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Britain

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
Brit·ain 1  (brtn)
The island of Great Britain during pre-Roman, Roman, and early Anglo-Saxon times before the reign of Alfred the Great (871-899). The name is derived from Brittania, which the Romans used for the portion of the island that they occupied.

Brit·ain 2  (brtn)
Abbr. Br. or Brit.

Britain [ˈbrɪtən]
n
(Placename) another name for Great Britain or the United Kingdom
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.BritainBritain - 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-ha'penny, shove-halfpenny, 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

Britain
noun the UK, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, the British Isles, Blighty (Brit. informal) the volume of visitors to Britain
Translations
Britain [ˈbrɪtən] N (also Great Britain) → Gran Bretaña f; (loosely) → Inglaterra f
BRITAIN
A veces se usa el término England para referirse a la totalidad del país, aunque no es un término usado con precisión; sin embargo, mucha gente confunde a menudo los nombres Britain, Great Britain, United Kingdom y British Isles.
Se denomina Great Britain a la isla que comprende Inglaterra, Escocia y Gales. Desde el punto de vista administrativo, el término también incluye las islas menores cercanas, a excepción de la Isla de Man (Isle of Man) y las Islas Anglonormandas o Islas del Canal de la Mancha (Channel Islands).
United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), o UK, es la unidad política que comprende Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte.
British Isles es el término geográfico que abarca Gran Bretaña, Irlanda, la Isla de Man y las Islas Anglonormandas. En lo político, el término comprende dos estados soberanos: el Reino Unido y la República de Irlanda.
El término Britain se utiliza fundamentalmente para referirse al Reino Unido, y en algunas ocasiones también a la isla, a Gran Bretaña.

Britain [ˈbrɪtən] nGrande-Bretagne f
in Britain → en Grande-Bretagne
to Britain → en Grande-Bretagne
I'm from Britain → Je suis britannique

Britain
nGroßbritannien nt; (in ancient history) → Britannien nt

Britain [ˈbrɪtən] n (also Great Britain) → la Gran Bretagna
Britain [ˈbrɪtən] n (also Great Britain) → la Gran Bretagna

Britain بريطانيا Británie Storbritannien Großbritannien Βρετανία Bretaña Britannia Grande-Bretagne Britanija Bretagna 英国 영국 Groot-Brittannië Storbritannia Brytania Grã-Bretanha Британия Storbritannien ประเทศสหราชอาณาจักรอังกฤษ İngiltere nước Anh 英国


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The case of the treaty of peace with Britain adds great weight to this reasoning.
Seven times, as the successive monarchs of Britain ascended the throne, the trumpet peal of proclamation had been heard by those who sat in our venerable chair.
In the government of Britain the representatives of the people compose one branch of the national legislature.
 
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