kiln W e make our clay models hard by baking them in a hot oven called a kiln.
k i l o g r a m 1,000 grammes (about 2J lbs.) weight,
k i l o m e t r e 1,000 metres (about 3,280 ft.). T h e distance from London to Paris is more than 300 kilometres.
k i l o w a t t 1,000 watts (about the amount of power used by one bar of an electric fire),
kilt T h e kilt worn by Scottish Highlanders is a long length of cloth fastened round the waist like a skirt.
Irin relatives. A person's next of kin is the relative most closely related to him.
k i n d Which kind of chocolate do you prefer, milk or plain? • Betty didn't have to walk home because
a kind lady paid for her to ride in the bus.
k i n d e r g a r t e n a school for very young children,
kindle O n getting up in the morning, the first j o b is to kindle (light) the fire,
k i n d l y Kindly stop that horrible noise! • When Billy was lost, a policeman kindly brought him home in his car.
k i n d n e s s Mother thanked the neighbours for their kindness in helping to look after Billy when she was taken ill.
k i n d r e d relatives, e.g. Ian is lonely away from all his kindred. • similar (like), e.g. M r . Smith teaches arithmetic, geometry and kindred subjects,
k i n g d o m a land ruled by a king or a queen, e.g. T h e United Kingdom.
k i n g f i s h e r a small, brightly-coloured bird which lives beside rivers and eats fish,
kink a loop which comes un-wanted into a wire (or chain, rope, etc.) when it is wrongly twisted, k i o s k A telephone kiosk is a Wiall
glass structure in the street, from which anyone m a y telephone. An ice-cream (or newspaper) kiosk is a small covered stall from which you may buy ice-cream (or news-papers).
k i p p e r a herring split open along the backbone, and salted and smoked.
k i s s Mother puts her lips to my cheek (or lips) to kiss m e goodbye, k i t c h e n the room in a house (or restaurant, school, etc.) where food is prepared and cooked.
kitchenette 177 k n o c k k i t c h e n e t t e a small kitchen,
k i t e a bird, like a hawk, that eats other birds or small animals; • a light wooden frame covered with material which, let u p on a string, will fly high in the air on windy days.
kite knave
k i t t e n Vour pretty little kitten will grow into a oat.
k n a c k T h e trick is easy when you have the knack (i.e. when you have learnt the special skill re-quired).
k n a p s a c k When I go on a walking holiday I pack all my luggage in a knapsack, which I carry on my back,
k n a v e (in playing-cards) the Jack (i.e. the picture card lowest
in value); • a rather bad, but not very b a d man.
k n e a d You knead dough or clay (to get it properly mixed) by squeezing it about with your hands and knuckles,
k n e e the joint in the middle of your leg.
! k n e e l to go down on to your knees (e.g. when saying prayers).
* k n e l t T h e people in church last Sunday knelt down (on their knees) to pray for the hungry.
* k n e w Jack is not a stranger; I knew him when we were in the Infants' School.
* k n i c k e r s T h e children made their knickers dirty by sitting in the mud.
* knick-* knack some un-important, small, and usually decorative, article of furniture, dress or food.
* k n i f e J i m cut the apple into pieces with his knife.
* k n i g h t W h e n M r . J o h n Smith is made a knight, he is called Sir J o h n Smith. • Story-book knights of old used to wear armour, ride horses and rescue ladies in distress.
* k n i t If I had knitting needles, I could knit a scarf with this wool.
• Mother knit (or knitted) that woolly last year.
* k n i v e s Put the knives and forks on the table ready for dinner.
* k n o b a rounded end (as a handle or a decoration, etc.), e.g.
You must turn the knob to open the door. There is a knob on the top of the stair post.
* k n o c k You knock on a door, by banging it hard with your knuckles or with the door-knocker. T o knock out a boxer is to hit him so hard that he cannot get up before he is counted out. • A knock-out
(blow), k.o. for short, is a blow that knocks out . anyone and pre-vents him from fighting any more.
* The 'k' is not sounded in any of these words.
k n o c k e d 178 l a c o n i c
* k n o c k e d T h e old m a n was knocked down in the street by a bus, a n d injured. I knocked on the door a n d the householder opened it.
