What does your mean

Crossword clues for your

your

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

your

determiner

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a crick in your back/neck

▪ He was getting a crick in his neck from leaning out of the window for so long.

a token of your gratitude/respect/appreciation etc

▪ Please accept this gift as a small token of our appreciation.

abandon your ideals (=to stop believing in ideals)

▪ Have these young people abandoned the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement?

abandon your principles (=stop believing in them or trying to act by them)

▪ It has been said that he abandoned his basic political principles while he was in power.

abandon/give up your plans

▪ The city authorities have abandoned their plans to host the Super Bowl.

abuse your position (=use your level or rank wrongly)

▪ He abused his position as a doctor.

abuse/misuse your authority (=use your authority in a bad way)

▪ The mayor was accused of abusing his authority and taking bribes.

achieve your own ends (=to get what you want, used to show disapproval)

▪ Some people would do almost anything to achieve their own ends.

achieve your purpose (=achieve what you wanted to achieve)

▪ She had achieved her purpose, at least in part.

achieve/attain/reach your goal

▪ She has worked hard to achieve her goal of a job in the medical profession.

▪ They’re hoping to reach their goal of raising £10,000 for charity.

achieve/fulfil your aim

▪ The Internet bank achieved its aim of attracting 50,000 customers last year.

▪ Once she had decided to go into publishing, she set out to fulfil her aim.

achieve/fulfil/reach/realize your potential (=succeed as much as you have the potential to succeed)

▪ A lot of athletes find it difficult to achieve their potential.

achieve/fulfil/realize your ambition (=do what you wanted to do)

▪ It took her ten years to achieve her ambition.

▪ He was prepared to go to any lengths to fulfil his ambition.

▪ I want to thank all those who made it possible for me to realize a lifetime 's ambition.

act your age (=behave in the way that a person of your age should behave)

▪ It’s time he started acting his age.

act your age (=used to tell someone to behave in a more adult way, suitable for someone of their age)

address your remarks to sb (=make your remarks to someone)

▪ He addressed all his remarks to her husband.

admit your mistake

▪ It is better to admit your mistake and apologize.

affect/impair your hearing (=make your hearing worse)

▪ Listening to loud music will eventually impair your hearing.

against your better judgment (=even though you think your action might be wrong)

▪ I lent him the money, against my better judgment.

ahead of your/its time (=very advanced or new, and not understood or accepted)

▪ Coleridge was in many ways far ahead of his time.

air your grievances (=tell people you think you have been treated unfairly)

▪ These committees act as a forum for various groups to air their grievances.

air your views/grievances/complaints etc

▪ Staff will get a chance to ask questions and air their views.

all your life/all day/all year etc (=during the whole of your life, a day, a year etc)

▪ He had worked all his life in the mine.

▪ The boys played video games all day.

announce your engagement (=tell people about it)

▪ The couple are expected to announce their engagement today.

announce your retirement

▪ Shortly after his defeat he announced his retirement from politics.

announce/declare your candidacy

▪ He has not yet officially announced his candidacy for the presidential election.

as long as your arm (=a very long list)

▪ He owes money to a list of people as long as your arm.

as plain as day/the nose on your face (=very clear)

ask/say your age (=ask or say how old you are)

▪ It’s rude to ask a woman her age.

at the top of your voice (=in a very loud voice)

▪ She shouted ‘Help!’ at the top of her voice.

at your own expense (=used when saying that you pay for something yourself)

▪ He had copies of the book printed at his own expense.

at your own pace (=at the pace that suits you)

▪ This allows each child to learn at his or her own pace.

avert your eyesliterary (= look away from something)

▪ He averted his eyes from the body.

avert your gaze (=look away)

▪ Miller averted his eyes from the beggars that lined the streets.

bare your teeth (=show them, especially in an angry or threatening way)

▪ The dog bared its teeth and snarled.

be a shadow/ghost of your former self (=be much less confident, healthy, energetic etc than you used to be)

▪ The team’s a shadow of its former self.

be at the height of your powers (=be at a time in your life when your abilities are strongest)

▪ Fonteyn was still at the height of her powers as a dancer.

be bored out of your mind (=extremely bored)

▪ In some of the lessons, I was bored out of my mind.

be caught with your hands/fingers in the till (=to be caught stealing from your employer)

be considering your positionformal (= be deciding whether or not to leave your job)

be fighting for your life (=be so ill or injured that you might die)

▪ One badly burned man was fighting for his life in hospital.

be good/bad for your health

▪ Eating plenty of vegetables is good for your health.

be in fear of/for your life (=be afraid that you may be killed)

▪ Celia was in fear of her life when she saw the truck coming toward her.

be off your foodBritish English (= not want to eat)

▪ The baby is off his food.

be past your peak

▪ By the next Olympics, she will be past her peak.

be relieved of your commandformal (= lose your military position because you have done something wrong)

▪ The General was relieved of his command due to misconduct.

be shaking in your shoes/boots (=be very nervous)

▪ The President must be shaking in his shoes about Tuesday’s vote.

be stripped of your rank (=have it taken from you as a punishment)

▪ The officer was stripped of his rank for his part in affair.

be true to your ideals (=to behave in the way that you believe is right)

▪ Stick to your principles and be true to your ideals.

betray your country (=be disloyal, especially by giving secrets to other countries)

▪ He betrayed his country for the sake of communism.

betray your ideals (=to do something that is not acceptable according to your ideals)

▪ He argues that Lenin betrayed his revolutionary ideals.

betray/compromise your principles (=do something that is against your principles)

▪ I knew I could lie to help him, but it would be betraying my principles.

beyond your wildest dreams (=better or more than you ever hoped for)

▪ Suddenly he was wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

bite your lip (=because you are upset or not sure what to say)

▪ She paused uncertainly, biting her lip.

bite your nails

▪ Eddie bit his nails nervously.

bite your nails (=bite the nails on your fingers, especially because you are nervous)

▪ I wish I could stop biting my nails.

blow your nose (=clear your nose by blowing strongly into a piece of soft paper or cloth)

▪ She blew her nose on a large white handkerchief.

bluff your way out of/through/past etc sb/sth (=go somewhere or succeed in doing something by deceiving someone)

▪ I hope we’ll be able to bluff our way past the guard.

bolster your courage (=make it stronger)

▪ They sang and whistled as they marched, to bolster their courage.

bow/bend/lower your head (=look down)

▪ He bowed his head and tried not not to look at her.

break (off) your engagement

▪ In the end she decided to break their engagement.

break off your engagement (=suddenly end it)

▪ Were you surprised when Toni broke off your engagement?

break your glasses

▪ I broke my glasses when I accidentally sat on them.

break your journey (=make a short stop on a journey)

▪ We broke our journey to have a picnic.

break your promise

▪ I’ll never forgive him for breaking his promise to me.

break your vow (=break a serious or formal promise)

▪ He accused her of breaking her marriage vows.

break your word (=break your promise)

▪ I’ve promised to do it and I never break my word.

break/twist/sprain your ankle

▪ Janet slipped on the stairs and twisted her ankle.

breathe through your nose

▪ Close your eyes and breathe through your nose.

broaden/expand your knowledge (=increase your knowledge)

▪ The course is designed to help students broaden their knowledge of modern American literature.

broaden/widen your experience (=increase the amount of different experience you have)

▪ After six years with the bank, he went to work in New York to broaden his experience.

brush your teeth (also clean your teeth British English)

▪ I brush my teeth twice a day.

brush/comb your hair

▪ He cleaned his teeth and brushed his hair.

build up your strength (=make yourself stronger)

▪ You need to build up your strength.

burn/damage your skin

▪ Strong sunlight can damage your skin.

cancel your plans

▪ The weather got worse, and we had to cancel our plans to have the party outdoors.

cancel your subscription

▪ Please give a month's notice if you are cancelling your subscription.

can’t believe your luck

▪ I couldn’t believe my luck as my number was called out!

carry out your duties (also perform/discharge your dutiesformal) (= do your job)

▪ She has always carried out her duties efficiently.

carry out your duties/responsibilities

▪ She carried out her duties very efficiently.

carry out your duties/responsibilities

▪ She carried out her duties very efficiently.

cast aside your inhibitions/doubts etc

▪ Cast aside your fears.

cast your vote (=vote in a political election)

▪ Harkin won 74 percent of the votes cast.

catch your death (of cold)British Englishspoken (= get a very bad cold)

▪ Don’t stand out in the rain. You’ll catch your death.

change your behaviour (also modify your behaviourformal)

▪ He has no reason to change his behaviour.

change your clothes

▪ I usually change my clothes as soon as I get home from work.

change (your) course (=at university or college)

▪ Some students choose to change their course after the first year.

change your expression

▪ The child did not once cry or change her expression.

change your habits

▪ It's sometimes difficult for people to change their habits.

change your lifestyle

▪ You can help prevent heart disease by changing your lifestyle.

change your name

▪ Many immigrants changed their names to seem more American.

change your plans

▪ We had to change our plans at the last minute.

change your position

▪ Since then, the party has changed its position.

change your story

▪ During police interviews, Harper changed his story several times.

change your will (=change some of the instructions in your will)

▪ Marius had decided to change his will in her favour.

change/shift your position

▪ He shifted his position to get a better view of the stage.

channel your energy into sth (also devote your energy to sth) (= use most of your energy doing something)

▪ She should channel more of her energy into her studies.

check your email(s)

▪ The first thing I do every morning is check my email.

check/consult your watch

▪ He checked his watch and saw that it was only 2.15.

chew your lip/nails

claim sth on your insurance (=get an insurance company to pay for something)

▪ He claimed the money back on his travel insurance.

clap your hands

▪ They were singing and clapping their hands.

clasp sb to your chest/bosom (=hold someone tightly with your arms)

clasp sb/sth in your hands/arms

▪ She clasped the photograph in her hands.

clasp your hands (=hold them together tightly)

▪ Emily clasped her hands together and stood there nervously.

clasp your hands/arms around/behind sth

▪ Fenella leaned forward, clasping her hands around her knees.

clean up your image (=improve your image after it has been damaged)

▪ The pop star promised to clean up his image after he was released from prison.

clean/polish your shoes

▪ We used to clean our shoes every evening before we went to bed.

clear your debts (=repay all of them)

▪ It took him three years to clear his bank debts.

clear your desk (=remove all the papers etc from it)

▪ It's a good idea to clear your desk regularly.

clear your name (=prove that you have not done something bad or illegal)

▪ She was determined to clear her name.

clear your vision

▪ She blinked to clear her vision.

click your fingers (=make a short sound with your fingers to get someone's attention)

▪ She clicks her fingers and he comes running.

click your heels (=hit the heels of your shoes together, as a soldier does)

▪ He clicked his heels and saluted.

click your tongue (=make a short sound with your tongue to show disapproval)

▪ She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

cling to your ideals (=continue to believe that something is good or right even when it does not seem to be like this in real life)

▪ He is a man who still clings to ideals of loyalty and friendship.

close/shut your eyes

▪ Joe closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.

cock your head (=hold your head at an angle)

▪ The big dog cocked his head to one side and raised his ears.

collect your pension (=receive it or go to get it)

▪ She went to the post office every week to collect her pension.

compromise your beliefs/convictions/ideals

▪ Anti-war activists were put in prison for refusing to compromise their beliefs.

compromise your integrity

▪ The journalist would not compromise his integrity by revealing the source for the story.

compromise your principles

▪ The government says the plans will not compromise its environmental principles.

compromise your standards

▪ Universities should not have to compromise their academic standards.

concentrate your efforts/attention/energy/mind etc on sth

▪ I’m concentrating my efforts on writing my autobiography.

confess your sins

▪ He knelt and confessed his sins to God.

confirm you in your belief/opinion/view etc (that) (=make you believe something more strongly)

▪ The expression on his face confirmed me in my suspicions.

confirm your fears/doubts/suspicions etc

▪ This just confirms my worst fears.

conquer your nerves/fear

▪ She was determined to conquer her fear of flying.

conquer/overcome your fear (=stop being afraid)

▪ She managed to conquer her fear of flying.

consider your verdict (=think about what it should be)

▪ The jury retired to consider their verdict.

contemplate your navel (=think so much about your own life that you do not notice other important things – used humorously)

continue your education

▪ I hope to continue my education after high school.

continue your journey

▪ We stopped for breakfast, then continued our journey.

control/contain your anger

▪ I could not control my anger any longer.

control/contain your excitement

▪ She could hardly control her excitement when I told her the news.

control/keep your temper

▪ She tried to speak calmly and control her temper.

cover your mouth

▪ She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

cry your eyes/heart out (=be extremely sad and cry a lot)

▪ Lucy read the letter and cried her eyes out.

cut sb out of your will (=change your will so that someone is no longer given anything when you die)

▪ His father cut her out of his will.

cut your nails

▪ You should cut your nails more often!

damage your health

▪ There is no doubt that smoking can seriously damage your health.

damage your image

▪ Has this scandal damaged the company’s image?

defend/protect yourself from your enemies

▪ Our country has a right to protect itself from its enemies.

develop your potential (=succeed by using your skills or talents)

▪ A good school aims to enable pupils to develop their potential.

develop your talent

▪ Education allows people to develop their talents to the full.

devote your time/energy/attention etc to sth

▪ He devoted his energies to writing films.

die in your sleep

▪ During the night he died in his sleep.

dig in your pocket (=put your hand in your pocket to find something)

▪ Boris dug in his pocket for his keys.

discharge your duties/responsibilities/obligations etc

▪ The trustees failed to discharge their duties properly.

do some/the/your shopping

▪ I thought you wanted to do some shopping.

do your duty

▪ I felt I had done my duty by voting.

do your hair (also fix your hair American English) (= arrange it in a style)

▪ She’s upstairs doing her hair.

do your homework

▪ My parents don’t let me go out unless I’ve done my homework.

do your homework

▪ Paul, have you done your homework?

do your make-up (=put on make-up)

▪ I’ll do your make-up for you, if you want.

do your nailsinformal (= to cut or paint your nails)

▪ She sat at her desk, doing her nails.

do/take (your) A levels

▪ She decided to stay on at school and do her A levels.

do/take (your) GCSEs

▪ Adam took his GCSEs last year.GCSE exam/course/coursework/results etc

down your drink (=drink it very quickly)

▪ He downed his drink and stood up.

drag your feet (=walk slowly in an unwilling way)

▪ I was dragging my feet because I didn’t want to get there.

draw your pension (=receive it)

▪ He's got another ten years before he draws his pension.

drop your aitches (=not pronounce the letter H at the beginning of words)

▪ People with Cockney accents tend to drop their aitches.

drop/lower your eyes (=look down at the ground)

▪ The servants lowered their eyes as the countess walked past.

dye your hair (blonde/red etc) (=change its colour, especially using chemicals)

▪ Craig has dyed his hair black.

earn your keep (=do things in return for the things that are provided for you)

▪ It’s time you got a job and started earning your keep.

edge your way into/round/through etc sth

▪ Christine edged her way round the back of the house.

elbow your way through/past/into etc sth (=move through a group of people by pushing past them)

▪ He elbowed his way to the bar and ordered a beer.

endanger your health (=cause danger to your health)

▪ Being overweight endangers your health.

enjoy your food

▪ I’ve never seen anyone enjoy their food so much.

enrol on a course/put your name down for a courseBritish English (= to arrange to officially join a course)

▪ How about enrolling on a sailing course?

erase sth from your mind/memory

▪ He couldn’t erase the image from his mind.

▪ She had tried to erase the memory of that day.

escape with your life (=escape and not be killed)

▪ When the tunnel collapsed, the men were lucky to escape with their lives.

establish your credibility

▪ Dave had already established his credibility with the department managers.

establish/assert/impose/stamp your authority (=show people that you have authority)

▪ The new manager was anxious to establish her authority.

▪ Robertson quickly stamped his authority on the team.

▪ The State Department pressed him to take bolder steps to assert his authority.

exceed/overstep your authority (=do more than you have the power or right to do)

▪ A higher court decided that the judge had exceeded his authority.

exercise your choiceformal (= make a choice - used especially when talking about someone using their right to choose)

▪ Everyone should have the right to exercise choice in matters of relationships.

exercise/exert your authority (also wield authorityformal) (= use your authority)

▪ In practice it’s very difficult for the president to exercise his authority.

▪ He was one of those people who want to wield authority over others.

exercise/use your veto

exert your will (=make something happen in the way that you want)

▪ The army exerted its will by arresting anti-government supporters.

expand/improve your vocabulary (also enrich your vocabularyformal)

▪ Reading helps to expand your vocabulary.

explain your dilemma (=talk about it)

▪ He explained his dilemma to me.

express your admiration (=talk or write about your admiration)

▪ She wrote to him expressing her admiration for his work.

express your anger (also vent your angerformal) (= show your anger)

▪ Demonstrators expressed their anger by burning American flags.

express your determination to do sth

▪ He made a speech expressing his determination to rebuild the economy.

express your feelings (also put your feelings into words) (= tell other people what you are feeling or thinking)

▪ Children sometimes find it difficult to put their feelings into words.

express your feelings

▪ He felt unable to express his feelings in a letter.

express your gratitude

▪ We would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their generous donations.

express your grief (=say or show that you are very sad, especially because someone you love has died)

▪ She searched for further words to express her grief, but could find none.

express your hopes/desires (=say what you hope or want to happen)

▪ Nadia expressed her hopes about remaining in San Diego County with her two children.

express your joy (=show it)

▪ They expressed their joy by jumping up and down and hugging each other.

express (your) opposition

▪ Parents expressed their opposition to the tests.

express your support (=say that you support someone or something)

▪ The Israeli leader expressed his support for the U.S. plan.

express your sympathy (=say that you feel sorry for someone who is in a bad situation)

▪ I wrote to his widow expressing our sympathy and sending her our condolences.

express your thanks (=say that you are grateful)

▪ I would like to express my thanks to you for all your support.

express your thanks/gratitude/appreciation (=say thank you to someone, in a speech)

▪ On behalf of the team, I’d like to express our appreciation for all your efforts.

express your thoughts (=say what they are or tell other people about them)

▪ He was finding it difficult to express his thoughts.

express your views/opinions/ideas

▪ Everyone who attends the meeting will be given the opportunity to express their opinions.

express/offer (your) sympathy

▪ Everyone there expressed their sympathy.

express/voice your disquiet

▪ The union has voiced its disquiet about the way the protest was handled.

express/voice your misgivings (=say what you are worried about)

▪ Only a few Senators voiced their misgivings about the war.

extend your influence (=make your influence larger)

▪ Syria had the opportunity to extend its influence in the region.

extend your sympathy to sbformal (= express sympathy)

▪ I’d like to extend my deepest sympathy to the victim’s family.

extend/prolong your stay (=stay longer)

▪ He could not be persuaded to extend his stay.

fail in your duty (=not do something that you should do)

▪ I would be failing in my duty if I didn't warn you of the dangers.

fail/succeed in your attempt

▪ He failed in his attempt to set a new Olympic record.

fall short of your ideals (=not be as good as you think something should be)

▪ In appearance, she fell somewhat short of his ideals.

fall to/on your knees (=move down to the ground so that your body is resting on your knees)

▪ She fell to her knees beside his body.

file your nails

▪ A girl was filing her nails on the bus.

fill your time/the days etc (with sth)

▪ I have no trouble filling my time.

find your way

▪ I managed to find my way home.

find yourself/your mind etc doing sth

▪ When he left, Karen found herself heaving a huge sigh of relief.

▪ She tried to concentrate, but found her mind drifting back to Alex.

find/get your sea legs

▪ I felt awful yesterday. But, thankfully, I’ve found my sea legs now.

fix your gaze on sb/sth (=look at someone or something continuously)

▪ He fixed his gaze on the wall behind her.

flex your muscles (=bend your arm muscles so that people can see how strong you are)

▪ He was lifting weights and flexing his muscles.

floss your teeth (=clean between your teeth using dental floss)

▪ My dentist said I should floss my teeth more.

focus your attention/mind/efforts on sth

▪ She tried to focus her mind on her work.

fold your hands (=put your hands together and rest them on something)

▪ Lily folded both hands on her stomach.

fold/cross your arms (=bend both arms in front of your body)

▪ He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

follow your heart (= do what your emotions want you to do)

▪ Go for it. Follow your heart. Who cares what everyone else thinks?

follow/obey your instinct(s) (=do what your instinct tells you to do)

▪ You should obey your instincts when dealing with strangers.

for your own benefit

▪ He used the money for his own benefit, instead of using it to help other people.

for your own safety

▪ He had been kept in custody for his own safety.

for (your) personal use

▪ He bought a computer for his personal use.

forget your keys/money/cigarettes etc

▪ Oh no, I’ve forgotten my wallet.

forget your manners (=behave in an impolite way)

▪ Oh, I’m forgetting my manners. Let me introduce you to Suzanne.

fracture your leg/arm/hip etc

▪ He fractured his right leg during training.

fulfil your dutyBritish English, fulfill your duty American Englishformal (= do what is needed)

▪ The school has failed to fulfil its legal duty towards students.

fulfil your/its promise (also live up to your/its promise) (= be as good as expected)

▪ This young player has begun to fulfil his promise.

▪ The rest of this movie never quite lives up to the promise of that opening moment.

further your aims (=help them to progress or be successful)

▪ The group is prepared to use violence to further its political aims.

gather/muster/summon your strength (=get enough strength to do something)

▪ He sat for a couple of minutes, gathering his strength.

get sth for your birthday

▪ What did you get for your birthday?

get the shock of your life (=get a very big shock)

▪ He got the shock of his life when he found out who I was.

get up from your chair (also rise from your chairformal)

▪ He got up from his chair and walked to the window.

get up from your desk

▪ He got up from his desk to welcome the visitors.

get your breath back (also catch your breath) (= start breathing normally again)

▪ He leant against a tree until he had got his breath back.

get your deposit back

▪ You'll get your deposit back when all the bills have been paid.

get your facts right/straight (=make sure that what you say or believe is correct)

▪ You should get your facts straight before making accusations.

get your facts wrong

▪ It’s no use putting together a beautifully-written argument if you get your facts wrong.

get (your) revenge

▪ Louise eventually got her revenge by reporting him to the immigration service.

get/have your wish (=get what you want)

▪ She wanted him to leave, and she got her wish.

get/keep your weight down (=become thinner or stay thin)

▪ How can I keep my weight down?

get/receive your reward

▪ If you work hard, you will get your reward.

give sb your address

▪ She refused to give me her address.

give (sb) your consent

▪ The child’s parents have to give their consent to the operation.

give (sb) your name (=tell someone your name, especially someone in an official position)

▪ I gave my name to the receptionist.

give sth/sb your attention (=think about sth/sb so that you can deal with a problem)

▪ She promised to give the matter her attention the next day.

give your life/lay down your life (=die in order to save other people, or because of a strong belief)

▪ These men gave their lives during the war to keep us free.

give your life/lay down your life (=die in order to save other people, or because of a strong belief)

▪ These men gave their lives during the war to keep us free.

give (your) support (also lend (your) supportformal)

▪ The American people gave him their enthusiastic support.

