fɪks v. & n. --v. 1 tr.
make firm or stable;
fasten,
secure (fixed a
picture to
the wall). 2 tr.
decide, settle,
specify (a
price, date, etc.). 3 tr.
mend, repair. 4 tr.
implant (an
idea or memory) in the
mind (couldn't
get the rules fixed in
his head). 5 tr. a (foll. by
on, upon)
direct steadily, set (one's eyes,
gaze,
attention, or affection). b
attract and hold (a person's attention, eyes, etc.). c (foll. by with)
single out with one's eyes etc. 6 tr.
place definitely or permanently,
establish,
station. 7 tr.
determine the
exact nature,
position,
etc.,
of;
refer (a
thing or person) to a
definite place or
time;
identify,
locate. 8 a tr. make (eyes, features, etc.)
rigid. b intr. (of eyes, features, etc.)
become rigid. 9 tr. US colloq.
prepare (food or drink) (fixed me a drink). 10 a tr.
deprive of fluidity or volatility;
congeal. b intr.
lose fluidity or volatility, become congealed. 11 tr. colloq.
punish,
kill,
silence, deal with (a person). 12 tr. colloq. a secure the
support of (a person) fraudulently,
esp. by bribery. b
arrange the
result of (a race, match, etc.) fraudulently (the
competition was fixed). 13 sl. a tr.
inject (a
person, esp. oneself) with a
narcotic. b intr.
take an
injection of a narcotic. 14 tr. make (a
colour, photographic
image, or microscope-specimen) fast or
permanent. 15 tr. (of a
plant or micro-organism)
assimilate (nitrogen or
carbon dioxide) by forming a non-gaseous compound. 16 tr.
castrate or
spay (an animal). 17 tr.
arrest changes or
development in (a
language or literature). 18 tr. determine the
incidence of (liability etc.). 19 intr.
archaic take up one's position. --n. 1 colloq. a position
hard to
escape from; a
dilemma or
predicament. 2 a the
act of
finding one's position by bearings or
astronomical observations. b a position found in
this way. 3 sl. a
dose of a narcotic
drug to
which one is
addicted. 4 US sl. bribery. øbe fixed (usu. foll. by for) be disposed or
affected (regarding) (how is he fixed
for money?; how are
you fixed for Friday?). fixed capital
machinery etc.
that remains in the owner's
use. fixed-doh Mus.
applied to a
system of sight-singing in which C is called 'doh', D is called 'ray', etc.,
irrespective of the key in which
they occur (cf. movable-doh). fixed
focus a
camera focus at a
distance from a
lens that is
not adjustable. fixed idea = IDòE FIXE. fixed
income income deriving from a pension,
investment at fixed
interest, etc. fixed
odds predetermined odds in racing etc. (opp.
starting price). fixed
oil an oil of
animal or plant
origin used in varnishes, lubricants, illuminants, soaps, etc. fixed
point Physics a well-defined reproducible
temperature. fixed
star Astron. a star so
far from the
earth as to
appear motionless. fix on (or upon)
choose, decide on. fix up 1 arrange,
organize, prepare. 2
accommodate. 3 (often foll. by with)
provide (a person) (fixed me up with a job). øøfixable adj. fixedly adv. fixedness n. [ME,
partly f. obs. fix fixed f. OF fix or L fixus
past part. of figere fix, fasten, partly f. med.L fixare f. fixus]
