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the first two weeks in March

  • 1 quincena

    adj.&f.
    feminine of QUINCENO.
    f.
    1 fortnight.
    2 fifteen days, fortnight.
    3 semimonthly pay.
    * * *
    1 (tiempo) fortnight
    2 (paga) fortnightly pay
    * * *
    noun f.
    * * *
    SF
    1) (=quince días) fortnight, two weeks

    la segunda quincena de enero — the second half of January, the last two weeks in January

    2) (=condena) fortnight's imprisonment
    3) (=pago) fortnightly pay
    * * *
    a) ( dos semanas) two weeks (pl), fortnight (BrE)
    b) ( paga) wages (pl) ( paid every two weeks)
    * * *
    Ex. A library of approximately 750 books was set up and a librarian visited the rig by helicopter once a fortnight to bring new books.
    ----
    * una vez cada quincena = once a fortnight.
    * * *
    a) ( dos semanas) two weeks (pl), fortnight (BrE)
    b) ( paga) wages (pl) ( paid every two weeks)
    * * *

    Ex: A library of approximately 750 books was set up and a librarian visited the rig by helicopter once a fortnight to bring new books.

    * una vez cada quincena = once a fortnight.

    * * *
    1 (dos semanas) two weeks (pl), fortnight ( BrE)
    la primera quincena del mes de marzo the first two weeks in March
    * * *

     

    quincena sustantivo femenino ( dos semanas) two weeks (pl), fortnight (BrE);

    quincena sustantivo femenino fortnight
    la primera quincena de agosto, the first two weeks of August

    ' quincena' also found in these entries:
    English:
    fortnight
    * * *
    fortnight;
    la segunda quincena de agosto the second fortnight o half of August
    * * *
    f two weeks, Br tb
    fortnight
    * * *
    : two week period, fortnight

    Spanish-English dictionary > quincena

  • 2 quinzaine

    quinzaine [kɛ̃zεn]
    feminine noun
    ( = nombre) about fifteen ; ( = deux semaines) une quinzaine (de jours) two weeks
    • quinzaine publicitaire or commerciale two-week sale
    • « quinzaine des soldes » "two-week sale"
    * * *
    kɛ̃zɛn
    1) ( environ quinze) about fifteen; cinquantaine
    2) ( deux semaines) fortnight GB, two weeks
    * * *
    kɛ̃zɛn nf
    1) (= nombre)

    une quinzaine — about fifteen, fifteen or so

    une quinzaine de — about fifteen, fifteen or so

    Il y avait une quinzaine de personnes. — There were about fifteen people there.

    2) (= deux semaines)

    une quinzaine — a fortnight Grande-Bretagne two weeks

    * * *
    1 ( environ quinze) about fifteen; ⇒ cinquantaine 1;
    2 ( deux semaines) fortnight GB, two weeks; la première/deuxième quinzaine de mars the first/second half of March; quinzaine commerciale two-week sale; quinzaine littéraire two-week book promotion; quinzaine tchèque/anglaise two-week promotion of Czech/English goods.
    [kɛ̃zɛn] nom féminin
    1. [durée]
    une quinzaine de jours a fortnight, two weeks
    2. [quantité]
    une quinzaine de crayons about fifteen pencils, fifteen pencils or so
    la grande quinzaine des prix littéraires the literary prize season (two-week period in November and December when all the major French literary prizes are awarded)
    4. [salaire] fortnight's pay, two-week's pay ou wages

