: What kind of life does he lead? I enjoy
country life. 4 existence, lifetime, time; duration: She did
much during her short life. The life of a light-bulb depends on
how often it is switched off and on. 5 person, mortal, human
(being), individual, soul: The new drug might save millions of
lives. 6 biography, autobiography, memoir(s), (life) story: He
has written a life of Mozart. 7 soul, spirit, spark of life,
vital spark, moving spirit, life-force, ‚lan vital; lifeblood;
animation, vitality, liveliness, sprightliness, vivacity,
sparkle, dazzle, dash, ‚lan, vigour, verve, zest, flavour,
pungency, freshness, effervescence, brio, flair, vim, energy,
exuberance, enthusiasm, Colloq pep, zing, get-up-and-go: We
must breathe some life into these people. Eva is always the life
of the party. 8 obsession, preoccupation, passion, fixation,
compulsion: Model railways are his life. 9 bounce, resilience,
spring, elasticity: There's no life in this old tennis ball.

lifeless adj. 1 dead: I stared at the lifeless body of the man. 2
unconscious, inanimate, insensate, inert, unmoving, dead,
insensible: At the news of the accident, she sank, lifeless, to
the floor. 3 dull, boring, tiresome, heavy, lacklustre, torpid,
tedious, flat, stale, uninteresting, colourless, uninspiring,
vapid, wooden: The production was a success apart from Ellen's
lifeless performance as Portia. 4 barren, desert, desolate,
bare, sterile, bleak, empty, uninhabited, unoccupied, dreary,
waste: We gazed at the lifeless landscape of the moon.

lifelike adj. authentic, realistic, natural, true to life, real,
faithful, graphic, vivid: She painted a very lifelike picture

of her cat.

lift v. 1 raise, elevate; hoist, heave (up): She lifted her eyes to
the heavens. The pallbearers lifted the coffin to their
shoulders. 2 Often, lift up. exalt, raise, elevate, uplift,
boost, upgrade, promote, advance; improve, ameliorate, better,
dignify, enhance, ennoble, enshrine, deify, immortalize: His
unusual talents lifted him up from the ranks of ordinary
mortals. 3 discontinue, end, terminate, stop: The siege was
lifted after six months. 4 withdraw, cancel, confiscate, take
away, rescind, void, annul: They charged him with driving while
intoxicated and lifted his licence. 5 rise, disappear,
dissipate, vanish: When the fog lifted, I saw that we were
about to run aground. 6 steal, appropriate, pilfer, pocket,
thieve, take, purloin; plagiarize, copy, Colloq pinch, crib,
liberate, Slang Brit nick, Old-fashioned half-inch: He went
into the supermarket and lifted a bottle of scotch. This passage
was lifted from my book in its entirety.


--n. 7 ride: She looked tired so I gave her a lift home. 8 US
and Canadian elevator: Take the lift to the tenth floor. 9
encouragement, boost, stimulus, inducement, inspiration,
reassurance, cheering up, Colloq shot in the arm: Winning first
prize has given Susan the lift she needed to continue with her
writing.

lightฐ n. 1 illumination, brightness, daylight, lamplight,
candlelight, firelight, gaslight, torchlight, starlight,
moonlight, sunlight; gegenschein, counterglow: There is just
enough light for me to read the label. 2 lamp, light-bulb,
torch, beacon, lantern, candle, flare, headlight or headlamp,
street-light or street lamp, US and Canadian flashlight: I saw
a light in the distance. Someone turned off the lights. 3
radiance, radiation, luminescence, glare, gleam, glow,
reflection, luminosity, shine, sparkle, scintillation,
incandescence, phosphorescence, fluorescence: The light of the
full moon shone through the window. 4 daybreak, dawn, sunrise,
US sun-up: We leave at first light. 5 clarification,
enlightenment, insight, understanding, elucidation,
simplification, explanation: After an hour's talk with his
lawyer, he finally saw the light and confessed. Can you shed a
little light on this problem, Robyn? 6 window, window-pane: The
west wall has three windows of six lights each. 7 match,

lighter, spill, taper, fire, flame, ignition: Can you give me a
light for my cigarette? 8 highlight: Note the chiaroscuro
effect from the lights and shadows in the drawing. 9 bring to
light. reveal, unearth, find, uncover, unveil, discover, expose,
disclose, make known: A vital fact has recently been brought to
light. 10 come to light. be revealed, be unearthed, be
uncovered, be unveiled, be discovered, be exposed, be disclosed,
appear, come out, turn up, transpire, develop, evolve, emerge:
The truth about her parents has finally come to light. 11 Brit
in the light of or US in light of. considering, in view of, in
consideration of, taking into account, keeping or bearing in
mind: In the light of his condition, he has decided to pull out
of the competition. 12 shed or throw (some, a little) light on.
explain, elucidate, simplify, clarify: Perhaps you could throw
some light on the reason why she refuses to leave the house.

--adj. 13 (well-)illuminated, bright, alight, (well-)lit,
(well-)lighted, shining, luminous, effulgent, brilliant,
beaming, incandescent, phosphorescent, fluorescent: The
lightest room in the house is the kitchen. 14 pale, light-hued:
Put the light blue chair over here.

--v. 15 ignite, set alight, set or put a match to, kindle;
burn, touch off, set fire to, fire: It's getting chilly, so
you'd better light the fire. When the bomb was in place, they
lit the fuse. 16 illuminate, light up, lighten, brighten: Take
this candle to light your way to the bedroom. 17 turn on,
switch on, put on: Light the lamps. 18 light up. lighten,
brighten, cheer up, liven up: The moment she walked in, the
whole room lit up. Her face lit up when she saw him.

light adj. 1 lightweight, portable: I bought some light garden
furniture. 2 underweight, skinny, slight: Isn't Ted a bit
light for his height? 3 faint, dim, obscure, indistinct,
unclear, faded, imperceptible: There is a very light pencil
mark on the paper. 4 faint, gentle, mild, slight, delicate,
insignificant: A light breeze rippled the surface of the pool.
5 dainty, graceful, delicate, gentle, slight: He felt the light
brush of her lips on his. 6 not weighty, frivolous,
unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, inconsiderable,
trivial, trifling, evanescent, unsubstantial, slight,
superficial: The party was a very light affair. 7 nimble,
agile, active, swift, spry, lithe, sprightly, lightsome,

light-footed, limber, lissom or lissome: When dancing, he may
be light on his feet, but he's not very light on mine. 8
simple-minded, light-headed, scatterbrained, rattle-brained,
bird-brained, feather-brained, hare-brained, flighty, giddy,
dizzy, silly, inane, foolish, frivolous, empty-headed, vacant,
vacuous, shallow, superficial: Featherstone is a bit too light
in the head to be a good manager. 9 cheerful, happy, gay,
sunny, merry, light-hearted, happy-go-lucky, easygoing, joyful,
jovial, jolly: No‰l has written another light drawing-room
comedy. 10 easy, not burdensome, endurable, bearable,
tolerable, supportable, undemanding, effortless, untaxing,
moderate: After my surgery, I was able to resume light duties
at the office. The tax on such a small income is very light.
You should take some light exercise every day. 11 amusing,
entertaining, witty, diverting: The book hasn't much substance,
but it makes good light reading. 12 make light of. dismiss,
write off, shrug off; trivialize; ridicule: The teacher made
light of my attempts to play the concerto.


--v. 13 alight, land, come or go down, descend, settle;
deplane, disembark or debark, detrain, dismount: The bird was
so tame it lighted on my finger. 14 light into. attack, assail,
lambaste, assault, pounce or fall on or upon, beat, belabour;
abuse, tongue-lash, harangue, upbraid, scold, berate, Colloq
lace into; Slang clobber: He really lit into the challenger in
the third round. Her mother lit into her for not doing her
homework. 15 light on or upon. chance or happen or stumble or
hit on or upon, come across, encounter, find, meet up with: She
claimed she lit upon the formula when reading some ancient
hieroglyphics.

lightenฐ v. 1 illuminate, brighten, light up: Opening the curtains
would lighten up the room. 2 cheer (up), brighten, gladden,
shine; smile: Her face lightened when he said he would be home
for the holidays.

lighten v. disencumber, disburden, relieve, alleviate, reduce, lessen,
mitigate: To lighten my load, I had left my suitcase at the
hotel.


likeฐ adj., adv. 1 similar (to), akin (to), allied (to), parallel (to
or with), comparable (to or with), equivalent (to), equal (to),
identical (to), cognate (with), analogous (to), corresponding

(to), correspondent (to), close (to), homologous (to or with),
of a piece (with), (much) the same (as), along the same lines
(as), not unlike: We hold like opinions. Her opinions are like
mine. Her pies are like the ones my mother used to bake.
Problems like this give me a headache. Opposite charges attract,
like charges repel. 2 in the mood for, disposed to: Do you feel
like a walk in the park? He felt like going with me.

--adv. 3 as if, as though: He ran like mad.


--prep. 4 similar to, identical to or with: Her daughter looks
like her. He makes her feel like a perfect fool. 5 in the same
way as, in the manner of, similarly to: Sometimes she acts like
a maniac. The jacket fits him like a glove. He laughed like a
drain. He treats his mother like a child. 6 such as, for
example, for instance, e.g., that is (to say), i.e., in other
words, namely, to wit, viz.: Mistletoe grows on various trees,
like oaks and birches.


