Norwegian strike for fluency

He derided my singing as pathetic. This building, once derided by critics, is now a major tourist attraction. derisive laughter a derisive comment/remark. They treated his suggestion with derision.

Our charity appeal has been stupendously successful. The crew is stupendously ill-trained. You are working stupendously! The Lion King did stupendously because it was a good movie. Stupendous news! We've won £500,000!

juvenile delinquents. The delinquency is particularly high among the poor.

Rain had dampened the tent so we left it to dry in the afternoon sun. his pragmatic approach has dampened her impassioned enthusiasm going to Ukraine.

Traffic congestion in large cities seems to be an insoluble problem.

On 13 December 1981 the communist authorities imposed martial law in Poland

Some people try to figure out ways to make a buck.

She cornered me and started yelling at me. The man cornered the little girl and dragged her into his car.

Greed has been the undoing of many a businessman. Undoing the damage done by the storm will take many days.

They threatened to smother the animals with plastic bags. I tried desperately to smother a sneeze (= I tried not to sneeze) during his speech. I threw a blanket over the stove to smother the flames.

We were plied with coffee, doughnuts, and refreshments. Anxious to hear firsthand the latest about the outside world, they plied us with questions.

my new/old school blazer

The picture captures the two lovers with their arms entwined.

a granite/limestone/marble/slate quarry. Our quarry should be somewhere in this forest.

This low pH level clearly shows the acidity of the soil here.

Like I say, it's a tight knit community.

Morton was the originator of Arbor Day. I wonder whether the framers of the document really thought out what the implications of the policy would be.

His ardour for her cooled after only a few weeks.

replace one's clothes with shabby or tattered ones. She spoke out about the shabby way the case had been handled. The refugees were shabby (= wore old clothes in bad condition) and hungry

I have a low/high boredom threshold. His secretary earns £268 a month, well below the threshold for paying tax. It’s traditional for a man to carry his bride over the threshold.

She ended the concert with a powerful rendition of "I Will Always Love You".

Allen Ginsberg coined the term "flower power". I'm coming it in. Ladies and gentlemen, in the 1980s we coined the phrase 'democratic deficit'.

Our tickets to Australia include a stopover for two nights in Singapore.

"It's" is a contraction of "it is."the contraction of economic output. The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm. She was having regular strong contractions every four minutes.

She goes to her doctor for regular check-ups. a dental check-up

The perks of the job include a company pension and a generous travel allowance. I couldn't have managed at college if I hadn't had an allowance from my parents. The baggage/luggage allowance for most flights is 20 kilos.

an ad hoc committee/meeting. We deal with problems on an ad hoc basis (= as they happen).

We put down on a small airstrip well away from town.

The mantle of the leader belongs to me. She unsuccessfully attempted to assume the mantle of the presidency. He has been asked to take on the mantle of managing director in the New York office. A thick mantle of snow lay on the ground.

Did you consult the wind speed? If you don't know how to get there, consult a map.

"There's a hair in my soup!" "Well, pass it over here and I'll remove the offending article."The company had removed the offending material from its site when it was discovered.

The advent of technology brought changes to our working environment. Life was transformed by the advent of the steam engine.

a flamboyant gesture The writer's flamboyant lifestyle was well known. His clothes were rather flamboyant for such a serious occasion. Her flamboyance annoys some people but delights others.

Resumption of the talks is indicative of an improving relationship between the countries. In the sentence "We walked home" the verb "walked" is in the indicative. A prospectus and indicative price range will be released tomorrow.

We drove down a narrow track that branched off from the main road.

Two fetuses had a pancreas of half normal size which lacked any inferior lobe.

With any sighted felony you will left a visible record which will make it easier for authority bodies to track you down and place your person into a prison.

a political/foreign-policy/sports pundit

You can wear jeans, but I think the restaurant frowns on shorts and sneakers.

i Felt an unpleasant knot in my stomach

We have to scale this picture down.

Anna is a very level-headed person.

He showed the gritty determination that we've come to expect from him. a gritty portrayal of urban poverty

Over a decade, he was profiled on television 11 times. I saw the profile of the thief.

Many of our elderly patients are incontinent. As the illness progressed, she became doubly incontinent incontinence

Outside of her window the stream gurgled over the rocks. The baby lay gurgling in her cot.

They humbled the opposite team, beating them 6:0.

an interim solution An interim government was set up for the period before the country's first free election.

They are running a recruitment for the current university year.

She's been intimately involved in the project since it began. He knew the area intimately. The two of them have been intimately involved for a year.

George went on at great length about his various illnesses. At length, the authorities allowed her to go home. We have discussed this at length in the course of many talks.