    Dictionnaire Français-Anglais > quinzaine

  • 3 Historical Portugal

       Before Romans described western Iberia or Hispania as "Lusitania," ancient Iberians inhabited the land. Phoenician and Greek trading settlements grew up in the Tagus estuary area and nearby coasts. Beginning around 202 BCE, Romans invaded what is today southern Portugal. With Rome's defeat of Carthage, Romans proceeded to conquer and rule the western region north of the Tagus, which they named Roman "Lusitania." In the fourth century CE, as Rome's rule weakened, the area experienced yet another invasion—Germanic tribes, principally the Suevi, who eventually were Christianized. During the sixth century CE, the Suevi kingdom was superseded by yet another Germanic tribe—the Christian Visigoths.
       A major turning point in Portugal's history came in 711, as Muslim armies from North Africa, consisting of both Arab and Berber elements, invaded the Iberian Peninsula from across the Straits of Gibraltar. They entered what is now Portugal in 714, and proceeded to conquer most of the country except for the far north. For the next half a millennium, Islam and Muslim presence in Portugal left a significant mark upon the politics, government, language, and culture of the country.
       Islam, Reconquest, and Portugal Created, 714-1140
       The long frontier struggle between Muslim invaders and Christian communities in the north of the Iberian peninsula was called the Reconquista (Reconquest). It was during this struggle that the first dynasty of Portuguese kings (Burgundian) emerged and the independent monarchy of Portugal was established. Christian forces moved south from what is now the extreme north of Portugal and gradually defeated Muslim forces, besieging and capturing towns under Muslim sway. In the ninth century, as Christian forces slowly made their way southward, Christian elements were dominant only in the area between Minho province and the Douro River; this region became known as "territorium Portu-calense."
       In the 11th century, the advance of the Reconquest quickened as local Christian armies were reinforced by crusading knights from what is now France and England. Christian forces took Montemor (1034), at the Mondego River; Lamego (1058); Viseu (1058); and Coimbra (1064). In 1095, the king of Castile and Léon granted the country of "Portu-cale," what became northern Portugal, to a Burgundian count who had emigrated from France. This was the foundation of Portugal. In 1139, a descendant of this count, Afonso Henriques, proclaimed himself "King of Portugal." He was Portugal's first monarch, the "Founder," and the first of the Burgundian dynasty, which ruled until 1385.
       The emergence of Portugal in the 12th century as a separate monarchy in Iberia occurred before the Christian Reconquest of the peninsula. In the 1140s, the pope in Rome recognized Afonso Henriques as king of Portugal. In 1147, after a long, bloody siege, Muslim-occupied Lisbon fell to Afonso Henriques's army. Lisbon was the greatest prize of the 500-year war. Assisting this effort were English crusaders on their way to the Holy Land; the first bishop of Lisbon was an Englishman. When the Portuguese captured Faro and Silves in the Algarve province in 1248-50, the Reconquest of the extreme western portion of the Iberian peninsula was complete—significantly, more than two centuries before the Spanish crown completed the Reconquest of the eastern portion by capturing Granada in 1492.
       Consolidation and Independence of Burgundian Portugal, 1140-1385
       Two main themes of Portugal's early existence as a monarchy are the consolidation of control over the realm and the defeat of a Castil-ian threat from the east to its independence. At the end of this period came the birth of a new royal dynasty (Aviz), which prepared to carry the Christian Reconquest beyond continental Portugal across the straits of Gibraltar to North Africa. There was a variety of motives behind these developments. Portugal's independent existence was imperiled by threats from neighboring Iberian kingdoms to the north and east. Politics were dominated not only by efforts against the Muslims in
       Portugal (until 1250) and in nearby southern Spain (until 1492), but also by internecine warfare among the kingdoms of Castile, Léon, Aragon, and Portugal. A final comeback of Muslim forces was defeated at the battle of Salado (1340) by allied Castilian and Portuguese forces. In the emerging Kingdom of Portugal, the monarch gradually gained power over and neutralized the nobility and the Church.
       The historic and commonplace Portuguese saying "From Spain, neither a good wind nor a good marriage" was literally played out in diplomacy and war in the late 14th-century struggles for mastery in the peninsula. Larger, more populous Castile was pitted against smaller Portugal. Castile's Juan I intended to force a union between Castile and Portugal during this era of confusion and conflict. In late 1383, Portugal's King Fernando, the last king of the Burgundian dynasty, suddenly died prematurely at age 38, and the Master of Aviz, Portugal's most powerful nobleman, took up the cause of independence and resistance against Castile's invasion. The Master of Aviz, who became King João I of Portugal, was able to obtain foreign assistance. With the aid of English archers, Joao's armies defeated the Castilians in the crucial battle of Aljubarrota, on 14 August 1385, a victory that assured the independence of the Portuguese monarchy from its Castilian nemesis for several centuries.
       Aviz Dynasty and Portugal's First Overseas Empire, 1385-1580
       The results of the victory at Aljubarrota, much celebrated in Portugal's art and monuments, and the rise of the Aviz dynasty also helped to establish a new merchant class in Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal's second city. This group supported King João I's program of carrying the Reconquest to North Africa, since it was interested in expanding Portugal's foreign commerce and tapping into Muslim trade routes and resources in Africa. With the Reconquest against the Muslims completed in Portugal and the threat from Castile thwarted for the moment, the Aviz dynasty launched an era of overseas conquest, exploration, and trade. These efforts dominated Portugal's 15th and 16th centuries.
       The overseas empire and age of Discoveries began with Portugal's bold conquest in 1415 of the Moroccan city of Ceuta. One royal member of the 1415 expedition was young, 21-year-old Prince Henry, later known in history as "Prince Henry the Navigator." His part in the capture of Ceuta won Henry his knighthood and began Portugal's "Marvelous Century," during which the small kingdom was counted as a European and world power of consequence. Henry was the son of King João I and his English queen, Philippa of Lancaster, but he did not inherit the throne. Instead, he spent most of his life and his fortune, and that of the wealthy military Order of Christ, on various imperial ventures and on voyages of exploration down the African coast and into the Atlantic. While mythology has surrounded Henry's controversial role in the Discoveries, and this role has been exaggerated, there is no doubt that he played a vital part in the initiation of Portugal's first overseas empire and in encouraging exploration. He was naturally curious, had a sense of mission for Portugal, and was a strong leader. He also had wealth to expend; at least a third of the African voyages of the time were under his sponsorship. If Prince Henry himself knew little science, significant scientific advances in navigation were made in his day.
       What were Portugal's motives for this new imperial effort? The well-worn historical cliche of "God, Glory, and Gold" can only partly explain the motivation of a small kingdom with few natural resources and barely 1 million people, which was greatly outnumbered by the other powers it confronted. Among Portuguese objectives were the desire to exploit known North African trade routes and resources (gold, wheat, leather, weaponry, and other goods that were scarce in Iberia); the need to outflank the Muslim world in the Mediterranean by sailing around Africa, attacking Muslims en route; and the wish to ally with Christian kingdoms beyond Africa. This enterprise also involved a strategy of breaking the Venetian spice monopoly by trading directly with the East by means of discovering and exploiting a sea route around Africa to Asia. Besides the commercial motives, Portugal nurtured a strong crusading sense of Christian mission, and various classes in the kingdom saw an opportunity for fame and gain.
       By the time of Prince Henry's death in 1460, Portugal had gained control of the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeiras, begun to colonize the Cape Verde Islands, failed to conquer the Canary Islands from Castile, captured various cities on Morocco's coast, and explored as far as Senegal, West Africa, down the African coast. By 1488, Bar-tolomeu Dias had rounded the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and thereby discovered the way to the Indian Ocean.
       Portugal's largely coastal African empire and later its fragile Asian empire brought unexpected wealth but were purchased at a high price. Costs included wars of conquest and defense against rival powers, manning the far-flung navel and trade fleets and scattered castle-fortresses, and staffing its small but fierce armies, all of which entailed a loss of skills and population to maintain a scattered empire. Always short of capital, the monarchy became indebted to bankers. There were many defeats beginning in the 16th century at the hands of the larger imperial European monarchies (Spain, France, England, and Holland) and many attacks on Portugal and its strung-out empire. Typically, there was also the conflict that arose when a tenuously held world empire that rarely if ever paid its way demanded finance and manpower Portugal itself lacked.
       The first 80 years of the glorious imperial era, the golden age of Portugal's imperial power and world influence, was an African phase. During 1415-88, Portuguese navigators and explorers in small ships, some of them caravelas (caravels), explored the treacherous, disease-ridden coasts of Africa from Morocco to South Africa beyond the Cape of Good Hope. By the 1470s, the Portuguese had reached the Gulf of Guinea and, in the early 1480s, what is now Angola. Bartolomeu Dias's extraordinary voyage of 1487-88 to South Africa's coast and the edge of the Indian Ocean convinced Portugal that the best route to Asia's spices and Christians lay south, around the tip of southern Africa. Between 1488 and 1495, there was a hiatus caused in part by domestic conflict in Portugal, discussion of resources available for further conquests beyond Africa in Asia, and serious questions as to Portugal's capacity to reach beyond Africa. In 1495, King Manuel and his council decided to strike for Asia, whatever the consequences. In 1497-99, Vasco da Gama, under royal orders, made the epic two-year voyage that discovered the sea route to western India (Asia), outflanked Islam and Venice, and began Portugal's Asian empire. Within 50 years, Portugal had discovered and begun the exploitation of its largest colony, Brazil, and set up forts and trading posts from the Middle East (Aden and Ormuz), India (Calicut, Goa, etc.), Malacca, and Indonesia to Macau in China.
       By the 1550s, parts of its largely coastal, maritime trading post empire from Morocco to the Moluccas were under siege from various hostile forces, including Muslims, Christians, and Hindi. Although Moroccan forces expelled the Portuguese from the major coastal cities by 1550, the rival European monarchies of Castile (Spain), England, France, and later Holland began to seize portions of her undermanned, outgunned maritime empire.
       In 1580, Phillip II of Spain, whose mother was a Portuguese princess and who had a strong claim to the Portuguese throne, invaded Portugal, claimed the throne, and assumed control over the realm and, by extension, its African, Asian, and American empires. Phillip II filled the power vacuum that appeared in Portugal following the loss of most of Portugal's army and its young, headstrong King Sebastião in a disastrous war in Morocco. Sebastiao's death in battle (1578) and the lack of a natural heir to succeed him, as well as the weak leadership of the cardinal who briefly assumed control in Lisbon, led to a crisis that Spain's strong monarch exploited. As a result, Portugal lost its independence to Spain for a period of 60 years.
       Portugal under Spanish Rule, 1580-1640
       Despite the disastrous nature of Portugal's experience under Spanish rule, "The Babylonian Captivity" gave birth to modern Portuguese nationalism, its second overseas empire, and its modern alliance system with England. Although Spain allowed Portugal's weakened empire some autonomy, Spanish rule in Portugal became increasingly burdensome and unacceptable. Spain's ambitious imperial efforts in Europe and overseas had an impact on the Portuguese as Spain made greater and greater demands on its smaller neighbor for manpower and money. Portugal's culture underwent a controversial Castilianization, while its empire became hostage to Spain's fortunes. New rival powers England, France, and Holland attacked and took parts of Spain's empire and at the same time attacked Portugal's empire, as well as the mother country.
       Portugal's empire bore the consequences of being attacked by Spain's bitter enemies in what was a form of world war. Portuguese losses were heavy. By 1640, Portugal had lost most of its Moroccan cities as well as Ceylon, the Moluccas, and sections of India. With this, Portugal's Asian empire was gravely weakened. Only Goa, Damão, Diu, Bombay, Timor, and Macau remained and, in Brazil, Dutch forces occupied the northeast.
       On 1 December 1640, long commemorated as a national holiday, Portuguese rebels led by the duke of Braganza overthrew Spanish domination and took advantage of Spanish weakness following a more serious rebellion in Catalonia. Portugal regained independence from Spain, but at a price: dependence on foreign assistance to maintain its independence in the form of the renewal of the alliance with England.
       Restoration and Second Empire, 1640-1822
       Foreign affairs and empire dominated the restoration era and aftermath, and Portugal again briefly enjoyed greater European power and prestige. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance was renewed and strengthened in treaties of 1642, 1654, and 1661, and Portugal's independence from Spain was underwritten by English pledges and armed assistance. In a Luso-Spanish treaty of 1668, Spain recognized Portugal's independence. Portugal's alliance with England was a marriage of convenience and necessity between two monarchies with important religious, cultural, and social differences. In return for legal, diplomatic, and trade privileges, as well as the use during war and peace of Portugal's great Lisbon harbor and colonial ports for England's navy, England pledged to protect Portugal and its scattered empire from any attack. The previously cited 17th-century alliance treaties were renewed later in the Treaty of Windsor, signed in London in 1899. On at least 10 different occasions after 1640, and during the next two centuries, England was central in helping prevent or repel foreign invasions of its ally, Portugal.
       Portugal's second empire (1640-1822) was largely Brazil-oriented. Portuguese colonization, exploitation of wealth, and emigration focused on Portuguese America, and imperial revenues came chiefly from Brazil. Between 1670 and 1740, Portugal's royalty and nobility grew wealthier on funds derived from Brazilian gold, diamonds, sugar, tobacco, and other crops, an enterprise supported by the Atlantic slave trade and the supply of African slave labor from West Africa and Angola. Visitors today can see where much of that wealth was invested: Portugal's rich legacy of monumental architecture. Meanwhile, the African slave trade took a toll in Angola and West Africa.
       In continental Portugal, absolutist monarchy dominated politics and government, and there was a struggle for position and power between the monarchy and other institutions, such as the Church and nobility. King José I's chief minister, usually known in history as the marquis of Pombal (ruled 1750-77), sharply suppressed the nobility and the
       Church (including the Inquisition, now a weak institution) and expelled the Jesuits. Pombal also made an effort to reduce economic dependence on England, Portugal's oldest ally. But his successes did not last much beyond his disputed time in office.
       Beginning in the late 18th century, the European-wide impact of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon placed Portugal in a vulnerable position. With the monarchy ineffectively led by an insane queen (Maria I) and her indecisive regent son (João VI), Portugal again became the focus of foreign ambition and aggression. With England unable to provide decisive assistance in time, France—with Spain's consent—invaded Portugal in 1807. As Napoleon's army under General Junot entered Lisbon meeting no resistance, Portugal's royal family fled on a British fleet to Brazil, where it remained in exile until 1821. In the meantime, Portugal's overseas empire was again under threat. There was a power vacuum as the monarch was absent, foreign armies were present, and new political notions of liberalism and constitutional monarchy were exciting various groups of citizens.
       Again England came to the rescue, this time in the form of the armies of the duke of Wellington. Three successive French invasions of Portugal were defeated and expelled, and Wellington succeeded in carrying the war against Napoleon across the Portuguese frontier into Spain. The presence of the English army, the new French-born liberal ideas, and the political vacuum combined to create revolutionary conditions. The French invasions and the peninsular wars, where Portuguese armed forces played a key role, marked the beginning of a new era in politics.
       Liberalism and Constitutional Monarchy, 1822-1910
       During 1807-22, foreign invasions, war, and civil strife over conflicting political ideas gravely damaged Portugal's commerce, economy, and novice industry. The next terrible blow was the loss of Brazil in 1822, the jewel in the imperial crown. Portugal's very independence seemed to be at risk. In vain, Portugal sought to resist Brazilian independence by force, but in 1825 it formally acknowledged Brazilian independence by treaty.
       Portugal's slow recovery from the destructive French invasions and the "war of independence" was complicated by civil strife over the form of constitutional monarchy that best suited Portugal. After struggles over these issues between 1820 and 1834, Portugal settled somewhat uncertainly into a moderate constitutional monarchy whose constitution (Charter of 1826) lent it strong political powers to exert a moderating influence between the executive and legislative branches of the government. It also featured a new upper middle class based on land ownership and commerce; a Catholic Church that, although still important, lived with reduced privileges and property; a largely African (third) empire to which Lisbon and Oporto devoted increasing spiritual and material resources, starting with the liberal imperial plans of 1836 and 1851, and continuing with the work of institutions like the Lisbon Society of Geography (established 1875); and a mass of rural peasants whose bonds to the land weakened after 1850 and who began to immigrate in increasing numbers to Brazil and North America.
       Chronic military intervention in national politics began in 19th-century Portugal. Such intervention, usually commencing with coups or pronunciamentos (military revolts), was a shortcut to the spoils of political office and could reflect popular discontent as well as the power of personalities. An early example of this was the 1817 golpe (coup) attempt of General Gomes Freire against British military rule in Portugal before the return of King João VI from Brazil. Except for a more stable period from 1851 to 1880, military intervention in politics, or the threat thereof, became a feature of the constitutional monarchy's political life, and it continued into the First Republic and the subsequent Estado Novo.