--n. 7 match, equal, peer, fellow, opposite number,
counterpart, twin: It is doubtful that we shall see his like
again. 8 same or similar kind or sort or ilk or type or kidney
or breed or mould or cast or strain: The book deals with music,
literature, theatre, painting, and the like.


like v. 1 be fond of, approve of, appreciate, be partial to, have a
fondness or liking for, have a weakness for, take to, delight
in, take pleasure in, derive or get pleasure from, delight in,
find agreeable or congenial, feel attracted to, be or feel
favourably impressed by, relish, love, adore, adulate, Colloq
take a shine to, Slang go for, dig, get a kick out of, US get
off on, groove on, get a bang or a charge out of: She likes a
day at the seaside. He likes chocolate ice-cream. I think she
likes me. 2 Usually, would or should like. prefer, want, wish,
ask: I would like you to try to get to work on time in future.
I'd like a drink.

--n. 3 Usually, likes. preference, partiality, predilection,
liking: We all have our different likes and dislikes.


likeable adj. likeable, genial, amiable, congenial, pleasant, simpatico,
agreeable, pleasing, attractive, appealing, nice, friendly,
winning, charming, engaging, good-natured, winsome: He is

likeable enough, but not my ideal son-in-law.

likelihood
n. probability, strong or distinct possibility, good chance:
We must consider the likelihood that she will refuse to go.

likely adj. 1 probable, liable, expected: Three o'clock is the likely
arrival time. 2 probable, conceivable, reasonable, credible,
plausible, tenable: It seemed likely that Holmes would solve
the case. 3 fitting, able, suitable, probable, seemly, meet,
right, proper, qualified, acceptable, appropriate, apposite;
favourite, odds-on, favoured, promising: Peters is the likely
man for the job. 4 disposed to, apt to, inclined to, liable to:
It's likely to rain. You're likely to think me mad, but I have
my reasons for going.

--adv. 5 probably, undoubtedly, indubitably, no doubt, in all
probability, Colloq like as not: You would most likely say that
I am wrong. He will very likely win the election.


liken v. compare, equate, match, juxtapose: How can you liken him to
Mahatma Gandhi?

likeness n. 1 similarity, resemblance, correspondence, analogy,
agreement, parallelism: The artist has caught her likeness in
the second painting. 2 copy, replica, facsimile, duplicate,
reproduction, model, representation, portrait, painting,
picture, drawing, photograph, sculpture,statue, statuette,
image, simulacrum, icon or ikon: He sells miniature likenesses
of the Eiffel Tower to tourists. 3 appearance, face, figure,
image: The premier's likeness appears on posters throughout the
country.

likewise adv. 1 similarly, in the same or like manner or way: Penny is
sitting quietly and you should do likewise. 2 as well, too,
also, furthermore, further, besides, in addition, moreover, to
boot: There are many ways to take exercise and, likewise, many
ways to avoid it.


liking n. 1 affinity, fondness, affection, love, partiality, bias,
preference, bent, predilection, predisposition, inclination,
appreciation, penchant; eye, appetite, soft spot, weakness: He
has a liking for good claret and beautiful women. 2 taste,

pleasure, fancy, preference: The chef will prepare the steak to
your liking.

limbo n. in limbo. up in the air, consigned to oblivion, in abeyance,
suspended, hanging (fire), neither here nor there, Colloq on
hold, treading water, holding one's breath, US in a holding
pattern, on the shelf, on the back burner: My career is in
limbo till I learn the result of the interview.


limit n. 1 Sometimes, limits. extent, bound(s), end, limitation,
check, curb, restriction, restraint: Is there no limit to how
far you will go to get your own way? 2 Often, limits. border,
edge, end, extent, boundary, bound(s), (boundary or border or
partition) line, frontier, perimeter, periphery: That row of
poplars marks the limit of the property to the east. 3 Often,
limits. area, territory, confines, zone, region, quarter,
district, precinct(s): Stay outside the three-mile limit. We
have jurisdiction only within city limits. 4 the limit. a the
end, the last straw, the straw that broke the camel's back, all
(that) one can take, enough, too much, Colloq it: Your
presumption is the absolute limit - you can't seriously expect
me to lend you money. b outrage, joke, surprise, Colloq caution:
Wasn't Nigel the limit in that hat!?


--v. 5 check, curb, bridle, restrict, restrain, hold in check:
We must limit spending on arms. The shackles limited my
movements. 6 restrict, confine, delimit, narrow, focus, guide,
channel: Please limit your questions to the subject at hand. 7
set, define, determine, fix: The bank manager has limited my
overdraft to half what it was.

limited adj. 1 circumscribed, restricted, fixed, predetermined; small,
little, reduced, minimal: The theatre seats a limited number of
people. She was awarded limited access to the children. 2
narrow, restricted, restrictive, meagre: Few original ideas
presented themselves to his limited imagination.

limitless adj. unrestricted, unrestrained, unconfined, unbounded,
boundless, extensive, vast, immense, enormous, unlimited,
illimitable; interminable, unceasing, incessant, undefined,
immeasurable, innumerable, numberless, countless, myriad,
unending, perpetual, everlasting, eternal: Dickens possessed a
seemingly limitless capacity for characterization. In the

depths of space exist limitless numbers of stars. God's love is
limitless.

limpฐ v. 1 hobble, stagger, totter, dodder, falter: He limped slowly
along the road.

--n. 2 hobble, hobbling, stagger, staggering, totter,
tottering, dodder, doddering, falter, faltering, claudication,
Slang US gimp: He was easy to recognize at a distance because
of his limp.

limp adj. 1 flaccid, flabby, lax, slack, soft, drooping, relaxed,
unstarched, unstiffened, soft, flexible, pliable, floppy, loose:
The banners hung limp in the still, sultry air. 2 exhausted,
tired, fatigued, worn out, spent, enervated, wasted,
debilitated, weak, feeble, frail: He felt limp with exhaustion
after the day's hiking. 3 weak, feeble, ineffective,
ineffectual, flimsy, half-hearted, lukewarm, spineless,
thewless, namby-pamby, Colloq wishy-washy Slang gutless: Having
to visit her grandmother seemed a pretty limp excuse to me.

lineฐ n. 1 mark, pencil-mark, pen-mark, rule, score; stroke,
underline, underscore; diagonal, slash, virgule, shilling-mark,
solidus, separatrix, oblique: The lines on this paper are very
faint. Draw a red line under your name. A line separates the
numerator from the denominator. 2 strip, belt, stripe, band,
border, edge, edging: Do you see that line of trees? Put a
heavy black line round the obituary notices. 3 wrinkle, crease,
crinkle, furrow, crow's-foot: He has many lines on his face.
The palmist said I have a long lifeline. 4 border, borderline,
frontier, limit, boundary; demarcation, threshold: We crossed
the line into Italy. I don't mind cooking dinner, but I draw the
line at washing the dishes. There is a fine line between genius
and insanity. 5 outline, silhouette, contour, figure, profile:
The line of the skirt is too straight. 6 row, rank, column,
file, train, parade, cortege or cortŠge, procession, Brit queue,
Colloq Brit crocodile, tailback: I stood in line for six hours
for tickets. The line wound all the way round the block. 7
field, area, activity, forte, speciality or chiefly US and
Canadian also specialty, specialization, business, profession,
occupation, (line of) work, job, vocation, pursuit, trade,
calling, employment, Colloq racket, game: Saying that he was a
computer programmer, he asked me my line. 8 note, word, card,

postcard, letter, US postal card: Drop me a line when you get
there. 9 course, direction, path, way, route, road, track,
procedure, tack, policy, strategy, tactic(s), approach, plan:
What line will our competitors take to win the account? I
adopted the line of least resistance. 10 information, data,
word, lead, clue, hint: Interpol is trying to get a line on
where he might be found. 11 cord, string, thread, twine, yarn,
strand, filament, rope, cable, hawser: The anchor line became
entangled. Hang the clothes out on the line. 12 track, railway
or US and Canadian also railroad: The accident on the southern
line is delaying all the trains. 13 telephone, wire, cable: We
have three lines at the office. He tried all day to get you on
the line. 14 front (line), vanguard, formation: These men have
been in the line for weeks. Captain Hughes was given command of
a ship of the line. 15 ancestry, descent, stock, lineage,
succession, family, parentage, extraction, heritage, genealogy:
She comes from a long line of horsewomen. 16 assortment, stock,
merchandise, offerings, goods, brand, make, type, kind, variety:
What line of lawnmower do you distribute? 17 Often, lines.
part, role, speech, script, words, Theatre US sides: I know my
lines by heart for the school play. She has one line in the
third act. 18 story, (sales) pitch, blarney, Colloq spiel, song
and dance, Slang con: He handed her a line about being lonely,
but she soon found out why. 19 in or into line. a aligned, in
alignment, true, straight, in a row, plumb: Bring the balusters
for the railing in line. b in agreement, in accord, in
accordance, in conformity, in step, in harmony, US lined up: We
are bringing the staffing requirements into line with the
council's recommendations. c Usually, into line. under or in
control: Were you able to bring the other board members into
line? 20 in line for. ready for, short-listed for, on the short
list for, up for, being considered for, under consideration for,
a candidate for, in the running for: We all think she's in line
for a promotion.


