tube

views updated May 14 2018

tube / t(y)oōb/ • n. 1. a long, hollow cylinder of metal, plastic, glass, etc., for holding or transporting something, chiefly liquids or gases. ∎  the inner tube of a bicycle tire. ∎  material in such a cylindrical form; tubing: the firm manufactures steel tube for a wide variety of applications.2. a thing in the form of or resembling such a cylinder, in particular: ∎  a flexible metal or plastic container sealed at one end and having a screw cap at the other, for holding a semiliquid substance ready for use: a tube of toothpaste. ∎  a rigid cylindrical container: a tube of lipstick. ∎  Anat., Zool., , & Bot. a hollow cylindrical organ or structure in an animal body or in a plant (e.g., a Eustachian tube, a sieve tube). ∎  (tubes) inf. a woman's fallopian tubes. ∎  a woman's close-fitting garment, typically without darts or other tailoring and made from a single piece of knitted or elasticized fabric: [as adj.] stretchy tube skirts. ∎  (in surfing) the hollow curve under the crest of a breaking wave.3. (the tube) Brit., inf. the subway system in London. ∎  a train running on this system: I caught the tube home.4. a sealed container, typically of glass and either evacuated or filled with gas, containing two electrodes between which an electric current can be made to flow. ∎  a cathode-ray tube, esp. in a television set. ∎  (the tube) inf. television: another wasted evening, sitting in front of the tube. ∎  a vacuum tube.• v. [tr.] [usu. as adj.] (tubed) provide with a tube or tubes: [in comb.] a giant eight-tubed hookah. PHRASES: go down the tubes (or tube) inf. be completely lost or wasted; fail utterly: we watched his political career go down the tubes.DERIVATIVES: tube·less adj.tube·like / -ˌlīk/ adj.

Tube

views updated May 18 2018

Tube ★★ Tyubeu 2003 (R)

After suffering a shocking personal loss, police detective Jay (Kim) finds himself relegated to the ranks of subway cop. He toils away until that fateful day when the goodguygonebad (Park) takes control of the train and terrorizes the community, giving Jay the chance to be a hero again and save the day. While the action in director Woonhak's Seoulbased debut zips along, the effort lacks that “certain something” (like a welldeveloped plot) that made its obvious inspirations—”Die Hard” and “Speed”smash hits. Korean, with English subtitles. 112m/C VHS, DVD . Seokhun Kim, Duna Bae, Samgmin Park, Byeongho Son, Ohjung Gweon; D: Woonhak Baek; W: Woonhak Baek, Weonmi Byeon, Jeongmin Kim, Minju Kim; C: Hongshik Yun; M: Sangjun Hwang. VIDEO

tube

views updated Jun 27 2018

tube (tewb) n. (in anatomy) a long hollow cylindrical structure, e.g. a Fallopian tube.

tube

views updated Jun 11 2018

tube XVII. — F. tube or L. tubus, rel. to tuba (see prec.).