ta ll shi p (tall ships ) N‑COUNT A tall ship is a sailing ship which has very tall masts and square sails.
ta ll sto |ry (tall stories ) N‑COUNT A tall story is the same as a tall tale .
ta ll ta le (tall tales ) N‑COUNT A tall tale is a long and complicated story that is difficult to believe because most of the events it describes seem unlikely or impossible. □ …the imaginative tall tales of sailors.
tal|ly /tæ li/ (tallies , tallying , tallied )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A tally is a record of amounts or numbers which you keep changing and adding to as the activity which affects it progresses. □ [+ of ] They do not keep a tally of visitors to the palace, but it is very popular.
2 VERB If one number or statement tallies with another, they agree with each other or are exactly the same. You can also say that two numbers or statements tally . □ [V + with ] Its own estimate of three hundred tallies with that of another survey. □ [V ] The figures didn't seem to tally.
3 VERB If you tally numbers, items, or totals, you count them. □ [V n] …as we tally the number of workers who have been laid off this year. ● PHRASAL VERB Tally up means the same as tally . □ [V P n] Bookkeepers haven't yet tallied up the total cost. [Also V n P ]
Tal|mud /tæ lmʊd/ N‑PROPER The Talmud is the collection of ancient Jewish laws which governs the religious and non-religious life of Orthodox Jews.
tal|on /tæ lən/ (talons ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] The talons of a bird of prey are its hooked claws.
tama|rind /tæ mər I nd/ (tamarinds ) N‑VAR A tamarind is a fruit which grows on a tropical evergreen tree which has pleasant-smelling flowers. You can also refer to the tree on which this fruit grows as a tamarind .
tama|risk /tæ mər I sk/ (tamarisks ) N‑COUNT A tamarisk is a bush or small tree which grows mainly around the Mediterranean and in Asia, and has pink or white flowers.
tam|bou|rine /tæ mbəriː n/ (tambourines ) N‑COUNT A tambourine is a musical instrument which you shake or hit with your hand. It consists of a drum skin on a circular frame with pairs of small round pieces of metal all around the edge.
tame /te I m/ (tamer , tamest , tames , taming , tamed )
1 ADJ A tame animal or bird is one that is not afraid of humans. □ The deer never became tame; they would run away if you approached them.
2 ADJ If you say that something or someone is tame , you are criticizing them for being weak and uninteresting, rather than forceful or shocking. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Some of today's political demonstrations look rather tame. ● tame|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ There was no excuse though when Thomas shot tamely wide from eight yards.
3 VERB If someone tames a wild animal or bird, they train it not to be afraid of humans and to do what they say. □ [V n] The Amazons were believed to have been the first to tame horses.
ta|moxi|fen /təmɒ ks I fen/ N‑UNCOUNT Tamoxifen is a drug that is used for treating women who have breast cancer.
tamp /tæ mp/ (tamps , tamping , tamped ) VERB If you tamp something, you press it down by tapping it several times so that it becomes flatter and more solid. □ [V n with adv] Then I tamp down the soil with the back of a rake. □ [V n prep/adv] Philpott tamped a wad of tobacco into his pipe. [Also V n]
tam|per /tæ mpə r / (tampers , tampering , tampered ) VERB If someone tampers with something, they interfere with it or try to change it when they have no right to do so. □ [V + with ] I don't want to be accused of tampering with the evidence.
tam|pon /tæ mpɒn/ (tampons ) N‑COUNT A tampon is a tube made of cotton wool that a woman puts inside her vagina in order to absorb blood during menstruation.
tan /tæ n/ (tans , tanning , tanned )
1 N‑SING If you have a tan , your skin has become darker than usual because you have been in the sun. □ She is tall and blonde, with a permanent tan.
2 VERB If a part of your body tans or if you tan it, your skin becomes darker than usual because you spend a lot of time in the sun. □ [V ] I have very pale skin that never tans. □ [V n] Leigh rolled over on her stomach to tan her back. ● tanned ADJ □ Their skin was tanned and glowing from their weeks at the seaside.
3 COLOUR Something that is tan is a light brown colour. □ …a tan leather jacket.
4 VERB To tan animal skins means to make them into leather by treating them with tannin or other chemicals. □ [V n] …the process of tanning animal hides.
tan|dem /tæ ndəm/ (tandems )
1 N‑COUNT A tandem is a bicycle designed for two riders, on which one rider sits behind the other.
2 PHRASE If one thing happens or is done in tandem with another thing, the two things happen at the same time. □ [+ with ] Malcolm's contract will run in tandem with his existing one.
3 PHRASE If one person does something in tandem with another person, the two people do it by working together. □ [+ with ] He is working in tandem with officials of the Serious Fraud Office.
tan|doori /tæ ndʊə ri/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Tandoori dishes are Indian meat dishes which are cooked in a clay oven.
tang /tæ ŋ/ N‑SING A tang is a strong, sharp smell or taste. □ [+ of ] She could smell the salty tang of the sea.
tan|gent /tæ ndʒ ə nt/ (tangents )