squiMion /'skwiljan/ noun [informal, often humorous) a very large number A Wi ; Jj ft : a squillion-dollar budget ft*l?WSI squint /skwint/ verb, noun

m verb 1 to look at sth with your eyes partly shut in order to keep out bright light or to see better DRU HU If If: [V] to squint into the sun DR ® B!4 0# 1f ft |$B 0 She was squinting through the keyhole. MB^ff BitAR^IBIItilt#o 0 He squinted at the letter in his hand. (tfaDRIr SHifft-M ft (g 0 o [VN] When he squinted his eyes, he could just make out a house in the distance. (ifaDRIf BfiBi , RUBIft # JES&hft—2 [V] (BrE) (of an eye BH0f) to look in a different direction from the other eye 14 41: His left eye squints a little. fifaft BITf AI4-4IL 3 [V] to have eyes that look in different directions ( A ) 0144! m noun 1 [C, usually sing.] a condition of the eye muscles which causes each eye to look in a different direction 14: He was bom with a squint. ftfa ft. T ft 14- 41 o 2 [sing.] [BrE, informal) a short look H ; 0i : Have a squint at this.

squire /'skwaia(r)/ noun 1 (also Squire) (in the past in England) a man of high social status who owned most of the land in a particular country area (- IB B4H4& ft ft ) ftilfaft 2 Squire [BrE, informal or humorous)

used by a man as a friendly way of addressing another man (         ) Aft: What can I

get you, Squire? W Aif X, A A ? 3 (in the past) a young man who was an assistant to a knight before becoming a knight himself ( |BW9t±#J ) M.JK squire-archy /'skwaiaraiki; NAmE -a:rki/ noun [C+ sing./pl. v.] (in the past in England) the people of high social status who owned large areas of land, considered as a social or political group (    IB &4ft ) Jffaft

: m, %mm

squirm /skw3:m; NAmE skw3irm/ verb 1 to move around a lot making small twisting movements, because you are nervous, uncomfortable, etc. ( 0 %

ftEhftft S2I1

wriggle :         [V, usually +adv./prep.] The children were

squirming restlessly in their seats. All'll(v ft ± ft'4$ ft AEiffazjtlftzftft <> 0 [V-ADJ] Someone grabbed him but he managed to squirm free, A44lft ftfa, Uflfaii'&lf II7 0 2 [V] to feel great embarrassment or shame ft^M®;

^; Aftfa § §: It made him squirm to think how badly he’d messed up the interview. — 413\ (tfa 4E ffiiitlil t#

squirrel /'skwiral; NAmE 'skw3:r0l/ noun, verb « noun a small animal with a long thick tail and red, grey or black fur. Squirrels eat nuts and live in trees*. 4& H — picture o page R28 — see also ground squirrel mverb (II-, NAmE -I-) UflilTJ .squirrel sth«-*a'way to hide or store sth so that it can be used later (it   #:

She had money squirrelled away in various bank ac­counts.

squirrel ly /'skwirali; NAmE 'skw3:rali/ adj. [NAmE, informal) 1 unable to keep still or be quiet ft '/&         4^ A

01ft; 0ftftftft: squirrelly kids 2 crazy^^ft; Aitft squirt /skw3:t; NAmE skw3irt/ verb, noun m verb 1 [usually +adv./prep.] to force liquid, gas, etc. in a thin fast stream through a narrow opening; to be forced out of a narrow opening in this way ( ^

14; ® mn spurt : [VN] The snake can squirt poison from a distance of a metre.          ft£h

)z£0 o I desperately squirted water on the flames. $£#4 "bp #lft A^tRo o M When I cut the lemon, juice squirted in

myeye.mimmH,nmnmmrmmmrno 2[vn]

~ sb/sth (with sth) to hit sb/sth with a stream of water, gas, etc. (          •••■)■ fnJ-'-fljSt 14 cram spray- The children

were squirting each other with water from the hose. ®ft (Hffi $;7R1f 443   o He squirted a water pistol at me

(= made the water come out of it). (ifa^Si;^7R4fr§f}4lc

noun 1 a thin, fast stream of liquid that comes out of a small opening ft—i&M# cnm spray: a squirt of perfume ^ ft ft — J3& If 7k 2 [informal, disapproving) a word used to refer to a short, young or unimportant