* k n o c k e r T h e door-knocker is hinged to the letter box so that you can bang on the door with it.
knacker
* k n o t There is a knot where the pieces of string have been tied together. • a hard place in wood (where a branch joined the tree truiik); • the unit by which speeds at sea are measured (a knot is one sea mile [6,080 ft.] per hour).
* k n o t t e d T h e string is so knotted (tightly tangled) t h a t we cannot untie it.
* k n o w I know J a n e is there be-cause I can see her.
* k n o w i n g Knowing that we were safe at home, D a d did not worry about us. • A knowing person is one who is artful.
* k n o w l e d g e D a d has no know-ledge of cooking; h e can't even cook an egg.
* k n o w n J o h n is no stranger; we have known him for y e a n .
* k n u c k l e any one of the bones at your finger-joints, b u t especially one of those where the fingers join the hands.
K r e m l i n the headquarters of the government of the U.S.S.R.
(Soviet Union) in Moscow.
label a piece of paper or card attached to luggage, a parcel or a bottle, etc., to show who owns it, what is in it, etc.
laboratory a room specially equipped for the conduct of scientific experiments, e.g. the school science laboratory (lab for short).
l a b o r i o u s A laborious task is one requiring hard work,
labour work; • to work, e.g. T h e workers labour all day for 50p. • T h e Labour Party is a political party originally formed by work-ing people.
l a b o u r e r a m a n who does h a r d work requiring no special skill, e.g. A bricklayer has a labourer to bring him the bricks and mortar he uses.
l a b u r n u m I n spring, long clus-ters of yellow flowers hang from the laburnum trees, followed later by seed pods.
l a c e a cord used to fasten shoes;
• to fasten (shoes, etc.) with a lace; • a network of thread, making patterns, a n d used for decoration, e.g. a lace collar on a dress.
lack Out defeat was due to a lack (need) of ammunition. • T h e only thing the campers lack (need) is a tin-opener.
laconic A laconic remark is one that uses only a few words.
* T h e 'k' is not sounded in any of these words.
l a c q u e r 179 l a n c e l a c q u e r (pron. lak-er) varnish,
a special hard, glossy, Japanese varnish for painting wooden^etc., articles, or a gold-coloured coat-ing for brass. • T o lacquer anythcoat-ing is to coat it with lacquer,
l a d d e r T h e workman rested the ladder against the house a n d climbed u p it to the roof,
l a d e n T h e poor donkey was laden with so many packages •tfiat h e could hardly carry them,
l a d i e s These ladies are our mothers.
l a d l e a special spoon with a long handle a n d big bowl, for serving gravy, soup, etc.
ladle ladybird
l a d y This lady is my mother. • Lord Dory's wife is called Lady Dory.
l a d y b i r d a little flying beetle with spots on its back, liked b y gardeners because i t " destroys greenfly.
l a d y l i k e Mary is a ladylike girl (i.e. she has the perfect manners of a lady),
l a g If we walk slower than the others we shall lag behind them.
• T o lag pipes, boilers, etc., is to cover them with materials which will prevent heat escaping.
l a g g i n g Some of the party are lagging behind'so we will wait for them to patch" u p with us. • covering pipes, efc:, with materials . that will prevent" them from
freez-ing; • the material used for lagging pipes, etc.
lagoobt a n ' area of sea water completely (or almost) cut off from the sea b y a strip of land such as a sand-bank, coral reef, etc.
l a i d O u r hen laid an egg yester-day. B Jane lead her book on the desk: • Mother laid the table (i.e.
put on it the things needed for a meal).
l a i n J o a n has lain on her bed asleep all the afternoon,
l a i r den; the place where a wild beast goes to lie down,
l a k e a large area of water sur-rounded by land, e.g. Lake Victoria (ili Africa),
l a m b i A mother sheep is not as pretty-as hep little woolly lamb.
l a m e J i m is so lame after injuring his leg" that he has great difficulty in walking.