▪ The naturalist Sir David Attenborough has lent his support to the campaign.

give your view (=say what you think)

▪ He did not hesitate to give his own views on the subject.

go about your chores (=do your chores)

▪ I got up and went about my chores, feeding the cats and making tea.

go back on your promise (=break it)

▪ They were angry that the company had gone back on its promise.

go back on your word/promise/decision

▪ Delors claimed that the President had gone back on his word.

go back to/return to your seat

▪ The audience clapped as he returned to his seat.

go off your foodBritish English (= to stop wanting to eat)

▪ Since becoming ill, he has gone off his food.

go on your instinct(s)informal (= trust your instincts)

▪ I just went on my instincts and refused his offer.

grind your teeth (also gnash your teethliterary) (= move them against each other because you are angry)

▪ Kate ground her teeth in helpless rage.

grit/clench your teeth (=put them firmly together)

▪ He was gritting his teeth against the pain.

grope your way along/across etc

▪ I was groping my way blindly through the trees.

grow your hair (long) (=let it grow longer)

▪ I’m growing my hair long, but it’s taking forever.

hand in your homework (=give homework you have done to your teacher)

▪ He always hands his homework in on time.

hand in your homework (=give it to the teacher)

▪ You must hand in your homework by Friday.

hand in your resignation (=say that you are going to leave an organization)

▪ I'm thinking of handing in my resignation.

hang your head (=look down, especially because you are ashamed)

▪ She hung her head, not sure how to reply.

hang/bow your head in shame (=look down, or feel like you should look down, because you feel so ashamed)

▪ I bow my head in shame when I think of how I treated her.

happy in your work/job etc

have a smile on your face/lips

▪ They all had broad smiles on their faces.

have an expression on your face

▪ He had a very serious expression on his face.

have nothing to lose but your pride/reputation etc

▪ The working class has nothing to lose but its chains.disadvantages, restrictions etc.

have sth in your possession (=have it)

▪ My father had in his possession a letter written by Winston Churchill.

have your doubts (=have some doubts)

▪ Everyone else thinks it’s a good idea, but I have my doubts.

have your ears pierced (=have a hole put into the skin, so that you can wear an earring)

▪ I had my ears pierced when I was quite young.

have your hair cut/done/permed (also get your hair cut etc) (= by a hairdresser)

▪ I need to get my hair cut.

have your own transport

▪ The supermarket offers a free bus service for customers who do not have their own transport.

have your reasons (=have a secret reason for doing something)

▪ ‘Why did he marry her?’ ‘He must have had his reasons.’

have your revenge

▪ One day I’ll have my revenge.

have your suspicions

▪ Many of us had our suspicions, but we couldn't prove anything.

have/keep etc your eyes glued to sth (=be watching something with all your attention)

▪ Ted sat with his eyes glued to the television.

hide your anger

▪ For a second he was unable to hide his anger.

hide your disappointment (also conceal your disappointmentformal)

▪ She turned away quickly to hide her disappointment.

hide your disappointment/embarrassment/confusion etc

▪ She laughed to hide her nervousness.

hide your embarrassment

▪ She started laughing in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

hide your emotions (also conceal your emotionsformal)

▪ Laura could not hide her emotions, or pretend to feel something she did not.

hide your feelings

▪ She could no longer hide her feelings.

hide/conceal your amusement

▪ There’s no need to hide your amusement. I’m well aware of it.

hide/conceal your excitement

▪ He tried to hide his excitement, but his voice was shaking.

hold sth in your hand/arms

▪ He was holding a knife in one hand.

▪ I held the baby in my arms.

hold your breath (=not breathe out for a few seconds or minutes)

▪ How long can you hold your breath underwater?

hold your horses! (=used to tell someone to do something more slowly or carefully)

hold your nose (=so that you cannot smell a bad smell)

▪ The smell was so revolting that I had to hold my nose.

hold/keep your nerve (=remain calm and confident in a difficult situation)

▪ The team held their nerve and went on to win.

hug your knees/arms/legs etc

▪ Sarah sat on the floor, hugging her knees.

hunch your shoulders (=raise your shoulders and bend them forwards slightly)

▪ He hunched his shoulders against the rain.

hurt your arm/leg/nose etc

▪ He hurt his knee playing football.

I appreciate your offer (=I am grateful for it - used especially when politely refusing someone's offer)

▪ I appreciate your offer, but I don’t need any help.

I take your point/point taken (=used to say that you accept someone’s opinion)

If you play your cards right

▪ Who knows? If you play your cards right, maybe he’ll marry you.

imprint sth on your mind/memory/brain etc

▪ The sight of Joe’s dead body was imprinted on his mind forever.

improve your fitness

▪ You can improve your fitness by going for a daily run.

improve your image

▪ The casino industry was keen to improve its image.

in full possession of all your faculties (=able to see, hear, think etc in the normal way)

in your early twenties/forties etc (=aged 20–23, 40–43 etc)

▪ Both men are in their early twenties.

in your stockinged/stocking feet (=not wearing shoes)

▪ She stood 5ft 6 inches tall in her stockinged feet.

increase your fitness

▪ Aerobic exercise, such as jogging or cycling, will increase your fitness.

increase your income

▪ She took on extra work to increase her income.

increase your speed

▪ He increased his speed until he was running flat out.

increase/improve your knowledge

▪ If you want to improve your knowledge of the language, you should go and live in France.

▪ In the past twenty years, we have greatly increased our knowledge of how the brain works.

indulge your passion for sth (=do something that you enjoy doing very much)

▪ The money enabled him to indulge his passion for horses.

injure/hurt your foot

▪ Simon injured his foot while playing rugby.

irritate your skin (=make it red or sore)

▪ Some types of make-up can irritate your skin.

jangle your keys (=move them so they make a ringing sound)

▪ He walked off down the corridor, jangling his keys.

jump up from your chair (=get up quickly)

▪ ‘Look at the time!’ she cried, jumping up from her chair.

keep your balance (=stay steady)

▪ The sea was so rough that it was hard to keep your balance.

keep your eyes open (=prevent them from closing)

▪ I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.

keep your gaze (fixed) on sb/sth (=keep looking at someone or something)

▪ I kept my gaze fixed on the television and didn’t look at him as he left the room.

keep your mind on the job/task in/at hand

▪ Making notes is the best way of keeping your mind on the task at hand.

keep your opinions to yourself (=not say what you really think)

▪ As the youngest person there, I knew enough to keep my opinions to myself.

keep your voice down (=not speak loudly)

▪ Keep your voice down, they’ll hear you!

Keep your voice down

▪ Keep your voice down – she’ll hear you!

keep your word/promise

▪ How do I know you’ll keep your word?

keep/have your wits about you (=be ready to think quickly and do what is necessary in a difficult situation)

keep/leave your options open (=to not limit what you can choose to do later)

▪ Studying a broad range of subjects helps to keep your options open.

keep/leave your options open

▪ Officers investigating her death are keeping their options open.

keep/maintain your composure (=stay calm)

▪ The widow broke down in tears, but her daughters maintained their composure.

kick your shoes off (=take them off by moving your legs)

▪ Maria kicked off her shoes and sat down.

kill your speed (=drive slowly)

know your job/subject/stuff (=be good at and know all you should about a job or subject)

laugh till you cry/laugh till the tears run down your face

▪ He leaned back in his chair and laughed till the tears ran down his face.

laugh your head off (=laugh a lot)

▪ The audience laughed its head off all the way through.

lean back in your chair

▪ He leant back in his chair and took out his pipe.

learn from your mistakes

▪ I’m sure he will learn from his mistakes.

leave/quit your job

▪ Oh, Rick, you didn’t quit your job, did you?

let your breath out (=breathe out)

▪ Let your breath out slowly and relax.

let your gaze/eyes/thoughts/mind etc drift

▪ Idly she let her eyes drift over his desk.

let your imagination run wild (also let your imagination run riot British English) (= allow yourself to imagine many strange or wonderful things)

▪ He uses painting as a way of letting his imagination run riot.

lie through your teeth (=say something that is completely untrue)

lift your hand/arm/leg etc

▪ She lifted her hand to knock on the door once again.

▪ Pam lifted her shoulders in a little shrug.

lift your head/eyes (=move your head or eyes up so that you can look at something)

▪ She lifted her head to gaze at him.

like your style (=approve of the way you do things)

▪ I like your style, Simpson.

limit your options (=limit what you can choose to do)

▪ If you don’t go to college, it may limit your options.

live up to your image (=be like the image you have presented of yourself)

▪ He has certainly lived up to his wild rock-star image.

look at/glance at your watch

▪ I looked at my watch. It was 4.30.

look/feel your age (=look or feel as old as you really are)

▪ The singer is 46, but she doesn’t look her age at all.

▪ I keep getting aches in my legs and I’m starting to feel my age.

look/glance over your shoulder (=look behind you)

▪ He glanced over his shoulder and grinned at me.

look/go/read through your notes

▪ I read through my notes before the exam.

loosen/relax your grip (=hold something less tightly)

▪ Lee loosened his grip on the dog’s collar.

loosen/relax your hold

▪ Laughing, he loosened his hold until she could pull her arms free.

lose your accent (=no longer speak with an accent)

▪ After five years in Europe, Ricky had lost his American accent.

lose your appetite

▪ She was so miserable that she completely lost her appetite.

lose your authority

▪ He’s worried that he is losing his authority over the party.

lose your balance (=become unsteady)

▪ She nearly lost her balance as the bus suddenly moved forward.

lose (your) concentration

▪ Halfway through the game, he seemed to lose concentration.

lose (your) confidence

▪ He’d been out of work for six months and had lost all his confidence.

lose your deposit (=not get it back)

▪ If there is any damage to the apartment, you may lose your deposit.

lose your edge (=lose an advantage that you had)

▪ He’s had a lot of injuries and lost a lot of his competitive edge.

lose (your) enthusiasm

▪ The diet started well, but I lost enthusiasm after a while.

lose your grip (=accidentally let go of something)

▪ He shoved Higgins out of the way without losing his grip on the gun.

lose your hair (=become bald)

▪ He was a small, round man who was losing his hair.

lose your hearing (=become unable to hear)

▪ He lost his hearing as a child after suffering scarlet fever.

lose your job

▪ At least there’s no danger of you losing your job.

lose your licence

▪ The police caught him driving while drunk and he will now lose his licence.

lose your life (=die)

▪ Hundreds of people lost their lives on the first day of the fighting.

lose your memory (=become unable to remember things that happened in the past)

▪ The blow on the head caused him to lose his memory.

lose your nerve (=suddenly lose the courage or confidence to do something)

▪ I wanted to ask him the question, but I lost my nerve.

lose your sense of sth

▪ I think I’m losing my sense of smell.

lose your sense of sth

▪ Come on! Have you lost your sense of humour?

lose your sight

▪ As the result of a severe illness, she lost her sight at the age of twelve.

lose your sight/hearing/voice/balance etc

▪ Mr Eyer may lose the sight in one eye.

▪ The tour was postponed when the lead singer lost his voice.

▪ Julian lost his balance and fell.

lose your temper (=become angry)

▪ It was hot and I was beginning to lose my temper.

lose your touch (=become less skilled at doing something you used to do well)

▪ This latest movie proves Altman is by no means losing his touch.

lose your virginity (=have sex for the first time)

lose your voice (=lose the ability to speak, for example when you have a cold)

▪ I'll have to whisper because I've lost my voice.

lose your way

▪ He lost his way in the fog.

lose/miss your footing (=be unable to keep standing or balancing)

▪ The girl lost her footing and fell about 150 feet.

lower your voice (=speak more quietly)

▪ He lowered his voice to a whisper.

lower/drop your gaze (=look down)

▪ Her eyes met his and she immediately dropped her gaze.

maintain your fitness (=keep your body at a good level of fitness)

▪ She worked hard to maintain her fitness while pregnant.

maintain your innocence (=say that you did not commit a crime)

▪ He maintained his innocence and said the allegations were ‘ridiculous’.

maintain your lifestyle (=keep your lifestyle as it is)

▪ You cannot maintain this lifestyle on your income.

make good your escapeliterary (= to succeed in escaping)

▪ Dillinger handcuffed the deputy to the desk and made good his escape.

make your entry (=enter in a way that makes other people notice you)

▪ She waited until everyone was sitting down before she made her entry.

make your escape formal (= to escape)

▪ I had to make my escape before the guards returned.

make your exit (=to leave)

▪ And then, kissing them both goodbye, he made his exit.

make your fortune (=become rich)

▪ She made her fortune in the cosmetics industry.

make your name (also make a name for yourself) (= become famous for something)

▪ He made a name for himself as a conductor of the Berlin Orchestra.

manicure your nails (=to make your nails look attractive by cutting them and making the skin around them neat)

▪ She had manicured nails and expensive clothes.

marshal your thoughts/arguments etc

▪ He paused for a moment as if to marshal his thoughts.

meet your deathformal (= die)

▪ He met his death tragically while on holiday in Greece.

meet your doom (=die in an unpleasant way)

▪ At the end of the movie, the bad guys met their doom.

meet/face your nemesis

▪ In the final he will meet his old nemesis, Roger Federer.

meet/live up to your ideals (=be as good as you think something should be)

▪ The regime is not living up to its supposed democratic ideals.

mind your head/fingers etc

▪ Mind your head – the ceiling’s a bit low.

mind your manners (also remember your manners British English) (= used for telling a child to behave politely)

▪ I frowned at him and told him to mind his manners.

miss your cue (=not speak or act when you are supposed to)

mop/wipe your brow (=dry your brow with your hand or a cloth because you are hot or nervous)

move/empty/open your bowels (=get rid of solid waste from your body)

my/your/their etc generation

▪ I consider myself a typical Japanese woman of my generation.

narrow your eyes (=partly close them, especially to show that you do not trust someone)

▪ She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

neglect/shirk your duties (=not do your job properly)

▪ No soldier can be allowed to neglect his duties.

nod your approval/agreement etc (=show your approval etc by nodding)

▪ Corbett nodded his acceptance.

nod your head (=move it up and down, especially to show agreement)

▪ The audience nodded their heads enthusiastically.

not/never in your wildest dreams (=used to say that you had never expected something to happen)

▪ Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would win the competition.

now’s your chancespoken (= you have the opportunity to do something now)

▪ You’re not working so now’s your chance to write a book.

nudge your way to/through etc (sth)

▪ I started to nudge my way to the front of the crowd.

offer (your) help

▪ The taxi driver offered his help and we accepted.

offer your resignation (also tender/submit your resignationformal)

▪ Claire apologized and offered her resignation.

▪ On the Monday afternoon, Sir John tendered his resignation to the Queen.

offer/extend your thanks to sb (=thank someone publicly)

▪ We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the medical staff at Broadgreen Hospital.

on your hands and knees (=in a crawling position)

▪ They got down on their hands and knees to search.

On your marks – get set – go (=said to start a race)

▪ On your marks – get set – go.

open your eyes

▪ I slowly opened my eyes.

open your mail

▪ She opened her mail as she ate her breakfast.

open/shut/close your mouth

▪ He opened his mouth wide so the doctor could examine his throat.

overspend your budget

▪ The Metropolitan Police has overspent its budget by £70 million.

overstay your visa (=stay longer than you are allowed to)

▪ Two women in the group had overstayed their visas.

owe your existence to sth (=be able to exist because of something)

▪ The birds owe their existence to the fact that there are no natural predators on the island.

owe your life to sb (=be still alive because of someone’s actions)

▪ The victim said he owed his life to the stranger who helped him.

owe your survival to sb/sth

▪ The frogs owe their survival to a conservation program.

pack your things/belongings

▪ Kelly packed her things before breakfast.

paint/polish/varnish your nails (=to put coloured liquid on your nails)

▪ Don't paint short nails in dark colours.

pick your nose (=remove substances from inside your nose with your finger)

▪ Stop picking your nose, Freddy.

pick your way through a minefield (also navigate/negotiate a minefield) (= behave in a careful way to avoid problems in a difficult situation)

▪ The guide helps you pick your way through the minefield of buying a new car.

pin your hopes on sth (=hope for one thing that everything else depends on)

▪ After a difficult year, the company is pinning its hopes on its new range of products.

pissed as a newt/pissed out of your head (=extremely drunk)

pit your wits against sb (=compete against someone using your intelligence or knowledge)

▪ Pit your wits against family or friends!

plan your route

▪ We studied the map and planned our route.

play to your strengths (=use people's qualities and abilities in the best way in order to achieve something)

▪ Both parties are playing to their strengths.

pledge (your) support/loyalty/solidarity etc

▪ He pledged his cooperation.

pledge/offer (your) support (=say that you will support someone or something)

▪ Both the opposition parties pledged full support for the new administration.

pool your resources (=put together the resources that each of you have)

▪ They decided to pool their resources and buy a business together.

pour out your heart/soul (=tell someone all your feelings, including your most secret ones)

prick yourself/prick your finger (=accidentally make a hole in your skin)

▪ She had pricked her finger on a rose thorn.

protect your investment

▪ It's best to invest in several funds, in order to protect your investment.

protect your skin

▪ It's important to use suntan lotion to protect your skin.

protest/maintain your innocence (=say repeatedly that you are not guilty)

▪ The prisoners continued to protest their innocence.

prove your case

▪ The state had failed to prove its case.

prove your point

▪ To prove her point, Dr Hurdal showed her audience a scan of a patient's brain.

prove your/a point (=prove that what you say is right)

▪ He was determined to prove his point.

purse your mouth (=bring your lips tightly together, especially to show disapproval or worry)

▪ Ian looked at her and pursed his mouth.

pursue your aims (=try to achieve them over a long period of time)

▪ We worked closely together to pursue our common aims.

pursue your ambitions

▪ David left the company to pursue his political ambitions.

push back your chair (=in order to get up)

▪ He pushed back his chair and stood up.

put on your coat

▪ Mark stood up and put on his coat.

put on your glasses

▪ He put on his glasses and read through the instructions.

put on/pull on your gloves

▪ Eleanor put on her gloves and stood up.

put on/take off/remove your cap

▪ He opened the door, took off his cap, and threw it on a hook.

put sth in your pocket

▪ I put the £5 note in my pocket.

put sth on your card (=pay by credit card)

▪ I’ll put the restaurant bill on my card.

put your affairs in order (=organize them before you go somewhere or die)

▪ I have cancer so I know I’ve got to put my affairs in order.

put your clothes on

▪ I told him to get up and put some clothes on.

put your house on the market (=make it available for people to buy)

▪ They put the house on the market and began looking for an apartment.

put your shoes on

▪ Put your shoes on and get your coat.

put your socks on

▪ She sat on the bed beside him, putting on her socks.

put your success down to sth (=say that your success was the result of it)

▪ They put their success down to their excellent teamwork.

put your watch back (=make it show an earlier time)

▪ On Saturday night, don’t forget to put your watch back an hour.

put your watch forward (=make it show a later time)

▪ The passengers were reminded to put their watches forward three hours.

put yourself/your neck on the line (for sb) (=risk something bad happening to you)

▪ I’ve already put myself on the line for you once, and I’m not going to do it again.

put/get your point across (=make people understand it)

▪ I think we got our point across.

put/place your faith in sb/sth

▪ The Conservative party put its faith in the free market.

put/place your trust in sb/sth

▪ You shouldn’t put your trust in a man like that.

put/push sth to the back of your mind

▪ He tried to push these uncomfortable thoughts to the back of his mind.

put/wrap your arms around sb

▪ I put my arms around Bobby and gave him a hug.

rack your brains (=try very hard to think of something)

▪ If we all rack our brains we should come up with some ideas.

raise your arm

▪ Stand with your feet apart and your arms raised above your head.

raise your hand (also put your hand up) (= lift your hand, especially when you want to ask or answer a question)

▪ If you know the answer, raise your hand.

raise your voice (=speak more loudly)

▪ She did not raise her voice, or express any anger.

raise/lift your feet

▪ He raised his foot off the floor and rested it on a chair.

raise/lift your head (=look up)

▪ Tom raised his head to listen, then went back to his book.

reach into your pocket (=put your hand into your pocket to find something)

▪ "Do you want a cigarette?" he asked, reaching into his pocket.

reach your peak (=be the best or most successful that you will ever be )

▪ Most players don’t reach their peak until their late twenties.

reach/arrive at your destination (also get to your destinationinformal)

▪ It had taken us 6 hours to reach our destination.

reach/be at the top of your profession

▪ He was a very highly respected man, at the top of his profession.

read your mail

▪ The first thing he did was read his mail.

realize your error

▪ By the time she realized her error, it was too late.

realize your mistake

▪ As soon as he realized his mistake he turned in the right direction.

reconsider your position (=think again about it and perhaps change it)

▪ The UN Secretary General urged the US to reconsider its position.

record sth in your diary

▪ James Alvin recorded the incident in his diary.

recoup your investment (=get back the money that you have invested )

▪ Investors will have to take legal action to recoup their investment.

recover/regain your composure (=become calm after feeling angry or upset)

▪ Carter looked stunned, but he soon regained his composure.

refresh/jog your memory (=help someone to remember something)

▪ Perhaps this photograph will refresh your memory?

refuse (your) consent

▪ When the firm applied for consent to build on the site, it was refused.

regain your balance (=become steady again, so that you do not fall over)

▪ She staggered a little before regaining her balance.

regain your composure (=become calm again)

▪ He paused for a few moments to regain his composure.

regain your confidence

▪ The players need help in regaining their confidence.

regain your strength/health

▪ First he must rest and regain his strength.

regain/get back/recover your sanity

▪ I took a vacation to try to recover my sanity.

regain/recover your balance (=become steady again)

▪ He held onto Carrie until he regained his balance.

relax your muscles (=make them feel less tight)

▪ A hot bath will help relax sore muscles.

release your grip (=let go of something)

▪ The guard released his grip on the prisoner and pushed him into the cell.

release your grip/hold (on sb/sth)

▪ The sudden noise made him release his hold on her arm.

release your hold (=stop holding something)

▪ As soon as his fingers released their hold, Robyn turned and ran.

relive/recapture your youth (=do things you did when young, to try and experience youth again)

▪ The band’s fans are clearly reliving their youth.