Because of the explosion, the roof of the building caved in, trapping several people. She accused the university of caving in to political pressures.

The government has taken these measures in an attempt to de-escalate the conflict. There are signs that the confrontation is beginning to de-escalate.

She cut off the best meat and threw away the residue. The residue (of the estate) went to her granddaughter.

noisy, energetic and rough

We may laugh about it, but in fairness we take it seriously.

This flat is a far cry from the house they had before.

It's always prudent to read a contract carefully before signing it.

I don't understand the rationale for these restrictions. He tried to explain the scientific rationale behind his work.

a solar/lunar eclipse On Wednesday there will be a total/partial eclipse of the sun. The moon will be totally eclipsed at 12.10 p.m. This date marks the eclipse of the Roman Empire. I was the most talented one until he eclipsed me.

"I'm pregnant!" "That's terrific! Congratulations!"It was a terrific piece of marketing.

Does anyone know the derivation of the word “OK”?

give sb a prompt. The bishop's speech has prompted an angry response from both political parties. Recent worries over the president's health have prompted speculation over his political future. I forgot my line and had to be prompted.

We have a large assortment of plastic ware.

The store gave away vials of their new perfume.

Meat-eaters have to produce extensive bile acids in their intestines to properly digest the meat that they eat. His article was full of loathing and bile.

The board hopes these decisions will expose any imprudence or dishonesty. He believes that a time of surplus is a time of greater government imprudence.

This recent wave of terrorism has ruled out any chance of peace talks.

We have to buy bread, because there's only a heel left. I have a tear in my heel! Fido! Come here! Heel!

copyright infringement Even minor infringements of the law will be severely punished.

The sun was shining straight in her eyes and made her squint. Lili's left eye squinted slightly when she was tired.

My sweater started to singe when I leaned over a burning candle.

She holds the scepter in her right hand and a rather squashed-looking orb in her left.

We are not terrorists," he said evenly. "We are freedom fighters."Divide the mixture evenly between the baking pans. Congress is still evenly divided on the issue.

Who could have predicted the dizzy pace of change in the country? In the movie, she played the part of a dizzy blonde. Going without sleep for a long time makes me feel dizzy and light-headed. BEFUDDLED

You've taken a risk but it paid of handsomely.

Downsizing of the portion saved the company a lot of money.

Police hope the public will help them to find the culprits. Sugary drinks are the main culprit of obesity among children.

Sometimes, you need to pipe down and just give a team its due.

He put his hand on the bed, and left a splotch of blood on the bedspread.

The union is up in arms over the reduction in health benefits.

A UN force was sent in to stop fighting between three rival militias. The government called out the militia to help cope with the rioting.

They imposed a five percent levy on alcohol. A new tax was levied on consumers of luxury goods. Social Security income that resides in a bank account is exempt from a levy. They are organizing a levy in anticipation of the war.

a morose expression Why are you so morose these days?

to incite/instigate a sedition. insurgent

She was infatuated with her boss.

No speck of dirt had ever sullied his hands. His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos

There's always an element of sexual innuendo in our conversations.

The number of deaths from measles fell by 30 per cent. One of the children got the measles.

He's very sick and needs round-the-clock care.

a death-defying leap from an aircraft

My parents will be back shortly. Shortly after their wedding, they went on a honeymoon.

He foraged for food every day. The children had been living on the streets, foraging for scraps. The pigs foraged in the woods for acorns. We'll have to maximize home-grown forages so we can cut back on grain Our village was destroyed in the last forage.

She got a fractured pelvis

a diacritical mark over the e

The report provided a common frame of reference for discussing public policy.

Property rental is quite expensive here. DVD rentals have decreased this year.

Suddenly, she burst into tears. It's hard not to burst into laughter when he's talking.

She'd made some overseas investments as a hedge against rising inflation in this country. Stop hedging and tell me what you really think. Stop hedging and tell me what you really think.

Pregnancy left stretch marks on her abdomen. The pregnancy left my body with stretch marks.

The poems are supposed to be by Sappho, but they are actually of doubtful authenticity.

The loudspeakers blared across the square. The radio was blaring (out) martial music... was it really necessary to blare that private quarrel to the whole world?

paraffin lamp

He was criticized for his inept handling of the situation. He was always rather inept at sport. Dick was socially inept and uncomfortable in the presence of women. a inept remark

jewels of uncertain provenance This raised doubts about the provenance of the painting. I don't need to see a label to identify the provenance of a garment that someone is wearing.

Washington wants to avoid a full-fledged war. Within months the student had become a full-fledged instructor.

an important juncture in our country's history. At this juncture, it is impossible to say whether she will make a full recovery.

excreta, human excrement

I worked late last night because I was behindhand with my accounts.

the glowing orb of the sun

He is a gentleman, he always tips his hat. tip over the canoe.