       Beginning with the Regeneration period (1851-80), Portugal experienced greater political stability and economic progress. Military intervention in politics virtually ceased; industrialization and construction of railroads, roads, and bridges proceeded; two political parties (Regenerators and Historicals) worked out a system of rotation in power; and leading intellectuals sparked a cultural revival in several fields. In 19th-century literature, there was a new golden age led by such figures as Alexandre Herculano (historian), Eça de Queirós (novelist), Almeida Garrett (playwright and essayist), Antero de Quental (poet), and Joaquim Oliveira Martins (historian and social scientist). In its third overseas empire, Portugal attempted to replace the slave trade and slavery with legitimate economic activities; to reform the administration; and to expand Portuguese holdings beyond coastal footholds deep into the African hinterlands in West, West Central, and East Africa. After 1841, to some extent, and especially after 1870, colonial affairs, combined with intense nationalism, pressures for economic profit in Africa, sentiment for national revival, and the drift of European affairs would make or break Lisbon governments.
       Beginning with the political crisis that arose out of the "English Ultimatum" affair of January 1890, the monarchy became discredtted and identified with the poorly functioning government, political parties splintered, and republicanism found more supporters. Portugal participated in the "Scramble for Africa," expanding its African holdings, but failed to annex territory connecting Angola and Mozambique. A growing foreign debt and state bankruptcy as of the early 1890s damaged the constitutional monarchy's reputation, despite the efforts of King Carlos in diplomacy, the renewal of the alliance in the Windsor Treaty of 1899, and the successful if bloody colonial wars in the empire (1880-97). Republicanism proclaimed that Portugal's weak economy and poor society were due to two historic institutions: the monarchy and the Catholic Church. A republic, its stalwarts claimed, would bring greater individual liberty; efficient, if more decentralized government; and a stronger colonial program while stripping the Church of its role in both society and education.
       As the monarchy lost support and republicans became more aggressive, violence increased in politics. King Carlos I and his heir Luís were murdered in Lisbon by anarchist-republicans on 1 February 1908. Following a military and civil insurrection and fighting between monarchist and republican forces, on 5 October 1910, King Manuel II fled Portugal and a republic was proclaimed.
       First Parliamentary Republic, 1910-26
       Portugal's first attempt at republican government was the most unstable, turbulent parliamentary republic in the history of 20th-century Western Europe. During a little under 16 years of the republic, there were 45 governments, a number of legislatures that did not complete normal terms, military coups, and only one president who completed his four-year term in office. Portuguese society was poorly prepared for this political experiment. Among the deadly legacies of the monarchy were a huge public debt; a largely rural, apolitical, and illiterate peasant population; conflict over the causes of the country's misfortunes; and lack of experience with a pluralist, democratic system.
       The republic had some talented leadership but lacked popular, institutional, and economic support. The 1911 republican constitution established only a limited democracy, as only a small portion of the adult male citizenry was eligible to vote. In a country where the majority was Catholic, the republic passed harshly anticlerical laws, and its institutions and supporters persecuted both the Church and its adherents. During its brief disjointed life, the First Republic drafted important reform plans in economic, social, and educational affairs; actively promoted development in the empire; and pursued a liberal, generous foreign policy. Following British requests for Portugal's assistance in World War I, Portugal entered the war on the Allied side in March 1916 and sent armies to Flanders and Portuguese Africa. Portugal's intervention in that conflict, however, was too costly in many respects, and the ultimate failure of the republic in part may be ascribed to Portugal's World War I activities.
       Unfortunately for the republic, its time coincided with new threats to Portugal's African possessions: World War I, social and political demands from various classes that could not be reconciled, excessive military intervention in politics, and, in particular, the worst economic and financial crisis Portugal had experienced since the 16th and 17th centuries. After the original Portuguese Republican Party (PRP, also known as the "Democrats") splintered into three warring groups in 1912, no true multiparty system emerged. The Democrats, except for only one or two elections, held an iron monopoly of electoral power, and political corruption became a major issue. As extreme right-wing dictatorships elsewhere in Europe began to take power in Italy (1922), neighboring Spain (1923), and Greece (1925), what scant popular support remained for the republic collapsed. Backed by a right-wing coalition of landowners from Alentejo, clergy, Coimbra University faculty and students, Catholic organizations, and big business, career military officers led by General Gomes da Costa executed a coup on 28 May 1926, turned out the last republican government, and established a military government.
       The Estado Novo (New State), 1926-74
       During the military phase (1926-32) of the Estado Novo, professional military officers, largely from the army, governed and administered Portugal and held key cabinet posts, but soon discovered that the military possessed no magic formula that could readily solve the problems inherited from the First Republic. Especially during the years 1926-31, the military dictatorship, even with its political repression of republican activities and institutions (military censorship of the press, political police action, and closure of the republic's rowdy parliament), was characterized by similar weaknesses: personalism and factionalism; military coups and political instability, including civil strife and loss of life; state debt and bankruptcy; and a weak economy. "Barracks parliamentarism" was not an acceptable alternative even to the "Nightmare Republic."
       Led by General Óscar Carmona, who had replaced and sent into exile General Gomes da Costa, the military dictatorship turned to a civilian expert in finance and economics to break the budget impasse and bring coherence to the disorganized system. Appointed minister of finance on 27 April 1928, the Coimbra University Law School professor of economics Antônio de Oliveira Salazar (1889-1970) first reformed finance, helped balance the budget, and then turned to other concerns as he garnered extraordinary governing powers. In 1930, he was appointed interim head of another key ministry (Colonies) and within a few years had become, in effect, a civilian dictator who, with the military hierarchy's support, provided the government with coherence, a program, and a set of policies.
       For nearly 40 years after he was appointed the first civilian prime minister in 1932, Salazar's personality dominated the government. Unlike extreme right-wing dictators elsewhere in Europe, Salazar was directly appointed by the army but was never endorsed by a popular political party, street militia, or voter base. The scholarly, reclusive former Coimbra University professor built up what became known after 1932 as the Estado Novo ("New State"), which at the time of its overthrow by another military coup in 1974, was the longest surviving authoritarian regime in Western Europe. The system of Salazar and the largely academic and technocratic ruling group he gathered in his cabinets was based on the central bureaucracy of the state, which was supported by the president of the republic—always a senior career military officer, General Óscar Carmona (1928-51), General Craveiro Lopes (1951-58), and Admiral Américo Tómaz (1958-74)—and the complicity of various institutions. These included a rubber-stamp legislature called the National Assembly (1935-74) and a political police known under various names: PVDE (1932-45), PIDE (1945-69),
       and DGS (1969-74). Other defenders of the Estado Novo security were paramilitary organizations such as the National Republican Guard (GNR); the Portuguese Legion (PL); and the Portuguese Youth [Movement]. In addition to censorship of the media, theater, and books, there was political repression and a deliberate policy of depoliticization. All political parties except for the approved movement of regime loyalists, the União Nacional or (National Union), were banned.
       The most vigorous and more popular period of the New State was 1932-44, when the basic structures were established. Never monolithic or entirely the work of one person (Salazar), the New State was constructed with the assistance of several dozen top associates who were mainly academics from law schools, some technocrats with specialized skills, and a handful of trusted career military officers. The 1933 Constitution declared Portugal to be a "unitary, corporative Republic," and pressures to restore the monarchy were resisted. Although some of the regime's followers were fascists and pseudofascists, many more were conservative Catholics, integralists, nationalists, and monarchists of different varieties, and even some reactionary republicans. If the New State was authoritarian, it was not totalitarian and, unlike fascism in Benito Mussolini's Italy or Adolf Hitler's Germany, it usually employed the minimum of violence necessary to defeat what remained a largely fractious, incoherent opposition.
       With the tumultuous Second Republic and the subsequent civil war in nearby Spain, the regime felt threatened and reinforced its defenses. During what Salazar rightly perceived as a time of foreign policy crisis for Portugal (1936-45), he assumed control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From there, he pursued four basic foreign policy objectives: supporting the Nationalist rebels of General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and concluding defense treaties with a triumphant Franco; ensuring that General Franco in an exhausted Spain did not enter World War II on the Axis side; maintaining Portuguese neutrality in World War II with a post-1942 tilt toward the Allies, including granting Britain and the United States use of bases in the Azores Islands; and preserving and protecting Portugal's Atlantic Islands and its extensive, if poor, overseas empire in Africa and Asia.
       During the middle years of the New State (1944-58), many key Salazar associates in government either died or resigned, and there was greater social unrest in the form of unprecedented strikes and clandestine Communist activities, intensified opposition, and new threatening international pressures on Portugal's overseas empire. During the earlier phase of the Cold War (1947-60), Portugal became a steadfast, if weak, member of the US-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance and, in 1955, with American support, Portugal joined the United Nations (UN). Colonial affairs remained a central concern of the regime. As of 1939, Portugal was the third largest colonial power in the world and possessed territories in tropical Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe Islands) and the remnants of its 16th-century empire in Asia (Goa, Damão, Diu, East Timor, and Macau). Beginning in the early 1950s, following the independence of India in 1947, Portugal resisted Indian pressures to decolonize Portuguese India and used police forces to discourage internal opposition in its Asian and African colonies.
       The later years of the New State (1958-68) witnessed the aging of the increasingly isolated but feared Salazar and new threats both at home and overseas. Although the regime easily overcame the brief oppositionist threat from rival presidential candidate General Humberto Delgado in the spring of 1958, new developments in the African and Asian empires imperiled the authoritarian system. In February 1961, oppositionists hijacked the Portuguese ocean liner Santa Maria and, in following weeks, African insurgents in northern Angola, although they failed to expel the Portuguese, gained worldwide media attention, discredited the New State, and began the 13-year colonial war. After thwarting a dissident military coup against his continued leadership, Salazar and his ruling group mobilized military repression in Angola and attempted to develop the African colonies at a faster pace in order to ensure Portuguese control. Meanwhile, the other European colonial powers (Britain, France, Belgium, and Spain) rapidly granted political independence to their African territories.
       At the time of Salazar's removal from power in September 1968, following a stroke, Portugal's efforts to maintain control over its colonies appeared to be successful. President Americo Tomás appointed Dr. Marcello Caetano as Salazar's successor as prime minister. While maintaining the New State's basic structures, and continuing the regime's essential colonial policy, Caetano attempted wider reforms in colonial administration and some devolution of power from Lisbon, as well as more freedom of expression in Lisbon. Still, a great deal of the budget was devoted to supporting the wars against the insurgencies in Africa. Meanwhile in Asia, Portuguese India had fallen when the Indian army invaded in December 1961. The loss of Goa was a psychological blow to the leadership of the New State, and of the Asian empire only East Timor and Macau remained.
       The Caetano years (1968-74) were but a hiatus between the waning Salazar era and a new regime. There was greater political freedom and rapid economic growth (5-6 percent annually to late 1973), but Caetano's government was unable to reform the old system thoroughly and refused to consider new methods either at home or in the empire. In the end, regime change came from junior officers of the professional military who organized the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) against the Caetano government. It was this group of several hundred officers, mainly in the army and navy, which engineered a largely bloodless coup in Lisbon on 25 April 1974. Their unexpected action brought down the 48-year-old New State and made possible the eventual establishment and consolidation of democratic governance in Portugal, as well as a reorientation of the country away from the Atlantic toward Europe.
       Revolution of Carnations, 1974-76
       Following successful military operations of the Armed Forces Movement against the Caetano government, Portugal experienced what became known as the "Revolution of Carnations." It so happened that during the rainy week of the military golpe, Lisbon flower shops were featuring carnations, and the revolutionaries and their supporters adopted the red carnation as the common symbol of the event, as well as of the new freedom from dictatorship. The MFA, whose leaders at first were mostly little-known majors and captains, proclaimed a three-fold program of change for the new Portugal: democracy; decolonization of the overseas empire, after ending the colonial wars; and developing a backward economy in the spirit of opportunity and equality. During the first 24 months after the coup, there was civil strife, some anarchy, and a power struggle. With the passing of the Estado Novo, public euphoria burst forth as the new provisional military government proclaimed the freedoms of speech, press, and assembly, and abolished censorship, the political police, the Portuguese Legion, Portuguese Youth, and other New State organizations, including the National Union. Scores of political parties were born and joined the senior political party, the Portuguese Community Party (PCP), and the Socialist Party (PS), founded shortly before the coup.
       Portugal's Revolution of Carnations went through several phases. There was an attempt to take control by radical leftists, including the PCP and its allies. This was thwarted by moderate officers in the army, as well as by the efforts of two political parties: the PS and the Social Democrats (PPD, later PSD). The first phase was from April to September 1974. Provisional president General Antonio Spínola, whose 1974 book Portugal and the Future had helped prepare public opinion for the coup, met irresistible leftist pressures. After Spinola's efforts to avoid rapid decolonization of the African empire failed, he resigned in September 1974. During the second phase, from September 1974 to March 1975, radical military officers gained control, but a coup attempt by General Spínola and his supporters in Lisbon in March 1975 failed and Spínola fled to Spain.
       In the third phase of the Revolution, March-November 1975, a strong leftist reaction followed. Farm workers occupied and "nationalized" 1.1 million hectares of farmland in the Alentejo province, and radical military officers in the provisional government ordered the nationalization of Portuguese banks (foreign banks were exempted), utilities, and major industries, or about 60 percent of the economic system. There were power struggles among various political parties — a total of 50 emerged—and in the streets there was civil strife among labor, military, and law enforcement groups. A constituent assembly, elected on 25 April 1975, in Portugal's first free elections since 1926, drafted a democratic constitution. The Council of the Revolution (CR), briefly a revolutionary military watchdog committee, was entrenched as part of the government under the constitution, until a later revision. During the chaotic year of 1975, about 30 persons were killed in political frays while unstable provisional governments came and went. On 25 November 1975, moderate military forces led by Colonel Ramalho Eanes, who later was twice elected president of the republic (1976 and 1981), defeated radical, leftist military groups' revolutionary conspiracies.
       In the meantime, Portugal's scattered overseas empire experienced a precipitous and unprepared decolonization. One by one, the former colonies were granted and accepted independence—Guinea-Bissau (September 1974), Cape Verde Islands (July 1975), and Mozambique (July 1975). Portugal offered to turn over Macau to the People's Republic of China, but the offer was refused then and later negotiations led to the establishment of a formal decolonization or hand-over date of 1999. But in two former colonies, the process of decolonization had tragic results.
       In Angola, decolonization negotiations were greatly complicated by the fact that there were three rival nationalist movements in a struggle for power. The January 1975 Alvor Agreement signed by Portugal and these three parties was not effectively implemented. A bloody civil war broke out in Angola in the spring of 1975 and, when Portuguese armed forces withdrew and declared that Angola was independent on 11 November 1975, the bloodshed only increased. Meanwhile, most of the white Portuguese settlers from Angola and Mozambique fled during the course of 1975. Together with African refugees, more than 600,000 of these retornados ("returned ones") went by ship and air to Portugal and thousands more to Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
