cold wave

noun

a wave of unusually cold weather

• Hypernyms: ↑wave

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I. noun

: a sudden large drop in temperature; broadly : a period of unusually cold weather

II. noun

: a machineless permanent wave set by a chemical preparation usually containing a salt of thioglycolic acid

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1. Meteorol. a rapid and considerable drop in temperature, usually affecting a large area.

2. a permanent wave in the hair set by special chemical solutions without the aid of any heating device.

[1875-80]

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cold wave noun

1. An artificial wave produced by a chemical solution (hairdressing)

2. A sudden spell of cold weather over a large area

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Main Entry: ↑cold

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cold wave,

1. a period of very cold weather, especially one affecting a large area and regarded as passing from one place to another: »

Not every sharp drop in temperature is a cold wave, for to be an authentic one (a) the thermometer must fall a certain number of degrees within 24 hrs. and (b) it must drop below a certain fixed minimum (Finch and Trewartha).

2. a kind of permanent hair waving using a setting solution that does not need to be heated.

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n.

1) a spell of cold weather over a wide area

2) a kind of permanent wave for the hair created by applying chemicals at room temperature