Nick kept his face impassive but his mind was racing.

Earlier in the debate there was reference to eau de cologne-type perfumes.

However, a rough, average, guide is that your resting metabolic rate will require around 1600 calories for men and 1400 calories for women, per day.

Delusional thinking is common in schizophrenia.

An appeal was made to the public to donate blood.

I've always wanted to see Rihanna in the flesh. How lovely to see you in the flesh.

He doesn't mouth platitudes about it not mattering who scores as long as the team wins. He likes to mouth pointlessly.

We sat in the garden hulling strawberries

a wistful smile I thought about those days in Spain and grew wistful.

"We want ice cream!" the children chanted in unison. Here the tenors are in unison with the basses. It is important for the European Union to speak and act in unison.

By midnight I was virtually comatose.

Attempts to restrict parking in the city have further aggravated the problem of congestion. The treatment only aggravated the condition. It’s so aggravating to have an injury like that, when you can’t lift anything or bend down and tie your shoelaces.

This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily. The newspaper received a deluge of complaints/letters/phone calls about the article.

He never stints alcohol at his parties. He has just finished a stint of compulsory military service. Perhaps her most productive period was her five-year stint as a foreign correspondent in New York. Don't stint yourself - take another slice of cake.

The wake spread out in a v-shape behind the ship. The wake was really gloomy.

The official report on the killings has been denounced as a whitewash. The department is trying to whitewash their incompetence. a 6–0 whitewash

a decorative glass-like substance that is melted onto clay, metal, or glass objects, and then left to cool and become hard, or an object covered with this substance

A virus erased my hard disk. He is determined to erase the memory of a disappointing debut two years ago. One election cannot erase 65 years of a corrupt one-party political process. It's in pencil so you can just erase anything that's wrong.

Will she take umbrage if she isn't invited to the wedding?

He had an amazing pull on his environment. A muscle pull can be a painful injury.

Do people still dock dog's ears? It should be illegal. You made a mistake in that task so I docked two points.

You have to dog him, I want to know where he lives! This problem has been dogging me for a year now.

If she deigns to reply to my letter, I'll be extremely surprised. I asked her, but she didn't deign to answer me.

OK, let's talk turkey - you're broke and you don't have work. What are you going to do?

curd cheese. This is supplemented by variable amounts of milk, curds and dairy products.

The barn had a separate storage for manure. At this time of year he manures his crops.

I can drain off some of the fluid but we need to get him back into surgery now.

I crave for some hot instant cocoa, I need sugar so badly. Many young children crave attention.

At night, images would come unbidden into her mind.

Finishing her dinner, she sat back and sighed contentedly. "Let's go to sleep, Amy," I said, contentedly.

The mission had to be aborted at the last minute. If something goes wrong during the launch sequence the system will automatically abort. He declared that women have a right to abort a nonviable fetus. to abort the pregnancy/ a launch of rocket

Her speech was slurred but she still denied she was drunk. The report slurs both the teachers and students. His comments cast a slur on the integrity of his employees.

The sewers were filled with green ooze. Blood oozed from his wound. He was oozing confidence before the exam.

He made some butter with a churn. I've got lots of ideas churning in my head.

a large paunch, or a bony or angular frame are discouraged.

I bought some crisps, nuts, and other nibbles. Do you have some peanuts for us to nibble while the party warms up? A mouse has nibbled through the computer cables. Jenny's hamster's nibbled a hole in the sofa. to nibble morsel of the cake

(the) nomenclature of organic chemicals

He’s just biding his time until a permanent job opens up.

It can cost you in exceeding of a 1000

It has no real monetary value

Let's shop around at the sales and see whether we can pick up a bargain.

If you have the space and can afford to buy in bulk, it's usually the cheapest way to shop.

I'm terrificaly terrible. I buy on impulse and that's a nightmare!

Product placement is becoming a very popular form of advertising in films.

I hadn’t stocked up on food, so I wasn’t ready to feed Kate and her friends.

celebrity endorser.

Here are some tips on how to create viral content.

It wouldn't be cost-effective to buy an expensive new computer when all you want to do is store your photos.

It looks as though the author sees himself as a kind of academic undertaker, devoting himself to the interment of bodies of thought.

a firm of solicitors

make fraudulent claims on their insurance company. A worrying trend for insurers has been a rise in fraudulent claims.

I invested some money in savings bonds.

to run up/pay off an overdraft The bank offers overdraft facilities. run up a bill

He bought his wife some duty-free perfume. I bought some perfume in the duty-free shop.

Chip and pin devices are becoming rarer and soon most transactions bwill be made with contactless payments where you flash your card across a screen.