▪ The sports car is an attempt to recapture his youth.

remain/stay/stick in your memory (=be remembered for a long time)

▪ That day will remain in my memory forever.

remember sth from (your) childhood

▪ He remembered the place from his childhood.

renew your membership (=become a member again for another period of time)

▪ Please renew your membership by January 15.

renew your subscription (=pay again so you can keep getting something)

▪ It’s time to renew your subscription.

renew your vows (=have a second wedding ceremony to repeat your promises)

▪ Fifty couples celebrated their golden weddings and renewed their vows at a cathedral service in Chicago.

repent (of) your sins (=be sorry you committed them)

▪ I sincerely repent of my sins.

represent your country

▪ It’s a great honour to be chosen to represent your country in a sport.

resign your chairmanship

▪ Mr Hunt announced that he has resigned his chairmanship of the committee.

resign your membership

▪ He recently resigned his membership of the National Rifle Association.

resign your post/position/office

▪ He later resigned his post as Minister of Energy.

resign your seat (=announce that you will no longer be a member of a parliament, be on a committee etc)

▪ A majority of voters think he should resign his seat in Congress.

resign yourself to/accept your fate

▪ I had no choice but to resign myself to my fate.

resolve your differences (=stop arguing with each other)

▪ She and Rose had finally resolved their differences.

resume your duties (=start doing your job again)

▪ She hopes to be well enough to resume her duties next week.

resume your seatformal (= sit down again)

▪ We resumed our seats for the second half of the play.

retain/lose your dignity

▪ Old people need to retain their dignity and independence.

reverse your position (=change your opinion or attitude)

▪ He spoke in favor of the bill, reversing his previous position.

revive/resurrect your career (=make it successful again)

▪ The singer is seeking to revive his pop career.

risk your life

▪ He risked his life to help Jews during the Second World War.

rub your eyes

▪ Anna rubbed her eyes wearily.

rub your nose/chin/eyes/forehead etc

▪ She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

run your fingers through sb’s hair (=touch someone’s hair in a loving way)

▪ He ran his fingers through her smooth silky hair.

run your fingers through/over/along etc sth

▪ She ran her fingers through his hair.

save your marriage (=do things to try to stay together as a married couple)

▪ They’re going to counseling to try to save their marriage.

say your goodbyes (=say goodbye to several people or everyone)

▪ We said our goodbyes and left.

sb (of) your own age

▪ He needs to find people his own age.

scared witless/out of your witsinformal (= extremely scared)

▪ She admitted she was scared witless.

scratch your head (=especially because you do not understand something)

▪ He scratched his head and started looking through the drawers again.

scream your head off (=scream a lot)

▪ At least the idiot wasn’t panicking and screaming his head off.

screw/squeeze your eyes shut (=shut your eyes tight)

search your pocket (=look for something in your pocket)

▪ I searched my pockets for my train ticket but it wasn't there.

send your details (=send your name and address to someone in the post)

▪ For a free sample, send your details to us on a postcard.

send/offer your condolences (=formally express your sympathy when someone has died)

serve your country (=work for your country in an official way)

▪ Remember those who are serving our country as soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

set your watch (=make it show the correct time)

▪ I set my watch by the clock on the mantelpiece.

settle your differences (=agree to stop arguing)

▪ The two recently met to settle their differences.

shade/shield your eyes (=protect them from a bright light or the sun)

▪ They gazed out to sea, shielding their eyes from the sun.

shake your head (=move it from side to side, especially to show disagreement)

▪ ‘It’s too much,’ he said, shaking his head.

shave your head/legs/armpits etc

▪ She shaved her legs and underarms.

shed your inhibitions (=stop worrying about what other people will think of your behaviour)

▪ As the party went on, people began to shed their inhibitions.

shirk your responsibilities/duties/obligations

▪ parents who shirk their responsibilities towards their children

shout of the top of your voice (=shout as loudly as possible)

▪ 'Watch out!' he shouted at the top of his voice.

show your admiration

▪ I wanted to show my admiration for what he had done.

show your amusement

▪ James looked down to avoid showing his amusement.

show your feelings

▪ I know you find it embarrassing to show your feelings.

show your gratitude

▪ Her face showed her gratitude.

show/demonstrate your knowledge

▪ The test should be an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge.

show/express your appreciation

▪ The chairman asked me to express our appreciation of all your hard work.

show/express/demonstrate your solidarity (with sb)

▪ I come before you today to express my solidarity with the people of New York.

show/prove your loyalty (=do something that shows you are loyal to someone)

▪ He showed great loyalty to his wife during her long illness.

shrug your shoulders (=raise them to show that you do not know or care about something)

▪ Susan just shrugged her shoulders and said nothing.

shuffle your feet (=make small movements with them, because you are nervous or impatient)

▪ Ken shuffled his feet and looked down at the floor.

sign your name

▪ Sign your name here, please.

sink your teeth into sth (=put your teeth into someone's flesh, into food etc)

▪ The dog sank its teeth into the boy's hand.

sink/fall/drop to your knees (=move so that you are kneeling)

▪ Tim fell to his knees and started to pray.

sip your drink (=drink it in very small amounts)

▪ Connie was sitting at the table, sipping her drink slowly.

sit/take your finals

▪ Anna sat her finals last summer.

slacken your pace/speed (=go or walk more slowly)

▪ Guy slackened his pace as he approached the gate.

slip your shoes on/off (=put them on or take them off quickly or gently)

▪ She slipped off her shoes and curled her feet up under her on the sofa.

slit your wrists (=try to kill yourself by cutting your wrists)

slog your way through/round etc sth

▪ He started to slog his way up the hill.

slur your words/speech

▪ She was slurring her words as if she was drunk.

smudge your make-up (=accidentally rub it so that it spreads to areas where you do not want it)

▪ Grace wiped her eyes, smudging her make-up.

soothe your skin (=to stop it feeling painful or uncomfortable )

▪ The lotion helps to soothe your skin after you've been in the sun all day.

sort out your priorities (=decide which things are the most important as a way of dealing with a situation)

▪ If you’ve got a lot of things to do, sort out your priorities.

sound/toot/honk/blow your horn (=make a noise with your horn)

spend your childhood

▪ This is the house where the artist spent most of his childhood.

spend your youth

▪ She spent her youth in India.

split up/break up with your girlfriend (=stop having a romantic relationship)

spoil/ruin your appetite (=make you not feel like eating a meal)

▪ Don’t give the children any more sweets – it will spoil their appetite.

square sth with your conscience (=make yourself believe that what you are doing is morally right)

stamp your feet (=bang them noisily on the ground)

▪ He stamped his feet in an attempt to keep warm.

stand on tiptoe/stand on your toes (=support yourself on your toes)

▪ If he stood on tiptoe, he could reach the shelf.

start/finish your homework

▪ You're not going out until you've finished your homework.

sth addles your brain (=makes you unable to think clearly)

▪ The alcohol had addled his brain.

sth is etched in your memory (=it is impossible to forget)

▪ The date was etched in my memory.

sth to call your own/which you can call your own (=something that belongs to you)

▪ She just wanted a place to call her own.

sth to call your own/which you can call your own (=something that belongs to you)

▪ She just wanted a place to call her own.

stick to your decision/principles etc

▪ Miguel was determined to stick to his decision.

stick to your principles (=act according to them, even when this is difficult)

▪ Throughout this time, he stuck to his principles and spoke out against injustice.

stick to your story (=keep saying it is true)

▪ He didn’t believe her at first, but she stuck to her story.

stop dead (in your tracks) (=suddenly stop moving completely)

▪ She was so shocked that she stopped dead in her tracks.

stop dead/short/in your tracks (=stop walking suddenly)

▪ Sally saw the ambulance and stopped short.

straighten/square your shoulders (=stand with your shoulders straight, in a determined way)

▪ She squared her shoulders and knocked on the door.

strain your ears/eyes (=try very hard to hear or see)

▪ I strained my ears, listening for any sound in the silence of the cave.

strengthen/build up your muscles (=make them stronger)

▪ If you strengthen the muscles in your back you are less likely to have back problems.

stress your commitment to (doing) sth

▪ The President stressed his commitment to tackling world poverty.

stretch your muscles

▪ It’s a good idea to stretch your muscles after weight lifting.

stretch/hold out your arms

▪ I dreamt I saw my mother again with her arms stretched out towards me.

stroke/rub your chin (=stroke it in a way that shows you are thinking about something)

▪ He stroked his chin and then seemed to come to a decision.

stuff/thrust sth in your pocket (=put it there quickly and carelessly)

▪ He took off his cap and stuffed it in his pocket.

summon (up)/muster your courage (=make yourself feel brave)

▪ Summoning all her courage, she got up to see what the noise was.

supplement/add to your income (=increase your income, for example by doing an extra job)

▪ Ted supplemented his income by doing part-time work in the evenings.

swear on your honour (=promise very strongly)

▪ Do you swear on your honour that you will never tell anyone?

sweat blood/sweat your guts out (=work very hard)

▪ I sweated blood to get that report finished.

▪ We’ve been sweating our guts out here!

switch (your) allegiance (=start supporting someone else)

▪ Most of his supporters had switched their allegiance to his rival.

switch your attention/focus to sth

▪ Laura wasn't interested so he switched his attention to Tessa.

take off your gloves

▪ Mr Brownlow took off his gloves.

take off/remove your clothes

▪ She took off her clothes and slipped into bed.

take off/remove your coat

▪ She took off her coat and went into the kitchen.

take off/remove your glasses

▪ Elsie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

take pride in your appearance (=make an effort to look good)

▪ She seems to take no pride at all in her personal appearance these days.

take sth out of/from your pocket

▪ Marcia took a pair of dark glasses out of her pocket.

take to your bedwritten (= go to bed because you feel ill)

▪ Guy had a stomach ache and took to his bed.

take up your duties (=start doing a new job)

▪ Neale has agreed a three-year contract and takes up his duties on March 1.

take your anger/frustration etc out on sb

▪ Irritated with herself, she took her annoyance out on Bridget.

take your life in your hands (=put yourself in a dangerous situation)

▪ Just crossing this road is taking your life in your hands.

take your life in your hands (=put yourself in a dangerous situation)

▪ Just crossing this road is taking your life in your hands.

take your own life (=kill yourself)

▪ He was depressed and decided to take his own life.

take your place in a queue (=join it)

▪ I walked to the bus stop and took my place in the queue.

take your shoes off

▪ They took off their shoes in the hallway.

take your socks off

▪ My feet got so hot and sweaty I took my trainers and socks off.

take/hold sb in your arms (=gently put your arms around someone you love)

▪ He took her in his arms and kissed her.

tap your feet (=bang them gently on the ground)

▪ She was tapping her feet in time with the music.

tell sb your view (also let sb have your view)

▪ We want you to tell us your views.

tense/tighten your muscles (=make them more tight)

▪ He tensed his stomach muscles, ready for the blow.

test/show/prove your mettle

▪ a crisis which will test the minister’s mettle

thank you for your kind invitation/offer (=said when thanking someone very politely for their invitation or offer)

the back of your hand (=the outside surface of your hand)

▪ Let a dog sniff the back of your hand, rather than your fingers.

the ball of your foot (=the rounded part of your foot at the base of the toes)

▪ He has a blister on the ball of his foot.

the bridge of your nose (=the upper part, between your eyes)

▪ Sam pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

the corner/side of your mouth

▪ A smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

the heel of your foot (=the curved back part of your foot )

▪ He kicked his opponent with the heel of his foot.

the man/woman/house etc of your dreams (=the perfect one for you)

▪ We can help you find the house of your dreams.

the palm of your hand (=the inside surface of your hand)

▪ The phone could fit into the palm of his hand.

the roof of your mouth (=the top inside part)

▪ He made a clicking sound with his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

the sole of your foot (=the base of your foot, that you walk on)

▪ The soles of her feet were aching from the long walk.

tidy your desk

▪ I need to tidy my desk.

tie your shoes

▪ He tied his shoes in a double knot.

tighten your grip/your grip tightens (=hold something more tightly)

▪ She tightened her grip on her son’s hand.

tighten your grip/your grip tightens (=hold something more tightly)

▪ She tightened her grip on her son’s hand.

tighten your hold

▪ Maria winced as Luke tightened his hold on her fingers.

touch up/fix your make-up (=put a little more make-up on after some has come off)

▪ She went into the bathroom to touch up her makeup.

trim your nails (=cut a small amount off)

▪ His nails were neatly trimmed.

trust your instinct(s) (also rely on your instincts) (= believe that your instincts are correct)

▪ I've trusted my instincts in the past and they've usually been right.

try your best/hardest (=make as much effort as possible)

▪ Try your best to block out other distractions.

turn out/empty your pockets (=take everything out of your pockets in order to find something)

▪ His mother made him turn out his pockets.

turn your attention to sth/sb

▪ She quickly put away the shopping and then turned her attention to preparing dinner.

turn your attention/thoughts/efforts etc to sth/sb

▪ Many investors have turned their attention to opportunities abroad.

▪ Phil turned his gaze towards the older man.

turn your head

▪ John turned his head to look at the boy.

underline your determination to do sth (=emphasize it)

▪ The Prime Minister underlined his determination to keep interest rates high.

undo your jacket/shirt/bra etc

use your brain

▪ It’s easy if you just use your brain.

use your card

▪ I don’t use a card if I can pay by cash.

use your charm

▪ She knew when to use her charm in order to get what she wanted.

use your common sense

▪ If something goes wrong, just use your common sense.

use your imagination

▪ Musicians need to use their imagination as well as their technical skills.

use your influence

▪ She wasn’t afraid to use her influence to get what she wanted.

use your muscles

▪ Bend your knees and use your thigh muscles when picking up heavy objects.

use your position

▪ She can now use her position to do some good.

use your power (also exercise (your) powerformal)

▪ The party will use all its power and influence to raise the issue in the Senate.

▪ Questions have been asked about the way the police exercised their power.

use your strength

▪ He used all his strength to heave the door shut.

use your talents

▪ They have been using their artistic talents to brighten up the school.

use/exercise your discretion

▪ The judge exercised his discretion rightly to admit the evidence.

wangle your way out of/into sth

▪ I wangled my way into art school.

wash your hair

▪ He showered and washed his hair.

wash your hands

▪ Go wash your hands before dinner.

waste your talents

▪ They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.

watch your weight (=try not to get fatter, by eating the correct foods)

▪ He has to watch his weight because he has a heart condition.

wave your arms (=to attract attention)

▪ The man was waving his arms and shouting something.

wave your hand

▪ Marta waved a hand to attract his attention.

wear your hair long/in a ponytail etc (=have that style of hair)

▪ He wore his hair in a ponytail.

where are your manners?British English (= used for telling a child to stop behaving impolitely)

▪ Jamie! Where are your manners?

where your loyalties lie (=who or what you are going to be loyal to)

▪ Do your loyalties lie with your friends or your family?

widen your circle (=make it include more people)

▪ In London she set about widening her circle.

wipe the sweat from your brow/forehead

▪ He wiped the sweat from his brow and carried on digging.

wipe your feet (=wipe your shoes on a mat to remove dirt)

▪ Be sure to wipe your feet before coming into the house.

wipe your mouth

▪ He laid down his fork and wiped his mouth.

wipe your nose (=wipe liquid away from your nose)

▪ The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve.

wipe/clean your glasses

▪ Harry wiped his glasses with the corner of a handkerchief.

with your bare hands (=without using a tool, weapon, machine etc)

▪ With his bare hands he forced the doors apart.

with your hands in your pockets

▪ I saw him wandering along the beach with his hands in his pockets.

with your hands in your pockets

▪ I saw him wandering along the beach with his hands in his pockets.

(with your) mouth agapewritten (= with your mouth open in surprise)

▪ She stared at him, mouth agape.

with your mouth full (=with food in your mouth)

▪ Don’t talk with your mouth full.

with your mouth open

▪ He chews with his mouth open.

withdraw your application

▪ The company withdrew its application to build the bridge.

withdraw your forces

▪ Expecting the Allies to attack again, he began to withdraw his forces eastward.

withdraw your resignation (=say that you will not leave, after having said you would)

▪ The President persuaded him to withdraw his resignation.

withdraw your statement (=say that a statement you gave is not true)

▪ She later withdrew her statement.

withhold (your) consent (=not give it)

▪ A patient has the right to withhold consent to treatment.

work on your fitness (=try to improve your fitness)

▪ He's working on his fitness in preparation for the New York marathon.

work to your advantage (=make you have an advantage – often used when this is unexpected)

▪ Sometimes a lack of experience can work to your advantage.

wrestle/struggle with your conscience (=struggle to decide whether it is right or wrong do something)

▪ She wrestled with her conscience for weeks before deciding not to leave him.

wrinkle your nose (=move the muscles near your nose when you do not like something)

▪ Susan looked at the meal and wrinkled her nose.

write (sth) in your diary

▪ ‘Severe weather’, he wrote in his diary that day.

your adopted country (=that you have chosen to live in permanently)

▪ I felt proud of my adopted country, America.

your bank balance (=the actual amount that you have in your bank account)

▪ I'm just going to check my bank balance online.

your brow furrows/creases/wrinkles (=lines appear on your brow because you are thinking or are worried)

▪ His brow furrowed. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said.

your dream holiday (=the best holiday you can imagine)

▪ They won a dream holiday for two to the Caribbean.

your energy flags (=it becomes less and you become tired)

▪ After eight laps of the running track, my energy began to flag.

your fate is in sb’s hands (=someone will decide what happens to you)

▪ His fate is now in the hands of the judge.

your favourite author

▪ Who’s your favourite author?

your first kiss

▪ Where were you when you had your first kiss?

your heart/pulse/breathing quickens (=your heart beats faster because you are afraid, excited etc)

▪ She caught sight of Rob and felt her heart quicken.

your home/native country (=where you were born or live permanently)

▪ After five years in America, she returned to her home country, Japan.

your inner self (=your real character or feelings that are usually hidden from other people)

▪ Over the years she had put up barriers to protect her inner self.

your lost youth (=the time long ago when you were young)

▪ He wept for his lost youth.

your lower limbs (=your legs)

your muscles ache (=hurt after being exercised too much)

▪ I ran until my muscles ached.

your muscles contract (=tighten so that you can move a part of your body)

▪ These nerves tell the muscles when to contract.

your nerves jangle (=you feel extremely nervous or worried)

▪ Suddenly she was wide awake, her nerves jangling.

your normal/usual self

▪ When she came home at Christmas she seemed very quiet and not her normal self.

your old self (=the way you were before an illness or other change)

▪ He sounded more like his old self than the last time she had called.

your own inimitable way/style etc

▪ He entertained us in his own inimitable style.

your own niche

▪ Everyone has their own niche within the sales team.

your personal taste

▪ Which one you choose is a question of personal taste.

your skin glows/shines (=it looks healthy)

▪ beauty products that will make your skin glow

your skin peels (=the top layer comes off after you have had a sun tan )

▪ The week after the holiday my skin was already starting to peel.

your skin sags (=it hangs down in loose folds, because you are old)

▪ The skin on her arms was already starting to sag.

your true/real self (=your real character)

▪ At last he had revealed his true self.

your very own (=used to add more emphasis)

▪ One day I want to have a horse of my very own.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

(all) on your own

▪ Did you build this all on your own?

▪ Will you be OK here on your own?

▪ Although the names of these principles have been variously translated, I shall rely on my own designations in explaining them.

▪ Being independent minded, I set off on my own, armed with books, maps and pamphlets.

▪ Go alone, without a guide or mentor, and discover the art of fly-fishing on your own.

▪ It can also help on its own either locally or in the diet.

▪ My sister, who is 80, lives on her own and takes no tablets.

▪ Once you're out there, it's you on your own.

▪ The other half did it on their own.

▪ They should be kept, on their own, in tanks no less than five feet in length.

(dark) circles under your eyes

(don't) get your knickers in a twist

(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck

(hang) around your neck

▪ He was a skinhead, and had a line of swastikas tattooed around his neck.

▪ She attached a cord and started wearing them around her neck.

▪ The Doctor hooked the handle of his umbrella over his top pocket and pulled his paisley scarf from around his neck.

▪ The king wore it on a ribbon around his neck on ceremonial occasions.

▪ The lead Hunter appeared to have a mane around its neck.

▪ Until my first New York winter rain, when the fake fur matted around my neck, wrists and knees.

(have) egg on your face

▪ If we think they are easy meat we will end up with egg on our faces.

▪ Meanwhile, Hutcheson observed that in 1995 all the chip forecasters had varying degrees of egg on their face.

▪ People like me, who believed the firing squad had been assembled, were left with egg on our faces.

(have) sb's blood on your hands

▪ But I already have too much blood on my hands.

▪ Dad with blood on his hands.

▪ He hated to see her with blood on her hands.

▪ I want him to know he has my son's blood on his hands.

▪ Republicans spent eight years trying to prove President Clinton had blood on his hands.

▪ There's blood on my hands, mine or hers I don't know.

▪ There was blood on his hands and I thought he'd had an accident.

(keep your) chin up!

▪ Keep your chin up! We'll get through this together!

(right) up your street

▪ Mrs Marriot was a woman up our street who used to sell things in her front room.

▪ So, if that sounds up your street, get your Peak Performance subscription in soon!

▪ This sort of thing should be right up your street.

(you) watch your mouth

▪ I remember watching her mouth while she talked.

▪ It went up 32 points Thursday, a day Newt watched his mouth.

▪ She knew he had spoken, she had watched his mouth move.

▪ We have to watch our mouths and let our kids know that bad words are unacceptable.

Bob's your uncle!

Cat got your tongue?

▪ What's happened to all your brains, Frankie boy? Cat got your tongue?

I beg your pardon

▪ "And the year of your birth?" "I beg your pardon?" "When were you born?"

▪ "East Coast people are kind of uptight, aren't they?" "I beg your pardon!"

▪ "That's my pen." "Oh, I beg your pardon - I thought it was mine.''

▪ Oh, I beg your pardon. Are you all right?

I'll knock your head/block off

What's your/his etc problem?

Your/Her/His Highness

▪ Besides, I don't want anything from you, Your Highness.

▪ But that's the deal, Your Highness.

▪ No, Your Highness, you are, of course, welcome to stay.

Your/Her/His Majesty

▪ His Majesty, King Juan Carlos I

▪ How do you like the White House, Your Majesty?

Your/His Eminence

▪ Filaret owed his eminence less to his holy office than to his son's willingness to treat him as a co-ruler.

▪ Let me understand this, your eminence.

▪ We are a young world, your eminence.

Your/His Holiness

▪ The miracles which have since occurred at his grave have confirmed his holiness.

Your/His Worship

▪ Dionysus came to Thebes to establish his worship there.

▪ Does the worshipper who begins to reflect on his worship become less of a worshipper?

▪ His Dark Elf followers have given themselves over entirely to his worship.

▪ When his worship spread to a town where there was already a divine ruler the two were slowly fused into one.

Your/His etc Grace

▪ It is a manifestation of his grace, his gift to those who will receive it.

▪ It may rain again, Your Grace.

▪ Now, more than twenty years later, the Breton presbyter had lost none of his grace or his repose.

Your/His/Her Excellency

Your/His/Her Honour

▪ At a lunch in his honour, friends and former rivals gathered to pay him tribute.

▪ Festivals in his honour are marked by a plethora of flowers, and the lusciously scented frangipani is held sacred to him.

▪ He was laid to rest in a grave at his settlement on the riverbank and a shrine was raised in his honour.

▪ In 1817 the Dublin Society struck a gold medal in his honour.

▪ She said: Our Blessed Lady asked me to ask you to have a small chapel built here in her honour.

▪ The lectures are named in his honour and organisers hope to attract big names in the future.

▪ This year a memorial hall was built in his honour at his birthplace, Yaotsu.

a bit of how's your father

a catch in your voice/throat

▪ With a catch in his voice, Dan told her how proud he was.

a feather in your cap

▪ It will be quite a feather in his cap if Cambridge win today.

▪ This'll be a feather in her cap, right enough, a princess named after her.

a monkey on your back

a penny for your thoughts/a penny for them

a roof over your head

▪ It's hard to be cheerful when you haven't even got a roof over your head.

▪ It doesn't matter what kind of place it is, at least you'll have a roof over your head.

▪ We always had food on the table and a roof over our heads.

▪ At least they would have a roof over their heads in the winter.

▪ I have a bed and a roof over my head and three meals a day, so I should not complain.

▪ Many of the homeless on London's streets would be glad of warm clothes and a roof over their head.

▪ Married to a man I despise just to have a roof over my head and a ring on my finger!

▪ Now she did not have a roof over her head.

▪ The first night passed quietly enough as the newcomers were thoroughly examined and were glad to get a roof over their heads.

▪ To stress the importance of a roof over your head. 2.

▪ Who would offer a woman and three children a roof over their heads?

a twinkle in your eye

▪ Jake walked into the room with a twinkle in his eye.

▪ And Beth walked between them, a smile in her heart, and a twinkle in her eyes.

▪ But she saw a twinkle in his eyes, and her lips twitched.

▪ She had a pleasant disposition and always had a twinkle in her eyes.

▪ The ghost of a twinkle in her eye?

▪ There was a twinkle in his eye as he said dryly that the procedures needed to be looked into.

a/your happy place

abdicate (your) responsibility

▪ By invoking testosterone a man can abdicate responsibility for his own behaviour.

advance your career/a cause/your interests etc

afraid/frightened/scared etc of your own shadow

ahead of your/its time

▪ Considered 33 years later, that ad was light-years ahead of its time.

▪ Hyde Park was a school way ahead of its time.

▪ It was about 70 years ahead of its time in its feminism and its poetics, so this is its time.

▪ Of course, Pollock's historicism can he misleading, particularly when it implies that art can be ahead of its time.

▪ Sketchpad was not only the first drawing program, but was arguably the best, absurdly ahead of its time.

▪ The idea was way ahead of its time.

▪ The musical was ahead of its time in several ways.

▪ Well ahead of its time, Adamson's first album remains his best.

an albatross (around your neck)

▪ The project became a financial albatross for the city.

▪ But what began as an enlightened innovation has become an albatross around the neck of the free enterprise system.

▪ Their wingspan exceeds that of an albatross.

as long as your arm

▪ Instead of hiring child care I traded it with other parents: I had a list as long as my arm.

▪ Mr Linley stuck out a microphone as long as his arm, right up to those ragged jaws.

▪ My record's as long as my arm - even longer.

as soon as your head hits the pillow

assert your rights/independence/superiority etc

▪ And the revolution in the structure of services and management meant elderly frail people found it increasingly difficult to assert their rights.

▪ Athens asserted her rights over her citizens temporarily exiled, as she did over those at home and liable for service.

▪ But she sought not so much to break a taboo as to assert her independence from the male yoke.

▪ Mrs Armitage's heir is already asserting his rights in the matter but that is not my concern.

▪ Power gives us the ability to control, to choose and to assert our independence.

▪ Stickers are available throughout the county to help squeezed out pedestrians assert their rights.

▪ You need to be selective and judge when it is appropriate to assert your rights.

at (your) leisure

▪ Sixty cars will be displayed, and potential buyers will be able to inspect them at leisure.

