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 ?
But they were of good standing, had always been considered truthful, were sober at the time of the occurrence, and nothing ever transpired to discredit their sworn account of their extraordinary adventure, concerning the truth of which, nevertheless, public opinion was divided, throughout the United Kingdom. If they had something to conceal, their choice of means is certainly one of the most amazing ever made by sane human beings.
Finding myself out of place, and hearing that Monsieur Phileas Fogg was the most exact and settled gentleman in the United Kingdom, I have come to monsieur in the hope of living with him a tranquil life, and forgetting even the name of Passepartout."
Their host, the Duke of Dorset, in whose splendid library they were assembled, was, if not the premier duke of the United Kingdom, at least one of those whose many hereditary offices and ancient family entitled him to a foremost place in the aristocracy of the world.
Immense accumulations of bird-guano gave the sides of Mount Mendif the appearance of calcareous rocks, and there was enough of the deposit there to manure all the lands in the United Kingdom.
There are just twenty-four names in the United Kingdom which have been admitted to the privileges of free correspondence.
"My information dates from the day on which I was arrested," returned the Abbe Faria; "and as the emperor had created the kingdom of Rome for his infant son, I presume that he has realized the dream of Machiavelli and Caesar Borgia, which was to make Italy a united kingdom."
But provided I kept clear of Barkingham, it was all the same to me what part of the United Kingdom I went to; and, in the absence of any actual clew to her place of residence, there was consolation and encouragement even in following an imaginary trace.
Honeythunder walked in the middle of the road, shouldering the natives out of his way, and loudly developing a scheme he had, for making a raid on all the unemployed persons in the United Kingdom, laying them every one by the heels in jail, and forcing them, on pain of prompt extermination, to become philanthropists.
If all zealous Protestants had been publicly urged to join an association for the avowed purpose of singing a hymn or two occasionally, and hearing some indifferent speeches made, and ultimately of petitioning Parliament not to pass an act for abolishing the penal laws against Roman Catholic priests, the penalty of perpetual imprisonment denounced against those who educated children in that persuasion, and the disqualification of all members of the Romish church to inherit real property in the United Kingdom by right of purchase or descent,--matters so far removed from the business and bosoms of the mass, might perhaps have called together a hundred people.
More generals are numbered (but not paid) in the United Provinces of La Plata than in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Garrison and other friends had provided us with a large number of letters of introduction, and they had also sent letters to other persons in different parts of the United Kingdom, apprising these people of our coming.
There are more quarrels than with us, and more threatenings than gentlemen are accustomed to exchange in any civilised society of which we have record: but farm-yard imitations have not as yet been imported from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The feature in oratory which appears to be the most practised, and most relished, is the constant repetition of the same idea or shadow of an idea in fresh words; and the inquiry out of doors is not, 'What did he say?' but,

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