the southern part of England, generally regarded as lying to the south of an imaginary line between the Wash and the Severn
2. (in the US)
a.
the area approximately south of Pennsylvania and the Ohio River, esp those states south of the Mason-Dixon line that formed the Confederacy during the Civil War
b.
the Confederacy itself
3.
the countries of the world that are not economically and technically advanced
adjective
4.
a.
of or denoting the southern part of a specified country, area, etc
b.
(capital as part of a name)
the South Pacific
All related terms of 'Sth'
sth is up
If you say that something is up , you mean that something is wrong or that something worrying is happening .
ham sth up
If actors or actresses ham it up , they exaggerate every emotion and gesture when they are acting, often deliberately because they think that the audience will be more amused .
hard by sth
If one thing is hard by another, it is very close to it.
have got sth
You use have got to say that someone has a particular thing, or to mention a quality or characteristic that someone or something has. In informal American English , people sometimes just use 'got'.
head for sth
If you a have a head for something, you can deal with it easily . For example , if you have a head for figures , you can do arithmetic easily, and if you have a head for heights , you can climb to a great height without feeling afraid .
lay sth bare
If you lay bare something or someone, you reveal or expose them.
let sth rest
If someone refuses to let a subject rest , they refuse to stop talking about it, especially after they have been talking about it for a long time.
no mean sth
You can use no mean in expressions such as ' no mean writer ' and ' no mean golfer ' to indicate that someone does something well .
owing to sth
You use owing to when you are introducing the reason for something.
prior to sth
If something happens prior to a particular time or event , it happens before that time or event.
ram sth home
If something rams home a message or a point, it makes it clear in a way that is very forceful and that people are likely to listen to.
roll on sth
If you say roll on something, you mean that you would like it to come soon , because you are looking forward to it.
bang goes sth
If you say bang goes something, you mean that it is now obvious that it cannot succeed or be achieved .
bring sth home
To bring something home to someone means to make them understand how important or serious it is.
can't help sth
If you can't help the way you feel or behave , you cannot control it or stop it happening . You can also say that you can't help yourself .
given that sth
If you say given that something is the case, you mean taking that fact into account .
here's to sth
You use expressions such as ' here's to us ' and ' here's to your new job ' before drinking a toast in order to wish someone success or happiness.
instead of sth
If you do one thing instead of another, you do the first thing and not the second thing, as the result of a choice or a change of behaviour .
let loose sth
If someone lets loose a sound or remark , they make it, often suddenly .
let sth slide
If you let something slide , you allow it to get into a worse state or condition by not attending to it.
never mind sth
You use never mind after a statement , often a negative one, to indicate that the statement is even more true of the person, thing, or situation that you are going to mention next .
not merely sth
You use not merely before the less important of two contrasting statements , as a way of emphasizing the more important statement.
subject to sth
If an event will take place subject to a condition , it will take place only if that thing happens .
take sth hard
If you take something hard , you are very upset or depressed by it.
talk about sth
You can say talk about before mentioning a particular expression or situation , when you mean that something is a very striking or clear example of that expression or situation.
upwards of sth
A quantity that is upwards of a particular number is more than that number.
who needs sth?
You can say ' Who needs something?' as a way of emphasizing that you think that this thing is unnecessary or not useful .
a head for sth
If you a have a head for something, you can deal with it easily . For example , if you have a head for figures , you can do arithmetic easily, and if you have a head for heights , you can climb to a great height without feeling afraid .
away from sb/sth
If something is away from a person or place, it is at a distance from that person or place.
be short on sth
If someone or something is short on a particular good quality , they do not have as much of it as you think they should have.
depending on sth
You use depending on when you are saying that something varies according to the circumstances mentioned .
do sth in person
If you do something in person , you do it yourself rather than letting someone else do it for you.
get hold of sth
If you get hold of an object or information , you obtain it, usually after some difficulty .
get rid of sth
When you get rid of something that you do not want or do not like , you take action so that you no longer have it or suffer from it.
get sth straight
If you get something straight , you make sure that you understand it properly or that someone else does.
get wise to sth
If you get wise to something, you find out about it, especially when someone has been trying to keep it secret .
give something a miss
If you give something a miss , you decide not to do it or not to go to it.
give sth a rest
If someone tells you to give something a rest, they want you to stop doing it because it annoys them or because they think it is harming you.
go easy on sth
If you tell someone to go easy on something, you are telling them to use only a small amount of it.
have sth on sb
If someone has something on you, they have evidence that you have done something wrong or bad . If they have nothing on you, they cannot prove that you have done anything wrong or bad.
in case of sth
If you do something or have something in case of a particular thing, you do it or have it because that thing might happen or be true .
in lieu of sth
If you do, get , or give one thing in lieu of another, you do, get, or give it instead of the other thing, because the two things are considered to have the same value or importance .
in spite of sth
You use in spite of to introduce a fact which makes the rest of the statement you are making seem surprising .
put paid to sth
If an unexpected event puts paid to someone's hopes , chances , or plans , it completely ends or destroys them.
put sb/sth first
If you put someone or something first , you treat or consider them as more important than anything else.
put sth to sleep
If a sick or injured animal is put to sleep , it is killed by a vet in a way that does not cause it pain .
relative to sth
Relative to something means with reference to it or in comparison with it.
set light to sth
If you set light to something, you make it start burning .
speaking as sth
You can say ' speaking as a parent ' or ' speaking as a teacher ', for example , to indicate that the opinion you are giving is based on your experience as a parent or as a teacher.
speaking of sth
You can say speaking of something that has just been mentioned as a way of introducing a new topic which has some connection with that thing.