▪ Take a brochure home to read at your leisure.

▪ Every facet of the signal can be studied at leisure, including amplitude, frequency, phase and detailed time dependence.

▪ Instead, she was utterly at leisure to give unstintingly to friends and foes, colleagues and passing tramps.

▪ Of Athens' other allies, only Byzantion came out, and both cities were reduced at leisure.

▪ The rest of the day is at leisure.

▪ There would be months in which they could play it back at leisure.

▪ Treat yourself to something special, or simply browse at leisure.

▪ You may work, doctor, at your leisure, with your hundred thousand about you.

at your back

▪ Caesar marched into Rome with an army at his back.

▪ Run into the wind so it's at your back as you return.

▪ He felt the wide gaze of the french windows at his back and the awareness put his timing out.

▪ I hear the whip at his back compelling him to shed his will, to stay in line.

▪ She could tell this by looking at his back as he stood at the bar ordering more drinks.

▪ She stared at his back view in exasperation.

▪ She wants a phalanx of allies at her back before she climbs those stairs again.

▪ Staring at his back, she tried to conjure up the image of him lover-like, tender, and failed.

▪ The pub blazed at my back as I walked off.

▪ When Schmidt tapped the chauffeur's arm, the man pressed a button that raised a glass panel at his back.

at your best

▪ At his best, he's one of the most exciting tennis players in the world.

▪ This recording captures Grappelli at his very best.

▪ And if I sometimes see them at their worst, I sometimes see them at their best as well.

▪ Augusta was not at her best yesterday on a drab, grey day.

▪ But like Natalie Merchant, Cerbone is at her best when composing character sketches.

▪ Still, quarterbacks are not at their best when their throwing motion is impeded.

▪ The answer, in brief, is the method of empirical inquiry, at its best the method of science.

▪ The early 1960s showed such policy at its best.

▪ The formal work of the House is often seen at its best in committee.

▪ The Machine is at its best in primaries, but Daley was taking no chances.

at your best/worst/most effective etc

at your command

▪ Try to hire a carpenter with years of experience at his command.

▪ A 12-hour alarm sounds off at your command.

▪ An old soldier, he had a few choice words at his command.

▪ And nor would i lead my company to be slaughtered, at their command.

▪ How can students cope with the limited resources at their command?

▪ In short, they have an explanatory rhetoric at their command.

▪ Loyal, bonded silicon brains, hired for cheap and at your command, even if you were only 13.

▪ Owen played with all the strength and passion at his command.

▪ So he would protect himself, with all the weapons at his command.

at your earliest convenience

▪ We should be grateful if you would reply at your earliest convenience.

▪ Could you therefore please telephone me at your earliest convenience?

▪ I also enclose a Medical Assessment Card which you should complete and return at your earliest convenience.

at your own risk

▪ Anyone who swims in this part of the river does it at their own risk.

▪ Danger - enter at your own risk.

▪ Journalists were allowed into the area, but only at their own risk.

▪ Visitors who park their cars in the corner lot do so at their own risk.

▪ Any such person relies upon the report at his own risk.

▪ But it's at your own risk.

▪ Follow their advice at your own risk.

▪ Parkers need to be clearly warned that they park their vehicles entirely at their own risk.

▪ Taste them at your own risk.

▪ The trespasser comes on to the premises at his own risk.

▪ There are also sanctioned nude beaches and unsanctioned beaches, where you go buff at your own risk.

▪ You could leave your bicycle at Dingle Station every day for a week for only 6d, at your own risk of course.

at your pleasure

▪ He will appoint a five-member board that serves at his pleasure to oversee development of the island for city use.

▪ He wrung his hands in pleasure at her pleasure.

▪ The first verse concludes: We live at our pleasure, and take our delight.

▪ We change names at our pleasure.

▪ What was she, a communal slave to be passed around at their pleasure?

at/in the back of your mind

▪ I was hurt that she'd left, but I guess at the back of my mind I always knew she would.

▪ There was always a slight feeling of fear at the back of his mind.

avert your eyes/gaze etc

▪ Art, it seems, is the perpetual recidivist, always ducking back into the aesthetic as soon as vigilant life averts its gaze.

▪ He stepped into the aisle, averting his eyes from the altar.

▪ I averted my eyes from her.

▪ I averted my gaze and felt uncomfortable.

▪ I wish I had power, just power enough to avert my eyes.

▪ In it the artist portrays a disheveled thirty-one-year-old Morisot averting her gaze from the viewer.

▪ Sometimes Fate tiptoes discreetly at the margins of our lives, averting her eyes and keeping her distance.

▪ They avert their eyes when they pass her in the hall.

bare your soul

▪ I don't have to stand here baring my soul in order to make you feel better and less of a victim!

▪ Marie had never understood how women could bare their souls with such ease, exposing themselves so shamelessly to one another.

▪ No parent is going to bare their soul to an uninterested, cool, busy professional.

▪ Some bare their souls on their feet and some bare their souls in the bars.

▪ With their banshee wails, squalling guitars and naked aggression, they are baring their souls and they are angry.

bat your eyes/eyelashes

be (flat) on your back

▪ He's been flat on his back in the hospital for a week..

▪ After I was on its back, we all took off again on a run.

▪ Her eyes opened; she was on her back.

▪ His father was on his back night and day.

▪ The child was on her back, unconscious.

▪ The jelly cupboard was on its back, its contents lying in a heap in the corner of the bottom shelf.

▪ The result is that the liter pop bottle you tossed out six months ago may be on your back today.

▪ The sun was on his back as he swung himself over her and her long legs parted in expectation.

▪ What else would he need if he were going to be flat on his back or stomach?

be (like) banging/bashing etc your head against a brick wall

be a shadow of your former self

▪ Following years of heavy losses, the company is only a shadow of its former self.

be a shadow/ghost of your former self

be as good as your word

▪ The President promised to lower income taxes, and he's been as good as his word.

be at the end of your tether

▪ I had no money, my husband was sick, and I couldn't get a job. I was at the end of my tether.

be at the height of your success/fame/powers etc

▪ By the 1860's, when he was at the height of his fame, tragedy struck as he took increasingly to drink.

▪ However, in 1985 he was at the height of his fame as a novelist.

▪ Outwardly, the Cowboys appear to be at the height of their powers.

be at the top of your game

be at your wits' end

▪ I'm at my wits' end trying to fix this computer.

▪ I don't know what I can do to keep our marriage together -- I'm at my wits' end!

▪ It was two days before the baby was due, and Robert was at his wit's end.

be at/near etc the end of your rope

be born with a silver spoon in your mouth

be conspicuous by your/its absence

▪ If I have any qualification, it is that contemporary work is conspicuous by its absence.

be down on your luck

▪ Here, parents who are down on their luck can pick out toys for their children.

▪ In the film, Williams plays a down-on-his luck salesman whose wife has left him.

▪ The program is for motivated people who are temporarily down on their luck.

▪ We bought the necklace from an old man who was down on his luck and in need of a penny or two.

▪ All were down on their luck, all had been drinking and all had decided on an easy way out.

▪ Families that were down on their luck could get a small loan, food, a job referral.

▪ He was down on his luck and not a happy hedgehog.

be down to your last pound/dollar/litre etc

be engraved in/on your memory/mind/heart

▪ The date was engraved on his heart.

be etched on/in your memory/mind

be flat on your back

▪ Arthur was flat on his back under the car.

▪ I've been flat on my back with the flu all week.

▪ Babs said it was all very well but had he forgotten their leading man was flat on his back in Sefton General?

▪ What else would he need if he were going to be flat on his back or stomach?

be given/get your marching orders

be hoist with/by your own petard

be in your 20s/30s/40s etc

▪ A black man, believed to be in his 30s, was shot after being confronted by police.

▪ Diller assembled about 25 executives, most of whom were in their 20s and early 30s.

▪ He may be in his 40s, but this guy still can rock Arizona.

▪ I am in my 30s and married, but I am beginning to think the young men are not always to blame.

▪ Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, he said.

▪ My buyer can be in his 20s or 60s.

▪ People who are in their 40s and 50s will like it also, because this is about two kids from their generation.

▪ The man police are looking for is in his 20s, of Afro Carribean appearance and powerfully built.

be in your eighties

be in your element

▪ On the soccer field is where Christina really feels like she is in her element.

▪ All in all, he was in his element.

▪ He smiled at the ease of it; one minute the fish was dying, the next it was in its element.

▪ Now he is in his element.

▪ She would be in her element.

▪ The ravens are in their element.

▪ They are in their element, and they want to stay.

▪ Wetland plants will be in their element, so long as they are given generous mulches to keep the moisture in.

▪ While the fighting took place in open country, the Legionnaires and Regulares were in their element.

be in your fifties

▪ After all, I was only twenty-four and Captain Robins was in his fifties.

▪ Because children now arrive later in marriage, parents may be in their fifties before the last child leaves home.

▪ But the man was in his fifties and in poor health, so the effects of the poisoning lingered for weeks.

▪ He was in his fifties, unmarried, and out of touch with post-war educational methods.

▪ She was in her fifties, I suppose.

be in your forties

be in your nineties

be in your seventies

be in your sixties

be in your thirties

▪ Over thirty percent were in their thirties.

be in your twenties

▪ Above all, a pension seems so far away when you are in your twenties and thirties.

▪ I felt ashamed and kept the secret, not even sharing it with Pam until we were in our twenties.

▪ Just over half the wanted men were in their twenties.

▪ My children, Johnson says, are in their twenties and they can't handle all this swinging talk.

▪ Police say the dead man was in his twenties.

▪ The girls and women who go there are not necessarily teenagers, some may be in their twenties and thirties.

▪ Two men, both thought to be in their twenties, broke down the back door of his home in Bletchley.

be light on your feet

be looking over your shoulder

▪ I am looking over my shoulder.

▪ So, reading through this book, you feel as thought Alwyn is looking over your shoulder, egging you on.

▪ Two snub-nosed bristle-headed boys were looking over my shoulder in bright-eyed interest.

▪ You were looking over your shoulder waiting for the knock on the door.

be loud in your praise/opposition/support etc

▪ Nevertheless, both my master and Agrippa were loud in their praise of my martial prowess.

be master of your own fate/destiny

be minding your own business

▪ I was minding my own business, sleeping, when I heard something.

▪ It's a bit disconcerting to be minding your own business.

be music to your ears

▪ Johnson's decision was music to the ears of the Women's Center directors.

▪ Even the deliberate discords were music to her ears.

▪ It was music to his ears.

▪ That was music to their ears as they counted up to twenty-two explosions.

be of your own making

▪ He knew it was of his own making but that was not useful knowledge because he could not unmake it.

▪ Part of this is of his own making.

▪ The mink has had a chequered relationship with us, but we must remember that the changes are of our own making.

▪ The problems faced by the accountancy profession are of its own making.

▪ They frequently have to deal with awkward and unpleasant problems which may or may not be of their own making.

▪ Yet much of her frustration was of her own making and within herself.

be off your hands

▪ As if now I know it will soon be off my hands time has started to move forward again.

▪ Other men's wives did proper jobs once the children were off their hands.

▪ Those two girls will soon be off his hands.

be off your nut

be off your rocker

be off your trolley

▪ I am sure some of the guys in my workshop think I am off my trolley.

▪ Stuart Baxter must be off his trolley, sending some one like that.

be old before your time

be on the/your way out

▪ Platform shoes are on the way out.

▪ All I know is that I am on my way out.

▪ As October 18 dawned, Joe felt confident that Stilwell was on his way out.

▪ But drive-ins are on the way out.

▪ But if Mr Mugabe is on the way out, he has little incentive to drop his assault on the farms.

▪ If your expenses are even one percent higher than your revenues, you are on your way out of business.

▪ It also looks like Shutt is on his way out ... bit of a shame really.

▪ Revue was on its way out.

▪ The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.

be on your best behaviour

▪ Dinner was very formal, with everyone on their best behaviour.

▪ And if what Cadfael suspected was indeed true, he had now good reason to be on his best behaviour.

▪ But everyone is on their best behaviour.

▪ So when we arrived hopefully at Loch Hope that morning, I was on my best behaviour.

▪ Use only our own girls and warn them to be on their best behaviour.

be on your uppers

▪ Auckland Park, he said, was now known as Sandshoe Alley because everyone up there was on his uppers.

▪ The poor chap is on his uppers, by all accounts, reduced to touting himself on the after-dinner circuit.

be out of your box

be out of your depth

▪ I tried to read the report, but I was way out of my depth.

▪ I was hopelessly out of my depth in college chemistry classes.

▪ She was out of her depth in the advanced class, so they moved her to the intermediate class.

▪ All went through him, and the hapless McCann, theoretically marking him, was out of his depth.

▪ But he is out of his depth.

▪ While the old hands somehow muddle through, novices are out of their depth within minutes.

be out of your element

▪ Miller is completely out of her element in this sci-fi role.

▪ Anyone watching would have known immediately that he was out of his element.

be out of your league

▪ I was out of my league.

be out of your mind

▪ Are you out of your mind?

▪ You'd be out of your mind to sell it now.

▪ Coronado, who thought him to be out of his mind, reluctantly saw the men off.

▪ He said I was out of my mind.

▪ In fact, I am out of my mind, because she's in it!

▪ The fans were out of their minds, and the din was deafening.

▪ You must be out of your mind.

be out of your mind with worry/grief etc

be out of/off your head

be out on your ear

▪ If you keep taking two-hour lunches, you'll be out on your ear.

▪ He, of course, will be out on his ear.

▪ Not at all: King went too far and was out on his ear in an overnight boardroom coup in 1968.

▪ She was no more secure than she'd ever been - one mistake, and she'd be out on her ear!

be over your head in debt

be rubbing your hands

▪ And ace marksman Aldo is rubbing his hands in glee at the prospect.

▪ Battle is joined and lawyers are rubbing their hands in anticipation.

▪ Frankie was rubbing his hands together and Chopper merely nodded now and then with a silly expression on his face.

▪ Good quality barley is making £151 a tonne so, not unnaturally, both farmers and merchants are rubbing their hands.

▪ He was rubbing your hands to warm you up.

▪ Players' agents and satellite salesmen will be rubbing their hands with glee.

▪ The doctor was rubbing her hands, probably to warm them, but it looked like a gesture of glee and greed.

▪ Thousands of people will be rubbing their hands with glee.

be rushed/run off your feet

▪ All the sales assistants are run off their feet. The shop ought to take on more staff.

▪ It's my son's birthday party tomorrow. I've been absolutely rushed off my feet getting ready for it.

▪ Bus managers were expecting to be rushed off their feet.

▪ He was in livery, and told me he was rushed off his feet.

▪ Obviously, the emergency services are run off their feet.

▪ There had been lots of problems, and they were rushed off their feet.

▪ We were rushed off our feet yesterday.

be talking through your hat

be tearing your hair out

▪ Anyone else would be tearing his hair out, confronted by a pack of jabbering foreigners, but does Feargal?

be tearing/pulling your hair out

▪ Anyone else would be tearing his hair out, confronted by a pack of jabbering foreigners, but does Feargal?

▪ I was pulling my hair out.

be up to your ears in work/debt/problems etc

be up to your eyebrows in sth

▪ Stein is up to his eyebrows in debt.

be up to your eyes in sth

be up to your neck in sth

▪ We were up to our necks in problems with the Apollo program.

▪ Like Patsy Kensit, I was up to my neck in oasis.

▪ The party is up to its neck in a scandal over alleged illegal purloining of confidential police files on rivals.

be uppermost in your mind

▪ Succeeding in her career was uppermost in her mind.

▪ In fact, financial problems may not be uppermost in her mind.

▪ In fact, they brought up the question before I could do so because it was uppermost in their minds.

▪ It was only natural that that thought should be uppermost in her mind.

▪ Nor was there the slightest need to tell her of the thoughts that were uppermost in his mind.

▪ She was certain, however, that it was not the weather that was uppermost in his mind.

▪ Still, the aspect of that news which affected himself was uppermost in his mind, threatening to swamp such minor worries.

▪ The one which was uppermost in her mind was Maurin.

▪ Two thoughts were uppermost in my mind.

be wearing your teacher's/salesman's etc hat

be your own man

▪ Do you want to be your own man and run your own business?

▪ At the same time, both here and in Hawksmoor, Ackroyd, too, is his own man.

▪ But Erlich was his own man.

▪ He turned out to be his own man, and a leader.

▪ He was his own man, after all.

▪ Major's first chance to show that he is his own man has been squandered on favours.

▪ Mobile I was my own man and played the way I believed because we lacked talent in certain areas.

▪ The latest reshuffle, immediately following victory, was supposed to confirm, once and for all, that Major was his own man.

▪ You can be your own man.

be your own man/woman

▪ She didn't want to quarrel with him, but made it plain that she was her own woman now, with her own life to lead.

▪ Sheila is very much her own woman. She'll listen to everyone and then make up her mind for herself.

▪ Stan was intellectual, confident and above all, his own man.

▪ At the same time, both here and in Hawksmoor, Ackroyd, too, is his own man.

▪ But Erlich was his own man.

▪ He turned out to be his own man, and a leader.

▪ He was his own man, after all.

▪ Major's first chance to show that he is his own man has been squandered on favours.

▪ Mobile I was my own man and played the way I believed because we lacked talent in certain areas.

▪ The latest reshuffle, immediately following victory, was supposed to confirm, once and for all, that Major was his own man.

▪ You can be your own man.

be your own master

▪ In an empire where no one was his own master except the Inca, was it socialism or a dictatorship which prevailed?

be your own woman

▪ But behind everything she did was a raw power that emphasised she was her own woman.

be your own worst enemy

▪ Many drivers are their own worst enemy -- driving too close, driving too fast, all the usual faults.

▪ My mother was her own worst enemy. She knew she was ill but she did nothing to help herself.

▪ In other words, we are our own worst enemy.

▪ My father was his own worst enemy.

▪ People are their own worst enemies.

▪ Players can be real snobs about names, too, so they are their own worst enemies.

▪ To what extent would she say she was her own worst enemy?

▪ You could say that Gilly is her own worst enemy.

be your own worst enemy

▪ In other words, we are our own worst enemy.

▪ My father was his own worst enemy.

▪ People are their own worst enemies.

▪ Players can be real snobs about names, too, so they are their own worst enemies.

▪ To what extent would she say she was her own worst enemy?

▪ You could say that Gilly is her own worst enemy.

be/feel/look like your old self

▪ After five months in the hospital, I'm feeling like my old self again.

be/get back on your feet

▪ But we are reliably informed that Angus will be back on his feet and more importantly that seat tomorrow.

▪ He got back on his feet, and they all made another parade around the stage.

▪ In those early years, Macey helped Dole literally get back on his feet.

▪ It was an inexpensive, safe, stable environment for families while they got back on their feet.

▪ Never got back on her feet again, really.

▪ The Mirror Group would soon be back on its feet.

▪ We can get back on our feet.

be/get in over your head

▪ How loan scams operate How homeowners get in over their heads with home equity loans: 1.

▪ We had a feeling they might get in over their heads and they did.

be/get on your high horse

▪ All right, all right; don't get on your high horse.

▪ Don't get on your high horse with me.

▪ Oh, now he gets on his high horse and accuses me of being an anti-Semite!

be/get too big for your boots

be/get under your feet

▪ The kids have been under my feet all day long.

▪ That way you will not be under her feet.

beat your brains out

▪ Why should you beat your brains out fighting the environmentalists?

▪ Seven hours of beating your brains out when you weren't feeling all that hot to begin with.

▪ Shall we beat their brains out in court?

beat your breast

before your time

▪ As for this debut, it comes to us regrettably before its time.

▪ In many ways, his books, written in the first three decades of the last century, were before their time.

▪ No, he was before my time.

▪ She did not look old; rather, she had become wrinkled before her time.

▪ That would be before your time, of course.

▪ The last family to live there was called Wright, but that was well before my time.

▪ The men in the farmyard were all Fallschirmjager, hard young men, old before their time with cropped hair.

▪ There is a basic truth in his assertion, for before his time the use of marble was rare in Roman architecture.

before your very eyes

▪ Get them by blasting the goose-neck helicopter that assembles itself before your very eyes!

▪ He hadn't even touched her, yet she was in severe danger of coming unglued before his very eyes.

▪ He unzipped his fly and peed before their very eyes.

▪ It isn't even about having him perform them for us before our very eyes, on demand.

▪ Michael plans to prepare complete meals before your very eyes.

▪ One hundred and fifty years of glamour sitting on a stool right before your very eyes, that's what she was.

▪ The pounds, shillings and pence were dancing before her very eyes.

bend your mind/efforts to sth

▪ But Mrs Totteridge was clearly bending her mind to other things.

betray your beliefs/principles/ideals etc

beyond your ken

▪ Moreover, both the biblical and the scientific accounts deal imaginatively with mysteries beyond our ken.

▪ Obviously they can not weigh up the comparative cost of some type of credit which is beyond their ken.

▪ Out of our hands and beyond our ken.

bide your time

▪ Investors are biding their time, trying to figure out what the next successful stock will be.

▪ Bide your time, Lissa, she told herself, bide your time.

▪ Be patient, tolerant and bide your time.

▪ He has bided his time, and now he feels he has arrived.

▪ Keenan certainly bided his time before coming forward to lodge his complaints.

▪ Or wiser than we are; silent and strong, biding their time?

▪ Some say they're biding their time before becoming more aggressive again.

▪ The nurse was biding her time till another idea came to her that would put her on top again.

▪ Where does it bide its time?

bite your tongue

▪ I'm just biting my tongue for now. If she wants to ask my advice, she can.

▪ I had to bite my tongue to stop myself telling Neil exactly what I thought of his stupid plan.

▪ She's so temperamental that even if you disagree with her it's better to bite your tongue and say nothing.

▪ When he said he was the best on the team, I just bit my tongue.

▪ Always ready to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, bite my tongue, cross my fingers.

▪ But they want a pink one, so Ralph takes out a pink one, bites his tongue.

▪ He's not and would be wise to bite his tongue.

▪ It's all very well telling some one to bite their tongue and not fight back.

▪ Polly battled on, practically biting her tongue in half.

▪ Tell them to bite their tongues.

▪ Whatever the reason, Dauntless bit his tongue and resolved to put up with Cleo Sinister.

bite your tongue

▪ Always ready to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, bite my tongue, cross my fingers.

▪ But they want a pink one, so Ralph takes out a pink one, bites his tongue.

▪ He's not and would be wise to bite his tongue.

▪ It's all very well telling some one to bite their tongue and not fight back.

▪ Polly battled on, practically biting her tongue in half.

▪ Tell them to bite their tongues.

▪ Whatever the reason, Dauntless bit his tongue and resolved to put up with Cleo Sinister.

blot your copybook

▪ Mustn't blot my copybook by being late.

blow your nose

▪ Here's a Kleenex - blow your nose.

▪ Either way, if you blow your nose, you may well miss it altogether.

▪ For a moment Converse thought that she would blow her nose on him.

▪ I had a terrible cold and spent much of the time blowing my nose.

▪ She blew her nose as daintily as was possible in the circumstances and handed the handkerchief back with a wan smile.

▪ She took out a handkerchief and pressed it against her eyes, then blew her nose.

▪ Stu was worried that he was responsible for me needing Kleenex, blowing my nose.

▪ With great discretion, the overcoats in the front pews blew their noses.

▪ With soil-caked fingers he drew a handkerchief from a pocket and blew his nose.

blow your own horn

▪ Borland has plenty of reason to blow his own horn - his company has just shown record profits.

blow your own trumpet

▪ I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but it was me who came up with the idea for the project in the first place.

▪ But he could also blow his own trumpet like Satchmo on pay per note.

▪ Despite a unique record of achievement is recent years, he can never be accused of blowing his own trumpet.

▪ For too long we Christians have heard the modern world blowing its own trumpet.

▪ I don't like to blow my own trumpet but My Better Half could eat it to a band playing.

▪ Most were reluctant, defensive, or simply hesitant to blow their own trumpet.

blow your top/stack/cool

▪ My father blew his top when I told him I was quitting medical school.

▪ I used to get so angry on the set that one day I just blew my top and hit John Huston.

