ire /'aia(r)/ noun [U] (formal or literary) anger HT7I wrath : to arouse/raise/provoke
the ire of local residents f O (US) to draw the ire of local
residents
iridescent /.iri'desnt/ adj. {formal) showing many bright colours that seem to
change in different lights : a bird with iridescent blue feathers M ► iri-des-cence /-'desns/
noun [U] iridium /I'ridiam/
noun [U] (symb Ir) a
chemical element. Iridium is a very hard yellow-white metal, used especially in
making alloys. $c iri dol ogy /,ain'dDlad3i; ,iri-;
NAmE .airi'dail-/
noun [U] a
form of alternative medicine in which the iris (= the coloured part of the eye) is examined in order to find out what
is wrong with sb $111 ( i#®f ) ^ irio /'irro; NAmE ‘iria:/ noun [U] (EAfrE) a type of
food made from a mixture of some or all of the following: maize
(corn), beans, green vegetables and peas AM fH«
( ME*. )
iris /'airis/ noun 1 the round coloured part that surrounds the pupil of your eye 4lH — picture o body 2 a tall
plant with long pointed leaves and large purple or yellow flowers 1
Irish /'airiJV noun, adj.
mnoun 1 (also .Irish 'Gaelic,
Gaelic) the Celtic language of
2 the Irish [pi.] the people of Ireland Hft^A
•
adj. of or connected with
language Mft^A(ft;
.Irish 'coffee noun 1 [u] hot coffee
mixed with whisky and sugar, with
thick cream on top
) 2 [C] a cup or glass of Irish
coffee —
.Irish 'stew noun [U, C] a
hot dish of meat and vegetables boiled together
irk /3:k; NAmE 3:rk/ verb (formal or literary) to annoy
or irritate sb M 0 : [VN]
Her flippant
tone
irked him. [also VN that, VN
to inf]
irk-some /'3:ks8m; NAmE '3:rk-/ adj. (formal) annoying or irritating A M (ft ; ETTCl tiresome:
I
found the restrictions irksome. iroko /Traukau; NAmE I'roukou/ noun
(pi. -os) 1 [C, U] a tall tree found in tropical
MA, )
2 [U] the wood from
this tree, which is hard and used especially for outdoor building work ft * ' ( A M M , X % # %
jm)
iron Ott /'aian; NAmE 'aiarn/ noun, verb, adj.
•
noun
►
METAL II 1 [u] (symb Fe) a chemical element. Iron is a
hard strong metal that is used to make steel and is also found in small
quantities in blood and food, ffc: cast/ wrought/corrugated iron 0 iron
gates/bars/railings ffc'H / ti / ,0 an iron and steel
works r o iron ore (= rock containing iron) A 0 patients with iron deficiency (= not enough iron in their blood) {ft ffe S3 jfi A 0 iron tablets (= containing iron prepared as a medicine) i? (ft H 0 (figurative)
She had a will of iron (= it was very strong).
►
TOOL XU. 2 [C] a tool with a flat metal base that can be heated and used to make
clothes smooth H if- : cl steam
iron H'AHA 3 [C] (usually in compounds
jAH A is]) a tool made of iron or another metal ^fg; ||I| —see also branding
iron, soldering iron, tire iron
►
FOR PRISONERS 03E 4 irons [pi.]
chains or other heavy objects made of iron, attached to the arms and legs of
prisoners, especially in the past ( Xfe IBRttft ) WM
►
IN GOLF it} A 5
[C] one of the
set of clubs (= sticks for hitting the ball with) that have a metal
head
— compare wood (4)
ITSTTil have several, etc.
irons in the fire to be
involved in several activities or areas of business at the same time, hoping
that at least one will be successful
) r —more at pump
v,
RULE
V., STRIKE V.
•
verb to make clothes, etc. smooth by using an
iron ( ft
HA ) H,
ME: [VN] I’ll
need to iron that dress before I can wear it. 0
[V] He
was
ironing when I arrived, ffcf!) (ft Bft^'ffe.IEAHAMo — see also ironing id;i;'yj .iron sth<->'out 1 to remove the creases (= folds that you do not want) from
clothes, etc. by using an iron HE ( AJ$^(ft ) 2
to get rid
of any problems or difficulties that are affecting sth ffl &W- nfc • • ■ (ft |n]f£ ( Ek B 5lt ) : There are still a few
details that need ironing out.
•
adj. [only before noun] very strong and determined
(ft; 3§l5jlM/i?(ft: She was known as the
‘Iron Lady’. A ” o o a man of iron will it M M M (ftB E iTBJil an iron 'fist/'hand (in a velvet
'glove) if you use the words an iron fist/hand when describing the way that sb behaves, you mean that they treat people
severely. This treatment may be hidden behind a kind appearance (the velvet glove). ( Mft#f5(ft )
the 'Iron Age noun [sing.]
the historical period about 3 000 years ago when people first used iron tools
Hit
the .Iron 'Curtain noun [sing.]
the name that people used for the border that used to exist between
mm)
.iron-'grey (especially BrE) (also .iron-'gray especially in NAmE) adj. dark grey in colour fUTcfeM: iron-grey hair
iron ic /ai'nmik;
NAmE -'ram-/
(also less frequent iron-ic- al /aTramkl; NAmE -’rain-/)
adj. 1 showing
that you really mean the opposite of what you are saying; expressing irony (ft; WJ (ft: an ironic comment ill iM (ft 2 (of a situation ff M) strange
or amusing because it is very different from what you expect ( @ ft E M ft ffl ) ^ M , /ft % M : It’s ironic that she became a
teacher—she used to hate school.
—see also
irony ► iron-ic-al-ly /ai'rnmkli; NAmE -'ra:n-/
adv. : Ironically, the book she felt was
her worst sold more copies than any of her others. iPAA
one
smiled ironically.
iron ing /'aiamri; NAmE 'aiarmr)/
noun [u] 1 the task of pressing clothes, etc. with an iron to make them smooth ftM:
to
do the
ironing HAM 2 the clothes, etc. that you have
just ironed or that need to be done
R'JH/ftW ( ) Atl: a pile of ironing -It#
^ ftM(ft«
'ironing board noun a long
narrow board covered with cloth, and usually with folding legs, that you iron
clothes on MA®
ironmonger /’aianmAqgaft);
NAmE 'aiarn-/ (BrE, becoming old-fashioned) (NAmE ' hardware dealer) noun 1 a person who owns or works in a shop/store selling tools and equipment
for the house and garden/yard E |®A2 ironmongers
(pi. iron-mon-gers)
a shop that sells tools and equipment for
the house and garden/yard ► iron-mon-gery
/-mArigari/ noun
[U] (BrE) = hardware(2)
.iron 'rations noun [pi.] (often humorous) a small amount of food that soldiers and
people walking or climbing carry to use in an emergency ( (&E, /Hf #
) EiflU
iron-stone /'aianstaun; NAmE ’aiamstoun/ noun [u] a type of rock that contains iron A
iron-work /’aianw3:k; NAmE 'aiarnw3irk/ noun [U] things made of iron, such as gates, parts of buildings,
^etc.&M; .(
iron-works /'aianw3:ks; NAmE 'aiamw3:rks/ noun (pi. iron-works) [C+sing./pl.
v.] a factory where iron is obtained from