--v. 21 rule, inscribe, score, underline, underscore: If you
use lined paper, your writing wouldn't be so wavy. 22 edge,
border, fringe: Millions lined the streets for the parade. 23
line up. a organize, prepare, ready, assemble, set up, put or
set in place, develop, formulate, arrange (for), coordinate:
Everything is all lined up for the big event. b arrange for,
secure, get (hold of), obtain, contract for; uncover, dig up,
acquire, engage, hire, sign (up), contract with, hire, employ:

We lined up an excellent after-dinner speaker. c queue (up),
form a line, get in line, form ranks or columns: Hundreds of us
lined up for meals three times a day. d align, array,
straighten, order: These paragraphs should line up. Line up the
troops for inspection at 0600.

line v. 1 interline, cover, face; ceil: The coat is lined with fur.
2 line one's pockets. accept bribes, graft, US sell out, Colloq
US be on the take: He was secretly lining his pockets during
his years on the council.

lineage n. 1 extraction, ancestry, family tree, pedigree, descent,
stock, bloodline, parentage, genealogy: She has spent a lot of
time tracing the lineage of the village's families. 2 forebears,
forefathers, foremothers, family, people, clan; descendants,
succession, progeny, offspring: Does Debrett list his lineage?
Peerages were confined to the lineage of the person ennobled.

linen n. Often, linens. bedclothes, bed linen(s), sheets and
pillowcases; table linen(s), napery, tablecloths and napkins;
bath linen(s), towels and wash-cloths: The soiled linen is sent
to the laundry.

linger v. 1 Sometimes, linger on. stay (behind), remain, tarry,
loiter, persist, hang on, endure, persevere, survive, Colloq
hang or stick about or around: The smell of tobacco lingered
for hours after he had gone. He lingered on for a day, then died
from his wounds. 2 pause, dawdle, dally, lag, idle: She
lingered for a moment at the jeweller's window. 3 Often, linger
on or over. dwell on, elaborate, harp on, labour: I shall not
linger over the details of the crime. 4 procrastinate, dither,
shilly-shally, temporize: You must stop lingering and decide
today.


lingering adj. 1 long, persistent, protracted, remaining: I was left
with the lingering feeling that I had forgotten to tell her
something. 2 slow, long-drawn-out, gradual: She died a
lingering, painful death.


lingo n. jargon, argot, cant, patois, pidgin, Creole, parlance,
vernacular, dialect, idiom, language, talk, speech; gobbledegook
or gobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo-jumbo: In medical lingo, he
is suffering from coryza - in other words, a cold.


link n. 1 tie, bond, coupling, connector, vinculum; element,
constituent, component: A chain is no stronger than its weakest
link. 2 connection, tie-up, tie-in, relation, relationship,
association, affiliation, interdependence: What is the link
between her arrival and his sudden departure? He thinks he's
identified the missing link.

--v. 3 Often, link up. couple, join, fasten (together), unite;
concatenate: They linked arms to form a barrier. 4 connect,
tie (up or in or together), associate, relate, identify with: I
cannot help feeling that this murder links up with the others.

liquid n. 1 fluid, liquor, juice, solution: Mixing these two liquids
could be dangerous.

--adj. 2 fluid, flowing, running, runny, fluent, liquefied,
watery, molten, melted: Her hair was the colour of liquid gold.
3 bright, shining, brilliant, clear, transparent, translucent,
limpid: The surface of the lake gleamed like liquid sunshine.
4 convertible; solvent, profitable: Government bonds are
regarded as liquid assets. The company remains liquid despite
losses.


liquor n. 1 spirits, alcohol, (strong) drink, intoxicants, John
Barleycorn, schnapps, whisky or US and Irish whiskey, demon rum,
moonshine, US white lightning, white mule; Colloq booze,
pick-me-up, hard stuff, fire-water, juice, mother's ruin (=
'gin'), US Kickapoo mountain joy juice; Slang rot-gut, Chiefly
US and Canadian hooch or hootch, US sauce, red-eye, mountain
dew: I don't drink liquor, but I will have some tea. 2 liquid,
fluid, extract, broth, stock, distillate, concentrate, infusion:
After poaching the fish, pour off the liquor and save it.


listฐ n. 1 listing, roster, roll, rota, catalogue, directory,
register, index, record, schedule, muster, slate, beadroll,
laundry list, shopping list, inventory, file, tabulation;
bibliography, liber veritatis, catalogue raisonn‚: Select what
you need from this list.


--v. 2 catalogue, register, index, record, note, itemize,
enumerate, schedule, tabulate, chronicle, book, enter, enrol:
Those eligible to vote are listed in this computer printout.


list v. 1 lean (over), tilt, slant, heel (over), tip, careen, cant,
incline: The ship suddenly listed to starboard and I was thrown
onto the deck.


--n. 2 lean, tilt, slant, heel, tip, cant, slope, inclination:
The leak caused a severe list to port.

listen v. 1 hear, pay attention (to), attend, lend an ear (to), prick
up one's ears, keep one's ears open, Archaic hark (to), hearken
or US also harken (to): I was listening to the radio when you
phoned. 2 obey, heed, mind, pay attention (to), do as one is
told: You wouldn't be in this trouble if you'd listened to me.


listless adj. sluggish, lethargic, weary, weak, enervated, spent,
languid, lifeless, heavy, phlegmatic, unemotional, impassive;
unenthusiastic, indifferent, apathetic, unconcerned, lukewarm,
tepid, cool, uncaring, insouciant; pococurante, Laodicean: She
was just over an illness and feeling quite listless.


litany n. 1 prayer, invocation, supplication, petition: The monks
trudged through the streets, chanting their litany. 2
recitation, recital, enumeration, listing, list, cataloguing,
catalogue, inventorying, inventory: We had to sit through an
interminable litany of the names of contributors to the fund.

literal adj. 1 word-for-word, verbatim, line-for-line,
letter-for-letter, literatim, exact, precise, faithful, strict:
In a literal translation the spirit of the original is often
lost. 2 denotative, etymological, semantic, dictionary,
lexical, basic, essential, pure, simple, simplistic, real,
objective, true, genuine, bona fide, unvarnished, unadulterated,
unembellished, simple-minded, uncomplicated, unbiased,
unprejudiced, Colloq honest-to-goodness, honest-to-God: 'Female
parent' may be the literal definition of mother, but it doesn't
convey the emotional and connotative senses of the word. 3
prosaic, matter-of-fact, colourless, dull, down-to-earth,
literal-minded, unimaginative, humdrum, boring, tedious: His
literal approach to everything spoils the conversation for those
who have any spirit.

literally adv. 1 word for word, verbatim, line for line, letter for
letter, literatim, faithfully, strictly, exactly, precisely,

closely; thus, sic: Generally cordon sanitaire means 'buffer
zone', but literally it means 'sanitary line'. 2 actually,
truly, in fact, really: When I said he'd spilled the beans, I
meant it figuratively, not literally.


literary adj. 1 erudite, well-read, cultured, learned, bookish,
scholarly, lettered, cultivated, refined, educated; literate:
Her latest book has been scorned by the literary ‚lite. 2
written, formal, scholarly, pedantic, learned, academic,
scholastic, school-marmish: His writing contains literary words
rarely heard in ordinary conversation.

literature
n. 1 writing(s), letters, belles-lettres, creative writing(s):
These works are representative of the literature of the period.
2 information, facts, data, publicity; propaganda; brochures,
pamphlets, hand-outs, handbills, leaflets, circulars: As a
member, you will be sent literature about future events. They
print subversive literature.


litigant n. litigator, party, plaintiff, appellant, suitor, petitioner,
suer, defendant, appellee, accused: The judge suggested that
the litigants settle out of court.


litigation
n. lawsuit, suit, action, case, legal remedy: The costs of
litigation are extremely high.

litter n. 1 rubbish, debris, refuse, fragments, odds and ends, US and
Canadian trash, Colloq junk: The room was strewn with food
wrappers, cigarette butts, and other litter. 2 brood, issue,
offspring, young: Note the differences in the young of the same
litter. 3 stretcher, palanquin or palankeen, sedan chair: The
potentate was borne in on a litter carried by four huge Nubians.


--v. 4 clutter, strew, scatter: The streets were littered with
bricks and broken glass.

little adj. 1 small, short, slight, tiny, minute, diminutive,
miniature, mini, baby, doll-sized, undersized, dwarf, midget,
pygmy, elfin, toy, bantam, petite, wee, infinitesimal,
minuscule, Lilliputian, teeny, teeny-weeny, teensy-weensy,
itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy, microscopic: I live in a little house.

A little red-faced man suddenly appeared. They sat drinking
coffee out of little white cups. 2 young, small, youthful: You
are asking a lot from a little boy. 3 small, sparse, skimpy,
meagre, scant, insufficient, inadequate, not enough, scanty,
barely or hardly any: A little crowd gathered round us. You
will get little help from her. There's too little milk for us to
make custard. 4 short, brief: We had only a little time
together before he was sent overseas. 5 trifling, trivial,
small, minor, petty, paltry, insignificant, inconsiderable,
unimportant, inconsequential, negligible: He seemed to consider
my safety of little importance. He does a little business on the
side. You are too concerned about little things. 6
small(-minded), petty, picayune, mean, ungenerous, illiberal,
cheap, narrow(-minded), unimaginative, shallow: What is going
on in his cunning little brain?

--adv. 7 seldom, rarely, hardly ever, scarcely: I travel very
little these days. 8 (but or only) slightly, barely, hardly,
scarcely, no, not any, not much: She arrived with little more
than what she was wearing. 9 scarcely, hardly: Little does he
care whether he wins his wager.