▪ It had me rolling on the floor to see Schmeichel blowing his top at the scum defence.

▪ It was unusual for Hauser to blow his top.

▪ Striker Slaven blew his top after being axed from the side which grabbed a draw at Bristol City in midweek.

▪ Then Nature blows her top, just to remind us.

▪ Then suddenly he blew his top while walking down the street one day.

▪ Tristan last blew its stack in 1961, forcing a complete evacuation.

▪ Whether the Ipswich directors who watched him blow his top with the unwitting journalist believe that is debatable.

blow your/sb's brains out

▪ Hunting rabbits with hawks is surely better than blowing their brains out with shotguns.

▪ In a few years you will blow your brains out, a bankrupt.

▪ The bullet took him right between the eyes, blowing his brains out through the back of his head.

▪ There was a mercury pool for losers to reflect in while they blew their brains out.

bludgeon your way through/to/past etc sb/sth

bob your head

▪ A man turned into a baby, who bobbed his head and wept.

▪ She reddened and bobbed her head and sat down a little awkwardly.

▪ The birds just sort of bob their heads like they're wind up toys.

bow your head

▪ I bowed my head and prayed.

▪ Jerry stood there with his head bowed in shame.

▪ He watched open-mouthed as Alice bowed her head and her eyes, her gloriously blue eyes, opened fully.

▪ I bow my head in shame when I think of the countries we've looted and the people we've subjugated.

▪ Lilly winced, and Mandon gravely bowed his head in acknowledgment.

▪ She again bows her head and sniffs for more apples.

▪ The man bowed his head as if in prayer.

▪ The other Women bowed their heads, and the silence lengthened, broken only by the murmuring of the huge trees.

▪ When she finished he gave a short laugh and bowed his head.

▪ With that, doctor and patient joined hands and bowed their heads as Keys prayed.

break (your) stride

▪ Stunned, the woman broke stride and spun around.

▪ Wonderful girl; didn't even seem to break stride.

breathe your last (breath)

▪ Five hours more and she'd breathe her last and never know them.

▪ In the blue light of the morning he breathed his last.

▪ Large-scale, publicly-owned enterprises will breathe their last gasp and wither away well before the state which spawned them.

▪ Millions who were dangerously ill or breathing their last.

▪ The moment Carey was confident that Elizabeth had breathed her last he was in the saddle, racing for the Border.

▪ When it looked as though he was breathing his last, Beria's face shone with delight.

buck your ideas up

▪ Meanwhile, both Severiano Ballesteros and Jose-Maria Olazabal had bucked their ideas up.

burn a hole in your pocket

▪ Don't wait until the money's burning a hole in your pocket, plan ahead.

burn your bridges/boats

▪ And, now she'd burnt her boats so very finally, he would want it back.

▪ He was not one for burning his boats.

▪ She had indeed burnt her boats.

▪ She was acutely aware that she had burnt her boats.

burn your fingers/get your fingers burned

bury the hatchet/bury your differences

bury your face/head etc (in sth)

▪ Jessamy buried her face against her husband's shoulder.

▪ She gripped his hands, his shirt, burying her face in his chest, hiding and laughing at her own reaction.

▪ She returned to her chair and sank down into it burying her face in her hands.

▪ Suddenly he raced across the stage and buried his face behind the curtain.

▪ Then with a groan, he buried his face in her neck and began stroking her thighs.

▪ You will notice phrases like crocodile tears, the elephant never forgets, and the ostrich burying its head in the sand.

bury your face/head in your hands

bury your head in the sand

▪ If you bury your head in the sand now, you may lose your house.

▪ You'll never solve your problems if you just bury your head in the sand -- you have to face them.

bury yourself in your work/studies etc

by the skin of your teeth

▪ Jeff just got into college by the skin of his teeth.

▪ The business is surviving, but only by the skin of its teeth.

▪ The car broke down on the way to the airport and they just caught the plane by the skin of their teeth.

can do sth with one hand (tied) behind your back

can do sth with your eyes shut/closed

can hold your drink/liquor/alcohol etc

can't believe your eyes/ears

▪ I couldn't believe my ears when she told me the cheapest flight was $1,100.

can't take your eyes off sb/sth

carry sth in your head/mind

▪ The amount of knowledge Lee carries in her head is amazing.

▪ He must remember the word and carry it in his head for some time, and so is writing from an image.

cash in your chips

▪ Old Bill Fisher finally cashed in his chips last week.

▪ His attitude-as well as those of other old partners-toward the firm changed once he had cashed in his chips.

cast your mind back

▪ Cast you mind back a few weeks to the Athletics Championship in Armagh.

▪ He frowned, casting his mind back over the conversation they had held.

▪ Henry cast his mind back to the fateful evening.

▪ Lisa, if you cast your mind back, I think you'll recall that it was your idea.

▪ Again, more in control of matters, he cast his mind back.

▪ He cast his mind back to his homecoming earlier that evening.

▪ He racked his brains, he cast his mind back.

▪ I cast my mind back to our excited departure from Gatwick airport.

▪ Let us cast our minds back to the referendum.

cast your net (far and) wide

▪ I cast my net wide enough to find parents who vary from house cleaner to fashion designer to electrician to corporate manager.

▪ We cast our net wider and in a different direction.

cast/spread your net wide

▪ Furse spread his net wide, but it did not sink deep.

▪ I cast my net wide enough to find parents who vary from house cleaner to fashion designer to electrician to corporate manager.

▪ It was argued in Chapter 2 that the criminal law ought to spread its net wider where the potential harm is greater.

▪ Later that afternoon the police, who had been diligently searching certain caravans on Turpin's Field, spread their net wider.

▪ We cast our net wider and in a different direction.

catch your breath

▪ Clark had to sit down to catch his breath.

▪ And then history paused, just to catch its breath.

▪ Both waders immediately filled and I caught my breath as freezing April waters began to stimulate sensitive nether regions.

▪ Busacher slumped into the passenger seat and sat catching his breath.

▪ I said, falling on to a chair, trying to catch my breath.

▪ She caught her breath in fear, holding it until the answer came.

▪ She could hear Moxie catching her breath.

▪ The slow movement of this performance is particularly fine, with pianissimos that have you catching your breath.

▪ Tokyo stocks fell Monday as investors caught their breath following a strong advance over the two previous sessions.

catch your breath

▪ And then history paused, just to catch its breath.

▪ Both waders immediately filled and I caught my breath as freezing April waters began to stimulate sensitive nether regions.

▪ Busacher slumped into the passenger seat and sat catching his breath.

▪ I said, falling on to a chair, trying to catch my breath.

▪ She caught her breath in fear, holding it until the answer came.

▪ She could hear Moxie catching her breath.

▪ The slow movement of this performance is particularly fine, with pianissimos that have you catching your breath.

▪ Tokyo stocks fell Monday as investors caught their breath following a strong advance over the two previous sessions.

change your mind

▪ At first the doctor said I was suffering from a virus, but now he's changed his mind.

▪ Barry hadn't changed his mind about leaving.

▪ Everyone has a right to change their mind.

▪ I'm hoping Dad will change his mind about Louise after he meets her tonight.

▪ I've changed my mind about the Riviera. I do like it after all.

▪ If you change your mind about the job, just give me a call.

▪ No, I'm not going out tonight. I've changed my mind.

▪ Use a pencil so you can erase it if you change your mind.

▪ What if she changes her mind and doesn't turn up?

▪ But if students actively dislike school, higher standards and better assessments are not going to change their minds.

▪ But why Zeus changed his mind and whether Prometheus revealed the secret when he was freed, we do not know.

▪ Carruthers, I don't know what will happen now, but I have changed my mind.

▪ Good software gives you the power to change your mind.

▪ He knew what he had to do and he got up and did it before he changed his mind.

▪ Pete lifted his knight but changed his mind and put it back on the board.

▪ Schlesinger first thought him wrong for Ratso, but changed his mind when they met in New York.

▪ When he met Lee the next morning at nine, he said he had changed his mind about going back.

change your mind

▪ But if students actively dislike school, higher standards and better assessments are not going to change their minds.

▪ But why Zeus changed his mind and whether Prometheus revealed the secret when he was freed, we do not know.

▪ Carruthers, I don't know what will happen now, but I have changed my mind.

▪ Good software gives you the power to change your mind.

▪ He knew what he had to do and he got up and did it before he changed his mind.

▪ Pete lifted his knight but changed his mind and put it back on the board.

▪ Schlesinger first thought him wrong for Ratso, but changed his mind when they met in New York.

▪ When he met Lee the next morning at nine, he said he had changed his mind about going back.

change your spots

▪ Agitatedly, it changed its spots from orange to blue to green and, finally, flushed perfectly purple.

▪ The leopard did not change its spots, its instincts or its appetites.

▪ We are happy to report, therefore, that Jaguar Man appears to have changed his spots.

change your tune

▪ Newsome was originally against the plan, but later changed his tune.

▪ She used to be a Communist, but she changed her tune when her parents left her all that money.

▪ You've changed your tune all of a sudden! Only yesterday you were saying you thought Christmas presents were a waste of money.

▪ Chairman tells union delegates why the old enemy may be changing its tune. reports from the trades union conference at Blackpool.

▪ He'd soon change his tune if he thought she'd lost interest.

▪ However, when questioned further he quickly changed his tune.

▪ It also begs a question about whether the government is changing its tune?

▪ It was only when audiences hailed her that he changed his tune.

▪ What is it about soundtrack projects that makes hard rockers want to change their tune?

▪ When he got back, he'd changed his tune.

claw your way

▪ He will probe unceasingly for loopholes by which to claw his way back to his prewar stature.

▪ In the next seven years, Assad clawed his way up the ladder until he emerged as sole leader in 1970.

▪ She was still clawing her way out of her first marriage, not thinking about the next, as I was.

▪ She was there as her son clawed his way up from the post-coma cognitive level of a 2-year-old.

▪ The vine clawed its way up the wall at the end.

▪ There was not a man present who had not stepped over bodies of rivals to claw his way to his present position.

▪ This was the early-eighties and Britain was clawing its way out of recession on the back of a demand-led boom.

▪ You have to really work and claw your way up there.

clean up your act

▪ Gwen finally told her troubled son to clean up his act or get out of her house.

▪ She told her son to clean up his act or move out.

▪ Tish has really cleaned up her act - she doesn't drink or smoke pot any more.

▪ But he eventually sees their potential and cleans up his act just in time.

▪ Citibank insists it has cleaned up its act.

▪ Despite Mr Haider's grandiose, unbelievable last-minute pledges to clean up his act, there should be no wavering.

▪ Drivers whose vehicles give off more poisonous chemicals than are allowed have ten days to clean up their act.

▪ Legislation aimed at forcing the power firms to clean up their act is being fought tooth and nail by the polluters.

▪ More recently Lou has cleaned up his act and started setting the world to rights.

▪ Naming and shaming remains an option should the company not clean up its act.

▪ The industry was effectively warned to clean up its act or face legislation.

clean your plate

▪ A start is to ignore the old Depression-era paternal messages about cleaning your plate.

▪ At each meal she willingly cleaned her plate, eating ice cream and fried chicken until she felt bloated.

clean your teeth

▪ Always make sure you clean your teeth properly, using a small-headed brush and only a pea-sized blob of toothpaste.

▪ And evidence shows that women feel more inhibited by things like not having cleaned their teeth or feeling grubby.

▪ Back in the en suite bathroom, he briskly cleans his teeth and brushes his hair.

▪ For the first time in her adult life, Polly went to bed without bathing or cleaning her teeth.

▪ How often do you clean your teeth, Miss Harland?

▪ Only drink bottled water - check the seal hasn't been broken - and use it to clean your teeth.

▪ She looked like a virgin who cleaned her teeth after every meal and delighted to take great bites from rosy apples.

clear your head/mind

▪ I go for a long walk at lunchtime to clear my head.

▪ Gao Yang recalled that the wall barely cleared his head at the time.

▪ He leaned against the wall desperately trying to clear his mind but the memory proved elusive.

▪ He wants a few days to clear his head.

▪ His meeting with the Holtzes seemed to have refreshed Alvin and cleared his mind.

▪ If not, the cold would clear his head.

▪ She cleared her head of Rory, all that nonsense.

▪ She needed the hot draught of caffeine to clear her head.

▪ So, clear your mind, get out your No. 2 pencils and do your best: 1.

clear your throat

▪ Fenn cleared his throat, wishing his head could be cleared as easily.

▪ He cleared his throat and laid his finger along his nose.

▪ He coughed and cleared his throat again and looked up at the clerk.

▪ Hearst interjected, clearing his throat loudly.

▪ She cleared her throat, and looked at the Lakshmi again.

▪ She taps on the desk with an inverted pencil and clears her throat.

▪ Then Bette flounced up and cleared her throat nervously.

▪ Threlfall cleared his throat loudly before turning.

clear your throat

▪ Fenn cleared his throat, wishing his head could be cleared as easily.

▪ He cleared his throat and laid his finger along his nose.

▪ He coughed and cleared his throat again and looked up at the clerk.

▪ Hearst interjected, clearing his throat loudly.

▪ She cleared her throat, and looked at the Lakshmi again.

▪ She taps on the desk with an inverted pencil and clears her throat.

▪ Then Bette flounced up and cleared her throat nervously.

▪ Threlfall cleared his throat loudly before turning.

clench your fists/teeth/jaw etc

▪ He clenched his fists and remained where he was.

▪ He clenched his fists even tighter.

▪ He clenched his fists in frustration and annoyance.

▪ He clenched his teeth together but the first syllable forced itself around the corner of his mouth.

▪ He clenched his teeth, pulled back his shoulders and began to stride up the road.

▪ I clenched my teeth, wondering what to do now.

▪ Papa clenched his fists and lips in the dark wood.

click your tongue

▪ Church speculated with a long-range squirt, clicking his tongue in self-reproach as he did.

▪ He clicked his tongue, the cob plodded resolutely forward and so did I. And it was easy!

▪ I sigh and click my tongue at these, of course.

▪ Kha Yang clicked his tongue then.

▪ The clock clicks its tongue ... trial and error.

▪ There was a human quality, too, to the noise, as if several women were clicking their tongues at great speed.

clip your words

close your doors (to sb)

▪ By the end of 1986 Seadocs had closed its doors.

▪ Equitable's managing director quit and the group closed its doors to new business.

▪ In 1976, Stax closed its doors.

▪ It will close its doors for much of the process, which will be complete in 2004-5.

▪ Leisure centres close their doors because of a lack of sufficient funds to operate them.

▪ The acclaimed restaurant closed its doors a few months ago, sending many a fan into deep depression.

▪ The troubles will not close our doors.

▪ Thousands of businesses closed their doors.

close your mind to/against sth

▪ Academic interpretations held off the shame for a while, but then he could no longer close his mind to it.

▪ Bambi's closed her mind to it.

▪ He could tell by her eyes that she had closed her mind to him.

▪ I closed my ears and tried to close my mind to what was happening.

▪ Memories of her grandmother's judgements obtruded themselves and she closed her mind against them.

▪ She had immediately closed her mind to all thought, not even realising how tightly she had been gripping fitzAlan's hand.

▪ She stretched out on the bed, closing her mind to the sounds and waited.

close/shut your ears to sth

▪ At first, I closed my ears to what I did not want to hear.

▪ Claudia sank down on to her bed and tried to shut her ears to the sound of him in the next room.

▪ Don't close your ears to the world and don't give up.

▪ He tried to close his ears to the plea.

▪ Rincewind tried to shut his ears to the grating voice beside him.

▪ She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.

▪ She wanted to close her ears to it.

▪ Sometimes she even managed to shut her ears to the arguments going on around her.

close/shut your eyes to sth

▪ We can't close our eyes to the fact that our town has a gang problem.

▪ I've closed my eyes to your activities long enough.

▪ If we must sometimes close our eyes to open them in the myth dimension, so be it.

▪ On a sob Ruth swallowed hard and closed her eyes to the burning sun overhead.

▪ On the other hand the very same development increases their tendency to close their eyes to the future.

▪ Prayer May we never become so worldly that we close our eyes to the miracle and mystery of life.

▪ The need to push came again, and Jane closed her eyes to concentrate.

▪ They could not shut their eyes to the ugly and degrading side of wine-drinking and see only the delightful side.

▪ Turning off the light, she slid back under the covers and closed her eyes to sleep fitfully until noon.

collect yourself/collect your thoughts

come into your own

▪ This season Brooks has really come into his own as a goal scorer.

▪ But I did learn things about people and eventually came into my own socially.

▪ By the 1970s, Cheatham was starting to come into his own as a soloist.

▪ Generally people start to come into their own in their second season.

▪ Now the guides' training in jungle warfare came into its own.

▪ Research expanded; neural net-work terminology came into its own.

▪ The Safrane's hatchback format comes into its own when large objects need to be transported.

▪ The thesis comes into its own with respect to industrial policy where significant discontinuities in policy can be attributed to the government changing hands.

▪ Viridian and phthalocyanine green come into their own when a particularly transparent mid green is required.

compose your face/features/thoughts

▪ He held out his hand to his junior master and composed his face into a solemn expression of trust.

▪ I compose my face into a smile.

▪ I tried to compose my features into a combination of nonchalance and justification.

▪ They had composed their faces, but their eyes sparkled and their mouths yearned to smile.

▪ When asked a question do not rush at your answer but give yourself a second or two to compose your thoughts.

cool your heels

▪ I had to cool my heels in a long line at the checkout.

▪ As things turned out, I had a week to cool my heels in New York.

▪ Basically, if you believe the law of averages, 1996 should be a year for mutual funds to cool their heels.

▪ He was ushered forward after cooling his heels for four minutes.

▪ His office says he has kept at least 20 top-flight journalists and analysts cooling their heels waiting to interview him since October.

▪ If a man was workshy and mutinous I would put him in a cell to cool his heels for a while.

▪ Our sources, who are cooling their heels waiting for chips, continue to think Intel is having problems making the parts.

count your blessings

▪ About how much fun it is, count your blessings, all of that.

▪ He was counting his blessings having backed the first 3 horses that actually finished the race.

▪ If all this studying is making you a bit queasy, count your blessings.

▪ In this country we can count our blessings that our children are not constantly at the mercy of these diseases.

▪ It would be far better to count her blessings, she told herself firmly.

▪ Or perhaps he was waiting for them to start counting their blessings there and then.

▪ Then put your feet up and count your blessings!

▪ You can be sure I count my blessings nowadays.

count your blessings

▪ About how much fun it is, count your blessings, all of that.

▪ He was counting his blessings having backed the first 3 horses that actually finished the race.

▪ If all this studying is making you a bit queasy, count your blessings.

▪ In this country we can count our blessings that our children are not constantly at the mercy of these diseases.

▪ It would be far better to count her blessings, she told herself firmly.

▪ Or perhaps he was waiting for them to start counting their blessings there and then.

▪ Then put your feet up and count your blessings!

▪ You can be sure I count my blessings nowadays.

cover your tracks

▪ Davis covered his tracks so well that no one could prove he had received any of the money.

▪ She covered her tracks by saying that she'd been at a friend's house all that evening.

▪ A man does not spend his time hiding from the world without making sure to cover his tracks.

▪ But Giap taught them to move during rainstorms to deter pursuit, or wade through streams to cover their tracks.

▪ From this time it is hard to follow Tyndale's movements, for he covered his tracks to avoid possible arrest.

▪ Have you left a clue or have you covered your tracks?

▪ He knows the hunt is in full cry, so he covers his tracks.

▪ Instead of sharpening up their act, they sharpen up their prices and cover their tracks.

▪ It burst through the earth at the top and we had to cover its tracks.

▪ They moved constantly and furtively, covering their tracks and contacting nobody.

cover your tracks

▪ A man does not spend his time hiding from the world without making sure to cover his tracks.

▪ But Giap taught them to move during rainstorms to deter pursuit, or wade through streams to cover their tracks.

▪ From this time it is hard to follow Tyndale's movements, for he covered his tracks to avoid possible arrest.

▪ Have you left a clue or have you covered your tracks?

▪ He knows the hunt is in full cry, so he covers his tracks.

▪ Instead of sharpening up their act, they sharpen up their prices and cover their tracks.

▪ It burst through the earth at the top and we had to cover its tracks.

▪ They moved constantly and furtively, covering their tracks and contacting nobody.

cross your fingers

▪ A memo said that doctors were told "with crossed fingers" that the company was doing safety studies.

▪ People vote, cross their fingers, and hope for the best.

▪ Always ready to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, bite my tongue, cross my fingers.

▪ As the others crossed their fingers and held their breath, he gently eased away the back plate.

▪ At this point, they can only stand back, cross their fingers and hope for fireworks.

▪ Careta held up a hand and crossed his fingers.

▪ Jessica skipped and prayed and crossed her fingers.

▪ Scientists and engineers have buttoned their lip, and crossed their fingers that the reckoning wouldn't come in their own day.

▪ This will pass, I told myself, crossing my fingers; everything passes.

cross your fingers

▪ Always ready to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, bite my tongue, cross my fingers.

▪ As the others crossed their fingers and held their breath, he gently eased away the back plate.

▪ At this point, they can only stand back, cross their fingers and hope for fireworks.

▪ Careta held up a hand and crossed his fingers.

▪ Jessica skipped and prayed and crossed her fingers.

▪ Scientists and engineers have buttoned their lip, and crossed their fingers that the reckoning wouldn't come in their own day.

cry into your beer

cry/sing etc your heart out

▪ After this last furlough we paid a last sad visit to the school and found a small girl crying her heart out.

▪ Anyway, then she just sprawled on the floor and cried her heart out.

▪ For the first time since I cried my heart out in Puerto Rico - I was crying.

▪ March 7: I cried my heart out last night after seeing the movie High Tide.

▪ She cried her heart out, all because of an unruly trouble-making, black-hearted child who was ripping her apart.

▪ We would march along in step, doing eighty-eight paces to the minute, singing our hearts out.

cup your hand(s)

▪ Sara cupped her hand around the match until it burned steadily.

▪ Grainne took the hot fragrant wine gratefully, and cupped her hands about the goblet for warmth.

▪ He cupped his hand around his mouth.

▪ He cupped his hand over his thing as if it were a flame that might blow out.

▪ He then shuffled around the room cupping his hand around the chimneys and blowing out one lamp after another.

▪ Periodically, Felix will turn to Manny, cup his hand and explain to him what has been said.

▪ Then she cupped her hands around Jack's face and gently pulled him to his feet.

▪ Trying by cupping his hand over the clasps to avoid the penetrating clicks of opening, George lifted the lid.

cut off your nose to spite your face

▪ If you love him, ask him to stay. Otherwise you'll be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

cut your coat according to your cloth

cut your losses

▪ At that point they just wanted to cut their losses and get out of the business.

▪ As for Richard, take my advice and cut your losses.

▪ Be honest with yourself and cut your losses quickly.

▪ Cawthorne cuts his losses and goes somewhere else.

▪ I hope Wilko cuts his losses with our Brian and then goes out to look for a decent striker.

▪ Once he learned to ride his gains and cut his losses, he never looked back.

▪ One solution was to cut their losses and sell to television.

▪ Try the risky, potentially spectacular shot, or cut his losses and play safe?

▪ Usually the wisest thing to do is to cut your losses early on.

cut your own throat

▪ It would be silly to give up your job now -- you'd just be cutting your own throat.

▪ You would be cutting your own throat by refusing to accept their generous offer.

▪ To cut our own throats so thoroughly and so hopelessly would require colossal stupidity.

cut your own throat

▪ To cut our own throats so thoroughly and so hopelessly would require colossal stupidity.

cut your teeth (on sth)

▪ He cut his teeth at places like Claridges; the Carlton, Cannes.

▪ Sutton and Packford both cut their teeth on the old hot-metal newspaper production process.

▪ The entrepreneurial owner cut his teeth on a Schweizer 300 which he still owns.

dig your heels in

▪ I had to dig my heels in to stay steady.

▪ The situation to be avoided is where the buyer digs his heels in on principle, because of the attitude of the salesperson.

dig your own grave

▪ By continuing to make racist comments before the committee, he really dug his own grave.