-l a m e n t ' 'to mourn, e.g. T h e woman continued to lament the death of her child. • a mournful song, e g T h e tribesmen are sing-ing a lament for the death of their chief.
l a m e n t a b l e W e made a lament-able mistake (i.e. a mistake for which we were afterwards very sorry).
l a m p Move the lamp so that its light shines on your book, l a n c e a long spear used by
horse-soldiers. • T o lance a boil, etc., is to cut it open or pierce it.
l a n d larder l a n d About a third of the eartfe'3
surface is land; the rest is water. • T h e ship's passengers will land in England today. • W e hope the space rocket will land safely on Mars.
l a n d i n g ' the piece of floor at the top of a flight of stairs. • T h e ship's passengers are landing in England now. • T h e space travel-lers m a d e a successful landing on the moon.
l a n d l a d y a woman who keeps an inn (public house) • or takes in lodgers, • or owns houses, etc., for which people pay her rent.
l a n d l o r d a m a n who keeps an inn (public house); • a m a n who owns land or houses which he lets to others for rent.
l a n d m a r k an object such as a church spire, factory chimney, etc., which is easily seen from a distance.
l a n d s c a p e a painting of a country scene; • a view of the countryside. • A landscape gardener is one who lays out grounds to look like natural scenery.
l a n d s l i d e Returning after the landslide, we found that masses of earth h a d slipped down the hill-side and buried our camp.
l a n e a narrow road, usually be-tween hedges.
language T h e language of England is English; French people speak the French language, m Bad language is speech which includes swearing or curses.
l a n k y A lanky person is one who is very tall and thin.
lantern a transparent case in which a light (especially a candle or oil lamp) is protected from the weather.
< i
lantern lapel lap Mother was sitting with the
baby on her lap. • Each lap (round) of our running track is 200 m. • Cats lap milk (drink by scooping it u p on their tongues).
lapel the folded-back front part of the collar of a jacket or coat.
l a p p e d Before the end of the race Bob h a d lapped J i m m y (i.e. was more than a lap ahead of him).
• T h e cat lapped u p the spilt milk (i.e. scooped it u p with its tongue).
l a p s e a slight mistake or piece of misbehaviour, e.g. Tom's misbe-haviour was just a lapse, nothing serious. • J o h n speaks properly in school, but in the company of friends he will lapse into slang.
larch a cone-bearing tree which provides tough timber, and bark for tanning leather.
l a r d the soft, white fat obtained by roasting pork, and used in cooking and for making ointments, etc.
larder a cupboard or small room in which food is kept.
l a r g e 181 l a t t e r l a r g e T h e duke lived in a large
(big) country house. • T h e soldier reported that a prisoner was at large (free).
l a r g e l y chiefly, e.g. This illness is largely caused by smoking.
l a r k T h e lark flew off its nest in the grass and fluttered high in the sky, singing gaily.
l a r v a a caterpillar-like grub which hatches out of an insect's egg and later changes into an adult insect.
l a s h It is cruel to lash that horse with your whip. • T h e prisoner was given ten lashes with the whip as a punishment.
l a s s (used chiefly in northern Britain and by poets) a girl.
l a s s o T o lasso an animal a cow-boy throws a loop of rope called a lasso over its head. • T h e loops of lassos are made with slip-knots so that they can be pulled tight round the animal's neck.
Jrr
lasso lines of latitude l a s t I hope this sunny weather
will last to the end of the holiday.
• There is no-one to come after Dick; he is the last hoy. • You put shoes on an iron foot called a last, when repairing them.
l a s t i n g This shower is lasting a long time. • T h e punishment had a lasting effect on T o m (i.e. the effect did not soon wear off).
l a s t l y in the last place, e.g. at the end of a speech: 'Lastly, I would like to thank you all for listening so patiently.'
l a t c h You must lift the latch before you can open the gate.
l a t e J o a n came to school late and missed the first lesson. • This prize was given by the late M r . Smith (i.e. the M r . Smith who is now dead).
lately We have not seenvBetty lately (i.e. it is a long time since we saw Betty).
l a t e n e s s Please excuse my late-ness, but my bicycle broke and I had to walk.
lath a thin, narrow strip of wood,-e.g. of the kind used to support tiles on a roof.
lathe a machine on which wood or metal is turned round and round so that it can be shaped by a cutting tool held against it.
lather a mass of air bubbles made by shaking or stirring soapy water;
• the frothy sweat on a horse.