       The second major decolonization disaster was in Portugal's colony of East Timor in the Indonesian archipelago. Portugal's capacity to supervise and control a peaceful transition to independence in this isolated, neglected colony was limited by the strength of giant Indonesia, distance from Lisbon, and Portugal's revolutionary disorder and inability to defend Timor. In early December 1975, before Portugal granted formal independence and as one party, FRETILIN, unilaterally declared East Timor's independence, Indonesia's armed forces invaded, conquered, and annexed East Timor. Indonesian occupation encountered East Timorese resistance, and a heavy loss of life followed. The East Timor question remained a contentious international issue in the UN, as well as in Lisbon and Jakarta, for more than 20 years following Indonesia's invasion and annexation of the former colony of Portugal. Major changes occurred, beginning in 1998, after Indonesia underwent a political revolution and allowed a referendum in East Timor to decide that territory's political future in August 1999. Most East Timorese chose independence, but Indonesian forces resisted that verdict until
       UN intervention in September 1999. Following UN rule for several years, East Timor attained full independence on 20 May 2002.
       Consolidation of Democracy, 1976-2000
       After several free elections and record voter turnouts between 25 April 1975 and June 1976, civil war was averted and Portugal's second democratic republic began to stabilize. The MFA was dissolved, the military were returned to the barracks, and increasingly elected civilians took over the government of the country. The 1976 Constitution was revised several times beginning in 1982 and 1989, in order to reempha-size the principle of free enterprise in the economy while much of the large, nationalized sector was privatized. In June 1976, General Ram-alho Eanes was elected the first constitutional president of the republic (five-year term), and he appointed socialist leader Dr. Mário Soares as prime minister of the first constitutional government.
       From 1976 to 1985, Portugal's new system featured a weak economy and finances, labor unrest, and administrative and political instability. The difficult consolidation of democratic governance was eased in part by the strong currency and gold reserves inherited from the Estado Novo, but Lisbon seemed unable to cope with high unemployment, new debt, the complex impact of the refugees from Africa, world recession, and the agitation of political parties. Four major parties emerged from the maelstrom of 1974-75, except for the Communist Party, all newly founded. They were, from left to right, the Communists (PCP); the Socialists (PS), who managed to dominate governments and the legislature but not win a majority in the Assembly of the Republic; the Social Democrats (PSD); and the Christian Democrats (CDS). During this period, the annual growth rate was low (l-2 percent), and the nationalized sector of the economy stagnated.
       Enhanced economic growth, greater political stability, and more effective central government as of 1985, and especially 1987, were due to several developments. In 1977, Portugal applied for membership in the European Economic Community (EEC), now the European Union (EU) since 1993. In January 1986, with Spain, Portugal was granted membership, and economic and financial progress in the intervening years has been significantly influenced by the comparatively large investment, loans, technology, advice, and other assistance from the EEC. Low unemployment, high annual growth rates (5 percent), and moderate inflation have also been induced by the new political and administrative stability in Lisbon. Led by Prime Minister Cavaco Silva, an economist who was trained abroad, the PSD's strong organization, management, and electoral support since 1985 have assisted in encouraging economic recovery and development. In 1985, the PSD turned the PS out of office and won the general election, although they did not have an absolute majority of assembly seats. In 1986, Mário Soares was elected president of the republic, the first civilian to hold that office since the First Republic. In the elections of 1987 and 1991, however, the PSD was returned to power with clear majorities of over 50 percent of the vote.
       Although the PSD received 50.4 percent of the vote in the 1991 parliamentary elections and held a 42-seat majority in the Assembly of the Republic, the party began to lose public support following media revelations regarding corruption and complaints about Prime Minister Cavaco Silva's perceived arrogant leadership style. President Mário Soares voiced criticism of the PSD's seemingly untouchable majority and described a "tyranny of the majority." Economic growth slowed down. In the parliamentary elections of 1995 and the presidential election of 1996, the PSD's dominance ended for the time being. Prime Minister Antônio Guterres came to office when the PS won the October 1995 elections, and in the subsequent presidential contest, in January 1996, socialist Jorge Sampaio, the former mayor of Lisbon, was elected president of the republic, thus defeating Cavaco Silva's bid. Young and popular, Guterres moved the PS toward the center of the political spectrum. Under Guterres, the PS won the October 1999 parliamentary elections. The PS defeated the PSD but did not manage to win a clear, working majority of seats, and this made the PS dependent upon alliances with smaller parties, including the PCP.
       In the local elections in December 2001, the PSD's criticism of PS's heavy public spending allowed the PSD to take control of the key cities of Lisbon, Oporto, and Coimbra. Guterres resigned, and parliamentary elections were brought forward from 2004 to March 2002. The PSD won a narrow victory with 40 percent of the votes, and Jose Durão Barroso became prime minister. Having failed to win a majority of the seats in parliament forced the PSD to govern in coalition with the right-wing Popular Party (PP) led by Paulo Portas. Durão Barroso set about reducing government spending by cutting the budgets of local authorities, freezing civil service hiring, and reviving the economy by accelerating privatization of state-owned enterprises. These measures provoked a 24-hour strike by public-sector workers. Durão Barroso reacted with vows to press ahead with budget-cutting measures and imposed a wage freeze on all employees earning more than €1,000, which affected more than one-half of Portugal's work force.
       In June 2004, Durão Barroso was invited by Romano Prodi to succeed him as president of the European Commission. Durão Barroso accepted and resigned the prime ministership in July. Pedro Santana Lopes, the leader of the PSD, became prime minister. Already unpopular at the time of Durão Barroso's resignation, the PSD-led government became increasingly unpopular under Santana Lopes. A month-long delay in the start of the school year and confusion over his plan to cut taxes and raise public-sector salaries, eroded confidence even more. By November, Santana Lopes's government was so unpopular that President Jorge Sampaio was obliged to dissolve parliament and hold new elections, two years ahead of schedule.
       Parliamentary elections were held on 20 February 2005. The PS, which had promised the electorate disciplined and transparent governance, educational reform, the alleviation of poverty, and a boost in employment, won 45 percent of the vote and the majority of the seats in parliament. The leader of the PS, José Sôcrates became prime minister on 12 March 2005. In the regularly scheduled presidential elections held on 6 January 2006, the former leader of the PSD and prime minister, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, won a narrow victory and became president on 9 March 2006. With a mass protest, public teachers' strike, and street demonstrations in March 2008, Portugal's media, educational, and social systems experienced more severe pressures. With the spreading global recession beginning in September 2008, Portugal's economic and financial systems became more troubled.
       Owing to its geographic location on the southwestern most edge of continental Europe, Portugal has been historically in but not of Europe. Almost from the beginning of its existence in the 12th century as an independent monarchy, Portugal turned its back on Europe and oriented itself toward the Atlantic Ocean. After carving out a Christian kingdom on the western portion of the Iberian peninsula, Portuguese kings gradually built and maintained a vast seaborne global empire that became central to the way Portugal understood its individuality as a nation-state. While the creation of this empire allows Portugal to claim an unusual number of "firsts" or distinctions in world and Western history, it also retarded Portugal's economic, social, and political development. It can be reasonably argued that the Revolution of 25 April 1974 was the most decisive event in Portugal's long history because it finally ended Portugal's oceanic mission and view of itself as an imperial power. After the 1974 Revolution, Portugal turned away from its global mission and vigorously reoriented itself toward Europe. Contemporary Portugal is now both in and of Europe.
       The turn toward Europe began immediately after 25 April 1974. Portugal granted independence to its African colonies in 1975. It was admitted to the European Council and took the first steps toward accession to the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1976. On 28 March 1977, the Portuguese government officially applied for EEC membership. Because of Portugal's economic and social backwardness, which would require vast sums of EEC money to overcome, negotiations for membership were long and difficult. Finally, a treaty of accession was signed on 12 June 1985. Portugal officially joined the EEC (the European Union [EU] since 1993) on 1 January 1986. Since becoming a full-fledged member of the EU, Portugal has been steadily overcoming the economic and social underdevelopment caused by its imperial past and is becoming more like the rest of Europe.
       Membership in the EU has speeded up the structural transformation of Portugal's economy, which actually began during the Estado Novo. Investments made by the Estado Novo in Portugal's economy began to shift employment out of the agricultural sector, which, in 1950, accounted for 50 percent of Portugal's economically active population. Today, only 10 percent of the economically active population is employed in the agricultural sector (the highest among EU member states); 30 percent in the industrial sector (also the highest among EU member states); and 60 percent in the service sector (the lowest among EU member states). The economically active population numbers about 5,000,000 employed, 56 percent of whom are women. Women workers are the majority of the workforce in the agricultural and service sectors (the highest among the EU member states). The expansion of the service sector has been primarily in health care and education. Portugal has had the lowest unemployment rates among EU member states, with the overall rate never being more than 10 percent of the active population. Since joining the EU, the number of employers increased from 2.6 percent to 5.8 percent of the active population; self-employed from 16 to 19 percent; and employees from 65 to 70 percent. Twenty-six percent of the employers are women. Unemployment tends to hit younger workers in industry and transportation, women employed in domestic service, workers on short-term contracts, and poorly educated workers. Salaried workers earn only 63 percent of the EU average, and hourly workers only one-third to one-half of that earned by their EU counterparts. Despite having had the second highest growth of gross national product (GNP) per inhabitant (after Ireland) among EU member states, the above data suggest that while much has been accomplished in terms of modernizing the Portuguese economy, much remains to be done to bring Portugal's economy up to the level of the "average" EU member state.
       Membership in the EU has also speeded up changes in Portuguese society. Over the last 30 years, coastalization and urbanization have intensified. Fully 50 percent of Portuguese live in the coastal urban conurbations of Lisbon, Oporto, Braga, Aveiro, Coimbra, Viseu, Évora, and Faro. The Portuguese population is one of the oldest among EU member states (17.3 percent are 65 years of age or older) thanks to a considerable increase in life expectancy at birth (77.87 years for the total population, 74.6 years for men, 81.36 years for women) and one of the lowest birthrates (10.59 births/1,000) in Europe. Family size averages 2.8 persons per household, with the strict nuclear family (one or two generations) in which both parents work being typical. Common law marriages, cohabitating couples, and single-parent households are more and more common. The divorce rate has also increased. "Youth Culture" has developed. The young have their own meeting places, leisure-time activities, and nightlife (bars, clubs, and discos).
       All Portuguese citizens, whether they have contributed or not, have a right to an old-age pension, invalidity benefits, widowed persons' pension, as well as payments for disabilities, children, unemployment, and large families. There is a national minimum wage (€385 per month), which is low by EU standards. The rapid aging of Portugal's population has changed the ratio of contributors to pensioners to 1.7, the lowest in the EU. This has created deficits in Portugal's social security fund.
       The adult literacy rate is about 92 percent. Illiteracy is still found among the elderly. Although universal compulsory education up to grade 9 was achieved in 1980, only 21.2 percent of the population aged 25-64 had undergone secondary education, compared to an EU average of 65.7 percent. Portugal's higher education system currently consists of 14 state universities and 14 private universities, 15 state polytechnic institutions, one Catholic university, and one military academy. All in all, Portugal spends a greater percentage of its state budget on education than most EU member states. Despite this high level of expenditure, the troubled Portuguese education system does not perform well. Early leaving and repetition rates are among the highest among EU member states.
       After the Revolution of 25 April 1974, Portugal created a National Health Service, which today consists of 221 hospitals and 512 medical centers employing 33,751 doctors and 41,799 nurses. Like its education system, Portugal's medical system is inefficient. There are long waiting lists for appointments with specialists and for surgical procedures.
       Structural changes in Portugal's economy and society mean that social life in Portugal is not too different from that in other EU member states. A mass consumption society has been created. Televisions, telephones, refrigerators, cars, music equipment, mobile phones, and personal computers are commonplace. Sixty percent of Portuguese households possess at least one automobile, and 65 percent of Portuguese own their own home. Portuguese citizens are more aware of their legal rights than ever before. This has resulted in a trebling of the number of legal proceeding since 1960 and an eight-fold increase in the number of lawyers. In general, Portuguese society has become more permissive and secular; the Catholic Church and the armed forces are much less influential than in the past. Portugal's population is also much more culturally, religiously, and ethnically diverse, a consequence of the coming to Portugal of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, mainly from former African colonies.
       Portuguese are becoming more cosmopolitan and sophisticated through the impact of world media, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. A prime case in point came in the summer and early fall of 1999, with the extraordinary events in East Timor and the massive Portuguese popular responses. An internationally monitored referendum in East Timor, Portugal's former colony in the Indonesian archipelago and under Indonesian occupation from late 1975 to summer 1999, resulted in a vote of 78.5 percent for rejecting integration with Indonesia and for independence. When Indonesian prointegration gangs, aided by the Indonesian military, responded to the referendum with widespread brutality and threatened to reverse the verdict of the referendum, there was a spontaneous popular outpouring of protest in the cities and towns of Portugal. An avalanche of Portuguese e-mail fell on leaders and groups in the UN and in certain countries around the world as Portugal's diplomats, perhaps to compensate for the weak initial response to Indonesian armed aggression in 1975, called for the protection of East Timor as an independent state and for UN intervention to thwart Indonesian action. Using global communications networks, the Portuguese were able to mobilize UN and world public opinion against Indonesian actions and aided the eventual independence of East Timor on 20 May 2002.
       From the Revolution of 25 April 1974 until the 1990s, Portugal had a large number of political parties, one of the largest Communist parties in western Europe, frequent elections, and endemic cabinet instability. Since the 1990s, the number of political parties has been dramatically reduced and cabinet stability increased. Gradually, the Portuguese electorate has concentrated around two larger parties, the right-of-center Social Democrats (PSD) and the left-of-center Socialist (PS). In the 1980s, these two parties together garnered 65 percent of the vote and 70 percent of the seats in parliament. In 2005, these percentages had risen to 74 percent and 85 percent, respectively. In effect, Portugal is currently a two-party dominant system in which the two largest parties — PS and PSD—alternate in and out of power, not unlike the rotation of the two main political parties (the Regenerators and the Historicals) during the last decades (1850s to 1880s) of the liberal constitutional monarchy. As Portugal's democracy has consolidated, turnout rates for the eligible electorate have declined. In the 1970s, turnout was 85 percent. In Portugal's most recent parliamentary election (2005), turnout had fallen to 65 percent of the eligible electorate.
       Portugal has benefited greatly from membership in the EU, and whatever doubts remain about the price paid for membership, no Portuguese government in the near future can afford to sever this connection. The vast majority of Portuguese citizens see membership in the EU as a "good thing" and strongly believe that Portugal has benefited from membership. Only the Communist Party opposed membership because it reduces national sovereignty, serves the interests of capitalists not workers, and suffers from a democratic deficit. Despite the high level of support for the EU, Portuguese voters are increasingly not voting in elections for the European Parliament, however. Turnout for European Parliament elections fell from 40 percent of the eligible electorate in the 1999 elections to 38 percent in the 2004 elections.
       In sum, Portugal's turn toward Europe has done much to overcome its backwardness. However, despite the economic, social, and political progress made since 1986, Portugal has a long way to go before it can claim to be on a par with the level found even in Spain, much less the rest of western Europe. As Portugal struggles to move from underde-velopment, especially in the rural areas away from the coast, it must keep in mind the perils of too rapid modern development, which could damage two of its most precious assets: its scenery and environment. The growth and future prosperity of the economy will depend on the degree to which the government and the private sector will remain stewards of clean air, soil, water, and other finite resources on which the tourism industry depends and on which Portugal's world image as a unique place to visit rests. Currently, Portugal is investing heavily in renewable energy from solar, wind, and wave power in order to account for about 50 percent of its electricity needs by 2010. Portugal opened the world's largest solar power plant and the world's first commercial wave power farm in 2006.
       An American documentary film on Portugal produced in the 1970s described this little country as having "a Past in Search of a Future." In the years after the Revolution of 25 April 1974, it could be said that Portugal is now living in "a Present in Search of a Future." Increasingly, that future lies in Europe as an active and productive member of the EU.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Historical Portugal