▪ I felt the sinking whir of the back wheel as it dug its own grave.

▪ I thought that before they shot you, they made you dig your own grave first.

▪ If he went against this young man sitting opposite him, he would in effect dig his own grave.

dim your headlights/lights

dip your headlights/lights

▪ He put his foot on the accelerator and dipped his headlights.

dirty your hands

dive into your bag/pocket etc

do sth at your peril

▪ These are grave environmental warnings, which we ignore at our peril.

▪ He spoke with the sort of quietly threatening tone that you ignored at your peril.

▪ Into this potent politicization of what remained, at heart, a medical mystery, scientists ventured at their peril.

▪ Kings neglected the sea at their peril.

▪ Mess with us at your peril.

▪ More than a million fled abroad, often at their peril.

▪ Some people say that lurking in its depths is a fish so dangerous that oarsmen venture out at their peril.

▪ Those who cross him do so at their peril.

▪ Yet it is also one of the most popular programs, and politicians have made changes to it at their peril.

do sth by the seat of your pants

do sth of your own free will

▪ Bronson gave us his confession of his own free will.

▪ For all men serve him of their own free will.

▪ Her mouth opened of its own free will to his playfully probing tongue, welcoming the invader.

▪ I came back of my own free will on Friday, and went to the game yesterday.

▪ I say this of my own free will.

▪ She was placed in a safe house but later returned to the coven of her own free will.

▪ To some extent, adults can choose of their own free will whether to deal with their grief or not.

▪ Without any reason he left the Firm of his own free will and went to live in Brighton.

do sth off your own bat

▪ He had made the most ancient blunder in the business quite off his own bat.

▪ Instead, off her own bat, the girl went to see a solicitor in Newton Abbott, Devon.

do sth on your own responsibility

▪ I discussed the matter with John Montgomerie and on my own responsibility decided to telephone Harold Wilson to seek his advice.

do sth out of the goodness of your heart

▪ Surely even an idiot must realise that they wouldn't donate this huge amount out of the goodness of their hearts.

do sth to your heart's content

▪ I was able to browse through the bookstore to my heart's content.

▪ And I can go fishing to my heart's content.

▪ He could come and argue to his heart's content.

▪ Instead she took refuge in the library where she could read and research to her heart's content.

▪ Once you've stuck your shapes and text on the page you can rotate and repeat they to your heart's content.

▪ She had lazed around the pool to her heart's content - and she had played tennis with Carlos three times.

▪ Throw it around to your heart's content.

do sth to your heart's content

do your best

▪ But I did my best to feed them both.

▪ He wanted to do his best the first time he performed, and knew he was not in peak condition.

▪ Like Truman two decades earlier, Humphrey did his best to overcome the severe handicap of a badly split party.

▪ Once there, Drachenfels will do his best to isolate the crystal-wielding characters and rob them of their treasures.

▪ Remember, always do your best, don't let them hook you, however tempting the bait.

▪ We can only do our best.

▪ What I learned from them specifically of the techniques of teaching I have had to do my best to unlearn since.

do your bit

▪ I've done my bit - now it's up to you.

▪ We wanted to do our bit for the boys fighting in the war.

▪ Don't you want to do your bit towards stamping it out?

▪ Eva and several of the cadets from overseas were put in the West End brigade to do their bit.

▪ Help is desperately needed - and rugby friends can do their bit.

▪ I hope that you can all do your bit.

▪ Let Africanized bees do their bit to breed better beekeepers in this country, in other words.

▪ Nature did its bit as well.

▪ Now I am not unpatriotic, and I want to do my bit in this great movement.

▪ Stonehenge has gone, so I reckon I can do me bit of growing up at Skipton Hall.

do your head in

▪ He's so fussy about how he wants things done, it really does my head in.

▪ I've got to do an essay on Kant and it's doing my head in.

do your level best (to do sth)

▪ Even so he did his level best with the new ball.

▪ We did our level best to look fascinated.

do your nut

do your own thing

▪ As a kid, I wanted to do my own thing, but when I got older I realized I wanted to continue the family business.

▪ He's given up his job and is living in northern California, just doing his own thing.

▪ He has a couple of roommates but they kind of all do their own thing.

▪ The three women worked together on a stage play, and then each went off to do her own thing.

▪ We don't talk much anymore - we're both too busy doing our own thing.

▪ But I do know the difficulty the Major has in getting away to do his own things.

▪ Do you prefer structure in your exercise or to do your own thing? 9.

▪ I just want to live my own life, go my own way, do my own thing with whom I choose.

▪ I mean like royalty do, pretend to be married but do their own thing on the quiet.

▪ Keyboard, mouse and joystick are supported, but every now and then the planes seem to do their own thing!

▪ Lawrence was of the latter kind: very bright; very competent, and wanted to do his own thing.

▪ She wanted to be free to do her own thing - be independent - get a job, perhaps.

▪ You get on and do your own thing, and respect others who do the same.

do your sums

▪ I did my sums and I knew I could pay him.

▪ We can accumulate the figures and we can all do our sums.

▪ You will have to do your sums.

do your whack (of sth)

do your/his/her/their worst

▪ Let her do her worst to reach him.

▪ Sometimes they successfully slowed or blocked the path of the conquistadores when these exploiters were out to do their worst.

do your/sb's hair/nails/make-up etc

▪ I paint her face and do her hair.

▪ I said, I did, I was approached about who does your hair?

▪ It's to do with the hair.

▪ Now, do you want me to do your make-up, or not?

▪ One test of our response to the change made by age is what we decide to do about grey hair.

▪ She said that the day of the wedding, she should do my hair first.

▪ The working class adolescent of the 60s had quite a job deciding what to do with his hair.

do/show your stuff

▪ It's amazing to watch him do his stuff on the basketball court.

▪ Afterwards, I stood up to do my stuff.

▪ At times, it seems that Benson is unable to simply roll the camera and let them do their stuff.

▪ Derek Jefferson had abandoned his executive suit for a caddie's bib and was ready to do his stuff again.

▪ Having the appetite to get out there and do your stuff is the key factor for an international player.

▪ I should go and do my stuff.

do/try your damnedest

▪ We both tried our damnedest but it didn't work.

▪ All right, tell the girls, do your damnedest.

▪ But both the Trust and those of us lucky enough to live there will do our damnedest to prevent it.

▪ He had tried to make it work, tried his damnedest, but she had absolutely no sense of taste or refinement.

▪ If I do as you suggest and tell Billy about us, he will do his damnedest to destroy me in revenge.

don't count your chickens (before they're hatched)

▪ Getting an Oscar would be wonderful, but I think it's too early to count my chickens.

▪ If you want to go on a date sometime, you can ask me. But don't count your chickens.

▪ You'll probably get the job, but don't count your chickens just yet.

don't hold your breath

▪ If you're waiting for the Cubs to win the series, don't hold your breath.

don't waste your breath

▪ Save your breath. He won't listen.

down your/London etc way

drag your feet/heels

▪ And don't drag your feet.

▪ Elsewhere they dragged their feet until it became clear that the laws were unenforceable.

▪ Mr de Klerk's people say the Congress is dragging its feet because it is too disorganised to talk.

▪ On the other hand, the agency has been dragging its feet all the way in making the endangered determination.

▪ On this occasion, their leaders have dragged their heels at every stage, without giving any of the ideas a chance.

▪ The council was informed about the anniversary two years ago but has dragged its heels over putting it on any agenda.

▪ They thus exhibit a strong tendency to drag their feet as doomsday draws nearer.

▪ Was it because he feared the Republicans were going to hammer him in the 1996 election for dragging his feet on enlargement?

draw in your horns

▪ However, it now plans to draw in its horns in anticipation of declining demand for farm machinery by cutting back production.

draw your knees up

▪ He drew his knees up, preparing himself to fight off any further attack.

▪ Paige drew her knees up inside the bag, resting her chin on them.

draw yourself up (to your full height)

draw/pull in your horns

▪ However, it now plans to draw in its horns in anticipation of declining demand for farm machinery by cutting back production.

drop your eyes/gaze

▪ They dropped their eyes and pretended not to notice him.

▪ For no reason at all, she shivered and dropped her gaze.

▪ He blessed himself and dropped his eyes as the hearse passed.

▪ I drop my eyes in confusion.

▪ I dropped my eyes to my foot, straightened out the tongue, and stood up.

▪ She dropped her eyes back to the pile of letters.

▪ She looks up at him, holds his gaze for a second or two, then drops her eyes.

▪ We look at each other, and then, drop our gaze to hide our confusion.

drown your sorrows

▪ After his girlfriend left he spent the evening drowning his sorrows in a local bar.

▪ You can't just sit around day after day drowning your sorrows in whiskey.

▪ And is there a female alive who has not drowned her sorrows in buttered mashed potatoes?

▪ Drinking on your own or to drown your sorrows can get out of hand.

▪ He was a man drowning his sorrows, he'd decided.

▪ I drowned my sorrows on the school goalposts, as football was banned.

▪ I knew Mum and Dad would be out until late drowning their sorrows.

▪ One afternoon we became so depressed that we decided to drown our sorrows in drink.

▪ Who couldn't drink, drown her sorrows.

▪ Within the hour the show is cancelled and everyone returns to the hotel to drown their sorrows.

earn your/its keep

▪ As the illustration above shows, even if you just use the Family Rail Card once, it will earn its keep.

earn/win your spurs

▪ But thanks to Sheila, now you don't have to go all the way to Dodge City to win your spurs.

▪ David had done absolutely nothing to earn his spurs when Samuel anointed him.

▪ Now he has won his spurs, he can afford to recognise mistakes like that without fearing loss of face.

▪ Pistoliers are young nobles who have yet to win their spurs and assume their rightful position as Knights of the Empire.

ease your grip

▪ He eases his grip on John's hand.

▪ She gave me a gooey smile and then eased her grip.

eat your heart out

▪ I just bought a new convertible. Eat your heart out, Jay.

▪ Eric Clapton eat your heart out.

▪ Kate is obviously eating her heart out for a colour changer and an intarsia carriage.

▪ Keith Floyd eat your heart out!!

▪ Pablo Picasso, eat your heart out.

▪ Philip Schofield, eat your heart out.

▪ The square tango had to be seen to be believed - eat your hearts out, disco dancers!

eat your words

▪ I never thought Clare would be any good at this job, but I've had to eat my words.

▪ They think we can't compete with them - I'll make them eat their words.

▪ When Tottenham went to the top of the league early in the season, people said it wouldn't last. They have had to eat their words.

▪ Anthony Troon, eat your words!

▪ But Sun will have to eat its words and may have to declare a product like its News windowing system dead.

▪ I reply, eating my words as I speak them.

▪ It is now time, however, that I eat my words.

▪ Lugh was going to fool Medoc very neatly, and they would all eat their words.

▪ So let the Review Board eat its words, when I win the annual all-industry award for originality.

▪ Some day they will eat their words.

▪ We check out a sound card that will make them eat their words - the Laserwave Plus.

eat/drink your fill

▪ Here the nomads water their flocks and the horses drink their fill when the tourists have dismounted.

▪ I stopped at some blackberry bushes and ate my fill.

▪ Menelaus gave them a courteous greeting and bade them eat their fill.

▪ There was still time for Frankie, if he was very quiet and very careful, to eat his fill.

▪ Why were those high-fibre eaters keeping slim even when they were eating their fill?

eliminate sb from your enquiries

end your days

end your life/end it all

escape your attention

▪ He said that very little escapes his attention.

▪ Life has slowed down so drastically for him that Blue is now able to see things that have previously escaped his attention.

▪ Nor should the similarities in the broader dimensions of the problem of youth employment escape our attention.

▪ Richie had the feeling that something had escaped his attention.

▪ There he might hope to hide in the depths, to escape our attentions.

▪ Virtually no country escaped its attentions.

fall flat on your/sth's face

▪ She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.

▪ The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.

▪ As we were going out to the car Babe slipped and fell flat on her face.

▪ At last, after several near misses, I fall flat on my face.

▪ Because if you don't a fresh ambition or optimistic plan will fall flat on its face.

▪ But once the ball tips, the game falls flat on its face faster than a top-ranked team after a first-round upset.

▪ It is also a nation waiting for her to fall flat on her face.

▪ Writers strive for a universal experience distilled from personal memories and tend to fall flat on their faces.

▪ Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.

fall on your sword

fall/land on your feet

▪ After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.

▪ Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.

▪ Forgive the cliché, but for once I have fallen on my feet.

▪ He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.

▪ However he landed on his feet.

▪ Jonathon is a trained musician filling in as a cleaner between jobs and he fell on his feet at the Oxford Playhouse.

▪ This is a company that tends to land on its feet.

fasten your attention on sb/sth

fasten your eyes/gaze on sb/sth

▪ Maggie fastened her eyes on him and tried to get control of her temper and her very stupidly lingering disappointment.

feast your eyes on sb/sth

▪ Just feast your eyes on the car's leather seats and walnut dashboard.

feather your nest

▪ But they were all like that, more or less, all interested in feathering their nests at his expense.

▪ So long as they were in favour, they were free to feather their nests, which Andrei did as industriously as anyone else.

▪ The Bolshoi is full of indolent time-servers, more interested in feathering their nests than in Swan Lake.

▪ Wetherby may have decided to feather his nest by blackmail.

feed your face

feel your age

▪ You really start to feel you age when you spend time around these kids.

▪ By not feeling my age and by having energy and vigour.

▪ However, she was beginning to feel her age and could not face an argument until it was unavoidable.

▪ Make me feel my age, tell you the truth!

▪ Other times you don't feel your age at all.

▪ The journey was the longest he had ridden for several years and he was feeling his age.

▪ Treat your skin to Empathy and it will never feel its age.

▪ Unfortunately, this is just at the time when a woman is starting to feel her age, so is especially vulnerable.

feel your gorge rise

▪ Wendy and I felt our gorge rise, and simply could not eat.

feel your way

▪ He felt his way across the room, and found the door handle.

▪ As she felt her way forward, suddenly a knight on horseback galloped past her.

▪ During their sophomore and junior years, many feel their way toward active participation in one or more facets of college life.

▪ He feels his way through the bowels of the city, conscious of the weight of civilisation above him.

▪ I felt my way around like a blind man and lay down on the bed.

▪ I said, feeling my way.

▪ Then, as John began to climb to where the other had been, Nicholas felt his way to the fallen sapper.

▪ Two men feeling their way out on to the bridge.

▪ We scraped along, edged forward, bumping into one another, feeling our way deeper and deeper into the church.

feel/know sth in your bones

▪ I know nothing's ever going to happen - I can feel it in my bones.

▪ And he was innocent of murder; she felt it in her bones.

▪ He could feel it in his bones, and he knew he could trust the feeling.

▪ He felt sure in his bones that their man would try something tonight.

▪ I can feel it in my bones.

▪ She could feel it in her bones.

▪ Something was very wrong, she could feel it in her bones, but what was it?

▪ The fog horn started booming, a deep, thrilling vibration that Madame Astarti could feel resonate in her bones.

fight your corner

▪ He had nobody back in Langley who would be willing to fight his corner.

▪ Jen fought her corner fiercely but Helen knew that she was winning.

▪ Sara Keays has continued to fight her corner.

▪ She always said he should have stayed to fight his corner.

fight your corner/fight sb's corner

fight your own battles

▪ She has a talent for playing modern women who must find the inner strength to fight their own battles.

▪ Surely it is better for the townsfolk themselves to develop the necessary skills to fight their own battles?

▪ We invaded Ireland and fought our own battles there.

fight your own battles

▪ She has a talent for playing modern women who must find the inner strength to fight their own battles.

▪ Surely it is better for the townsfolk themselves to develop the necessary skills to fight their own battles?

▪ We invaded Ireland and fought our own battles there.

fight your way (through/past etc sb/sth)

▪ After fighting his way through all this, he would have to face an angry and almost certainly stark-naked Quigley.

▪ Bar girls were screaming, and trying to fight their way past us.

▪ Being fit and healthy is especially important if you have to fight your way out of trouble or run for home.

▪ Dana fights his way through the protocol surrounding the medicine chest, has a recipe drawn up, and delivers his balm.

▪ I think also that three other Hearthwares shall come, in case we need to fight our way out of some tight spot.

▪ Meanwhile, the master had sprung from his position backstage and was fighting his way toward me.

▪ We will swim through seas of blood, fight our way through lakes of fire, if we are ordered.

fill yourself (up)/fill your face

find it in your heart/yourself to do sth

▪ For this alone, I may find it in my heart to forgive her.

▪ He hoped the moon could find it in its heart to overlook his sins as it climbed the heavens.

▪ To his grief, Donny's widow would not find it in her heart to speak to him again.

find your feet

▪ I asked Susie if I could stay with her till I found my feet.

▪ Susie said I could stay at her place for a while, just until I found my feet.

▪ This organization's role is to help refugees find their feet when they arrive in the host country.

▪ But Cambridge found their feet and took an audacious lead.

▪ If this means raising their chair, workers may find their feet are dangling.

▪ It yielded after causing only moderate cranial discomfort, but as it did I found my feet caught up in something.

▪ Lord Airlie also went out of his way to help me find my feet.

▪ New democracies have been born, struggling against appalling odds to find their feet, with hyper-inflation and national rivalries.

▪ New teachers in their first year or so are still very much in the process of finding their feet.

▪ We have to help them find their feet.

find your tongue

▪ When she came into the room, I had trouble finding my tongue.

▪ She moved her mouth about a bit to see if she could find her tongue.

find your voice

▪ As a composer Gurney found his voice in 1913/14 with the composition of Five Elizabethan Songs.

▪ As he found his voice, I too found mine.

▪ But as soon as we had found our voice again, we were once more interrupted by visits from Berlin.

▪ But though he first reacted by withdrawing, ultimately Scott found his voice and became a conservative leader on the Columbia campus.

▪ For a moment she couldn't find her voice.

▪ In the persistent silence only Dada found his voice.

▪ My granda found his voice among the living.

find your way (somewhere)

▪ Alternatively dirt and silt could find their way back into the pond.

▪ As the sulphur finds its way into his lungs, he will become dizzy and nauseated.

▪ Corporate sponsorship ensures that far more money finds its way into sport than would otherwise be the case.

▪ I go back, and this time I find my way into nondescript offices below ground where priests are transcribing notes.

▪ In due course, these accounts found their way into print.

▪ The ball should have been cleared long before it found its way on to Robert Lee's left boot.

▪ The company said it would have been impossible to keep the new soybeans from finding their way into human food.

▪ You must learn to find your way through the menu maze before you can use the program efficiently.

fire in your belly

▪ It stung the back of her throat and fired in her belly.

▪ Three years later, he returned; heavier, slower, but with a new kind of fire in his belly.

▪ You have got the fire in your belly that will make an excellent detective novel.

fix your attention/eyes/mind etc on sb/sth

▪ I gulped, and fixed my eyes on the blood-red pen on the desk.

▪ She fixed her eyes on Mr Hollins's face and waited for his answer.

▪ She fixed her eyes on the jagged line of rocks to which she had to climb.

▪ She fixed her eyes on the street in an attempt to calm herself.

▪ She couldn't turn round so she fixed her eyes on her two brothers on the altar.

flex your muscles

▪ This new position should give you the chance to really flex your muscles.

▪ At the same time, it was beginning to flex its muscles on the world stage.

▪ Harold was flexing his muscles for the perfect balance, teeth bared, knife poised over his head.

▪ He seized a horrible pair of forceps and I closed my eyes as he started flexing his muscles.

▪ If you want to be an entrepreneur, you have to flex your muscles.

▪ Like Querelle, men in tatty soiled uniforms are flexing their muscles, while others stare vacantly into the middle distance.

▪ Read in studio Finally tonight we're going to flex our muscles.

▪ Soldiers, who previously had lacked social status, were now flexing their muscles because the military ran the country.

▪ This is an unfamiliar luxury for Labour voters; now they want to flex their muscles.

flip your lid

▪ Every now and then, everyone knows, folk flip their lid and take their holiday anyway.

flutter your eyelashes

▪ I began to flutter my eyelashes in a rather exaggerated way.

flutter your eyelashes (at sb)

▪ I began to flutter my eyelashes in a rather exaggerated way.

fly by the seat of your pants

fold sb in your arms

▪ Lee went to her and folded her in his arms.

fold your arms

▪ George stood silently with his arms folded.

▪ Banjo folded his arms across the front of his Mac West, scowling, not looking at Connors.

▪ But the moment passed and the Robemaker had folded his arms, the deep sleeves hanging down.

▪ Denver climbed up on the bed and folded her arms under her apron.

▪ He folded his arms, admiring the two glittering rings on his right hand.

▪ He got the feeling that she folded her arms not to hide herself but as a natural aid to thinking.

▪ Mr Bumble put down his hat, unbuttoned his coat, folded his arms, and sat back in his chair.

▪ Ruthie folded her arms, as if to emphasize her lack of responsibility for the shop she was minding.

▪ The woman folded her arms and became silent in a way that swept Lois with feelings of admiration.

follow your instincts/feelings/gut reaction etc

follow your nose

▪ I don't really have a career plan - I just follow my nose.

▪ Turn left on 6th Avenue, then just follow your nose.

▪ Finding her was easy enough, I just followed my nose.

▪ I smelled the coffee and followed my nose.

▪ In search of an answer, you follow your nose, wherever it leads, actively pursuing the mystery.

▪ Lucky girl, Ruth thought miserably as she followed her nose to the kitchen, a choice of two men.

▪ She followed her nose, turning into a passage which led to the back of a small bakery.

▪ When the rooftop vanished behind a yellow bluff of gorse, you followed your nose.

▪ You are on the right track so follow your nose.

for your information

▪ For your information, he really was sick yesterday.

▪ A copy of the formal decision notice is enclosed for your information.

▪ After you ask for your information, we key in the request and kick it back out.

▪ Details of the amounts due to be billed and the properties concerned are set out on the attached sheet for your information.

▪ He further stated his concerns by forwarding a paper to the Action Committee for their information.

▪ Like the summary, comments will not print with the text but can be displayed on the screen for your information.

▪ Of TheStreet.co.uk's 180,000 registered subscribers, 100,000 had given permission for their information to be passed on to third parties.

for your own good/safety/benefit etc

▪ He will work for your financial independence and will never take advantage or misuse your money for his own good.

▪ Intelligent Buildings Too smart for their own good?

▪ It looked as if the transports were advancing too fast for their own safety.

▪ Lewin and Nnah were also led away for their own safety.

▪ Of course they kept a sharp lookout in such congested waters for their own safety.

▪ Often one step too many for his own good.

▪ We got too famous for our own good.

▪ You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.

for your pains

▪ All I got for my pains was a grunt that fitted well with his simian features.

▪ But I was laughed at for my pains.

▪ Feminists who recognize this contradiction are pilloried for their pains.

▪ He got a knighthood as well as a fortune for his pains - the first professional sportsman to do so.

▪ Instead, he got mystery for his pains, more and more mystery.

▪ Ryker pushed against the back of a man trying to get through and got an angry glare for his pains.

▪ The farmer took a cigarette for his pains and refused food.

force your way through/into etc sth

▪ Burglars strike: Intruders forced their way into a house which was being renovated.

▪ He'd schooled himself to ruthlessness, single-mindedly forcing his way through the jungle, hacking at anything in his path.

▪ He has recovered from a nightmare pelvic injury and is now forcing his way into Roker's Wembley plans.

▪ Jezrael could feel stupid tears forcing their way through her control.

▪ Smitty went first, forcing his way through the branches that closed in on the trail.

▪ The thieves have been forcing their way into the homes of elderly people, holding them down while searching for their savings.

▪ Then Huddersfield rallied, and the fiery centre-forward Islip forced his way through to beat the tiring Burnley defenders.

from the (bottom of your) heart

▪ Blood flows out from the heart to the tissues as before, but its return is now forced.

▪ Both versions monitor about a dozen heart parameters, most importantly the flow of blood from the heart.

▪ But speaking from the heart did not seem wise.

▪ In our language-the Ojibwa language-we say the knowledge comes from the heart.

▪ It had not come from the heart of the congregation, but from behind the footlights.