--pron. 10 bit, dab, dollop, particle, spoonful, taste,
thimbleful, speck, spot, scrap, crumb, particle, Colloq smidgen
or smidgin: If you could spare me a little of your time, I'd be
grateful.

live adj. 1 living, breathing, animate, viable, existent; material,
physical, tangible, real, actual, palpable: She said she'd
rather be a live beggar than a dead countess. My cat brought me
a live mouse into the house the other day. 2 energetic, lively,
spirited, vigorous, active, dynamic, busy; current,
contemporary: Our new advertising agency seems to have some
live ideas. The other party made nuclear disarmament a live
issue in the election. 3 burning, glowing, flaming, alight,
red-hot, white-hot: A live coal popped out of the grate onto
the carpet. 4 loaded, explosive, unexploded, combustible:
Builders have dug up a live bomb in London. 5 charged,
electrified: Don't touch a live wire or you'll get a shock.


--v. 6 breathe, exist; function: There has never lived a more
gifted scholar. She lives as a recluse. 7 survive, persist,
last, persevere, endure; spend, continue, live out, complete,

end, conclude, finish: He lived out his days happily in
Torquay. 8 reside, dwell, be; abide, stay, remain, lodge, room:
He normally lives in Acton, but at the moment he's living with
his mother in Kent. 9 subsist, get along, survive, fare: Many
old-age pensioners complain that they have barely enough to live
on.

lively adj. 1 full of life, vigorous, energetic, vivacious, spirited,
brisk, spry, active, animated, frisky, sprightly, agile, nimble,
perky, chirpy, bouncy, buoyant, gay, cheery, cheerful, Colloq
chipper, full of pep, peppy: His speech sparked off a lively
discussion. The carriage was drawn by a pair of lively horses. 2
strong, intense, vivid, keen, pointed, eager, energetic, active:
She takes a lively interest in current affairs. 3 active, busy,
bustling, stirring, eventful, swarming, teeming; astir, alive:
We joined the lively crowd at the antiques fair. The streets
near the square were lively with people rushing to and fro. 4
vivid, bright, gay, cheerful, glowing, brilliant, gorgeous,
rich: Some lively colours in the upholstery and curtains would
brighten up the sitting-room.

liven v. Often, liven up. 1 brighten, cheer, enliven, perk up: You
need some fresh paint to liven up the outside of the house. 2
invigorate, stimulate, energize, inspirit, activate, animate,
fire, stir (up), put (some) life into, enliven, perk up, Colloq
pep up: We need a good dance band to liven up the place in the
evenings.

12.4 load...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



load n. 1 weight, burden; onus, pressure, encumbrance, millstone,
cross, albatross, responsibility, care, anxiety, worry, trouble:
He put down his load and rested. Seeing her safe is a load off
my mind. 2 shipment, consignment, cargo, weight: That load is
too heavy for the van.

--v. 3 pack, pile, stack, heap, fill, lade, stuff, cram, jam,
squeeze: Load all the boxes you can in the truck. 4 Often,
load down. weigh down, burden, encumber, saddle with, overwhelm:
I was loaded down with too many responsibilities.

loaded adj. 1 overloaded, overwhelmed, burdened, laden, weighted
(down), filled (up), chock-full, chock-a-block, stuffed, jammed,
packed, crowded, brimming, brim-full, crammed: A fully loaded
lorry has overturned near exit 5. The train was loaded with
commuters. 2 charged, primed, ready: Be careful - the gun is
loaded. 3 charged, tricky, manipulative, insidious, prejudiced,
prejudicial, trap, devious: 'When did you stop beating your
wife?' is what anybody would call a loaded question. 4 rich,
wealthy, affluent, moneyed, well-to-do, well off, Colloq flush,
well-heeled , US in the chips, Slang rolling in it: I hear that
her new husband is really loaded. 5 drunk: He was loaded
before he even went to the party.

loafฐ n. 1 brick, cake, block, chunk; lump, cube: We could do with
an extra loaf of bread. 2 head, sense, brains, Colloq noggin,
noodle, block, bean, Brit noddle, Slang Brit chump: Use your
loaf!

loaf v. 1 lounge (about or around), loiter, idle, laze, lie about or
around, take it easy, vegetate, watch the grass grow, Colloq US
lallygag or lollygag, Slang Brit skive, Military scrimshank, US
goof off, US military gold-brick, Taboo slang US fuck off, fuck
the dog: There are always some youngsters loafing about in the
park. 2 loaf away. waste, fritter away, idle away: He loafs
away all his time watching the telly.

loafer n. idler, layabout, wastrel, shirker, flƒneur, ne'er-do-well,
tramp, vagrant, Old-fashioned lounge lizard, slugabed, Colloq
lazybones, Brit drone, US bum, (ski or tennis or surf) bum,
Slang Brit skiver, Military scrimshanker, US military gold brick
or gold-bricker, Taboo slang US fuck-off: Why did she marry
that good-for-nothing loafer?

loan n. 1 advance, allowance, credit, accommodation: We needed a
loan to pay for Melissa's education.

--v. 2 lend, advance, allow, credit: The bank loaned us enough
money to buy a car.


loath adj. loth, unwilling, reluctant, averse, disinclined,
indisposed: I was loath to tell my wife where I had been.

loathe v. detest, hate, despise, abhor, abominate, execrate, shrink or

recoil from, shudder at: I love broccoli but loathe
cauliflower.

loathing n. hatred, abhorrence, aversion, hate, odium, detestation,
antipathy, repugnance, horror, revulsion: She treated her
critics with loathing.

loathsome adj. detestable, abhorrent, odious, hateful, disgusting,
execrable, abominable, despicable, contemptible, noisome,
offensive, horrible, repulsive, repugnant, nauseating,
sickening, revolting, nasty, vile: Without warning, the
loathsome beast attacked me. She died shortly of a loathsome
disease.


lob v. 1 loft, toss, pitch, shy, heave, fling, chuck, hurl, throw:
She lobbed the ball high in the air over the net.

--n. 2 toss, throw, bowl, pitch, hit, US fly: I misjudged the
slow lob and swung too soon.


lobby n. 1 foyer, entrance-hall, vestibule, entry, US entry-way;
reception (room or area), waiting-room, corridor, hall, hallway:
We were to meet in the main lobby of the arts centre. 2
special-interest group, pressure group, lobbyist: A powerful
lobby has been formed to influence farming legislation.

--v. 3 (bring) pressure (to bear), (exert) influence, persuade,
pull strings or wires, put one's weight behind, sway, press,
push, promote, urge, Brit pressurize: Environmentalists are
lobbying for a ban on fluorocarbons.

local adj. 1 neighbourhood, neighbouring, nearby, close by;
adjoining: She works for a local butcher. The law affects only
the local area. 2 provincial, regional, district, state, county,
shire, municipal, city, town, village, neighbourhood;
restricted, limited, specific, particular, peculiar: Clean
water is a general, not a local problem.

--n. 3 resident, native, townsman, townswoman, townsperson:
The locals all voted against the proposition. 4 neighbourhood
pub: He stopped in at his local on the way home.

locale n. site, location, spot, place, setting, venue, neighbourhood,

situation, locality: We moved the locale of the film to Spain.

locate v. 1 situate, place, site, position, set (up), fix, pinpoint,
establish, settle, base: Where is your office located? We
located our warehouse close to the railway. 2 find, come across,
discover, unearth, lay or put or get one's hand(s) or finger(s)
on, chance or hit upon, turn up, track down: Where can I locate
a good piano player?


location n. 1 site, place, locale, spot, setting, situation, position:
We have just moved to a new location. 2 finding, discovery,
laying or putting or getting one's hand(s) or finger(s) on,
unearthing, turning up, tracking down: The location of the
other half of the coin became an obsession with him.


lockฐ n. 1 padlock, hasp, bolt, latch, bar, hook, clasp, catch: Why
put a lock on the door if there is nothing worth stealing
inside? 2 hold; control, power, sway, authority, command,
supervision: The bureau has a complete lock on the issue of
licences.

--v. 3 Often, lock up. padlock, bolt, latch, bar, secure, seal:
Lock the doors before leaving for the day. 4 clasp, entangle,
engage, join, entwine, close; clutch, grasp, grapple: For six
hours the knights were locked in battle. 5 lock away. See lock
up or away, below. 6 lock in. a secure, retain, fix, plant,
implant, stabilize: What does the maker mean by 'the flavour is
locked in'? b commit, oblige, constrain, bind: We are locked
in to the promises we made to our employees. c lock up or away,
confine, restrain, coop up: You'd better lock in the dogs
before you leave. 7 lock on. fix on or upon, track, follow,
pursue, keep track of: Our sights are locked on the target. 8
lock out. exclude, shut out, close out, keep out, bar, debar:
During the strike, the management locked out all employees. 9
lock up or away. confine, jail or Brit also gaol, imprison, coop
up, incarcerate, detain, impound, put behind bars, restrict,
cage: They threatened to lock him up and throw away the key.

lock n. tress, curl, ringlet: As a love token, she sent him a lock
of her hair.

lodge n. 1 hunting-lodge, cabin, chalet, cottage, house; gatehouse,
shelter, hut: I have a small lodge in the mountains. 2 branch,

chapter: He belongs to the Manchester lodge of the Masons.