I'll give her a gift voucher so that she can buy whatever she likes.

Do you have a €20 note?

This forced them to become money lenders and clothes dealers.

Otitis is very painful. I had otitis three years ago.

Pigs are omnivorous animals. herbivorous, carnivorous. an omnivorous reader

an inflamed eye/toe You should call the doctor if the area around the wound becomes inflamed. Tennis elbow is an inflammation of the ligaments below the elbow.

He's a glib, self-centred man. No one was convinced by his glib answers/explanations.

His daughters stared back at him with an expression of sullen resentment. She looked up at the sullen (= dark and unpleasant) sky and shuddered.

a belligerent person a belligerent gesture Watch out! Lee's in a belligerent mood. The belligerent countries are having difficulties funding the war.

We moored further up the river. We moored the boat to a large tree root.

You should give though to your last month's behavior when you were conducting yourself like a virtual moron.

That one lie gave rise to all our problems.

a mind-numbing task

She picked up the receiver and dialled his number.

Took some kind of written test that I aced without ever cracking a book.

I was up all night studying, but it was worth it - I aced my chemistry final.

To pay, just hold your card up to the card reader. The computer was supplied with an integrated 4 in 1 card reader.

to collate data/information. The photocopier will collate the documents for you.

I can't go to the meeting, but my proxy will come. They used a proxy to contact us. My brother's voting for me by proxy in the club elections. Can I nominate someone as a proxy to sign for me?

a myriad of choices And now myriads of bars and hotels are opening up along the coast.

a palpable effect Her joy was palpable

Do not put any hair conditioner or oil on after shampooing.

a vehicle whose engine supplies power to all four wheels instead of the usual two, so that it can travel easily over difficult ground

It was a really rough crossing - I threw up three times.

He says that he likes it because it isn't some kind of creepy-crawly bug, it's more like a proper animal.

A huge throng had gathered around the speaker.

I want to invest my money for the long haul, not just to get rich quick.

He prides himself on his singing.

I rounded my family up in the room to tell them my plan. The police rounded up the suspects.

This time it took him longer at reaching his climax. The climax of the air show was a daring flying display.

Forest covers half the acreage.

The writer's aim was to debunk the myth that had grown up around the actress.

The comets are responsible for some of the most spectacular celestial apparitions

They kept up the masquerade of being happily married for over 30 years. When she agrees to accompany him to a masquerade, she does not know who exactly she is dancing with.

The cake was burned to a cinder (= burned black).

Young people's disengagement from politics is part of a wider trend. The new president is thought likely to pursue military disengagement

artisanal bread/cheese

She spent a month in the country recuperating from/after the operation.

She's on the last leg of her journey to Paris. He rolled up his trouser legs and waded into the water.

soiled nappies/underwear/sheets

During the meeting with the boss the atmosphere was tense. Every muscle in his body was tense and ready to attack.

The balaclava and the baseball bat are not part of democratic life; they are an offence to it.

This was the most explicit language she'd ever used.

a morsel of good news. a morsel of cheese The prisoners ate every last morsel.

You'll see - this monkey business will get you in trouble. Your monkey business makes you untrustworthy.

I didn't realize your husband was here, Dr Jones - I hope I'm not intruding. Newspaper editors are being urged not to intrude on/into the grief of the families of missing servicemen.

The timing of the meeting is certainly fortuitous. The collapse of its rivals was a fortuitous opportunity for the company.

His numerous progeny are scattered all over the country.

an upper-class dandy. Well, that's just dandy if you happen to have half a million dollars to spare. I'm tired of pretending life is just dandy when it's not.

"never loquacious, Sarah was now totally lost for words"

It was an uneventful journey.

the storm grounded the ship" strand, ground. land - bring ashore; "The drug smugglers landed the heroin on the beach of the island"

You know you're old enough to own your own tuxedo.

We have a rendezvous for next week, don't we? The lovers met at a secret rendezvous in the park. The police arranged to rendezvous with their informant at a disused warehouse.

Luminaries of stage and screen (= famous actors) assembled for last night's awards ceremony.

:the bond(s) of friendship/love There has been a close bond between them ever since she saved him from drowning. I invested some money in savings bonds. They have entered into a solemn bond. a strong/weak/permanent bond

Millions of years ago, changes in the earth's climate caused animal and plant life to diversify. Many wheat farmers have begun to diversify into other forms of agriculture.

I thought her speech had slightly sinister undertones. It was a comedy act with an undertone of cruelty. The elephant's pale grey skin carries undertones of violet.

The Pentagon brass went along with the plan but they were not happy about it.

She gets unpleasant tasks over and done with as quickly as possible. Thank you, control tower. Over and out."