Latin the language spoken by the ancient Romans and still used in the Roman Catholic Church.
latitude Lines of latitude are east-west rings round the globe, the ring round the equator being o°.
(The United Kingdom lies be-tween latitudes 50° and 6o°.) latter Here are D a p h n e and
David; the latter (second one men-tioned) is my brother.
fcwgk 182 l a u g h H i e joke was so funny that
it m a d e us laugh loudly,
l a u g h e d W e laughed so long a n d loudly a t the funny m a n that our sides-ached,
l a u g h i n g W e were laughing a t t h i funny tnan's jokes. • This is no laughing matter (i.e. it is serious), l a u g h t e r You know by the boys' loud laughter that they are enjoy-ing the joke,
launch T o launch a rocket is to send it u p from its launching'pad.
• T o launch a ship is to cause it to slide into the water, v W e travelled down the river in a motnr-laxmch (boat).
l a u n d e r to wash a n d ' iron (clothes), e.g. Mother will launder your shirts,
laundry W e send our clothes, bed-linen, etc., to the laundry to be washed a n d ironed,
l a u r e l a n evergreen bush with big, glossy leaves,
l a v a During the eruption of the volcano, red-hot lava came u p from the crater, poured slowly down the slope a n d cooled to form rock.
lava
l a v a t o r y a water-closet or toilet (i.e. where you go to be 'excused');
• a room containing wash-basins but not necessarily a toilet.
l a v e n d e r a plant with tough, grey-grre>i leaves a n d very sweet-smelling mauve flowers,
l a v i s h T o lavish aoney (or love, etc.) on anyone b to give him all the Money (or love, etc.) that you pofesibly c^n.
l a w "Aflien a 4aw (rule) has been m a d e by Parliament, those who do not keep it are punished. • Policemen arrest tee-breakers, l a w - a b i d i n g A law-abiding
per-son is one who does not break any laws,
l a w f u l A lawful act is an act which the law allows,
l a w l e s s A lawless person is one who breaks laws (i.e. a criminal), l a w n You must keep the grass on
a lawn closely cut. • very fine linen cloth - almost like silk, l a w y e r a person who makes his
living by helping or advising people who are in difficulty about the law (e.g. h e m a y defend a prisoner in court or help to d r a w up a will),
l a y a song or poem. • A layman is anyone who is not a clergyman.
• Lai the patient on t h e ' b e d . • A ben'* iob is to lay eggs. • Lay the table for tea (i.e. put on it the things needed). • Last night as I lay asleep, the bed broke. • l a y e r I can see a layer of dust on
tins polished table. • T h a t hen is a good layer (i.e. she lays many
egg*)-l a z i egg*)-l y Bob, who h a d n o intention of working, leaned lazily on his spade.
l a z i n e s s No-one c a n accuse us of laziness, for we have worked hard all day.
183 learned l a z y T h a t lazy boy hasn't done a
stroke of work.
l e a grass-land, a meadow.
l e a d (pron. leed) T h e blind m a n had a dog to lead him (show him the way). • (pron. led) a very heavy, rather soft, grey metal. • Lead pencils contain • black-lead (a form of carbon, also called graphite).
l e a d e r someone who goes in front, shows the way or sets an example; • a person who leads or commands.
l e a d e r s h i p T h e team's success was due to Dick's leadership (i.e.
Dick's ability to show them what to do).
l e a d i n g most important, e.g. our leading scientist; a leading article in a newspaper. • T h e dog is leading a blind m a n along the street.
l e a f This leaf of the book has page 183 on the front and page 184 on the back. • T h e leaf of a plant is usually thin, flat and green.
leaf leapfrog l e a f l e s s A leafless plant is one
that has no leaves on it.
leaflet a small leaf or part of a big leaf; • a single sheet (some-times folded) of printed paper, usually handed out free or put through your door.
l e a f y full of leaves, e.g. Most English trees are leafy in summer, but leafless in winter,
l e a g u e a distance of about 3 miles; • an organization of people (or groups), formed to help each other, e.g. T h e members of our Chess League arrange games with each other,
leak I know there is a leak in the