--v. 3 reside, live, dwell, abide, stay, stop, room, occupy
rooms: For years they lodged together at 221B Baker Street. 4
accommodate, board, put up, billet, quarter, house, take in;
shelter, harbour: Mrs Mulrooney is lodging a student in her
spare room. Her house cannot lodge more than three. 5 stick,
wedge, catch, deposit, become stuck or wedged or fixed or caught
or deposited, embed itself, become embedded: I've got an apple
pip lodged in one of my back teeth. 6 register, enter, record,
submit, bring forward, set forth or out, file: We lodged a
complaint against our neighbours because of the noise.

lodging n. Often, lodgings. accommodation(s), shelter, quarters, rooms,
apartment, housing, house, dwelling, dwelling-place, residence:
I found a night's lodging in Cranberry Street.

lofty adj. 1 tall, high, elevated, towering, soaring: The lofty
skyscrapers of New York always impress visitors on first sight.
2 exalted, majestic, imposing, grand, magnificent, noble, regal,
imperial, blue-blooded, thoroughbred, aristocratic, magisterial,
august, stately, venerable, distinguished, dignified, elevated,
eminent, celebrated, honoured, honourable, respected, renowned,
famous, prominent, illustrious, notable, leading, pre-eminent,
sublime, immortal: He is heir to one of England's loftiest
peerages. 3 elevated, honourable, superior, exalted, noble:
Public servants should adhere to lofty principles of morality.
4 grand, grandiose, haughty, arrogant, disdainful,
condescending, contemptuous, scornful, supercilious,
contumelious, patronizing, superior, overweening, vainglorious,
pompous, snobbish, Colloq high and mighty, snooty, uppity, Brit
uppish, Slang snotty, Brit toffee-nosed: Her lofty attitude
made her unpopular with the voters.


logic n. 1 reasoning, deduction, dialectics, ratiocination,
inferential or scientific reasoning: Mill defined logic as the
science of proof, or evidence. 2 (good or common) sense, sound
judgement, wisdom, presence of mind: According to Disraeli,
England was not governed by logic. 3 reasonableness,
intelligence, judiciousness, practicality, rationality: Your
logic is valid, but you are forgetting the human factor.

logical adj. 1 syllogistic(al), inferential, deductive, inductive: Her

argument follows basic logical criteria. 2 reasonable,
plausible, sensible, sound, valid, intelligent, judicious,
practical, rational, wise, proper: Is it logical to assume that
people will believe you? 3 well-organized, sound, coherent,
consistent, sensible, rational, reasonable, well-reasoned,
well-thought-out: The proposal is set forth in a logical
fashion, from premise to conclusion.

lonely adj. 1 single, solitary, sole, lone, one; unaccompanied, alone:
The lonely survivor of the crash struggled out of the jungle.
She walked for miles, lonely and desolate. 2 desolate,
uninhabited, deserted, barren: Robinson Crusoe's world was a
lonely place. 3 friendless, lonesome, abandoned, outcast,
forsaken; solo, hermit-like, eremitic(al), reclusive, secluded,
retiring, withdrawn, unsocial: He felt lonely in the strange
city. She leads a lonely existence with only her cat for
company.

lonesome adj. 1 alone, forsaken, friendless, rejected, unpopular,
unwelcome, outcast, deserted, abandoned, estranged: She was
terribly lonesome and homesick before meeting Patrick. 2 See
lonely, 2.

longฐ adj. 1 extensive, extended, elongate(d), large, great, big:
That is a very long snake! 2 lengthy, prolonged, protracted;
extensive, extended, sustained: I waited for a long time.

long v. wish, crave, want, yearn, desire, hunger, fancy, covet,
dream of, hanker, eat one's heart out: I am longing for a good
roast beef dinner. I long to see you once more.

longing n. craving, wish, yearning, hunger, fancy, desire, hankering,
Colloq yen: I have a longing to be home again.


look v. 1 Usually, look at. see, observe, consider, contemplate,
regard, view, survey, inspect, scrutinize, study, scan; pay
attention, attend, notice, watch, witness; Literary behold,
Slang US eyeball: Look at what you've done! Look at the way I
do it. 2 seem (to be), appear (to be): That looks like a
useful utensil. You certainly look healthy. 3 face, front (on),
overlook, look out on: The house looks over the sea at the
back. 4 look after. care for, take care of, be responsible for,
attend, mind, watch, serve, wait on, nurse, protect: Rose will

look after your house while you're away. I need someone to look
after me. 5 look down on or upon or US at. disdain, despise,
contemn, scorn, disparage, derogate, spurn, sneer, misprize,
Colloq turn one's nose up at, look down one's nose at: They
look down on anyone with less money. 6 look for. a seek,
demand, require: We aren't looking for the same things in a
person. b hunt for, forage for, search for: I am looking for a
cup to match my set. c expect, hope, anticipate, count on,
reckon on: I am looking for a better school report next term.
7 look forward to. a anticipate, await, wait for: I am looking
forward to Sunday's match. b expect, count or rely on or upon:
We were looking forward to your help. 8 look into. examine,
study, investigate, inspect, delve into, dig into, probe,
scrutinize, explore, go into, research, check (out), check into:
I shall have to look into the matter. 9 look out. be careful,
be alert, be vigilant, be on the qui vive, be watchful, watch
out, beware, pay attention, be on guard: If you don't look out,
you'll bang your head. 10 look over. look at, examine, read,
scan, study, check (out or over), Slang US eyeball: I haven't
had a chance to look over the material you gave me. 11 look up.
a seek, search for, hunt for, try to find, track or run down: I
meant to look up the etymology of 'picnic'. b get in touch
with, (tele)phone, ring (up), visit, call on, call up, look or
drop in on, go to see: I looked up a friend of mine when I was
in Chicago. c improve, get better, pick up, show improvement,
progress, gain, make headway or progress: He was pleased to see
that business was looking up. 12 look up to. admire, regard
highly, respect, esteem, honour, revere, extol, worship,
idolize, venerate: The boy really looks up to you.


--n. 13 gaze, glance: Her look was inviting. He gave me a
dirty look. Let me have a look at you. 14 looks, appearance,
aspect, bearing, manner, air, demeanour; expression,
countenance, face, mien: I just didn't like the look of the
man. He had a nasty look.

look-alike
n. twin, double, exact or perfect likeness or match, clone,
Colloq spitting image or spit and image; doppelg„nger; Slang
(dead) ringer: She is such a perfect look-alike of Princess
Di's that people follow her in the street.

lookout n. 1 guard, sentry, sentinel, watchman: The lookout reported

that the fort was surrounded by Cochise's braves. 2 alert, qui
vive; guard, watch: Be on the lookout for shoplifters. 3
responsibility, worry, concern, problem, difficulty, Colloq
headache: How he wastes his free time is his lookout, how he
spends his working time is ours.

loom v. 1 appear, emerge, take shape or form, materialize, surface,
arise: A huge figure loomed out of the fog. 2 menace, impend,
threaten, overshadow, tower, dominate, hang or hover over:
Count Dracula's dark castle loomed over us. 3 loom large.
dominate, predominate, play a big or an important role or part:
Sales to children loom large in your predictions.

loop n. 1 hoop, noose, ring, circle, bow, eye, eyelet, coil, whorl,
Nautical bend: I caught my toe in a loop of rope and fell on
the deck.

--v. 2 twist, coil, wind, tie, circle, curl, entwine, turn,
ring, Nautical bend: Loop the thread round the crochet hook and
pull it through.

loophole n. outlet, way out, means of escape, escape, subterfuge,
pretext, evasion, quibble, Colloq dodge: They couldn't
prosecute him because he found a loophole in the law.


loose adj. 1 unattached, unconnected, disconnected, detached, free,
unsecured, unfastened, movable: I have a loose tooth. The
vacuum cleaner will pick up any loose bits. 2 unconfined,
untied, unfettered, released, freed, unshackled, unchained;
free, at liberty, at large, on the loose, untrammelled: In
Pamplona, they allow loose bulls to run through the streets to
the arena. 3 unconfining, free-flowing, flowing, baggy, slack,
hanging: That skirt is loose on you since you lost weight. 4
disordered, disorganized, unbound, untied, messy; strewn or
spread or tossed or thrown about or around, scattered (about or
around), in disorder, in disarray, dispersed: On the desk was a
loose pile of papers. 5 rambling, disconnected, unstructured,
unconnected, discontinuous, non-specific, unspecific,
indefinite, imprecise, inexact, inaccurate, free, broad, rough,
offhand, casual, careless, untidy, sloppy, slapdash, general,
vague: He gave a loose description of his assailant. A loose
translation does not convey the flavour of the original. 6 lax,
relaxed, negligent, careless, sloppy: Discipline has been quite

loose around here lately. 7 wanton, dissolute, debauched,
immoral, promiscuous, abandoned, fast, libertine, profligate,
licentious, lewd, perverted, corrupt: She was quickly gaining a
reputation for being a loose woman.


--adv. 8 break loose. escape, flee: The boy broke loose from
my grasp and ran to greet his mother. 9 hang or stay loose.
relax, stay or keep calm or cool, cool off or down, sit back,
take it easy: Hang loose and everything will be all right. 10
let or set or turn loose. discharge, let go (with); emit, give
out (with), fire: They let him loose after questioning. She let
loose a stream of invective like a fishwife.

