United Kingdom

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United Kingdom

United Kingdom

or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Abbr. UK A country of western Europe comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Beginning with the kingdom of England, it was created by three acts of union: with Wales (1536), Scotland (1707), and Ireland (1801). At the height of its power in the 1800s, it ruled an empire that spanned the globe. London is the capital and the largest city.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

United Kingdom

n
(Placename) a kingdom of NW Europe, consisting chiefly of the island of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland: became the world's leading colonial power in the 18th century; the first country to undergo the Industrial Revolution. It became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1921, after the rest of Ireland became autonomous as the Irish Free State. Primarily it is a trading nation, the chief exports being manufactured goods; joined the Common Market (now the European Union) in January 1973. Official language: English; Gaelic, Welsh, and other minority languages. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: pound sterling. Capital: London. Pop: 63 395 574 (2013 est). Area: 244 110 sq km (94 251 sq miles). Abbreviation: UK See also Great Britain
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Unit′ed King′dom


n.
a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1922. 59,113,439; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,086 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, Unit′ed King′dom of Great` Brit′ain and North′ern Ire′land.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.United Kingdom - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
balls-up, ballup, cockup, mess-up - something badly botched or muddled
clanger - a conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate; "he dropped a clanger"
clawback - finding a way to take money back from people that they were given in another way; "the Treasury will find some clawback for the extra benefits members received"
lucky dip - a selection or decision purely at random; "their system of hiring people seemed to be a sort of lucky dip"
flit - a secret move (to avoid paying debts); "they did a moonlight flit"
rustication - temporary dismissal of a student from a university
perambulation - a walk around a territory (a parish or manor or forest etc.) in order to officially assert and record its boundaries
fare-stage - a section along the route of a bus for which the fare is the same
pony-trekking - a sport in which people ride across country on ponies
rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball
fives - a game resembling handball; played on a court with a front wall and two side walls
bar billiards, bagatelle - a table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs; penalties are incurred if the pegs are knocked over
tombola - a lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum
ludo - a simple board game in which players move counters according to the throw of dice
shove-halfpenny, shove-ha'penny, shovel board - a game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark
lucky dip - a game in which prizes (e.g., candies or coins) are concealed in a container and for a small sum a player can draw one out at random
piss-up - vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking
rag - a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)
hornpipe - a British solo dance performed by sailors
panto - an abbreviation of pantomime
doddle - an easy task
minister - the job of a head of a government department
headship - the position of headmaster or headmistress
costing - cost accounting
11-plus, eleven-plus - (formerly in Britain) an examination taken by 11 and 12 year old students to select suitable candidates for grammar school
swiz - British slang for a swindle
Ministry of Transportation test, MOT test, MOT - a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes
fire watching - (during World War II in Britain) watching for fires started by bombs that dropped from the sky
snogging - (British informal) cuddle and kiss
zizz - a nap; "Arthur's taking a short zizz"
dekko - British slang for a look
square-bashing - drill on a barracks square
rub up - a review that refreshes your memory; "I need a rub up on my Latin"
shufti - a quick look around (originally military slang); "take a shufti while you're out there"
lie-in - a long stay in bed in the morning
point duty - the control of traffic by a policeman stationed at an intersection
national assistance, social assistance, supplementary benefit - benefits paid to bring incomes up to minimum levels established by law
boot sale, car boot sale - an outdoor sale at which people sell things from the trunk of their car
invigilation - keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating
aggro - (informal British usage) aggravation or aggression; "I skipped it because it was too much aggro"
punch-up - a fistfight; "the quarrel ended in a punch-up"
go-slow - a form of protest by workers in which they deliberately slow down in order to cause problem from their employers
Battle of Britain - the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it
arterial road - a major or main route
backbench - any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons
bar - a heating element in an electric fire; "an electric fire with three bars"
betting shop - a licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track
bin liner - a plastic bag used to line a trash or garbage bin
boot - British term for the luggage compartment in a car
bottle bank - a place where bottles can be deposited for recycling
caff - informal British term for a cafe
carriageway - one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes
clearway - a road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Spojené královstvíVelká Británie
det Forenede Kongerige
BritioBritujoUnuiĝinta Regno
Yhdistynyt kuningaskuntaIso-Britannia
Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo
Egyesült Királyság
英国連合王国イギリスグレートブリテンおよび北アイルランド連合王国
영국
Didžioji BritanijaJungtinė Karalystė
Združeno kraljestvo
Storbritannien och Nordirland
ประเทศสหราชอาณาจักรอังกฤษ
Vương quốc Anh

United Kingdom

n the United Kingdomil Regno Unito
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

United Kingdom

الـمَمْلَكَةُ الـمُتَّحِدَة Spojené království det Forenede Kongerige Vereinigtes Königreich Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο Reino Unido Yhdistynyt kuningaskunta / Iso-Britannia Royaume-Uni Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo Regno Unito 英国 영국 Verenigd Koninkrijk Storbritannia og Nord-Irland Zjednoczone Królestwo Reino Unido Соединенное Королевство Storbritannien och Nordirland ประเทศสหราชอาณาจักรอังกฤษ Birleşik Krallık Vương quốc Anh 英国
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
Now, although Ludd was such a wise king, three plagues fell upon the island of Britain. "The first was a certain race that came and was called Coranians, and so great was their knowledge that there was no discourse upon the face of the island, however low it might be spoken, but what, if the wind met it, it was known to them.
"The second plague was a shriek which came on every May-eve over every hearth in the island of Britain. And this went through peoples' hearts and frightened them out of their senses.
Now, long long ago, before the Romans came to Britain, some of the people who lived in that part of France sailed across the sea and settled in Britain. These may have been the ancient Britons whom Caesar fought when he first came to our shore.
He was filled with the love of his land, and he made up his mind to write a history of the kings of Britain.
"His life-blood streamed to baptize the soil which he had added to the dominion of Britain. His dying breath was mingled with his army's shout of victory."
as King of Great Britain. The blast of the trumpet sounded from the balcony of the Town House, and awoke the echoes far and wide, as if to challenge all mankind to dispute King George's title.
But it may not be improper to take notice of an argument against this part of the Constitution, which has been drawn from the policy and practice of Great Britain. It is said that the continuance of an army in that kingdom requires an annual vote of the legislature; whereas the American Constitution has lengthened this critical period to two years.
In this respect our situation bears another likeness to the insular advantage of Great Britain. The batteries most capable of repelling foreign enterprises on our safety, are happily such as can never be turned by a perfidious government against our liberties.
The present English race has gradually shaped itself out of several distinct peoples which successively occupied or conquered the island of Great Britain. The earliest one of these peoples which need here be mentioned belonged to the Celtic family and was itself divided into two branches.
But early in the fifth century the Romans, hard-pressed even in Italy by other barbarian invaders, withdrew all their troops and completely abandoned Britain. Not long thereafter, and probably before the traditional date of 449, the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons began to come in large bands with the deliberate purpose of permanent settlement.
Astor had ratified the agreement, as above stated, war broke out between the United States and Great Britain. He perceived at once the peril of the case.