  • 4 Harrison, John

    [br]
    b. 24 March 1693 Foulby, Yorkshire, England
    d. 24 March 1776 London, England
    [br]
    English horologist who constructed the first timekeeper of sufficient accuracy to determine longitude at sea and invented the gridiron pendulum for temperature compensation.
    [br]
    John Harrison was the son of a carpenter and was brought up to that trade. He was largely self-taught and learned mechanics from a copy of Nicholas Saunderson's lectures that had been lent to him. With the assistance of his younger brother, James, he built a series of unconventional clocks, mainly of wood. He was always concerned to reduce friction, without using oil, and this influenced the design of his "grasshopper" escapement. He also invented the "gridiron" compensation pendulum, which depended on the differential expansion of brass and steel. The excellent performance of his regulator clocks, which incorporated these devices, convinced him that they could also be used in a sea dock to compete for the longitude prize. In 1714 the Government had offered a prize of £20,000 for a method of determining longitude at sea to within half a degree after a voyage to the West Indies. In theory the longitude could be found by carrying an accurate timepiece that would indicate the time at a known longitude, but the requirements of the Act were very exacting. The timepiece would have to have a cumulative error of no more than two minutes after a voyage lasting six weeks.
    In 1730 Harrison went to London with his proposal for a sea clock, supported by examples of his grasshopper escapement and his gridiron pendulum. His proposal received sufficient encouragement and financial support, from George Graham and others, to enable him to return to Barrow and construct his first sea clock, which he completed five years later. This was a large and complicated machine that was made out of brass but retained the wooden wheelwork and the grasshopper escapement of the regulator clocks. The two balances were interlinked to counteract the rolling of the vessel and were controlled by helical springs operating in tension. It was the first timepiece with a balance to have temperature compensation. The effect of temperature change on the timekeeping of a balance is more pronounced than it is for a pendulum, as two effects are involved: the change in the size of the balance; and the change in the elasticity of the balance spring. Harrison compensated for both effects by using a gridiron arrangement to alter the tension in the springs. This timekeeper performed creditably when it was tested on a voyage to Lisbon, and the Board of Longitude agreed to finance improved models. Harrison's second timekeeper dispensed with the use of wood and had the added refinement of a remontoire, but even before it was tested he had embarked on a third machine. The balance of this machine was controlled by a spiral spring whose effective length was altered by a bimetallic strip to compensate for changes in temperature. In 1753 Harrison commissioned a London watchmaker, John Jefferys, to make a watch for his own personal use, with a similar form of temperature compensation and a modified verge escapement that was intended to compensate for the lack of isochronism of the balance spring. The time-keeping of this watch was surprisingly good and Harrison proceeded to build a larger and more sophisticated version, with a remontoire. This timekeeper was completed in 1759 and its performance was so remarkable that Harrison decided to enter it for the longitude prize in place of his third machine. It was tested on two voyages to the West Indies and on both occasions it met the requirements of the Act, but the Board of Longitude withheld half the prize money until they had proof that the timekeeper could be duplicated. Copies were made by Harrison and by Larcum Kendall, but the Board still continued to prevaricate and Harrison received the full amount of the prize in 1773 only after George III had intervened on his behalf.
    Although Harrison had shown that it was possible to construct a timepiece of sufficient accuracy to determine longitude at sea, his solution was too complex and costly to be produced in quantity. It had, for example, taken Larcum Kendall two years to produce his copy of Harrison's fourth timekeeper, but Harrison had overcome the psychological barrier and opened the door for others to produce chronometers in quantity at an affordable price. This was achieved before the end of the century by Arnold and Earnshaw, but they used an entirely different design that owed more to Le Roy than it did to Harrison and which only retained Harrison's maintaining power.
    [br]
    Principal Honours and Distinctions
    Royal Society Copley Medal 1749.
    Bibliography
    1767, The Principles of Mr Harrison's Time-keeper, with Plates of the Same, London. 1767, Remarks on a Pamphlet Lately Published by the Rev. Mr Maskelyne Under the
    Authority of the Board of Longitude, London.
    1775, A Description Concerning Such Mechanisms as Will Afford a Nice or True Mensuration of Time, London.
    Further Reading
    R.T.Gould, 1923, The Marine Chronometer: Its History and Development, London; reprinted 1960, Holland Press.
    —1978, John Harrison and His Timekeepers, 4th edn, London: National Maritime Museum.
    H.Quill, 1966, John Harrison, the Man who Found Longitude, London. A.G.Randall, 1989, "The technology of John Harrison's portable timekeepers", Antiquarian Horology 18:145–60, 261–77.
    J.Betts, 1993, John Harrison London (a good short account of Harrison's work). S.Smiles, 1905, Men of Invention and Industry; London: John Murray, Chapter III. Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. IX, pp. 35–6.
    DV

    Biographical history of technology > Harrison, John

  • 5 Edison, Thomas Alva

    [br]
    b. 11 February 1847 Milan, Ohio, USA
    d. 18 October 1931 Glenmont
    [br]
    American inventor and pioneer electrical developer.
    [br]
    He was the son of Samuel Edison, who was in the timber business. His schooling was delayed due to scarlet fever until 1855, when he was 8½ years old, but he was an avid reader. By the age of 14 he had a job as a newsboy on the railway from Port Huron to Detroit, a distance of sixty-three miles (101 km). He worked a fourteen-hour day with a stopover of five hours, which he spent in the Detroit Free Library. He also sold sweets on the train and, later, fruit and vegetables, and was soon making a profit of $20 a week. He then started two stores in Port Huron and used a spare freight car as a laboratory. He added a hand-printing press to produce 400 copies weekly of The Grand Trunk Herald, most of which he compiled and edited himself. He set himself to learn telegraphy from the station agent at Mount Clements, whose son he had saved from being run over by a freight car.
    At the age of 16 he became a telegraphist at Port Huron. In 1863 he became railway telegraphist at the busy Stratford Junction of the Grand Trunk Railroad, arranging a clock with a notched wheel to give the hourly signal which was to prove that he was awake and at his post! He left hurriedly after failing to hold a train which was nearly involved in a head-on collision. He usually worked the night shift, allowing himself time for experiments during the day. His first invention was an arrangement of two Morse registers so that a high-speed input could be decoded at a slower speed. Moving from place to place he held many positions as a telegraphist. In Boston he invented an automatic vote recorder for Congress and patented it, but the idea was rejected. This was the first of a total of 1180 patents that he was to take out during his lifetime. After six years he resigned from the Western Union Company to devote all his time to invention, his next idea being an improved ticker-tape machine for stockbrokers. He developed a duplex telegraphy system, but this was turned down by the Western Union Company. He then moved to New York.
    Edison found accommodation in the battery room of Law's Gold Reporting Company, sleeping in the cellar, and there his repair of a broken transmitter marked him as someone of special talents. His superior soon resigned, and he was promoted with a salary of $300 a month. Western Union paid him $40,000 for the sole rights on future improvements on the duplex telegraph, and he moved to Ward Street, Newark, New Jersey, where he employed a gathering of specialist engineers. Within a year, he married one of his employees, Mary Stilwell, when she was only 16: a daughter, Marion, was born in 1872, and two sons, Thomas and William, in 1876 and 1879, respectively.
    He continued to work on the automatic telegraph, a device to send out messages faster than they could be tapped out by hand: that is, over fifty words per minute or so. An earlier machine by Alexander Bain worked at up to 400 words per minute, but was not good over long distances. Edison agreed to work on improving this feature of Bain's machine for the Automatic Telegraph Company (ATC) for $40,000. He improved it to a working speed of 500 words per minute and ran a test between Washington and New York. Hoping to sell their equipment to the Post Office in Britain, ATC sent Edison to England in 1873 to negotiate. A 500-word message was to be sent from Liverpool to London every half-hour for six hours, followed by tests on 2,200 miles (3,540 km) of cable at Greenwich. Only confused results were obtained due to induction in the cable, which lay coiled in a water tank. Edison returned to New York, where he worked on his quadruplex telegraph system, tests of which proved a success between New York and Albany in December 1874. Unfortunately, simultaneous negotiation with Western Union and ATC resulted in a lawsuit.
    Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for a telephone in March 1876 while Edison was still working on the same idea. His improvements allowed the device to operate over a distance of hundreds of miles instead of only a few miles. Tests were carried out over the 106 miles (170 km) between New York and Philadelphia. Edison applied for a patent on the carbon-button transmitter in April 1877, Western Union agreeing to pay him $6,000 a year for the seventeen-year duration of the patent. In these years he was also working on the development of the electric lamp and on a duplicating machine which would make up to 3,000 copies from a stencil. In 1876–7 he moved from Newark to Menlo Park, twenty-four miles (39 km) from New York on the Pennsylvania Railway, near Elizabeth. He had bought a house there around which he built the premises that would become his "inventions factory". It was there that he began the use of his 200- page pocket notebooks, each of which lasted him about two weeks, so prolific were his ideas. When he died he left 3,400 of them filled with notes and sketches.
    Late in 1877 he applied for a patent for a phonograph which was granted on 19 February 1878, and by the end of the year he had formed a company to manufacture this totally new product. At the time, Edison saw the device primarily as a business aid rather than for entertainment, rather as a dictating machine. In August 1878 he was granted a British patent. In July 1878 he tried to measure the heat from the solar corona at a solar eclipse viewed from Rawlins, Wyoming, but his "tasimeter" was too sensitive.
    Probably his greatest achievement was "The Subdivision of the Electric Light" or the "glow bulb". He tried many materials for the filament before settling on carbon. He gave a demonstration of electric light by lighting up Menlo Park and inviting the public. Edison was, of course, faced with the problem of inventing and producing all the ancillaries which go to make up the electrical system of generation and distribution-meters, fuses, insulation, switches, cabling—even generators had to be designed and built; everything was new. He started a number of manufacturing companies to produce the various components needed.
    In 1881 he built the world's largest generator, which weighed 27 tons, to light 1,200 lamps at the Paris Exhibition. It was later moved to England to be used in the world's first central power station with steam engine drive at Holborn Viaduct, London. In September 1882 he started up his Pearl Street Generating Station in New York, which led to a worldwide increase in the application of electric power, particularly for lighting. At the same time as these developments, he built a 1,300yd (1,190m) electric railway at Menlo Park.
    On 9 August 1884 his wife died of typhoid. Using his telegraphic skills, he proposed to 19-year-old Mina Miller in Morse code while in the company of others on a train. He married her in February 1885 before buying a new house and estate at West Orange, New Jersey, building a new laboratory not far away in the Orange Valley.
    Edison used direct current which was limited to around 250 volts. Alternating current was largely developed by George Westinghouse and Nicola Tesla, using transformers to step up the current to a higher voltage for long-distance transmission. The use of AC gradually overtook the Edison DC system.
    In autumn 1888 he patented a form of cinephotography, the kinetoscope, obtaining film-stock from George Eastman. In 1893 he set up the first film studio, which was pivoted so as to catch the sun, with a hinged roof which could be raised. In 1894 kinetoscope parlours with "peep shows" were starting up in cities all over America. Competition came from the Latham Brothers with a screen-projection machine, which Edison answered with his "Vitascope", shown in New York in 1896. This showed pictures with accompanying sound, but there was some difficulty with synchronization. Edison also experimented with captions at this early date.
    In 1880 he filed a patent for a magnetic ore separator, the first of nearly sixty. He bought up deposits of low-grade iron ore which had been developed in the north of New Jersey. The process was a commercial success until the discovery of iron-rich ore in Minnesota rendered it uneconomic and uncompetitive. In 1898 cement rock was discovered in New Village, west of West Orange. Edison bought the land and started cement manufacture, using kilns twice the normal length and using half as much fuel to heat them as the normal type of kiln. In 1893 he met Henry Ford, who was building his second car, at an Edison convention. This started him on the development of a battery for an electric car on which he made over 9,000 experiments. In 1903 he sold his patent for wireless telegraphy "for a song" to Guglielmo Marconi.
    In 1910 Edison designed a prefabricated concrete house. In December 1914 fire destroyed three-quarters of the West Orange plant, but it was at once rebuilt, and with the threat of war Edison started to set up his own plants for making all the chemicals that he had previously been buying from Europe, such as carbolic acid, phenol, benzol, aniline dyes, etc. He was appointed President of the Navy Consulting Board, for whom, he said, he made some forty-five inventions, "but they were pigeonholed, every one of them". Thus did Edison find that the Navy did not take kindly to civilian interference.
    In 1927 he started the Edison Botanic Research Company, founded with similar investment from Ford and Firestone with the object of finding a substitute for overseas-produced rubber. In the first year he tested no fewer than 3,327 possible plants, in the second year, over 1,400, eventually developing a variety of Golden Rod which grew to 14 ft (4.3 m) in height. However, all this effort and money was wasted, due to the discovery of synthetic rubber.
    In October 1929 he was present at Henry Ford's opening of his Dearborn Museum to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the incandescent lamp, including a replica of the Menlo Park laboratory. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and was elected to the American Academy of Sciences. He died in 1931 at his home, Glenmont; throughout the USA, lights were dimmed temporarily on the day of his funeral.
    [br]
    Principal Honours and Distinctions
    Member of the American Academy of Sciences. Congressional Gold Medal.
    Further Reading
    M.Josephson, 1951, Edison, Eyre \& Spottiswode.
    R.W.Clark, 1977, Edison, the Man who Made the Future, Macdonald \& Jane.
    IMcN