--v. 11 let go, (set) free, release, let or set or turn loose;
liberate, deliver: Ten thousand balloons were loosed in the
celebration. 12 untie, undo, unfasten, let go, disengage,
relax, ease, loosen, slacken;, cast off: Loose these ropes,
please. 13 let go, let fly, fire, discharge, shoot, unleash,
deliver: We loosed a devastating barrage at the enemy.


loosen v. 1 loose; undo, unfasten, unhook, unbutton, unlace, untie,
unbind, unbuckle; unscrew: Quick! Loosen his collar! 2 weaken,
detach, separate, sever, break or cut (apart): The vibration
has loosened the rivets.


loot n. 1 booty, spoils, plunder, prize, haul, Slang swag, boodle:
They divided up the loot amongst the gang.

--v. 2 plunder, sack, ransack, rob, pillage, despoil, raid,
ravage, maraud, Rare depredate: The soldiers looted every house
in the city.

lop v. Often, lop off. chop off, trim, top, head, crop, prune,
dock, clip, trim, snip off, shear off, cut off, pare, shorten,
hack off, amputate: Lop the lower branches off close to the
trunk.

lopsided adj. 1 uneven, askew, one-sided, awry, unsymmetrical,
asymmetrical, unequal, crooked, unbalanced, irregular, Colloq
cock-eyed: That lopsided bookcase is the sole product of Ed's
cabinet-making class. 2 uneven, unequal, one-sided, biased,
disproportionate, unfair, warped, twisted: Four against two -
I'd call that lopsided, wouldn't you?


lord n. 1 master, monarch, ruler, sovereign: Harry considers
himself lord of all he surveys. 2 noble, nobleman, peer,
aristocrat; earl, duke, count, viscount, baron: He was made a
lord in recognition of his achievements. 3 The or Our Lord.
God, the Almighty, God Almighty, the Creator, the Supreme Being,
Christ, Jesus, Jehovah: The Lord moves in mysterious ways his
miracles to perform.


--v. lord it over. domineer, swagger, be overbearing, Colloq
boss (around), act big, pull rank: He lords it over everyone in
the office.

lore n. 1 folklore, beliefs, culture, tradition(s), mythology,
myths, mythos, ethos, teaching(s), doctrine, wisdom: According
to their lore, the American Indians go to the Happy Hunting
Ground when they die. 2 knowledge, learning, erudition: He was
acquainted with medical lore through his reading.


lose v. 1 mislay, misplace, displace, part with; suffer the loss of,
be deprived of: I lost my pen. He lost a leg in the war. 2
forfeit, yield: He says he lost the rent money gambling. 3
give up, yield, capitulate, admit defeat, succumb, bow to, be
defeated or conquered, suffer defeat, be beaten or overcome or
worsted or bested, Colloq lose out: It was a good game, but we
lost. 4 waste, let slip, squander, dissipate, fritter or trifle
away, run out of; consume, use (up), expend, spend: We lost a
lot of time waiting for him to decide. 5 elude, evade, escape,
throw or shake off, give the slip: I managed to lose the
sinister-looking man who was shadowing me.

loser n. also-ran, misfit, failure, fiasco, non-starter, Colloq flop,
dud, washout, bummer, lead balloon, lemon, born loser, Brit damp
squib, Brit and Australian no-hoper, US clinker, nebbish,
schlemiel or schlemihl or shlemiel, schlimazel or shlimazel or
shlimazl, schnook, sad sack: Dick is a real loser and will
never amount to anything. His idea for a company newsletter was
a loser.


loss n. 1 deprivation, bereavement, privation, denial, sacrifice,
forfeiture, disappearance: We must be constantly vigilant to
watch for any loss of our liberty. 2 diminution, erosion,
reduction, impoverishment, depletion, shrinkage: New policies

are in place to stem the loss of parkland. 3 disadvantage,
detriment, harm, impairment, injury, damage: I don't regard
Wentworth's resignation as any great loss. 4 waste, wastage,
wasting, squandering: The loss of time was owing to a train
delay. 5 defeat, set-back, disadvantage, disappointment,
failure, downfall, collapse, breakdown, ruin; drubbing,
trouncing: His loss is my gain. 6 Often, losses. debit(s),
liability (liabilities), negative cash flow: The company wrote
off the losses. 7 Often, losses. death, dying, passing, demise,
destruction, extermination, extinction, annihilation: The loss
from disease was overwhelming. What losses did they suffer in
the battle?

lost adj. 1 gone, departed, vanished, strayed; missing, mislaid,
misplaced, irrecoverable: They found my lost dog. The airline
told me that my bag was lost. 2 wasted, misspent, gone by the
board, squandered, down the drain, spent, exhausted, Colloq out
of the window: The new arrangement is resulting in a lot of
time lost. I watched another lost opportunity slip by. 3
confused, baffled, perplexed, puzzled, mystified, bewildered,
confounded, adrift, helpless, disoriented, at sea, astray: I am
totally lost when it comes to high finance. 4 forgotten,
bygone, extinct, past, obsolete, vanished, buried: Good writing
needn't be a lost art. 5 dead, extinct, departed, fallen, late:
We held a memorial service for our lost comrades. 6 destroyed,
demolished, devastated, ruined, wrecked, irreparable,
unsalvageable, irreclaimable, irremediable: After the expos‚ in
the newspaper, his name was consigned to the limbo of lost
reputations. 7 damned, cursed, accursed, abandoned, corrupt,
fallen, wanton, unchaste, dissolute: Unrepentant sinners are
lost souls. 8 hopeless, distraught, distracted, desperate,
frantic, frenzied: He had the lost look of a cornered fugitive.

lot n. 1 collection, batch, consignment, assortment, group,
portion, set, quantity, grouping, apportionment: They are
expecting a new lot of furniture this afternoon. 2 luck,
fortune, destiny, fate, kismet, plight, doom, end: It seems to
be my lot to stay in the same place all my life. 3 lottery,
drawing, raffle, drawing lots or straws: The winner will be
decided by lot. 4 share, portion, division, interest, part,
allotment, assignment, apportionment, ration, allowance:
Marguerite was bequeathed the house, while my lot included the
paintings. 5 a lot or lots. a a good or great deal: You have a

lot of nerve! I'd give a lot to be able to paint like you. He
got into a lot of trouble. b much, loads or a load, mountains or
a mountain, tons or a ton, barrels or a barrel, stacks or a
stack, piles or a pile, heaps or a heap, masses or a mass,
oceans , Colloq oodles, scads, US gobs: She has lots of money.
c many, myriad, numerous, countless, reams, infinite or an
infinity, quantities or a quantity, enormous numbers or an
enormous number, Colloq oodles, scads, loads, tons, masses,:
There are lots of fish in the sea. 6 the lot. everything,
Colloq the whole kit and caboodle, all: I'll give you a fiver
for the lot.

lotion n. cream, liniment, balm, salve, ointment, embrocation,
unguent, pomade: The doctor said to rub in some of this lotion
twice a day.

lottery n. raffle, sweepstake, drawing, pool, Brit tombola: I've never
known anyone who won anything in the national lottery.


loud adj. 1 deafening, ear-splitting, booming, blaring, stentorian,
thundering, thunderous, sonorous, noisy, clamorous, piercing,
fortissimo: The hi-fi is so loud I can't hear myself think. A
loud crash came from the kitchen. 2 tawdry, garish, flashy,
gaudy, tasteless, extravagant, showy, ostentatious, Colloq
splashy, snazzy, jazzy: He was wearing a check suit and the
loudest shirt and tie I had ever seen.

lounge v. 1 idle, loaf, laze, loll, languish, vegetate: After dinner,
we lounged till midnight, sipping port.


--n. 2 sitting-room, salon, front room, parlour: Mother
insisted that we entertain visitors in the lounge. 3 lobby,
foyer, waiting-room, reception (room), vestibule: I was waiting
in the lounge when the doctor returned. 4 cocktail lounge,
(lounge or saloon) bar: We went into the lounge and ordered a
drink. 5 sofa, couch, divan, studio couch, day-bed, settee,
settle, love-seat, chaise longue; causeuse, tˆte-…-tˆte; US and
Canadian Davenport: The psychoanalyst has a lounge on which you
lie while talking to him.


lour v. 1 lower, darken, threaten, menace, loom: The clouds loured:
she suddenly began to feel afraid. 2 lower, frown, scowl,
glower; sulk, pout, mope: He said nothing, but loured at me

from beneath his beetled brow.

lousy adj. 1 awful, terrible, mean, contemptible, low, base, hateful,
detestable, despicable, vile, wretched, miserable, scurvy,
dirty, vicious, Colloq rotten: Telling tales to the teacher was
a lousy thing to do. 2 bad, poor, awful, terrible, inferior;
low-quality, shoddy, shabby, inferior, miserable, second-rate,
wretched: We had lousy seats for the theatre last week. The
dealer seems to have sold you a really lousy car. 3 pedicular,
pediculous, Brit lice-infested, lice-ridden, US louse-infested,
louse-ridden: Even lice are lousy - they have their own
parasites. 4 lousy with. alive with, overloaded with, swarming
with, teeming with, Colloq crawling with, knee-deep in: In five
minutes the place was lousy with cops.


lovable adj. loveable, adorable, darling, dear, cherished, likeable,
attractive, engaging, cute, fetching, taking, alluring,
endearing, appealing, winsome, sweet, tender, cuddly,
affectionate, charming, enchanting: She has the most lovable
little baby boy.