▪ No musical notation, for music must come from the heart and not off a page.

▪ The Hague Appeal will not merely be a cry from the heart.

from the bottom of your heart

▪ I hadn't, June, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

▪ It's what I've always wanted from the bottom of my heart...

fulfil your potential/promise

▪ All girls and boys, from every background, must be able to discover their talents and fulfil their potential.

▪ But there is grave doubt among environmentalists as to whether the Government will fulfil its promises according to schedule.

▪ Draft history is full of players who never fulfilled their promise.

▪ For 15 years, Lindbergh more than fulfilled its promise.

▪ I was wrong: it has not yet fulfilled its promise.

▪ Lewis has begun to fulfil his promise.

▪ Many teachers express concern that even their more able pupils do not fulfil their potential in the subject.

▪ We only fulfil our potential as individuals in working with and for others, as well as for ourselves.

gather yourself/your strength/your thoughts

gather/collect/recover etc your wits

▪ He remained still and tried to gather his wits.

▪ I felt helpless, but tried to gather my wits.

▪ I tried to collect my wits for the arrival.

▪ It is gone even before the predator can gather its wits and make chase.

▪ She slowly gathered her wits, and looked round.

gaze at/contemplate your navel

get (your name) on the scoresheet

▪ Johansson got on the scoresheet himself just after the break to give Charlton the lead.

get into your stride

▪ By half-past three, when their lessons were normally over, Hugo felt he was getting into his stride.

▪ If this book has a significant weakness, it is simply that it takes three chapters to get into its stride.

▪ In some peculiar way he seemed to be getting into his stride.

▪ Just as the teacher was getting into her stride, the whole school was plunged into darkness.

▪ The first speaker was getting into his stride.

▪ The work had scarcely got into its stride before it was interrupted by the outbreak of the Wars of Independence.

▪ They were just getting into their stride when they received an invitation from Lila to come to her place.

get off your arse

get off your backside

▪ Sitting there, day in, day out, hardly able to get off his backside.

▪ They should get off their backsides and let us see what they intend to do about it.

get off your butt/ass

get something off your chest

▪ People are able to get things off their chest in these meetings.

get sth out of your system

▪ I couldn't get the feelings of guilt out of my system.

get the bit between your teeth

get your act together

▪ Angie could be an excellent photographer, if only she could get her act together.

▪ Amateurs are invited to get their acts together for stage shows running the gamut from dance, comedy and music.

▪ As for your Suns, there are signs they are getting their act together.

▪ At least now they can get their act together.

▪ If we couldn't get our act together after all that, then we were never going to.

▪ Nevertheless, he was patient and, eventually, I got my act together and spent the night with him.

▪ Now, let's get our act together.

▪ The Whigs splintered over slavery in the pre-Civil War era and never again got their act together.

▪ Then he gets his act together.

get your ass in gear

▪ You better get your ass in gear, you're late.

get your butt in/out/over etc

get your claws into sb

get your hands dirty

get your hands on sb

▪ I'd love to get my hands on the guy who slashed my tires.

▪ Besides, Ward's wife will want to get her hands on it.

▪ Competitors would love to get their hands on that $ 7 billion.

▪ He was an absolute nonreader until Rosalie got her hands on him the year before.

▪ I need to get my hands on a big lexicon.

▪ Maple Leaf has wanted to get its hands on some of Schneider's operations for years.

▪ The company may need all the products and sales techniques it can get its hands on.

▪ These days, Parkes finds fans scrapping to get their hands on set lists, drum sticks, and towels.

▪ They value everything they can get their hands on.

get your hands on sth

▪ The best seats in the house are $150, if you can get your hands on a ticket.

▪ Besides, Ward's wife will want to get her hands on it.

▪ Competitors would love to get their hands on that $ 7 billion.

▪ He was an absolute nonreader until Rosalie got her hands on him the year before.

▪ I need to get my hands on a big lexicon.

▪ Maple Leaf has wanted to get its hands on some of Schneider's operations for years.

▪ The company may need all the products and sales techniques it can get its hands on.

▪ These days, Parkes finds fans scrapping to get their hands on set lists, drum sticks, and towels.

▪ They value everything they can get their hands on.

get your jollies

▪ What kind of sick person gets his jollies out of setting fires?

get your kit off

get your leg over

▪ But the only thing he got his leg over was the fence at Peter Pan's Playground.

▪ With news like that, you can understand him wanting to get his leg over an old bike and ride all night.

get your money's worth

▪ Some publishers feel they haven't been getting their money's worth from the show.

get your own back (on sb)

▪ But you can get your own back.

▪ By launching the new forum Mr Heseltine is getting his own back on the now weakened Mr Lamont.

▪ I've gotta get my own back.

▪ I hope you haven't gone and done anything silly to it just to get your own back for me going away.

▪ The only way Scott could get his own back was by replacing my voice during the post-production.

▪ Tupac stoked the feud, claiming to have slept with Biggie Smalls's wife, Smalls threatened to get his own back.

▪ Was that a way of getting his own back?

▪ Women get their own back by borrowing their man's razor.

get your priorities right

▪ Although you are in a seemingly hopeless situation, keep thinking and get your priorities right.

▪ Before we talk, I suggest we get our priorities right.

▪ Have we got our priorities right?

▪ Some people just can't get their priorities right!

get your rocks off

▪ I don't just want people to get their rocks off.

▪ You're a rock group so people get their rocks off.

get your teeth into sth

▪ But meanwhile, her new role as fashion supremo is something she can really get her teeth into.

▪ Once the gila monster gets its teeth into its prey it will not let go.

▪ That O'Neill man isn't going to let up now he's got his teeth into it.

▪ We were both the sort of people who just can't let go once they have got their teeth into something.

get your tongue around sth

▪ I couldn't get my tongue around the consonants.

get your wings

get your wires crossed

▪ We got our wires crossed and I waited for an hour in the wrong place.

▪ Somewhere along the line, some one had got their wires crossed, that much was clear.

get/be given your cards

get/find your bearings

▪ It took her a minute to get her bearings.

▪ Ozzie drank his beer and got his bearings.

▪ Pausing to get his bearings, he blew furiously on his fingers to cool them down.

▪ She stopped for a moment to get her bearings.

▪ She was able to get her bearings this way and soon found herself at the back of the house.

▪ They are there to allow us to find our bearings and set our calendar.

▪ To get their bearings Allen once more climbed.

▪ Without stopping to get his bearings, he began walking up Broadway along the east side of the street.

get/have your (own) way

▪ Monica's so spoiled - she always gets her own way.

▪ Basilio still gets his way in the end because he marries his daughter to money.

▪ For two and a half years, the company can have its way.

▪ Our genes will take care of that, anyway, and it is natural to let them have their way.

▪ She mostly managed to get her own way with him.

▪ She remembered those days when they had played together as children, too, he always getting his own way.

▪ They both push you and have their own ways of motivating you.

▪ Under the genial exterior lay a considerable vanity, and a desire to have his own way.

▪ When some one or something stops them from getting their own way, their frustration can build up to explosion point.

get/have/keep your foot in the door

get/jump/rise etc to your feet

▪ Antony rose to his feet and stood gazing intensely at her.

▪ He got to his feet, did a 365-degree scan, and moved on.

▪ Kay McGovern rose to his feet, cheering appreciatively when the performance ended.

▪ The three men turned, facing it, Kao Chen getting to his feet.

▪ They got to their feet and consulted; then they disappeared.

▪ Zeinab rose to her feet and swept out of the box.

get/keep your eye in

▪ Even after his second wife left him in 1991, Thurmond has kept his eye in practice.

▪ It all helps to get your eye in and is far better than trying to rely on memory.

get/put sb/sth out of your mind

get/put your head down

▪ He simply puts his head down and keeps on scoring goals - lots of them.

▪ He was as cranky as a bad-tempered goat, always putting his head down and charging into things that annoyed him.

▪ I put my head down and kept stroking.

▪ I put my head down into my hands and absented myself mentally.

▪ Instead of putting his head down and charging, Balshaw chipped and chased.

▪ When I saw him in court he was crying, and so was I.. He put his head down.

▪ You chuck down three of them, and then put your head down on your desk.

get/put your skates on

get/receive your (just) deserts

▪ Even a low-cal concoction can make us feel that we're getting our just deserts.

▪ From Llewelyn he would get his deserts, and be grateful for them.

▪ He was not a spiteful man, but he had enjoyed the sight of Spatz getting his deserts.

▪ Now the rich and the proud would get their just deserts.

get/take/demand etc your pound of flesh

▪ The Government gets its pound of flesh, doesn't it.

gird (up) your loins

▪ I'm girding up my loins for battle on this tax issue.

▪ We're just unwinding before girding our loins for London.

give sb a piece of your mind

▪ I was so mad that I called back and gave her a piece of my mind.

▪ If one of the kids is being sassy, Inez gives them a piece of her mind.

▪ Boy, am I going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him.

▪ But it was worth it, to give Hilda Machin a piece of her mind.

▪ I begin to pronounce the sequence of words and numbers that will prevent her from giving him a piece of her mind.

▪ Ready to give somebody a piece of her mind, Aunt Pat strode to the front door and flung it open.

▪ She'd give Gloria a piece of her mind when she got home!

▪ She managed to manoeuvre into the remaining space and got out to give somebody a piece of her mind.

give sth your best shot

▪ I'm not promising I'll succeed, but I'll give it my best shot.

▪ Hopefully he can recover and regain his test place and give it his best shot.

▪ I'd have given it my best shot, and that was all anyone could demand from me.

▪ I just have a feeling that we have given it our best shot.

▪ The band gave it their best shot, until the arrival of the blue meanies put an end to the proceedings.

▪ You were never entirely safe from prying fingers in Chinatown, but I had to give it my best shot.

give your all

▪ Joe was the kind of guy who gave his all every moment on the job.

▪ She gave her all in the last race, but it wasn't quite good enough to win.

▪ And I gave her all my power.

▪ Andrea Lo Cicero was another who gave his all, a prop who could run and tackle and still do the basics.

▪ Gill and Bernard give her all she needs.

▪ He supposed that the man with the Northern actorish accent had given her all the advice she needed.

▪ He won't have a go if you have a bad game, but he expects everyone to give their all.

▪ I give her all my money.

▪ It was unfair to drop players who had given their all against West Indies and to bring in others against Sri Lanka.

▪ Piphros had given her all the information possible in a limited way.

give/lose your heart to sb

▪ I had lost my heart to the little, golden flowers that brightened the meadows like a thousand suns.

▪ This very thing was only one of the reasons why he had never wanted to lose his heart to anyone.

give/send your regrets

▪ Henry sends his regrets - he has the flu.

gnash your teeth

▪ An unlikely assassin was left-winger Jason Wilcox, a youth team star while Dalglish was still gnashing his teeth at Anfield.

▪ But he has spent three or four years out in the darkness, gnashing his teeth.

▪ Gacbler and his colleagues would often be stymied by some problem, gnashing their teeth and getting nowhere.

▪ He kept baring and gnashing his teeth. 21.

▪ He laid her on the kang, wailing and gnashing his teeth.

▪ Their heads thrash about on the bloodied floor, gnashing their teeth and foaming at the mouth.

▪ Then he threw up his hands and wailed and gnashed his teeth, for the world had already touched his father.

go about your business

▪ The street was filled with ordinary people going about their business.

▪ He was indifferent to the attention he received, calmly going about his business, never using his influence to manipulate others.

▪ Normally it went about its business either on foot or in an arabeah, the horse-drawn cab distinctive to the city.

▪ Sara went about her business, more troubled than ever about Jenny's imminent arrival.

▪ The 49ers are counting on Deese to epitomize that professionalism as he goes about his business with Smith.

▪ They went about their business, expecting him to appear at any moment.

▪ While Deion Sanders received most of the pre-game ballyhoo, his bookend Brown went about his business with little or no fanfare.

▪ Yesterday, as the group of pickers went about their business, police said there had been no further incidents.

▪ You have to laugh about it and go about your business.

go around in your head

go out of your mind

▪ I'm with the kids all day, and I'm starting to feel like I'm losing my mind.

▪ If I have to wait in one more line, I'm going to go out of my mind.

▪ She said she was going out of her mind in California.

go out of your way to do sth

▪ Jennifer knew what a difficult time I was having, and went out of her way to be friendly.

▪ They went out of their way to make me feel welcome.

▪ When Annie arrived, Harriman went out of his way to make life pleasant for her.

▪ And the recording industry is going out of its way to help.

▪ How to be compassionate to their pain and go out of their way to help them?

▪ Neither do they go out of their way to look for targets, human or otherwise.

▪ So empty, in fact, that the United States seemed to go out of its way to insult Ismail.

▪ This is the second time to-night she has gone out of her way to be sensitive to Oregon.

▪ To register his annoyance, he seemed to go out of his way to ignore us.

▪ We are going out of our way to help him with it.

go through your paces

▪ At times his voice went through its paces almost independently of the sense.

▪ Most of the students are satisfied eating and watching Reed go through her paces, with very few questions asked.

▪ Slaven went through his paces as the club announced a sell-out for the March 4 first leg at Ayresome Park.

▪ The crowd at Colvin Run Mill watched raptly as the nine black company members and their white commander went through their paces.

go your own way

▪ After that if you want to be organised, you can be - or alternatively you can go your own way.

▪ But enough to allow you to go your own way.

▪ I want to go my own way, alone.

▪ If Cultural Studies goes its own way, what happens to what is left?

▪ Or, of course, you can go your own way.

▪ Speech goes its own way, and speakers drift farther than ever from a literary standard.

▪ The herd ad is intended to show that the company goes its own way in investing.

▪ The pairs of glassy eyes no longer corresponded, in death they broke ranks, each distended eye gone its own way.

go your separate ways

▪ After this they go their separate ways.

▪ He says that they more or less go their separate ways, Felicity and this green fellow she's married to.

▪ In the case of bacteria, the enormous numbers of cells produced by successive doublings go their separate ways.

▪ Only then, in the shock of the open air at last, did we break ranks and go our separate ways.

▪ Or would they go their separate ways, each ruling an independent principality?

▪ She takes it up, the partners disengage and go their separate ways.

▪ They were too readily allowed to go their separate ways.

▪ We all seemed to split up and go our separate ways afterwards.

go/turn over sth in your mind

good with your hands

▪ He was good with his hands.

▪ The psychologist had said he was good with his hands.

grace sth/sb with your presence

grind your teeth

▪ traffic problems that make us grind our teeth

▪ For a while a man ground his teeth horribly, only feet away.

▪ His jaw ached and he realised that he was grinding his teeth, so he released the muscles and tried to relax.

▪ I ground my teeth as I watched her crawl back into the machinery.

▪ It's my husband Deardrie - he keeps me awake at night, grinding his teeth!

▪ Mortally wounded, frothing at the mouth, grinding his teeth in pain, he chose the floor instead.

▪ She was grinding her teeth, until the taste of blood made her stop.

▪ Small Dave ground his teeth and spat into the daylight.

▪ Terry ground his teeth in consternation.

grit your teeth

▪ I guess I'll have to just grit my teeth and wait for things to get better.

▪ I was desperately unhappy in that job, but had to grit my teeth and stay smiling for the sake of my children.

▪ Rescue workers here have little choice but to grit their teeth and get on with the grim task of recovering the bodies.

▪ And a seizure makes you grit your teeth.

▪ He gritted his teeth against the demand of his lungs to burst.

▪ He gritted his teeth like a cliff.

▪ I gritted my teeth and went to work.

▪ Rory gritted his teeth, pulled.

▪ She continued to grit her teeth in silence.

▪ She would grit her teeth and take everything he threw at her - for the time being.

hand in your notice/give (your) notice

hang out your shingle

hang up your hat/football boots/briefcase etc

hang your head

▪ Father Time wouldn't have been alone in hanging his head in shame.

▪ He cries, whines, and just goes and sits over there and hangs his head down.

▪ He was in the House at the time, so he should hang his head in shame.

▪ I could see from his silhouette in the starlight that he was hanging his head.

▪ I realized I had no reason to hang my head.

▪ She did not, now, want to see him dismissed, led away hanging his head.

▪ She refused to be cowardly and hang her head.

harden your heart

▪ And then Nancy will harden her heart against him.

▪ But difficulties did not harden his heart.

▪ He hardened his heart and turned on his computer, smiling acidly at the screen.

▪ He tried to harden his heart in advance, but knew it was just a front.

▪ She hardened her heart and thought she should swiftly make it clear she had not come in search of him.

▪ The girl had hardened her heart so much; there was no point in giving her further cause.

▪ Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

▪ When he had left her with a tiny baby, she had hardened her heart somehow.

have a (good) run for your money

have a bee in your bonnet (about sth)

have a chip on your shoulder

▪ The Doyle kid has had a chip on his shoulder ever since his mom and dad divorced.

▪ In some cases folks are just mad and have a chip on their shoulder.

have a frog in your throat

have a lot on your mind

▪ I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, I have a lot on my mind at the moment.

▪ Since the divorce, Linda's had a lot on her mind.

▪ Stacy didn't go to the party on Saturday because she had a lot on her mind.

have a lot on your plate

▪ Don't bother your mother -- she's got a lot on her plate at the moment.

▪ Harris has a lot on his plate at the moment. Why don't we give the project to Melinda?

▪ Susan's had a lot on her plate recently, what with the car accident and everything.

have a lot/enough on your plate

▪ Beckham may have enough on his plate attempting to recapture his early-season form without being burdened with any extra responsibilities.

have a mind of your own

▪ But Mansell has a mind of his own, and he was adamant he would make racing his career.

▪ Joey's only two, but he has a mind of his own.

▪ My hair seems to have a mind of its own today.

▪ She's a woman with a mind of her own, who says what she thinks.

▪ I have a mind of my own.

▪ They have minds of their own and will form their own views on what is put before them.

have an ace up your sleeve

have another card up your sleeve

have ants in your pants

have eyes bigger than your belly

have eyes in the back of your head

▪ When you're looking after a two year old, you need to have eyes in the back of your head.

▪ You need to have eyes in the back of your head to be a teacher.

have had more than your fair share of sth

▪ Tim's had more than his fair share of bad luck this year.

have had your chips

▪ Is not this subject wholly appropriate for the Minister, because his Government have had their chips?

have had your fill of sth

have it your (own) way

▪ But remember that this Last Best Place can disappear if corporate colonizers and their lackeys in Congress have it their way.

▪ Well, have it your own way.

have its/your moments

▪ The Saints had their moments, but they still lost.

▪ Because, Ishmael says, all men have their moments of greatness.

▪ But I can assure you I have my moments.

▪ Even a railway journey with a missed connection can have its moments.

▪ Those observations made, it should be said that the Herioter did have his moments in the lineout.

▪ Yet, the show does have its moments.

have more than one string to your bow

have sb eating out of your hand

▪ He's brilliant in job interviews -- he always manages to get the panel eating out of his hand.

▪ I introduced Mr Wilkinson to my mother, and within minutes she had him eating out of her hand.

▪ In a second or two a man might have these boys eating out of his hand.

have sb/sth at your feet

▪ I have lain at his feet.

have shot your bolt

have something up your sleeve

▪ Don't worry. He still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

have stars in your eyes

have sth at your/their etc fingertips

have sth coming out (of) your ears

have sth in your pocket

▪ It looks like the team has a chance at the Aloha Bowl firmly in their pocket.

▪ After all, we have Vargas in our pocket.

▪ Shoppers will have more in their pockets and it will not cost companies vast sums to borrow for expansion.

▪ You have money in your pocket, a cheque-book on you and one or two credit cards as well.

have sth on your side/sth is on your side

have sth to your credit

have sth to your name

have sth under your belt

▪ Once you've had a few lessons under your belt, you're ready to buy your own ski equipment.

▪ It's difficult to get matches under your belt when you're like that.

have sth/be written all over your face

have sth/sb on your hands

▪ It is still instinctively held that those involved in engineering science should be useful handymen and will have oil on their hands.

▪ The Khedive is starting to realize that he might have trouble on his hands.

▪ They submitted lest they kill him; his death from the fast would have been on their hands.

have the courage of your (own) convictions

▪ Larry displayed the courage of his convictions by saying no to his supervisor.

have the world at your feet

have your back to/against the wall

have your cake and eat it

▪ First, is it an ethical investment policy to encourage people to try to have their cake and eat it?

▪ It appears the Ministry men can have their cake and eat it ... but only if we let them.

▪ It seems as though the council wants to have its cake and eat it.

▪ That way he could have his cake and eat it too.

▪ The benefits of standardization are coupled with the capacity to respond to change-a way to have your cake and eat it too.

▪ They don't imagine they can have their cake and eat it too.

▪ You can't have your cake and eat it.

▪ You can have your cake and eat it; the only trouble is, you get fat.

have your ears/nose etc pierced

▪ I am a female, mid-twenties and happen to have my nose pierced with one small silver ring.

have your eye on sth

▪ Rodrigues has his eye on the major leagues.

▪ We have our eyes on a nice little house near the beach.

▪ A few years more and white men will be all around you. they have their eyes on this land.

▪ As I told you, I have my eyes on a very different sort of market.

▪ He must have his eyes on a Ryder Cup spot.

have your hair cut/your house painted etc

have your hands full

▪ Diane has her hands full with housekeeping chores and a new baby.

▪ I'm sorry I can't help you -- I have my hands full right now.

▪ The Mexican government had its hands full fighting a war on three fronts.

▪ You must have your hands full with all this work to do and the children to look after.

▪ And Brooks would have his hands full.

▪ And you can bet we have our hands full.

▪ I know I am going to have my hands full when his session is over.

▪ So it looks as if the doctors and Osteopaths will continue to have their hands full.

▪ So when the shutdown finally ends, the agency will have its hands full.

▪ Steinbach will have his hands full with a pitching staff fresh out of the box.

▪ The parents and teachers of many of these youngsters have their hands full enough just looking after them.

▪ You guys have your hands full.

have your hands/fingers in the till

have your head in the clouds

have your head screwed on (straight/right)

▪ Cloughie probably gets closest to it - not he himself but the No. 9 seems to have his head screwed on.

▪ She seemed to have her head screwed on right, even if she was a girl.

have your heart/sights set on sth

▪ Teng is thought to have her sights set on the Board of Supervisors' presidency.

▪ But do the public have their sights set on an Urbanizer?

▪ If you have your hearts set on a joint endowment, you have two alternatives to cashing in the present one.

▪ Many of the Keishinkai parents have their hearts set on Keio.

▪ Movie sniper Jude Law and Rachel Weisz are covered in mud but still have their sights set on desire.

have your limits

▪ I have my limits. You will not use that kind of nasty language in my class.

▪ Alternatively it was seen by some as a warning to the opposition that the process of democratization would have its limits.

▪ But those official data sources have their limits.

▪ Denial does have its limits, though, whiteout being one of them.

▪ Even saints, it seems, have their limits.

▪ In a broader context, however, these variations have their limits.

▪ Joey is just kidding, but even I have my limits.

have your name in lights

have your nose in a book/magazine/newspaper

have your nose/snout in the trough

have your say

▪ At a public meeting yesterday, environmentalists were finally permitted to have their say about the future of the ancient forest.

▪ You've had your say -- now let someone else speak.

▪ But emotions don't like that; they love to have their say.

▪ Our advantage, however, was that we allowed the public to have their say on possible changes before proposals were published.

▪ Probably the best thing about his show was that he let people have their say.

▪ Talk too much, and not let others have their say.

▪ Tennis World would like you to have your say on the issue.

▪ The voters are entitled to have their say on Maastricht and should be given it.

▪ Whatever Kureishi may claim, minorities and special-interest groups have their say in his work.

▪ When the company finally makes a small offer to the widow, her lawyer will have his say, too.

have your stomach pumped

have your work cut out (for you)

▪ Election monitors will have their work cut out.

▪ So you have your work cut out for you.

▪ The home team has not beaten the Scarlets for some dozen matches and should still have their work cut out to win.

▪ They have their work cut out adapting themselves to it, and it to themselves.

▪ They have their work cut out for them.

▪ We have our work cut out for us.