    Biographical history of technology > Edison, Thomas Alva

  • 6 hacia

    prep.
    1 toward.
    hacia aquí/allí this/that way
    hacia abajo downwards
    hacia arriba upward
    hacia atrás backward
    hacia la izquierda/derecha to the left/right
    2 around, about (time).
    hacia las diez around o about ten o'clock
    empezó a perder la vista hacia los sesenta años he started to lose his sight at around the age of sixty
    hacia finales de año toward the end of the year
    Hacia la medianoche.. Around midnight....
    3 toward (sentimiento).
    siente hostilidad hacia las reformas he is hostile toward the reforms
    4 toward (tendencia).
    un paso más hacia la guerra civil a further step toward civil war
    * * *
    1 (dirección) towards, to
    2 (tiempo) at about, at around
    \
    hacia abajo downward(s), down
    hacia acá this way
    hacia adelante forward(s)
    hacia allá that way
    hacia atrás backward(s), back
    hacia casa home, homeward, towards home
    * * *
    prep.
    1) towards, toward
    2) near, about
    •
    - hacia adelante
    * * *
    PREP
    1) [indicando dirección] towards, in the direction of

    eso está más hacia el este — that's further (over) to the east, that's more in an easterly direction

    vamos hacia allá — let's go in that direction, let's go over that way

    ¿hacia dónde vamos? — where are we going?

    hacia abajo — down, downwards

    hacia arriba — up, upwards

    2) [con expresiones temporales] about, near

    hacia las cinco — about five, around five

    hacia mediodía — about noon, around noon

    3) (=ante) towards
    * * *
    a) ( indicando dirección) toward, towards
    [el inglés norteamericano prefiere la forma toward mientras que el inglés británico prefiere la forma towards]

    hacia el sur — southward(s), toward(s) the south

    ¿hacia dónde tenemos que ir? — which way do we have to go?

    empujar hacia arriba/atrás — to push upward(s)/backward(s)

    b) ( indicando aproximación) toward(s)
    c) ( con respecto a) toward(s)
    * * *
    = in the direction of, into, toward(s).
    Ex. Efforts are being made in the direction of an international consensus on the definition and treatment of corporate authorship.
    Ex. And thirdly and most importantly, I am concerned about some movements which I think symptomatize ideological deterioration and would have us, as someone put it, march boldly backwards into the future.
    Ex. An appreciation of alternative approaches is particularly important in this field where trends towards standardisation are the norm.
    ----
    * dar un paso hacia delante = step up.
    * de dentro hacia fuera = inside outwards.
    * de miras hacia el exterior = outward looking.
    * de miras hacia fuera = outwardly.
    * desde hace mucho tiempo = for a long time.
    * desplazar hacia la derecha = inset.
    * desplazarse hacia arriba = move up.
    * desplazarse hacia atrás = draw back, move + backwards.
    * directamente hacia el este = due east.
    * directamente hacia el norte = due north.
    * directamente hacia el oeste = due west.
    * directamente hacia el sur = due south.
    * enumerar hacia atrás = list + backwards.
    * enumerar hacia delante = list + forwards.
    * hacia abajo = downward.
    * hacia adelante = onward(s), straight ahead, straight on.
    * hacia adelante y hacia atrás = to and fro.
    * hacia arriba = upwards, upward.
    * hacia arriba y hacia abajo = up and down, up and down.
    * hacia atrás = backwards, backward(s).
    * hacia dentro = inward.
    * ¿hacia dónde se dirige(n)...? = whither?.
    * ¿hacia dónde va(n)...? = whither?, whither?.
    * hacia el centro de la ciudad = townward.
    * hacia el este = eastward(s), eastbound.
    * hacia el frente = ahead.
    * hacia el futuro = onward(s).
    * hacia el interior y el exterior de = in and out of.
    * hacia el norte = northbound.
    * hacia el oeste = westward(s), westbound.
    * hacia el sur = southward(s), southbound.
    * hacia finales del + Siglo = later + Siglo, the.
    * hacia fuera = outwards.
    * hacia la izquierda = leftwards, leftward.
    * hacia la proa = abaft.
    * hacia proa = abaft.
    * hacia un lado(s) = sideways.
    * inclinarse hacia delante = tip forward.
    * mirando hacia atrás = in retrospect.
    * moverse hacia atrás y hacia delante = move back and forth, move back and forth.
    * tambalearse hacia delante y hacia atrás = wobble back and forth, wobble back and forth.
    * tecla de desplazamiento hacia abajo = ↓ (Down) key, down arrow key.
    * tecla de desplazamiento hacia arriba = ↑ (up) key, up arrow key.
    * viajar hacia atrás en el tiempo = travel back in + time.
    * * *
    a) ( indicando dirección) toward, towards
    [el inglés norteamericano prefiere la forma toward mientras que el inglés británico prefiere la forma towards]

    hacia el sur — southward(s), toward(s) the south

    ¿hacia dónde tenemos que ir? — which way do we have to go?

    empujar hacia arriba/atrás — to push upward(s)/backward(s)

    b) ( indicando aproximación) toward(s)
    c) ( con respecto a) toward(s)
    * * *
    = in the direction of, into, toward(s).

    Ex: Efforts are being made in the direction of an international consensus on the definition and treatment of corporate authorship.

    Ex: And thirdly and most importantly, I am concerned about some movements which I think symptomatize ideological deterioration and would have us, as someone put it, march boldly backwards into the future.
    Ex: An appreciation of alternative approaches is particularly important in this field where trends towards standardisation are the norm.
    * dar un paso hacia delante = step up.
    * de dentro hacia fuera = inside outwards.
    * de miras hacia el exterior = outward looking.
    * de miras hacia fuera = outwardly.
    * desde hace mucho tiempo = for a long time.
    * desplazar hacia la derecha = inset.
    * desplazarse hacia arriba = move up.
    * desplazarse hacia atrás = draw back, move + backwards.
    * directamente hacia el este = due east.
    * directamente hacia el norte = due north.
    * directamente hacia el oeste = due west.
    * directamente hacia el sur = due south.
    * enumerar hacia atrás = list + backwards.
    * enumerar hacia delante = list + forwards.
    * hacia abajo = downward.
    * hacia adelante = onward(s), straight ahead, straight on.
    * hacia adelante y hacia atrás = to and fro.
    * hacia arriba = upwards, upward.
    * hacia arriba y hacia abajo = up and down, up and down.
    * hacia atrás = backwards, backward(s).
    * hacia dentro = inward.
    * ¿hacia dónde se dirige(n)...? = whither?.
    * ¿hacia dónde va(n)...? = whither?, whither?.
    * hacia el centro de la ciudad = townward.
    * hacia el este = eastward(s), eastbound.
    * hacia el frente = ahead.
    * hacia el futuro = onward(s).
    * hacia el interior y el exterior de = in and out of.
    * hacia el norte = northbound.
    * hacia el oeste = westward(s), westbound.
    * hacia el sur = southward(s), southbound.
    * hacia finales del + Siglo = later + Siglo, the.
    * hacia fuera = outwards.
    * hacia la izquierda = leftwards, leftward.
    * hacia la proa = abaft.
    * hacia proa = abaft.
    * hacia un lado(s) = sideways.
    * inclinarse hacia delante = tip forward.
    * mirando hacia atrás = in retrospect.
    * moverse hacia atrás y hacia delante = move back and forth, move back and forth.
    * tambalearse hacia delante y hacia atrás = wobble back and forth, wobble back and forth.
    * tecla de desplazamiento hacia abajo = ↓ (Down) key, down arrow key.
    * tecla de desplazamiento hacia arriba = ↑ (up) key, up arrow key.
    * viajar hacia atrás en el tiempo = travel back in + time.

    * * *
    1
    ,
    etc] se dirigían hacia el sur they were heading south o southward(s) o toward(s) the south
    la puerta se abre hacia adentro the door opens inward(s)
    el país avanza hacia la democracia the country is moving toward(s) democracy
    la fuga de capitales hacia el exterior the flight of capital abroad
    el centro queda hacia allá the center is (over) that way
    ¿hacia dónde tenemos que ir? which way do we have to go?
    un movimiento hacia arriba/atrás an upward/backward movement
    empujar hacia arriba/atrás to push upward(s)/backward(s)
    2
    (indicando aproximación) toward(s) [ ver nota en la sección a] hacia finales de siglo/el final del primer acto toward(s) the end of the century/of the first act
    hacia el límite con el Brasil toward(s) the Brazilian border
    llegaremos hacia las dos we'll arrive (at) about two
    esto sucedió hacia las nueve de la mañana this occurred at approximately o toward(s) nine in the morning
    3 (con respecto a) toward(s)
    su actitud hacia mí his attitude toward(s) o to me
    * * *

     

    Del verbo hacer: ( conjugate hacer)

    hacía es:

    1ª persona singular (yo) imperfecto indicativo

    3ª persona singular (él/ella/usted) imperfecto indicativo

    Multiple Entries:
    hacer    
    hacia
    hacer ( conjugate hacer) verbo transitivo
    1
    a) ( crear) ‹mueble/vestido› to make;

    ‹casa/carretera› to build;
    ‹ nido› to build, make;
    ‹ túnel› to make, dig;
    ‹dibujo/plano› to do, draw;
    ‹ lista› to make, draw up;
    ‹ resumen› to do, make;
    ‹ película› to make;
    ‹nudo/lazo› to tie;
    ‹pan/pastel› to make, bake;
    ‹vino/café/tortilla› to make;
    ‹ cerveza› to make, brew;

    hacen buena pareja they make a lovely couple
    b) (producir, causar) ‹ ruido› to make;


    estos zapatos me hacen daño these shoes hurt my feet
    2
    a) (efectuar, llevar a cabo) ‹ sacrificio› to make;

    ‹ milagro› to work, perform;
    ‹deberes/ejercicios/limpieza› to do;
    ‹ mandado› to run;
    ‹transacción/investigación› to carry out;
    ‹ experimento› to do, perform;
    ‹ entrevista› to conduct;
    ‹gira/viaje› to do;
    ‹ regalo› to give;
    ‹ favor› to do;
    ‹ trato› to make;

    aún queda mucho por hacia there is still a lot (left) to do;
    dar que hacia to make a lot of work
    b) ‹cheque/factura› to make out, write out

    3 (formular, expresar) ‹declaración/promesa/oferta› to make;
    ‹proyecto/plan› to make, draw up;
    ‹crítica/comentario› to make, voice;
    ‹ pregunta› to ask;

    4

    ◊ hacia caca (fam) to do a poop (AmE) o (BrE) a pooh (colloq);

    hacia pis or pipí (fam) to have a pee (colloq);
    hacia sus necesidades (euf) to go to the bathroom o toilet (euph)

    ◊ las vacas hacen `mu' cows go `moo'

    5 ( adquirir) ‹dinero/fortuna› to make;
    ‹ amigo› to make
    6 (preparar, arreglar) ‹ cama› to make;
    ‹ maleta› to pack;
    ◊ hice el pescado al horno I did o cooked the fish in the oven;

    tengo que hacia la comida I must make lunch;
    ver tb comida b
    7 ( recorrer) ‹trayecto/distancia› to do, cover
    8 (en cálculos, enumeraciones):
    ◊ son 180 … y 320 hacen 500 that's 180 … and 320 is o makes 500

    1


    ¿hacemos algo esta noche? shall we do something tonight?;
    hacia ejercicio to do (some) exercise;
    ¿hace algún deporte? do you play o do any sports?;
    See Also→ amor 1b
    b) (como profesión, ocupación) to do;

    ◊ ¿qué hace tu padre? what does your father do?


    2 (realizar cierta acción, actuar de cierta manera) to do;
    ◊ ¡eso no se hace! you shouldn't do that!;

    ¡qué le vamos a hacia! what can you o (frml) one do?;
    toca bien el piano — antes lo hacía mejor she plays the piano well — she used to play better;
    haciala buena (fam): ¡ahora sí que la hice! now I've really done it!;
    See Also→ tonto sustantivo masculino, femenino
    1 (transformar en, volver) to make;

    hizo pedazos la carta she tore the letter into tiny pieces;
    ese vestido te hace más delgada that dress makes you look thinner;
    hacia algo de algo to turn sth into sth;
    quiero hacia de ti un gran actor I want to make a great actor of you
    2
    a) (obligar a, ser causa de que)


    me hizo abrirla he made me open it;
    me hizo llorar it made me cry;
    hágalo pasar tell him to come in;
    me hizo esperar tres horas she kept me waiting for three hours;
    hacia que algo/algn haga algo to make sth/sb do sth
    b)

    ◊ hacer hacer algo to have o get sth done/made;

    hice acortar las cortinas I had o got the curtains shortened
    verbo intransitivo
    1 (obrar, actuar):
    ◊ déjame hacia a mí just let me handle this o take care of this;

    ¿cómo se hace para que te den la beca? what do you have to do to get the scholarship?;
    hiciste bien en decírmelo you did o were right to tell me;
    haces mal en mentir it's wrong of you to lie
    2 (fingir, simular):

    haz como si no lo conocieras act as if o pretend you don't know him
    3 ( servir):
    ◊ esta sábana hará de toldo this sheet will do for o as an awning;

    la escuela hizo de hospital the school served as o was used as a hospital
    4 ( interpretar personaje) hacia de algo/algn to play (the part of) sth/sb
    (+ compl) ( sentar):


    (+ me/te/le etc)

    la trucha me hizo mal (AmL) the trout didn't agree with me
    hacia v impers
    1 ( refiriéndose al tiempo atmosférico):
    ◊ hace frío/sol it's cold/sunny;

    hace tres grados it's three degrees;
    (nos) hizo un tiempo espantoso the weather was terrible
    2 ( expresando tiempo transcurrido):

    hace mucho que lo conozco I've known him for a long time;
    hacía años que no lo veía I hadn't seen him for o in years;
    ¿cuánto hace que se fue? how long ago did she leave?;
    hace poco/un año a short time/a year ago;
    hasta hace poco until recently
    hacerse verbo pronominal
    1 ( producirse) (+ me/te/le etc):

    se le hizo una ampolla she got a blister;
    hacérsele algo a algn (Méx): por fin se le hizo ganar el premio she finally got to win the award
    2
    a) ( refl) ( hacer para sí) ‹café/falda› to make oneself;




    se hizo la cirugía estética she had plastic surgery
    3 ( causarse):
    ◊ ¿qué te hiciste en el brazo? what did you do to your arm?;

    ¿te hiciste daño? did you hurt yourself?
    4 ( refiriéndose a necesidades fisiológicas):
    ◊ todavía se hace pis/caca (fam) she still wets/messes herself

    5 ( refl) ( adquirir) to make;

    1
    a) (volverse, convertirse en) to become;


    se están haciendo viejos they are getting o growing old
    b) ( resultar):



    (+ me/te/le etc)

    se me hace difícil creerlo I find it very hard to believe
    c) ( impers):


    se está haciendo tarde it's getting late
    d) ( cocinarse) [pescado/guiso] to cook

    e) (AmL) ( pasarle a):

    ◊ ¿qué se habrá hecho María? what can have happened to María?

