font /fɒ nt/ (fonts )
1 N‑COUNT In printing, a font is a set of characters of the same style and size.
2 N‑COUNT In a church, a font is a bowl which holds the water used for baptisms.
food ◆◆◆ /fuː d/ (foods )
1 N‑VAR Food is what people and animals eat. □ Enjoy your food. □ …supplies of food and water. □ …emergency food aid. □ …frozen foods.
2 → see also convenience food , fast food , health food , junk food , wholefood
3 PHRASE If you are off your food , you do not want to eat, usually because you are ill. □ It's not like you to be off your food.
4 PHRASE If you give someone food for thought , you make them think carefully about something. □ Lord Fraser's speech offers much food for thought.
foo d bank (food banks ) N‑COUNT A food bank is a place where food and groceries are given free to people who need them. □ Too many people are living in poverty and relying on food banks.
foo d chain (food chains ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] The food chain is a series of living things which are linked to each other because each thing feeds on the one next to it in the series. □ The whole food chain is affected by the over-use of chemicals in agriculture.
foodie /fuː di/ (foodies ) also foody N‑COUNT Foodies are people who enjoy cooking and eating different kinds of food. [INFORMAL ] □ Other neighbourhoods in the city offer foodies a choice of Chinese, Portuguese or Greek food.
foo d mix|er (food mixers ) also food-mixer N‑COUNT A food mixer is a piece of electrical equipment that is used to mix food such as cake mixture.
foo d poi|son|ing N‑UNCOUNT If you get food poisoning , you become ill because you have eaten food that has gone bad.
foo d pro|ces|sor (food processors ) N‑COUNT A food processor is a piece of electrical equipment that is used to mix, chop, or beat food, or to make it into a liquid.
foo d stamp (food stamps ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] In the United States, food stamps are official vouchers that are given to people with low incomes to be exchanged for food.
food|stuff /fuː dstʌf/ (foodstuffs ) N‑VAR [usu pl] Foodstuffs are substances which people eat. □ …basic foodstuffs such as sugar, cooking oil and cheese.
foo d value (food values ) N‑VAR The food value of a particular food is a measure of how good it is for you, based on its level of vitamins, minerals, or calories.
foody /fuː di/ → see foodie
fool ◆◇◇ /fuː l/ (fools , fooling , fooled )
1 N‑COUNT If you call someone a fool , you are indicating that you think they are not at all sensible and show a lack of good judgment. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ 'You fool!' she shouted. □ He'd been a fool to get involved with her!
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Fool is used to describe an action or person that is not at all sensible and shows a lack of good judgment. [mainly AM , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ What a damn fool thing to do!
3 VERB If someone fools you, they deceive or trick you. □ [V n] Art dealers fool a lot of people. □ [be V -ed] Don't be fooled by his appearance. □ [V n + into ] They tried to fool you into coming after us.
4 VERB If you say that a person is fooling with something or someone, you mean that the way they are behaving is likely to cause problems. □ [V + with ] What are you doing fooling with such a staggering sum of money?
5 PHRASE If you make a fool of someone, you make them seem silly by telling people about something stupid that they have done, or by tricking them. □ Your brother is making a fool of you. □ He'd been made a fool of.
6 PHRASE If you make a fool of yourself, you behave in a way that makes other people think that you are silly or lacking in good judgment. □ He was drinking and making a fool of himself.
7 PHRASE If you say to someone ' More fool you' when they tell you what they have done or what they plan to do, you are indicating that you think that it is silly and shows a lack of judgment. [BRIT , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Most managers couldn't care less about information technology. More fool them.
8 PHRASE If you play the fool or act the fool , you behave in a playful, childish, and foolish way, usually in order to make other people laugh. □ They used to play the fool together, calling each other silly names and giggling.
▸ fool about → see fool around 3
▸ fool around
1 PHRASAL VERB If you fool around , you behave in a silly, dangerous, or irresponsible way. □ [V P ] They were fooling around on an Army firing range. □ [V P + with ] Have you been fooling around with something you shouldn't?
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone fools around with another person, especially when one of them is married, they have a casual sexual relationship. □ [V P + with ] Never fool around with the clients' wives. □ [V P ] Her husband was fooling around.
3 PHRASAL VERB If you fool around , you behave in a playful, childish, and silly way, often in order to make people laugh. [in BRIT, also use fool about ] □ [V P ] Stop fooling about, man. □ [V P ] They fooled around for the camera. SYNONYMS fool NOUN 1
simpleton: But Ian's such a simpleton', she laughed.