See Also: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary(dictionary)
brake(6)(dictionary)
brake(medicine)
brake(5)(dictionary)
brake(3)(dictionary)
brake(2)(dictionary)
brake(7)(dictionary)
brake(10)(dictionary)
brake(9)(dictionary)
brake(1)(dictionary)

brake 1, noun (oh) and Mary (iou)


brake 1, noun (oh)



a piece of equipment that makes a vehicle go more slowly or stop
::Test your brakes after driving through water.
::Moira slammed on the brakes (=use them suddenly and with a lot of force) and skidded to a halt.
::I managed to put on the brakes just in time.
the rear/front brakes
::a car equipped with anti-lock brakes
::the screech of brakes (=the loud unpleasant noise they can make)
apply the brakes formal
::Williams testified that he tried to apply the brakes but couldn't stop the vehicle in time.
act as a brake on sth
to make something develop more slowly, be more difficult to do, or happen less
::Rises in interest rates usually act as a brake on expenditure.
put the brakes on sth
to stop something that is happening

Mary (iou)



Mary noun. Pl. Marys. ME.
[Female forename from ecclesiastical Latin Maria (partly through Old & mod. French Marie) from Greek Maria, Mariam from Hebrew miryam Miriam.]
The name of the mother of Jesus, also called the (Blessed) Virgin Mary, or Saint Mary, used in asseverations. Cf. MARRY interjection. ME.
Holy Mary!, by Saint Mary!, etc.
A woman, esp. an Aboriginal woman. Austral. slang. M19.
In full Mary Ann. An effeminate or homosexual man. Also, a domesticated man. slang. L19.
[With allus. to Luke 10:38-42.] A contemplative or intellectual woman; in Christian allegory, used as a symbol of the contemplative life. Opp. MARTHA. E20.
Comb. & phrases: Joseph and Mary: see JOSEPH noun 1(b); Little Mary: see LITTLE adjective; Mary Ann (a) slang a taximeter; (b) slang marijuana; (c) see sense 2 above; Mary-bud the bud of a marigold; Mary Jane slang marijuana; Mary lily the Madonna lily, Lilium candidum; Mary Queen of Scots cap a Mary Stuart cap; Mary Warner slang marijuana; Queen Mary: see QUEEN noun; Typhoid Mary: see TYPHOID adjective; Virgin Mary: see VIRGIN noun.