    2 ( acostumbrarse) haciase a algo to get used to sth
    3 ( fingirse):

    ¿es bobo o se (lo) hace? (fam) is he stupid or just a good actor? (colloq);
    haciase pasar por algn (por periodista, doctor) to pass oneself off as sb
    4 ( moverse) (+ compl) to move;

    5
    ◊ hacerse de (AmL) (de fortuna, dinero) to get;


    ( de amigos) to make
    hacia preposición
    a) ( dirección) toward (esp AmE), towards (esp BrE):


    hacia adelante forward(s);
    hacia adentro/arriba inward(s)/upward(s);
    el centro queda hacia allá the center is (over) that way;
    ¿hacia dónde tenemos que ir? which way do we have to go?

    ◊ llegaremos hacia las dos we'll arrive toward(s) o at around two


    ◊ su actitud hacia mí his attitude toward(s) o to me

    hacer
    I verbo transitivo
    1 (crear, fabricar, construir) to make
    hacer un jersey, to make a sweater
    hacer un puente, to build a bridge
    2 (una acción) to do: eso no se hace, it isn't done
    haz lo que quieras, do what you want
    ¿qué estás haciendo?, (en este momento) what are you doing?
    (para vivir) what do you do (for a living)?
    hace atletismo, he does athletics
    hacer una carrera/ medicina, to do a degree/ medicine
    3 (amigos, dinero) to make
    4 (obligar, forzar) to make: hazle entrar en razón, make him see reason
    5 (causar, provocar) to make: ese hombre me hace reír, that man makes me laugh
    estos zapatos me hacen daño, these shoes are hurting me
    no hagas llorar a tu hermana, don't make your sister cry
    6 (arreglar) to make
    hacer la cama, to make the bed
    hacer la casa, to do the housework
    7 Mat (sumar, dar como resultado) to make: y con éste hacen cincuenta, and that makes fifty
    8 (producir una impresión) to make... look: ese vestido la hace mayor, that dress makes her look older
    9 (en sustitución de otro verbo) to do: cuido mi jardín, me gusta hacerlo, I look after my garden, I like doing it
    10 (representar) to play: Juan hizo un papel en Fuenteovejuna, Juan played a part in Fuenteovejuna
    11 (actuar como) to play: no hagas el tonto, don't play the fool
    12 (suponer) te hacía en casa, I thought you were at home
    II verbo intransitivo
    1 (en el teatro, etc) to play: hizo de Electra, she played Electra
    2 ( hacer por + infinitivo) to try to: hice por ayudar, I tried to help
    3 (simular) to pretend: hice como si no lo conociera, I acted as if I didn't know him
    4 fam (venir bien, convenir) to be suitable: si te hace, nos vamos a verle mañana, if it's all right for you, we'll visit him tomorrow
    III verbo impersonal
    1 (tiempo transcurrido) ago: hace mucho (tiempo), a long time ago
    hace tres semanas que no veo la televisión, I haven't watched TV for three weeks
    hace tres años que comenzaron las obras, the building works started three years ago
    2 (condición atmosférica) hacía mucho frío, it was very cold
    ¿To make o to do?
    El significado básico del verbo to make es construir, fabricar algo juntando los componentes (aquí hacen unos pasteles maravillosos, they make marvellous cakes here), obligar (hazle callar, make him shut up) o convertir: Te hará más fuerte. It'll make you stronger. También se emplea en expresiones compuestas por palabras tales como dinero ( money), ruido ( a noise), cama ( the bed), esfuerzo ( an effort), promesa ( a promise), c omentario ( a comment), amor ( love), guerra ( war).
    El significado del verbo to do es cumplir o ejecutar una tarea o actividad, especialmente tratándose de los deportes y las tareas domésticas: Hago mis deberes por la noche. I do my homework in the evening. ¿Quién hace la plancha en tu casa? Who does the ironing in your house? También se emplea con palabras tales como deber ( duty), deportes ( sports), examen ( an exam), favor ( a favour), sumas ( sums).
    hacia preposición
    1 (en dirección a) towards, to
    hacia abajo, down, downwards
    hacia adelante, forwards
    hacia arriba, up, upwards
    hacia atrás, back, backwards
    2 (en torno a) at about, at around: estaré allí hacia las cinco, I'll be there at about five o'clock
    ' hacia' also found in these entries:
    Spanish:
    abajo
    - abalanzarse
    - aire
    - añales
    - animadversión
    - arriba
    - atrás
    - calor
    - contingente
    - correrse
    - delante
    - derivar
    - descender
    - desprecio
    - dirigir
    - dirigirse
    - empañar
    - empujar
    - encaminarse
    - enfilar
    - fogosidad
    - frente
    - fuera
    - hacer
    - infundio
    - invencible
    - llevar
    - malsana
    - malsano
    - monetaria
    - monetario
    - orientar
    - orientarse
    - proyectar
    - que
    - recta
    - recto
    - retroceder
    - saber
    - siglo
    - sobre
    - subir
    - sur
    - tambalearse
    - tirar
    - volver
    - volverse
    - abatible
    - adelante
    - boca
    English:
    ahead
    - aim
    - antagonism
    - antipathy
    - ashore
    - at
    - back
    - backward
    - backwards
    - beat down
    - beeline
    - bent
    - bias
    - boost
    - care for
    - come forward
    - cool
    - crowd
    - cruelty
    - curve
    - deflect
    - disdain
    - dislike
    - dispose
    - disregard
    - doubtless
    - down
    - downstairs
    - downward
    - downwards
    - due
    - East
    - eastward
    - eastwards
    - extend
    - face
    - facing
    - fast forward
    - flash
    - flippant
    - floodlight
    - for
    - forward
    - glance down
    - go
    - guise
    - head
    - home in
    - ill-disposed
    - incline
    * * *
    hacia prep
    1. [dirección] towards;
    hacia aquí/allí this/that way;
    hacia abajo downwards;
    hacia arriba upwards;
    hacia adelante forwards;
    hacia atrás backwards;
    hacia la izquierda/derecha to the left/right;
    viajar hacia el norte to travel north;
    hacia el norte del país towards the north of the country;
    miró hacia el otro lado she looked the other way;
    muévete hacia un lado move to one side
    2. [tiempo] around, about;
    hacia las diez around o about ten o'clock;
    empezó a perder la vista hacia los sesenta años he started to lose his sight at around the age of sixty;
    hacia finales de año towards the end of the year
    3. [sentimiento] towards;
    siente hostilidad hacia las reformas he is hostile towards the reforms;
    su actitud hacia el trabajo es muy seria she has a very serious attitude towards her work, she takes her work very seriously
    4. [tendencia] towards;
    este año se marcha hacia una cosecha excepcional we are heading for a bumper crop this year;
    un paso más hacia la guerra civil a further step towards civil war
    * * *
    prp
    1 en el espacio toward;
    hacia adelante forward;
    hacia atrás back(ward);
    hacia aquí in this direction, this way
    2 en el tiempo
    :
    hacia las cuatro about four (o’clock)
    * * *
    hacia prep
    1) : toward, towards
    hacia abajo: downward
    hacia adelante: forward
    2) : near, around, about
    hacia las seis: about six o'clock
    * * *
    hacia prep
    1. (dirección) towards
    2. (tiempo) at about

    Spanish-English dictionary > hacia

  • 7 Paul, Robert William

    [br]
    b. 3 October 1869 Highbury, London, England
    d. 28 March 1943 London, England
    [br]
    English scientific instrument maker, inventor of the Unipivot electrical measuring instrument, and pioneer of cinematography.
    [br]
    Paul was educated at the City of London School and Finsbury Technical College. He worked first for a short time in the Bell Telephone Works in Antwerp, Belgium, and then in the electrical instrument shop of Elliott Brothers in the Strand until 1891, when he opened an instrument-making business at 44 Hatton Garden, London. He specialized in the design and manufacture of electrical instruments, including the Ayrton Mather galvanometer. In 1902, with a purpose-built factory, he began large batch production of his instruments. He also opened a factory in New York, where uncalibrated instruments from England were calibrated for American customers. In 1903 Paul introduced the Unipivot galvanometer, in which the coil was supported at the centre of gravity of the moving system on a single pivot. The pivotal friction was less than in a conventional instrument and could be used without accurate levelling, the sensitivity being far beyond that of any pivoted galvanometer then in existence.
    In 1894 Paul was asked by two entrepreneurs to make copies of Edison's kinetoscope, the pioneering peep-show moving-picture viewer, which had just arrived in London. Discovering that Edison had omitted to patent the machine in England, and observing that there was considerable demand for the machine from show-people, he began production, making six before the end of the year. Altogether, he made about sixty-six units, some of which were exported. Although Edison's machine was not patented, his films were certainly copyrighted, so Paul now needed a cinematographic camera to make new subjects for his customers. Early in 1895 he came into contact with Birt Acres, who was also working on the design of a movie camera. Acres's design was somewhat impractical, but Paul constructed a working model with which Acres filmed the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on 30 March, and the Derby at Epsom on 29 May. Paul was unhappy with the inefficient design, and developed a new intermittent mechanism based on the principle of the Maltese cross. Despite having signed a ten-year agreement with Paul, Acres split with him on 12 July 1895, after having unilaterally patented their original camera design on 27 May. By the early weeks of 1896, Paul had developed a projector mechanism that also used the Maltese cross and which he demonstrated at the Finsbury Technical College on 20 February 1896. His Theatrograph was intended for sale, and was shown in a number of venues in London during March, notably at the Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square. There the renamed Animatographe was used to show, among other subjects, the Derby of 1896, which was won by the Prince of Wales's horse "Persimmon" and the film of which was shown the next day to enthusiastic crowds. The production of films turned out to be quite profitable: in the first year of the business, from March 1896, Paul made a net profit of £12,838 on a capital outlay of about £1,000. By the end of the year there were at least five shows running in London that were using Paul's projectors and screening films made by him or his staff.
    Paul played a major part in establishing the film business in England through his readiness to sell apparatus at a time when most of his rivals reserved their equipment for sole exploitation. He went on to become a leading producer of films, specializing in trick effects, many of which he pioneered. He was affectionately known in the trade as "Daddy Paul", truly considered to be the "father" of the British film industry. He continued to appreciate fully the possibilities of cinematography for scientific work, and in collaboration with Professor Silvanus P.Thompson films were made to illustrate various phenomena to students.
    Paul ended his involvement with film making in 1910 to concentrate on his instrument business; on his retirement in 1920, this was amalgamated with the Cambridge Instrument Company. In his will he left shares valued at over £100,000 to form the R.W.Paul Instrument Fund, to be administered by the Institution of Electrical Engineers, of which he had been a member since 1887. The fund was to provide instruments of an unusual nature to assist physical research.
    [br]
    Principal Honours and Distinctions
    Fellow of the Physical Society 1920. Institution of Electrical Engineers Duddell Medal 1938.
    Bibliography
    17 March 1903, British patent no. 6,113 (the Unipivot instrument).
    1931, "Some electrical instruments at the Faraday Centenary Exhibition 1931", Journal of Scientific Instruments 8:337–48.
    Further Reading
    Obituary, 1943, Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers 90(1):540–1. P.Dunsheath, 1962, A History of Electrical Engineering, London: Faber \& Faber, pp.
    308–9 (for a brief account of the Unipivot instrument).
    John Barnes, 1976, The Beginnings of Cinema in Britain, London. Brian Coe, 1981, The History of Movie Photography, London.
    BC / GW

    Biographical history of technology > Paul, Robert William

  • 8 anticipar

    v.
    1 to anticipate.
    Ella anticipa el suceso She anticipates the event.
    2 to bring forward.
    3 to pay in advance.
    4 to advance, to anticipate, to give as an advance.
    Ella anticipa dinero She advances money.
    Ella anticipó el fin del proyecto She moved up the end of the project.
    Ella anticipa el suceso She anticipates the event.
    5 to anticipate to, to expect to.
    Ella anticipó jugar en la final She anticipated to play in the finals.
    * * *
    1 to anticipate, advance, bring forward
    2 (dinero) to advance
    1 (llegar antes) to come early
    2 (adelantarse) to beat to it
    * * *
    verb
    •
    * * *
    1. VT
    1) [+ fecha, acontecimiento] to bring forward

    no anticipemos los acontecimientos — let's not cross our bridges before we come to them, let's not get ahead of ourselves

    2) [+ factura etc] to pay in advance; [+ dinero] to advance, lend, loan
    3)

    anticipar algo con placer — (=esperar) to look forward to sth

    anticipar las gracias a algn — (=adelantar) to thank sb in advance

    4) (=prever) to anticipate, foresee

    anticipar que... — to anticipate that...