love n. 1 warmth, affection, attachment, fondness, tenderness,
devotion, attraction, friendship, amity, regard, admiration,
fancy, adoration, adulation, ardour, passion, fervour, rapture,
infatuation: Her love for him grew over the years. 2 liking,
delight, enjoyment, pleasure, fondness, attraction,
predilection, bent, leaning, proclivity, inclination,
disposition, weakness, partiality, preference, taste, relish,
passion: In his retirement, Charles has developed a love for
golf. 3 darling, beloved, sweetheart, sweetie, sweet, honey,
dear one, dearest, angel, turtle-dove, true-love, light of one's
life, lover, paramour, mate, intended, betrothed; girlfriend,
inamorata, lady-love, young lady, fianc‚e; boyfriend, beau,
inamorato, suitor, swain, young man, fianc‚, Archaic leman,
tally, US POSSLQ (= 'Person of the Opposite Sex Sharing Living
Quarters'), Colloq girl, woman, guy, man: Let me tell you
something, my love. Come live with me and be my love. 4
sympathy, tenderness, concern, charity, care, solicitude,
affinity, rapport, harmony, brotherhood, sisterhood,
fellow-feeling: He has great love for his fellow human beings.
5 love affair. a amour, liaison, affair, romance, relationship,
affaire de coeur, intrigue: He's been having a love affair with
his secretary. b passion, mania, Colloq thing: George allows

nothing to interfere with his love affair with tennis. 6 make
love (to) or (with). embrace, cuddle, caress, fondle, have
sexual intercourse, Archaic take, know, Colloq neck, pet,
canoodle, romance, have sex, make the beast with two backs, US
and Canadian make out; Taboo slang screw, fuck, hump, bang, Brit
roger, bonk: He still makes love to his wife even though they
are both in their eighties.

--v. 7 cherish, admire, adore, be in love with, lose one's
heart to, worship, idolize, dote on, treasure, be infatuated
with, think the world of, adulate, hold dear, like, Colloq be
hung up on, be crazy or nuts or wild or mad about, have a crush
on: Only after ten years of friendship did she discover that
she loved him. 8 delight in, take pleasure in, derive pleasure
or enjoyment from, relish, be partial to, have a passion or
preference or taste for, be attracted to, be captivated by, be
fond of, like, enjoy, appreciate, value, Colloq get a kick from
or out of, be wild about, be thrilled by, US get a bang or
charge from or out of: She loves chocolates. I just love your
new dress! Love me, love my dog.

love letter
n. billet-doux, Archaic mash note: She saved all his love
letters.


lovely adj. 1 good-looking, pretty, handsome, attractive, comely,
fair, fetching, engaging, captivating, alluring, enticing,
bewitching, ravishing, gorgeous, beautiful, beauteous,
pulchritudinous: Larry has two lovely daughters. The house has
a lovely view of Lake Windermere. 2 satisfying, satisfactory,
agreeable, enjoyable, gratifying, nice, pleasing, pleasant,
pleasurable, engaging, delightful: What a lovely way to spend
an evening!


lover n. See love, 3, above.

lowฐ adj. 1 short, squat, little, small, stubby, stumpy, stunted;
low-lying: The terrain has many low shrubs, not more than two
feet tall. 2 inadequate, insufficient, deficient, down, short,
sparse, scanty, scant, limited: The air in the tyres is a bit
low. Our water supply ran low. 3 coarse, unrefined, indelicate,
improper, naughty, risqu‚, indecent, unseemly, vulgar, crude,
common, rude, offensive, gross, ill-bred, lewd, obscene, ribald,

bawdy, scurrilous, smutty, pornographic, dirty: The old
burlesque acts were characterized by their low humour. 4 weak,
frail, feeble, debilitated, enervated, sickly, unhealthy,
infirm, shaky, decrepit, ill, sick: He's very low and sinking
fast. 5 ineffectual, ineffective, weak: Her resistance to
disease is low. I have a low pain threshold. 6 miserable,
dismal, wretched, abysmal, sorry, abject, destitute: I seem to
have reached a low point in my career. 7 humble, poor,
low-born, lowly, base, inferior, base-born, plebeian,
proletariat, ignoble: He rose from those low beginnings to a
peerage. 8 unhappy, depressed, dejected, sad, gloomy,
melancholy, miserable, despondent, disconsolate, blue, downcast,
down, glum, wretched, morose, crestfallen, broken-hearted,
heart-broken, tearful, lachrymose, sorrowful, mournful,
heavy-hearted: I felt low for weeks after the death of my
kitten. 9 inferior, second-rate, poor, bad, not up to par,
worthless, shoddy, shabby, mediocre, substandard: Their
products are of low quality. 10 inferior, lower, lesser, small,
smaller: Play a low card. 11 low-cut, d‚collet‚, revealing,
Colloq US low and behold in the front and vie de BohŠme in the
back: Gilda wore a low, strapless black satin evening gown. 12
base, vile, abject, contemptible, despicable, mean, menial,
servile, ignoble, degraded, vulgar, foul, dastardly, depraved,
nasty, sordid: That was a low trick he played telling on his
friends. I didn't know that anyone could sink to such a low
level. 13 quiet, hushed, soft, subdued, gentle, muted, muffled,
stifled, indistinct, whispered, murmured, murmurous: Her low
voice was sweet. 14 unfavourable, critical, adverse: She has a
rather low opinion of his singing.


low v. moo, bellow; bawl: The lowing herd moved slowly into the
pasture.

low-down n. information, intelligence, data, the facts, inside story,
Colloq info, dope, dirt, Brit bumf: I have the low-down on the
scandal.

lowerฐ v. 1 drop, reduce, decrease, mark down, discount, lessen,
diminish, downgrade, cut, slash: Prices on all goods have been
lowered. 2 let or move or bring or put down, drop: The
drawbridge was lowered and the knights rode across. They lowered
the coffin into the grave. 3 cut or lop off, cut or take down,
reduce, diminish, crop, trim: We lowered the hedge by a foot.

4 abase, debase, degrade, discredit, shame, disgrace, demean,
belittle, humble, humiliate; stoop, deign, condescend: I
wouldn't lower myself to so much as speak to him. 5 turn down,
quieten, moderate, modulate, soften, tone down: He lowered his
voice to a whisper.

--adj. 6 further or farther down: My mother has a flat on a
lower floor of the building. 7 earlier: These primitive
amphibians are from the Lower Carboniferous. 8 lower case.
small, minuscule: Use capitals for the first letters and lower
case for the rest in these names.

lower v. See lour, above.


lowly adj. See lowฐ, 7, above.

loyal adj. faithful, true, dependable, devoted, trustworthy, trusty,
steady, steadfast, staunch, trusted, reliable, stable,
unswerving, unwavering, dedicated, constant, patriotic: Give me
twelve men loyal and true and we shall rout the enemy.

loyalty n. faithfulness, fidelity, dependability, devotedness,
devotion, allegiance, patriotism, trustworthiness,
steadfastness, staunchness, firmness, resolution, resolve,
reliability, stability, dedication, constancy: I hope that we
can rely on the loyalty of everyone in your unit, Colonel.

12.5 luck...
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luck n. 1 fortune, chance, destiny, fate, accident, fortuity,
serendipity; fluke, stroke of luck, US happenstance: Luck
brought us together. 2 good fortune, (good) break: It takes a
lot of luck to get the kinds of roles you want as an actor. 3
chance(s), success rate, fortune(s): I hope that my luck
improves soon.

lucky adj. 1 fortunate, blessed, favoured, charmed: She was very
lucky to get the job. 2 providential, timely, opportune,
propitious, favourable, auspicious, advantageous, convenient,
fortuitous: It was lucky that you were at the swimming pool to
save her.


ludicrous adj. ridiculous, laughable, absurd, farcical, nonsensical,
preposterous, incongruous, asinine, foolish, silly, zany, crazy,
comical, risible; funny, facetious, droll, waggish, jocular,
witty, jocose: The explanations of the new tax laws have been
carried to ludicrous extremes. You can count on Billy to come up
with some ludicrous prank on April Fools' Day.

lug v. drag, tug, tow, haul, heave; carry, tote, transport: You're
mistaken if you think I'm going to lug that case round
everywhere.

luggage n. baggage, bags, gear, impedimenta, paraphernalia, things,
belongings: When I arrived in Torremolinos, I found my luggage
was missing.

lukewarm adj. 1 tepid, room temperature, warm: I like my bath-water
lukewarm. 2 cool, indifferent, half-hearted, chill, chilly,
phlegmatic, unresponsive, unenthusiastic, nonchalant,
lackadaisical, apathetic, insouciant, Laodicean, unmoved, US
half-baked, Colloq laid-back: My ideas for improving efficiency
continued to receive a lukewarm reception from the board.

lull n. 1 pause, respite, interlude, intermission, interval, break,
hiatus, interruption, stop, halt, lapse, delay, Literary
caesura, Colloq let-up: After a brief lull, the hurricane
resumed in all its ferocity. 2 quiet, quiescence, hush, calm,
calmness, stillness, silence, peace, peacefulness, tranquillity:
There was a lull, then the noise of the artillery again
shattered the night.

--v. 3 soothe, calm, quiet, hush, pacify, mollify,
tranquillize: Do not let her sweet words lull you into a sense
of false security. I was lulled to sleep by the crickets and
the bees.

lumber n. 1 odds and ends, junk, clutter, jumble, rejects, white
elephants; rubbish, litter, Chiefly US trash: The small room
off the kitchen is for lumber. 2 timber, wood, beams, planks,
boards, wood: I have ordered the lumber for building the
garage.