1955   stability

person that you do not like or that you find annoying A@ft; 'I'M®; ft£A¥

'squirt gun noun [NAmE) = water pistol squish /skwij/ verb [informal) 1 [V, VN] if sth soft squishes or is squished, it is crushed out of shape when it is pressed ( It ) J±ft, 2 [V] to make a soft

wet sucking sound A nE “BP F; A ®r squishy /‘skwiji/ adj. [informal) soft and wet it44;ft; %

ftftft

squit /skwit/ noun [BrE) 1 [offensive) a small or unim­portant person/ft At/; ft^ftft; AA^SftA 2 the squits (also the squit-ters /'skwitaz; NAmE -tarz/) [pi.] [informal) diarrhoea

Sr (also Snr) (both BrE) (also Sr. NAmE, BrE) abbr. Senior ; A — compare Jr Sri, Srimati = Shri, Shrimati

SS abbr. 1 Saints ft A, ft jfe ( M ) : SS Philip and James ft li ft ^flli^ 2 /,es 'es/ steamship Hftn', ft: the SS Titanic ftft

SSN /,es es 'en/ abbr. Social Security number St abbr. 1 (also st) (both BrE) (also St., st. NAmE, BrE) (used in written addresses) Street ( A A; Ufa it N- ) ffi, ft: Fleet St mmm ( WLWmXm ) 2 St. [NAmE) State 4H 3 (also St. especially in NAmE) Saint ft A; ft® st [BrE) (also st NAmE, BrE) abbr. stone (a British meas­urement of weight)       )': 9st 2lb *

9 £5 2#

stab /staeb/ verb, noun

m verb (-bb-) 1 [VN] to push a sharp, pointed object, espe­cially a knife, into sb, killing or injuring them ( 7J ^

) $![, M, 4S: He was stabbed to death in a racist

attack, fin m # m mx # ft it a?, m$mTo o she

stabbed him in the arm with a screwdriver. &tfa ^ M 71 2 ~ (sth) (at sb) | ~ sb/sth (with sth) | ~ (sth) (at/into/through sth) to make a short, aggressive or violent movement with a finger or pointed object (        ) ft ffi, $4 HEIjab,

prod : [VN] He stabbed his finger angrily at my chest, (tfa A         ftfa ffl 4h A W. ft W M o 0 She stabbed the air with

her fork.       ft Alft 0 [V] [figurative) The pain

stabbed at his chest. (ifaWnP^ttf^A^flUfto 1171771 stab sb in the 'back to do or say sth that harms sb who trusts you ££At/sffiZJA; P6W (        ) 4i(i^ft

A S3I1 betray

noun 1 an act of stabbing or trying to stab sb/sth; a wound caused by stabbing jfaij;       ; 41; $4 ( SL

ffi ) ft 4/i P : He received several stabs in the chest. (tfaW nPM$4 T JIT] o 0 She died of a single stab wound to the heart, iftfa 0 ft' J® M $4 ft — A M # 10 2 a sudden sharp pain or unpleasant feeling —IWJ'/i ( ^^l^ftii jfc ) : She felt a sudden stab of pain in the chest.

^ ^ B I14 — W 04 ft o o a stab of guilt/fear/pity/ jealousy, etc. C,       ‘IftlSI. Witt14 3 [usually

sing.] ~ (at sth/at doing sth) [informal) an attempt to do sth ^i^; dk®: He found the test difficult but neverthe­less made a good stab at it. /a. H (tfa ^ 4# IS M, fi 15 To O Countless people have had a stab at solving the riddle.          j&Aiiio H323 a .stab

in the back [informal) an act that harms sb, done by a person they thought was a friend W ® jf 71A; M ia A fsfiftAftPBW ( ^cftift ) — more at dark n. stab-bing /’staebir)/ noun, adj.

a noun an occasion when a person is stabbed with a knife or other pointed object 4#Zf ( ^JMlfaftJf! ) ftAI(4: a fatal stabbing

adj. [usually before noun] (of pain ^ (§) very sharp, sudden and strong ^^rfo H4 ^Jft; 7J M M ft sta-bil-ity /sta'bilati/ noun [U] the quality or state of being steady and not changing or being disturbed in any way (= the quality of being stable) M A ( 1ft ) ; 41. @ ( Ift ) : political/economic/social stability Wife I %£ $r/      0 the stability of the dollar on the world’s

money markets      rft^±ft^S4ft 0 Being

back with their family should provide emotional stability for the children. rrm instability