    2.
    See:
    * * *
    1.
    verbo transitivo
    a) <viaje/elecciones> to move up (AmE), to bring forward (BrE)
    b) <dinero/sueldo> to advance

    ¿nos podría anticipar de qué se trata? — could you give us an idea of what it is about?

    te puedo anticipar que... — I can tell you that...

    d) ( indicar)
    2.
    anticiparse v pron
    a) verano/lluvias to be o come early

    anticiparse a algo: se anticipó a su tiempo he was ahead of his time; no nos anticipemos a los acontecimientos let's not jump the gun; (+ me/te/le etc) se nos anticiparon — they anticipated us (frml)

    * * *
    = anticipate, look + ahead, bring forward.
    Ex. The information that most modern indexes must organise concerns much more complex subjects than Cutter could have anticipated.
    Ex. The author gives a brief description of the library and information scene in 1974 and looks ahead to what it will be like in 2014.
    Ex. Although the age for receiving old-age pension is 65 years, an individual can decide to bring it forward to a maximum of 5 years.
    ----
    * anticipándose a = in anticipation of.
    * anticipar Algo = the (hand)writing + be + on the wall, see it + coming.
    * anticipar el futuro = anticipate + the future.
    * anticiparse a = quicken to, outguess, second-guess [secondguess], forestall.
    * anticiparse a Alguien = steal + a march on.
    * anticipar un problema = anticipate + problem.
    * * *
    1.
    verbo transitivo
    a) <viaje/elecciones> to move up (AmE), to bring forward (BrE)
    b) <dinero/sueldo> to advance

    ¿nos podría anticipar de qué se trata? — could you give us an idea of what it is about?

    te puedo anticipar que... — I can tell you that...

    d) ( indicar)
    2.
    anticiparse v pron
    a) verano/lluvias to be o come early

    anticiparse a algo: se anticipó a su tiempo he was ahead of his time; no nos anticipemos a los acontecimientos let's not jump the gun; (+ me/te/le etc) se nos anticiparon — they anticipated us (frml)

    * * *
    = anticipate, look + ahead, bring forward.

    Ex: The information that most modern indexes must organise concerns much more complex subjects than Cutter could have anticipated.

    Ex: The author gives a brief description of the library and information scene in 1974 and looks ahead to what it will be like in 2014.
    Ex: Although the age for receiving old-age pension is 65 years, an individual can decide to bring it forward to a maximum of 5 years.
    * anticipándose a = in anticipation of.
    * anticipar Algo = the (hand)writing + be + on the wall, see it + coming.
    * anticipar el futuro = anticipate + the future.
    * anticiparse a = quicken to, outguess, second-guess [secondguess], forestall.
    * anticiparse a Alguien = steal + a march on.
    * anticipar un problema = anticipate + problem.

    * * *
    anticipar [A1 ]
    vt
    1 ‹fecha/viaje/elecciones› to move up ( AmE), to bring forward ( BrE)
    2 ‹dinero/sueldo› to advance
    anticiparon dos meses de alquiler they paid two months' rent in advance
    3 ‹información›
    ¿nos podría anticipar de qué se trata? could you tell us o give us an idea of what it is about?
    te puedo ir anticipando que … I can tell you now that …
    4
    (indicar, hacer prever): esto anticipa un incremento de la población escolar because of this the number of school-age children is expected to rise
    estas nubes anticipan tormenta these clouds are a sign that a storm is coming
    1 «verano/lluvias» to be o come early
    2 (adelantarse) anticiparse A algo:
    el enemigo se había anticipado a nuestros movimientos the enemy had anticipated our movements
    se anticipó a su tiempo he was ahead of his time
    no nos anticipemos a los acontecimientos let's not get ahead of ourselves
    (+ me/te/le etc): te le anticipaste you beat him to it, you got in before him ( colloq)
    se nos anticiparon publicando antes su versión they got in before us o ( frml) they anticipated us by publishing their version first
    * * *

    anticipar ( conjugate anticipar) verbo transitivo
    a) ‹viaje/elecciones› to move up (AmE), to bring forward (BrE)

    b) ‹dinero/sueldo› to advance;

    ◊ ¿nos podría anticipar de qué se trata? could you give us an idea of what it is about?

    anticiparse verbo pronominal
    a) [verano/lluvias] to be o come early



    no nos anticipemos a los acontecimientos let's not jump the gun
    anticipar verbo transitivo
    1 (adelantar un suceso) to bring forward: no anticipemos acontecimientos, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it
    2 (adelantar un pago) to pay in advance
    ' anticipar' also found in these entries:
    Spanish:
    prever
    English:
    advance
    - expect
    * * *
    ♦ vt
    1. [prever] to anticipate;
    él ya había anticipado la crisis económica he had already anticipated the recession
    2. [adelantar] to bring forward;
    el presidente anticipó las elecciones the president brought forward the elections
    3. [pago] to pay in advance;
    me anticiparon dos semanas de sueldo they gave me an advance of two weeks' salary
    4. [información] to tell in advance;
    no te puedo anticipar nada I can't tell you anything just now
    * * *
    v/t
    1 sueldo advance
    2 fecha, viaje move up, Br
    bring forward
    3 información, noticias give a preview of
    * * *
    1) : to anticipate, to forestall, to deal with in advance
    2) : to pay in advance
    * * *
    1. (fecha) to bring forward [pt. & pp. brought]
    2. (dinero) to pay in advance [pt. & pp. paid] / to advance

    Spanish-English dictionary > anticipar

  • 9 meterse

    1 (introducirse en) to get in
    ■ se metió en el coche rápidamente he got quickly into the car, he jumped into the car
    2 (tomar parte - negocio) to go into (en, -); (involucrarse en) to get involved (en, in/with), get mixed up (en, in/with)
    3 (introducirse) to get involved (en, in)
    4 (ir) to go
    ■ ¿dónde se habrá metido? where can he have got to?
    5 (provocar) to pick ( con, on)
    ■ no te metas con él que es más fuerte que tú don't pick on him, he's stronger than you
    6 (dedicarse) to go (en, into)
    * * *
    1) to enter, get into
    * * *
    VPR
    1) (=introducirse)

    ¿dónde se habrá metido el lápiz? — where can the pencil have got to?

    no sabía dónde meterse de pura vergüenza — she was so ashamed, she didn't know where to hide

    • meterse en algo, después de comer siempre se mete en el despacho — after lunch she always goes into her study o shuts herself away in her study

    2) (=introducir)

    meterse una buena cena — * to have a good dinner

    meterse un pico — ** to give o.s. a fix **

    3) (=involucrarse)

    • meterse en algo, se metió en un negocio turbio — he got involved in a shady affair

    me metí mucho en la película — I really got into o got involved in the film

    4) (=entrometerse)

    • meterse en algo — to interfere in sth, meddle in sth

    ¿por qué te metes (en esto)? — why are you interfering (in this matter)?

    ¡no te metas en lo que no te importa!, ¡no te metas donde no te llaman! — mind your own business!

    5) [de profesión]

    • meterse a algo, meterse a monja — to become a nun

    • meterse de algo, meterse de aprendiz en un oficio — to go into trade as an apprentice

    6)

    • meterse a hacer algo — (=emprender) to start doing sth, start to do sth

    7)

    • meterse con algn — * (=provocar) to pick on sb *; (=burlarse de) to tease sb

    * * *
    (v.) = meddle (in/with), lodge, get + Posesivo + feet wet
    Ex. It also can give the impression that Finland is meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.
    Ex. A bullet had passed through her cheek and nose and lodged in the back of her head at the base of her spine.
    Ex. Coming clean to voters is something she's gonna have to get used to if she is really serious about getting her feet wet in elected politics.
    * * *
    (v.) = meddle (in/with), lodge, get + Posesivo + feet wet

    Ex: It also can give the impression that Finland is meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.

    Ex: A bullet had passed through her cheek and nose and lodged in the back of her head at the base of her spine.
    Ex: Coming clean to voters is something she's gonna have to get used to if she is really serious about getting her feet wet in elected politics.

    * * *

     

    ■meterse verbo reflexivo
    1 (entrar) to go o come, get [in/into, en]: se metieron en la iglesia, they went into the church
    se metió en una secta, he joined a sect
    2 (involucrarse) to get into, get mixed up: se metió en asuntos de drogas, he got mixed up in drugs
    se metió en un lío, he got into a mess
    3 (entrometerse) to meddle
    4 (tomar el pelo) no te metas con María, don't pick on Maria ♦ LOC familiar: meterse en faena, to set to, to roll up one's sleeves
    ' meterse' also found in these entries:
    Spanish:
    boca
    - ceja
    - hondura
    - lío
    - tarambana
    - bolsillo
    - dificultad
    - entrar
    - importar
    - introducir
    - meter
    - monja
    English:
    butt out
    - chip in
    - difficulty
    - fight
    - get at
    - get into
    - go
    - horn
    - hot
    - jump in
    - mess with
    - pick
    - pick on
    - tangle with
    - trouble
    - water
    - dig
    - get
    - keep
    - meddle
    - mix
    - muscle
    - pile
    - pocket
    - squirm
    - stay
    - throw
    - turn
    * * *
    vpr
    1. [entrar]
    no pudimos meternos we couldn't get in;
    nos metimos a o [m5] en un cine we went into a cinema;
    se metió debajo de un árbol para protegerse de la lluvia she took refuge from the rain under a tree;
    se metió dentro del bosque she entered the forest;
    meterse en to get into;
    meterse en la cama to get into bed;
    dos semanas más y nos metemos en marzo another two weeks and we'll be into March already;
    se me ha metido agua en los oídos I've got water in my ears;
    se metió las manos en los bolsillos she put her hands in her pockets;
    meterse el dedo en la nariz to pick one's nose;
    Fig
    meterse mucho en algo [un papel, un trabajo, una película] to get very involved in sth;
    Fam
    se le ha metido en la cabeza (que…) he's got it into his head (that…);
    muchos jóvenes se meten en sí mismos a lot of young people go into their shell;
    muy Fam
    ¡métetelo donde te quepa! stick it where the sun don't shine!
    2. (en frase interrogativa) [estar] to get to;
    ¿dónde se ha metido ese chico? where has that boy got to?
    3. [dedicarse]
    meterse a algo to become sth;
    meterse a torero to become a bullfighter;
    se ha metido de dependiente en unos grandes almacenes he's got a job as a shop assistant in a department store;
    me metí a vender seguros I became an insurance salesman, I got a job selling insurance
    4. [involucrarse] to get involved (en in);
    meterse en problemas o [m5] líos (con alguien) to get into trouble (with sb)
    5. [entrometerse] to meddle, to interfere;
    se mete en todo he's always sticking his nose into other people's business;
    meterse por medio to interfere
    6. [empezar]
    meterse a hacer algo to get started on doing sth
    7. [atacar]
    se meten con él en colegio they pick on him at school;
    ¡no te metas con mi novia! leave my girlfriend alone!
    8. Fam [comer] to wolf down, to scoff
    9. Fam [drogas]
    meterse coca/LSD to do coke/LSD
    * * *
    v/r
    :
    meterse en algo get into sth; ( involucrarse) get involved in sth, get mixed up in sth;
    meterse donde no le llaman stick one’s nose in where it doesn’t belong;
    no saber dónde meterse fig not know what to do with o.s.;
    meterse a hacer algo start doing sth, start to do sth;
    meterse con alguien pick on s.o.;
    meterse de administrativo get a job in admin;
    se metió a bailar he became a dancer;
    ¿dónde se ha metido? where has he got to?
    * * *
    vr
    1) : to get into, to enter
    2) fam : to meddle
    no te metas en lo que no te importa: mind your own business
    3)
    meterse con fam : to pick a fight with, to provoke
    no te metas conmigo: don't mess with me
    * * *
    1. (introducirse) to get in / to go in
    2. (entrometerse) to interfere
    3. (en un empleo) to become [pt. became; pp. become]
    4. (estar) to be
    ¿dónde se habrá metido Juan? where can Juan be?

    Spanish-English dictionary > meterse

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