--v. 3 encumber, burden, load, overload, saddle, impose upon,

land: We have been lumbered with looking after our neighbours'
six cats.

luminous adj. 1 shiny, shining, bright, brilliant, lighted (up), lit
(up), illuminated, radiant, alight, resplendent, lustrous,
gleaming, shimmering, glistening, sparkling, dazzling,
refulgent, effulgent: The moon shone with a luminous beauty. 2
glowing, aglow, luminescent, incandescent, phosphorescent,
fluorescent: He had a watch with luminous hands. 3 clear,
lucid, perspicuous, percipient, perspicacious, penetrating,
discerning, perceptive, clear-eyed, clear-headed, keen, acute,
sharp, explicit, incisive, specific, express; understandable,
intelligible: His latest novel provides another example of his
luminous style.


lumpฐ n. 1 mass, piece, gob, gobbet, clod, chunk, clot, wad, clump,
hunk, nugget; cube, wedge, cake: There was a lump of earth was
clogging the drain. May I have two lumps of sugar, please? 2
bump, growth, swelling, protuberance, protrusion, prominence,
bulge, excrescence, tumescence, nodule, knob; wen, cyst, boil,
carbuncle, blister, wart, corn: You ought to see a doctor about
that lump on your foot.

--v. 3 Often, lump together. combine, join, consolidate,
collect, bunch, group, unite, mass, aggregate, blend, mix, throw
or put together: Don't lump me together with everyone else,
without even asking my opinion.

lump v. Usually, lump it. allow, tolerate, suffer, put up with,
bear, stand, brook, endure: I'm afraid you'll just have to lump
it, whether you like it or not.

lumpy adj. chunky, bumpy, uneven, granular, grainy: Mix the batter
till it is no longer lumpy.


lunacy n. 1 madness, insanity, dementia, craziness, derangement,
psychosis, mania: Formerly, it was believed that lunacy
fluctuated in accordance with the phases of the moon. 2 folly,
foolishness, bad or poor judgement, illogicality, illogic,
senselessness, ridiculousness, irrationality, foolhardiness,
stupidity: It would be sheer lunacy to confess to something you
did not do.

lunge n. 1 thrust, jab,, strike: He was impaled by the first lunge
of the sword. 2 dive, plunge, rush, leap, jump, spring, pounce:
I made a lunge for the knife but missed.


--v. 3 dive, plunge, charge, pounce, dash, bound, jump; thrust,
stab, strike, hit, jab, cut: He lunged at her with his machete.

lurchฐ n. leave in the lurch. desert, abandon, forsake; drop, jilt:
He left her in the lurch, waiting at the church.


lurch n. 1 stagger, sway, pitch; list, tilt, toss: The man gave a
sudden lurch, knocking the vase from my hands.

--v. 2 stagger, sway, stumble; roll, tilt, veer, pitch, list,
heel, wallow: He lurched into the room, a dagger protruding
from his back. The ship lurched dangerously in a heavy sea.

lure v. 1 tempt, attract, induce, coax, inveigle, seduce, draw in,
entice, lead on, decoy, charm, persuade, allure, catch: She
lured me into the trap of believing that she loved me.

--n. 2 bait, decoy, attraction, temptation, inducement, magnet,
siren song, charm, US drawing card, Slang come-on: Too many
na‹ve people fall for the lure of easy money.


lurid adj. 1 sensational, vivid, shocking, startling, graphic,
melodramatic: The tabloids delight in a lurid scandal. 2
ghastly, horrid, horrifying, horrendous, gory, grisly, gruesome,
macabre, revolting, disgusting, appalling, frightful, terrible,
awful: Every lurid detail of the massacre was shown on TV. 3
pale, ashen, sallow, wan, pallid, ghastly, baleful: From the
lurid shade of his skin, I could see he had some horrible
affliction. 4 glaring, fiery, flaming, burning, aglow, glowing,
glowering: The burning city cast a lurid light in the sky.


lurk v. skulk, slink, prowl, steal, sneak, hide, (lie in) wait, lie
low: The muggers were lurking in the shadows, waiting for a
victim.


luscious adj. delectable, delicious, mouth-watering, tasty, toothsome,
savoury, appetizing, rich, sweet, epicurean, ambrosial,
palatable, pleasant; succulent, juicy, Colloq scrumptious,
yummy: My grandmother used to make the most luscious pies and

tarts.

lush adj. 1 luxuriant, thick, lavish, flourishing, verdant, green,
dense, overgrown, thick, exuberant: The walls were covered with
a lush growth of ivy. 2 juicy, succulent, mouth-watering,
fresh, moist, ripe: We ate lush pears that we picked straight
from the tree. 3 palatial, extravagant, elaborate, luxurious,
opulent, sumptuous, Colloq ritzy, plush: The bridal suite is
the lushest accommodation they offer.


lust n. 1 sensuality, libido, libidinousness, sexuality,
lustfulness, concupiscence, sexual appetite, Slang horniness:
The nouveaux riches spend much of their time and money
satisfying their lust. 2 desire, drive, energy, voracity,
avidity, avidness, ambition, ravenousness: Henry has an
infectious enthusiasm and lust for life.

--v. 3 lust after. desire, crave, hunger or thirst or hanker
for or after, ache for: Barney was lusting after the barmaid at
The Two Magpies.

lustful adj. libidinous, carnal, concupiscent, licentious, lewd,
prurient, lascivious, salacious, Colloq horny, randy: On her
way to work she was forced to endure daily the lustful calls of
the construction workers.

lustre n. 1 sheen, gleam, glow, gloss, luminosity, luminousness,
radiance: A good waxing should restore the lustre to the table.
2 glory, renown, brilliance, celebrity, honour, distinction,
fame, illustriousness: Winning first prize lent a little lustre
to his tarnished reputation.

lustrous adj. glossy, shiny, shined, polished, burnished: French
polishing gives the furniture a lustrous finish.


lusty adj. 1 vigorous, healthy, strong, energetic, robust, hale and
hearty, lively; buxom: The sailors were accompanied by a couple
of lusty young women. 2 vigorous, substantial, strong, husky,
powerful: He sang in a lusty voice.


luxuriant adj. 1 abundant, profuse, copious, lush, rich, bounteous,
overflowing, full, luxurious: Her luxuriant hair hung down to
her waist. 2 lavish, full, rank, prolific, thriving, rife,

exuberant, lush, abounding, plenteous, abundant, superabundant,
dense, fruitful, teeming: The luxuriant orange groves are
yielding a bumper crop this year. 3 ornate, elaborate,
decorated, fancy, rococo, baroque, flowery, frilly, florid,
overdone, flamboyant, showy, ostentatious, gaudy, garish, Colloq
flashy: The elders disapproved of the luxuriant ornamentation
of the churches.

luxuriate v. 1 Often, luxuriate in. wallow in, swim in, bask in, indulge
in, delight in, relish, revel in, enjoy oneself, savour,
appreciate, like, love: She luxuriates in her new-found wealth.
2 live in luxury or comfort, be in the lap of luxury, have a
good or great or marvellous time, take it easy, enjoy oneself,
live the life of Riley, live off the fat of the land, Colloq
have the time of one's life, have a ball, US live high off the
hog: Their postcard says that they are luxuriating on Capri for
a week.

luxurious adj. 1 opulent, sumptuous, grand, extravagant, lavish,
magnificent, splendid, de luxe, fancy; epicurean, gourmet;
Colloq swanky, swank, ritzy, plush, posh: We had a luxurious
room overlooking the sea and ate the most luxurious meals. 2
self-indulgent, voluptuous, voluptuary, sybaritic, hedonistic,
pampered: We lived a truly luxurious life for two years till
the money ran out.

luxury n. 1 opulence, splendour, sumptuousness, grandeur,
extravagance, magnificence, richness, luxuriousness: I cannot
describe the overwhelming luxury of the maharaja's palace. 2
indulgence, self-indulgence, hedonism, sybaritism,
voluptuousness: He had been living a life of luxury in Tahiti.
3 security, confidence; gratification, satisfaction, enjoyment,
pleasure, delight, comfort: He has the luxury of knowing that
his dog will be well looked after. 4 frill, extravagance, extra,
indulgence, non-essential, expendable, treat: He showered her
with luxuries from the finest shops.

12.6 lying...
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lying n. 1 prevarication, fibbing, mendacity, mendaciousness,
falsification, untruthfulness, perjury; dishonesty, deceit,

duplicity: She was accused of lying while under oath.

--adj. 2 untruthful, false, mendacious, hypocritical,
dishonest, deceitful, deceptive, duplicitous, treacherous,
perfidious: Whoever told you they had found the solution is a
lying scoundrel.

lyric adj. 1 melodic, song-like, musical, melodious, lyrical: Lyric
drama is no longer fashionable. 2 personal, subjective,
individual, idiosyncratic; sentimental, rhapsodic: He expresses
his own feelings in the lyric poems. 3 sweet, dulcet, graceful,
silvery, lilting, mellifluous, mellow, light: This song sounds
best when sung by a lyric tenor.


--n. 4 lyrics. libretto, book, words: Ira Gershwin wrote the
lyrics for much of George Gershwin's music.

lyrical adj. 1 See lyric, 1, above. 2 enthusiastic, ecstatic,
encomiastic, rapturous, rhapsodic, effusive, impassioned,
emotional, ebullient, exuberant, panegyrical: He waxed lyrical
whenever he spoke of his children.