▪ Whoever takes on the trout farm will have their work cut out.

have/get butterflies (in your stomach)

have/hold sth in your hot little hand

have/keep your beady eye(s) on sb/sth

have/keep your eye on sb

▪ As I told you, I have my eyes on a very different sort of market.

▪ He kept his eyes on Ezra, surveying him.

▪ He kept his eyes on his father, who had betrayed him.

▪ His face had grown serious, and he kept his eyes on the road.

▪ I kept my eyes on it the whole time, he wrote.

▪ It was not only Percy Makepeace who kept his eyes on Hilary.

▪ Mulcahey kept his eyes on the circles that widened out from the pebbles he dropped into the water.

▪ We have to keep our eyes on the sandy path.

have/keep your finger on the pulse (of sth)

hedge your bets

▪ It's a good idea to hedge your bets by applying to more than one college.

▪ Dealers on the foreign exchange markets were also hedging their bets and the pound was also on ice.

▪ However, that has not stopped the cable companies from hedging their bets by getting into the satellite business, too.

▪ I made a decision, or rather I hedged my bets.

▪ Maybe, I tell myself, I was really hedging my bets.

▪ Not surprisingly, Whitehall has been hedging its bets with officials preparing briefs to cover a variety of eventualities.

▪ Now, what will we have to hedge our bets on?

▪ Pat Hayes, a 10-year plant veteran at the age of 30, has already begun to hedge her bets.

▪ Still, it always is wise to hedge our bets about the future.

here's mud in your eye

hide your light under a bushel

hold (your) fire

hold up your head

▪ He had held up his head in the most exalted company.

▪ How does he hold up his head if he knows his wife is deceiving him?

hold your breath

▪ It stinks so bad you have to hold your breath until you come out.

▪ Patrice held her breath, waiting for Lettie's reply.

▪ Rachel held her breath as she waited for his answer.

▪ The art world will be holding its breath to see how much these paintings sell for at auction.

▪ An anxious nation holds its breath.

▪ Benjy rang the doorbell, then held his breath, waiting.

▪ He discovered that he was holding his breath, and gulped for air.

▪ It gave her the feeling that the whole world was holding its breath.

▪ She held her breath on another quick dart of guilt.

▪ We held our breaths, covering our nostrils and mouths with our hands.

hold your head up

▪ As a baby she may have had a hard time holding her head up, for example.

▪ Her own cheeks had gone pale; her lids drooped over her eyes; she held her head up in her hand.

▪ How else could a girl hold her head up in her family?

▪ However, Linfield can hold their heads up high.

▪ Just holding my head up like that.

hold your own (against sb)

▪ And he is bound to hold his own.

▪ Chaparral and forests resisted the invasion, and in some places they have held their own even against fire and development.

▪ He and his government colleagues were confident they could hold their own against the mujahedin.

▪ In many areas, Whigs clearly continued to hold their own amongst the squirearchy.

▪ Sharpe was holding his own sword low beside his stirrup, almost as if he could not be bothered to fight.

▪ Then, holding her own breath and moving stealthily on tiptoe, she began to ease her way towards the exit.

▪ Well and nobly did... his gallant troops hold their own....

▪ You hold your own life together.

hold your tongue

▪ Chastised, Elder Brother held his tongue, turning to look at Jinju as if to seek her support.

▪ If he was a count he would be doubly arrogant and she would not be able to hold her tongue.

▪ Jim was struggling to hold his tongue when Carole knocked on his door and walked in.

▪ Learn to hold your tongue, Mistress Philippa, else grief will come of it.

▪ Out of sheer curiosity I held my tongue, and waited.

▪ She tried to talk him into letting her go, but he ordered her sharply to hold her tongue.

▪ Stella was forced to hold her tongue when Dotty or Babs Osborne spoke slightingly of Meredith.

▪ You have to avoid being Nellie-know-all and hold your tongue to allow a younger generation to enjoy the fun of discovery.

hold/have sb in the palm of your hand

▪ She's got the whole committee in the palm of her hand.

hold/keep your end up

▪ It helped them keep their end up in battle, too, claim historians.

▪ It is difficult to get skips in this age group capable of keeping their end up at this level of competition.

▪ Richter kept his end up by arranging a press visit to Huemul Island on 21 June, 1951.

hold/keep your peace

▪ And since the credit accrued to him, he held his peace.

▪ But Kate knew when enough was enough so she kept her peace.

▪ But she held her peace and waited for the miracle.

▪ Colonel Fergusson nodded indulgently at such pertness and obstinacy, but held his peace.

▪ Gorbachev, like any husband in his circumstances, kept his peace.

▪ No, better to hold her peace and pretend.

▪ So I decide to hold my peace for a little while longer.

▪ Why did he want to hold his peace?

hold/stand your ground

▪ As his father approached, Richard retreated steadily, never once daring to stand his ground against him.

▪ I calculate, I stand my ground.

▪ Not enough to start a war; just enough to let me stand my ground without having to think about it first.

▪ Richmann stood his ground, certain he would be able to jump out of the. way if things went wrong.

▪ The guide, however, stood his ground, frantically giving me unrecognizable signs.

▪ The Housing Executive stood its ground and refused to transfer money earmarked for other projects.

▪ Williams' job was to hold his ground or drop into pass coverage.

▪ You know when to stand your ground and when to give in.

hunch your shoulders

▪ Ballesteros hunched his shoulders, put his palms up in the air, and raised his dark, thick eyebrows.

▪ He hunched his shoulders and stamped his way defiantly down the rest of the stairs and out into the cobbled street.

▪ He put them on, and peered round the room, hunching his shoulders, shamming the old scholar.

▪ Lean away from the flexed knee and keep your guard close to your body, but avoid hunching your shoulders.

▪ Schmidt hunched his shoulders and gobbled like a turkey.

▪ Then, hunching his shoulders against the pounding rain, he lurched towards the barn.

in (full) possession of your faculties/senses

▪ He's difficult to get along with but still in full possession of his faculties.

in (your) shirtsleeves

▪ Most of the men were working in their shirtsleeves.

▪ He was in shirtsleeves, his jacket crumpled on a chair beside him.

▪ I shivered with the cold and realized I was in shirtsleeves.

▪ Men in shirtsleeves and women in summer dresses were strolling around the airport and ice-cream vendors were doing a brisk trade.

in a world of your own/in your own little world

in all your born days

▪ Have you ever in all your born days seen the like?

▪ I never saw so many snarls in all my born days.

in your birthday suit

▪ Martin's threatened to turn up for the wedding in his birthday suit.

in your cups

▪ Also she knew Shill to be a toper and, when in his cups, a man of violence.

▪ Gentlemen, we have all drunk too much at times and seen others in their cups.

▪ Had Gabriel publicly insulted him in his cups one night in the Raven, fatally offending that pompous conceit?

▪ He didn't know what was worse, Cranston sulking or Cranston in his cups.

▪ He glared darkly at Cranston and hoped the coroner was not too deeply in his cups.

▪ Most of them were well gone in their cups and offered no objection when Cranston knocked at the door and demanded entrance.

▪ She had already been in her cups, and became hysterical, and then suicidal.

▪ The two men-at-arms leered but promptly buried their noses in their cups.

in your dotage

▪ Thurmond is as mean in his dotage as he was in his younger days.

▪ Appearance and character Many portraits of Wordsworth and Coleridge exist, though unfortunately Dorothy was only painted in her dotage.

▪ What Lord Denning's Spectator interview in his dotage had revealed was unguarded language.

in your dreams

▪ "I can beat you, no problem." "Yeah, in your dreams."

▪ A pirate who might have been a Susan in his Dreams.

▪ Believing in your Dreams is a powerful magnetic force!

▪ He was a prophet too, and spoke to men in their dreams.

▪ He was very frightened of the spirits and they ran after him in his dreams.

▪ Her spine twisted; in her dreams she twisted, turning toward that clearing again, again.

▪ I know they will come back to haunt me in my dreams.

▪ No doubt he was studying the Cabala in his dreams.

▪ The gods often spoke to men in their dreams.

in your face

▪ Bingham has a real "in your face" writing style.

▪ Because from the very first day I looked in his face and saw a different boy.

▪ He reciprocated by flaunting his other affairs in her face.

▪ It hissed and spat in their faces.

▪ Most people, when they laugh, also exercise more than 14 groups of muscles in their face.

▪ The next time you hear a native-born athlete complain about adversity, remember Livan Hernandez and laugh in his face.

▪ You could see it in their faces, minute by minute.

▪ You get in their face, they get in yours.

in your heart (of hearts)

▪ All this put a sharp chill in his heart.

▪ And in her heart she allowed hope to blossom into fragile life again.

▪ Believe me, we all had a warm place in our hearts for Sidney.

▪ How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?

▪ Never was a boy more overpowered, lonely, and frightened, or carried a greater burden of unhappiness in his heart.

▪ Only in memories will Earnhardt return to a place he held deep in his heart.

▪ They circled frantically in her head and in her heart.

▪ We are empty in our hearts.

in your hour of need

▪ He helped others in their hour of need.

▪ Besides, how could he abandon his father now, in his hour of need?

▪ Is there anyone, anyone at all, to whom he might go in his hour of need?

▪ Right-wing columnists are refusing to rally to Mr Major in his hour of need.

in your hurry to do sth

▪ But in my hurry to get away from whatever it was in the bed I missed my footing and fell.

▪ But in their hurry to get off the mountain, exhausted climbers have discarded tons of rubbish.

in your middle twenties/thirties etc

▪ Among these was a tall firebrand of a patriot in his middle twenties.

▪ Owen and the Victoria Centre Owen is in his middle thirties and his working background is in education.

▪ While still in his middle twenties, he was offered a teaching position at an Ivy League university.

▪ You must be in your middle thirties.

in your mind's eye

▪ I can't remember her name, but I can clearly see her in my mind's eye.

in your own (good) time

▪ Before, they used to count their breaks in the twelve hours, now their breaks are in their own time.

▪ Blue Mooney, a living legend in his own time.

▪ He should take his own route in his own time and avoid the tendency to see through others' eyes.

▪ Let me tell them myself, in my own time.

▪ Nurses in training who work hard physically, study in their own time and have numerous personal commitments are under pressure.

▪ The recognition that exceptional holiness and spirituality continue to manifest themselves in our own time is also a central pentecostal conviction.

▪ There were realistic hopes for Surrey as Mark Butcher and Stewart appeared to be building a stand in their own time.

▪ You would be healthy in your own time.

in your own good time

▪ He would do what had to be done in his own good time; she must leave him to it.

▪ Once the rabbit is dead it can be retrieved in your own good time.

▪ The problems are the normal ones of adolescence and will pass in their own good time.

▪ Tina had felt let down, but knowing Bobby, he would tell them in his own good time what had happened.

▪ Whatever Jack wanted to do or say he would do or say in his own good time.

in your own right

▪ Kahlo was the wife of painter Diego Rivera and an artist in her own right.

▪ After two years of challenging the power of governments, the movement has become a power in its own right.

▪ Both feature Hewlett's JetDirect interface for connection to local networks, which Hewlett-Packard will also market in its own right.

▪ Cold stores: Treat like small rooms in their own right using floor wall and ceiling techniques as appropriate.

▪ It is necessary to remind ourselves that involvement in the project constituted a significant staff-development exercise in its own right.

▪ Loyalty in the emerging business organization, which will be personal and communal, will be satisfying in its own right.

▪ MacKenzie is a powerful man in his own right.

▪ Not a word about how people should have related to me, as a person in my own right.

▪ Their lyrics stand up as poems, good light verse in their own right.

in your own sweet way/time

▪ Did he think he was so important that he could finish the cottage in his own sweet time?

▪ I'd rather carry on in my own sweet way, and I'd rather be in Stockholm.

▪ I probably love him, in my own sweet way.

▪ You can just sit back and read the responses and decide the winner in your own sweet time.

in your own time

▪ Before, they used to count their breaks in the twelve hours, now their breaks are in their own time.

▪ Best to ignore him and let him come around in his own time.

▪ I can remember doing that in my own time.

▪ Nurses in training who work hard physically, study in their own time and have numerous personal commitments are under pressure.

▪ The hunt will occur later, on its own terms and in its own time.

▪ Then gradually slip the open bag into the tank, and allow the fish to swim out in their own time.

▪ They can then absorb the literature in their own time and make up their own minds.

▪ Those designs are mine, done in my own time and made up by my own outworkers.

in your sights

▪ But their task is being sabotaged by those who have war in their sights.

▪ Deposed leaders Bangor rekindled their challenge with a five wicket win over Ruthin to keep Marchwiel in their sights.

▪ I can keep Rainbow in my sights for a little while longer.

▪ Mr Pacey's new team has 500 prime suspects in its sights.

▪ One of the Counsellors had her in his sights.

▪ S Supreme Court opens its new term Monday with affirmative action squarely in its sights.

▪ That rapidly closed the gap, as Hamilton reached the turn in par in the afternoon and had victory in his sights.

▪ Under this program, shooters aim a wave signal at vehicles in their sights.

in your stockinged/stocking feet

▪ It would be too bad if the Panzers overran our positions and we were found to be in our stocking feet.

in/at the pit of your stomach

▪ He was developing a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach; a feeling beyond sickness, beyond shock.

▪ I felt a twinge in the pit of my stomach.

▪ Now suddenly she could feel the pleasure such imaginings had aroused uncurling in a warm spiral in the pit of her stomach.

▪ She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the tremor that began somewhere in the pit of her stomach.

▪ She watched as he crossed the meadow and felt the familiar jolt in the pit of her stomach as he came near.

▪ When that first cup of coffee was finished, a ball of fear nestled in the pit of my stomach.

incline your head

▪ He inclined his head slightly and tried to see up the stairs.

▪ He listens, and sometimes he inclines his head sympathetically, as if to get a better purchase on what I am saying.

▪ She saw me looking at her and beckoned me, crooking her finger and inclining her head backwards, indicating the verandah.

▪ Urquhart inclined his head and seemed to listen to the wind.

it does your heart good to see/hear sth

it's your funeral

keep a civil tongue in your head

keep sth under your hat

▪ Rather than wear your heart on your sleeve, you keep it under your hat.

keep your cool

▪ The waitress was really busy, but she kept her cool.

▪ He should go out and have a beer with you, not just keep his cool with the unit....

▪ Instead, Dukakis kept his cool and sealed his candidacy's doom.

▪ Kick the day into action with refreshing Celsius Body Splash Opposite, below: keep your cool even when working up a sweat.

▪ One of the best tips is to keep your cool.

▪ Oxford kept their cool though and came up with a winner 5 minutes from time.

▪ She'd fancied him for ages and when he asked her out she managed to keep her cool even though she felt faint.

▪ Weaver keeps his cool while all those around him are losing theirs.

▪ You've got to keep your cool, you've got to be strong in the head.

keep your distance

▪ Men tend to keep their children at more of a distance than women.

▪ Police warned the public to keep their distance if they saw a man fitting this description.

▪ Shots were fired into the air to force the police to keep their distance.

▪ Stick to the paths, and make sure you keep your distance from nesting birds.

▪ At first we kept our distance.

▪ Burgess says such activities increase the danger that sharks will lose the respect for humans that mostly makes them keep their distance.

▪ I saw him later, standing at a meeting of walls, a shy girl keeping her distance.

▪ It is easy to see it now in the way labor has kept its distance from the plant-closing movement.

▪ Over the years I have kept my distance from the white women's movement.

▪ Ruth kept her distance from him but she could do nothing about the wretched aura that surrounded him.

▪ Sometimes Fate tiptoes discreetly at the margins of our lives, averting her eyes and keeping her distance.

keep your ears open

▪ All of you - walk around Pentonville and keep your ears open.

▪ They had a kid copper keeping his ears open.

keep your eyes peeled/skinned

▪ But if you mean to stick around on the planet for a bit, you need to keep your eyes skinned.

▪ He had kept his eyes peeled.

▪ He pedalled along the canal bank quite slowly, keeping his eyes skinned for signs of defunct animal life.

▪ If you are interested, keep your eyes peeled for nomination lists to that effect.

▪ One final word on buying components, keep your eyes peeled for products that are about to be discontinued.

▪ She still kept her eyes skinned for people coming up the drive though.

▪ The village was in complete wilderness, our toilet a local bush - keeping our eyes peeled for lions!

▪ We keep our eyes peeled for Forest Service Road 670.

keep your eyes/ears open

▪ All of you - walk around Pentonville and keep your ears open.

▪ By then keeping her eyes open was less of an effort.

▪ Go back to bed only when you can no longer keep your eyes Open.

▪ Remembering his duty, he strode briskly up the stairs, keeping his eyes open for any suspicious signs.

▪ Swing the boat south, keep her eyes open.

▪ The basic rules of self-defence are quite simple: keep your eyes open and you can usually avoid trouble.

▪ The daily firings produced by the withering economy offered loopholes of opportunity for a young man who kept his eyes open.

▪ You know how to keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

keep your hair on

keep your hair/shirt on!

keep your hand in

▪ Although she has retired now, she keeps her hand in by giving her grandchildren music lessons.

▪ He still comes around the gym occasionally, just to keep his hand in.

▪ For all his pride, he misses the public forum politics provides and wants to keep his hand in somehow.

▪ He kept his hands in his pockets as they beat him.

▪ He kept his hands in his pockets so he would not smash Tony Angotti in the face.

▪ He liked to bow and ruin the effect by keeping his hands in his pockets.

▪ He moved slowly and cautiously, and kept his hands in clear view.

▪ Nevertheless, he continued with his finger covered in blood, keeping his hand in his pocket.

▪ The one-time gifted student kept his hands in his pockets as he listened to the brief proceedings.

keep your hands off sb/sth

▪ And keep your hands off Maria.

▪ But today with his mind too preoccupied to work he seemed quite unable to keep his hands off it.

▪ Couldn't keep our hands off each other.

▪ I could not keep my hands off them.

▪ The government should keep its hands off content.

▪ They had been unable to keep their hands off each other.

▪ They should stay out where they belong - keep their hands off our people.

keep your head

▪ Paul's good at keeping his head in a crisis.

▪ They were looking for a coach who could stay enthusiastic and keep his head at the same time.

▪ But that will provide small comfort to poor people struggling now to keep their heads above water.

▪ Even his most bitter opponents are keeping their heads down.

▪ He keeps his head smooth with frequent shaving.

▪ He kept his head turned towards Mary, though, as between parted lips they licked the tips of each other's tongues.

▪ I have to keep my head up.

▪ It was good advice to keep my head down in the early months.

▪ Luckily, I am a good swimmer, so I managed to keep my head out of the milk.

▪ Suddenly she began to walk faster to the car, keeping her head turned away from the direction of them.

keep your head above water

▪ Although I've been out of a job for three months, I've managed to keep my head above water.

▪ I'm just a pensioner, trying to keep my head above water.

▪ I work full time, but we're still just keeping our heads above water.

▪ If I get this raise, we'll just about keep our heads above water until next year.

▪ Schools throughout the county are struggling to keep their heads above water.

▪ But that will provide small comfort to poor people struggling now to keep their heads above water.

▪ Coun Bergg, we are happy to report, is alive and well and keeping his head above water.

▪ In reality, Diana was struggling to keep her head above water, let alone undertake a radical management restructuring programme.

▪ It became increasingly difficult to keep his head above water.

▪ Pensioners already fighting to keep their heads above water are being asked to pay extra council tax to fund the refugee crisis.

▪ The wind and waves pushed me along as I struggled to keep my head above water.

▪ We all do, really, and we're keeping our heads above water most beautifully.

keep your head down

▪ But real life, of course, teaches lesser men to keep their heads down and their mouths shut.

▪ Carla kept her head down as she approached the front door, glancing up briefly when the two officers introduced them-selves.

▪ Even his most bitter opponents are keeping their heads down.

▪ He kept his head down under fire, avoided trouble, trusted in luck to keep him alive.

▪ I have pain in my left shoulder when I keep my head down or in moving my left arm a lot.

▪ I kept my head down and pretended to be consuming the scraps left on my dish.

▪ I kept my head down and the heavy bag well to the fore as a protective shield.

▪ It was good advice to keep my head down in the early months.

keep your mind on sth

▪ With all the talk of job losses, I was having trouble keeping my mind on my work.

▪ All good nurses were trained to keep their minds on their jobs, but even good nurses were human.

▪ But I can not keep my mind on the movie, which now seems false and cloying.

▪ He was numbed by the thought of this imaginary food and could hardly keep his mind on what the Padre was saying.

▪ Let's keep our mind on the job at hand.

▪ On Friday, the day of the fair, I had a dreadful time keeping my mind on my work.

▪ Primo has been trying to keep his mind on what they are doing in this moment.

▪ You are going to be hard pushed to keep your mind on whatever you're doing Tuesday.

keep your mouth shut

▪ He just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

▪ You'd better keep your mouth shut about this.

▪ After the incident Ninham, of Hilda Street, gave both boys £5 and told them to keep their mouths shut.

▪ For one, a mistress who kept her mouth shut.

▪ I don't believe she could keep her mouth shut.

▪ If I would only keep my mouth shut more often, I thought, I would fit in better everywhere.

▪ In the end, I kept my mouth shut.

▪ It would be best to keep our mouths shut and let justice take its course.

▪ This is all from Gran so keep your mouth shut.

▪ You want to be off the record, keep your mouth shut.

keep your nose clean

▪ He's been sentenced to seven years in prison, but he'll be out in four if he keeps his nose clean.

▪ It's not a great job, but if you keep your nose clean, you should be promoted by the end of the year.

▪ But journalists are supposed to keep their noses clean, or at least tell us when they don't.

▪ But keep his nose clean and take their money, and he could have a marvellous life in Berlin.

keep your nose out (of sth)

▪ Keep your nose out of my business!

▪ You keep your nose out, you hear me?

keep your nose to the grindstone

keep your own counsel

▪ Even with those she loves most, Ginny tends to keep her own counsel.

▪ Amelia Earhart solved the problem her grandmother presented by keeping her own counsel.

▪ However, he may simply have been keeping his own counsel when talking to me out of a proper loyalty and caution.

▪ I keep my own counsel now, and my children are baffled by the new me.

▪ McLaren keeps his own counsel, being as reticent as Ferguson is gregarious.

▪ She is precisely the person to keep her own counsel for three hours.

▪ So, obediently she kept her own counsel.

▪ They were inscrutable, they kept their own counsel, and they were intelligent.

▪ To the end, he kept his own counsel.

keep your pecker up

▪ It's going to boil down to keeping your pecker up, looking on the best side of things.

keep your powder dry

keep your shirt on

keep your spirits/strength/morale etc up

▪ Crusty Bill boasts he's on a spicy vegetarian diet to keep his strength up for love.

▪ During the war years, it helped keep our spirits up and we need it again now.

▪ He had a strong sense of humour, and kept his spirits up.

▪ I had to keep my strength up.

▪ I told Tansy that she must keep her spirits up, that Rose might be needing her.

▪ She ate a little to keep her strength up.

keep your temper

▪ I knew they were trying to annoy me but I was determined to keep my temper.

▪ It took all her patience just to keep her temper.

▪ Police officers are expected to keep their tempers whatever people say to them.

▪ All you have to do is get up close, keep your temper, and shoot straight.

▪ For one, Chilcott had kept his temper, hoping to coax his niece round to his point of view.

▪ He kept his temper and signalled the other galley to turn to the shore at Drimnin, to do the repairs.

▪ How will I keep my temper?

▪ I should have kept my temper, she thought frantically.

▪ Susan told herself to keep her temper.

▪ We kept our tempers, as if patience wasn't something we maintained at the expense of our fading energies.

▪ When Felipe was grown up my father was wary and kept his temper.

keep your trap shut

▪ Tell him to keep his trap shut and let me ask the questions.

keep your/an ear to the ground

▪ I haven't heard any more news, but I'll keep my ear to the ground.

keep/leave your options open

▪ At the end of the season, I will keep my options open.

▪ Either way, you can keep your options open.

▪ Flexibility is key, keeping your options open.

▪ Many young people want to keep their options open.

▪ Some companies are keeping their options open on retaining or dumping anachronistic names.

▪ We must expect to be surprised in the future, and we must keep our options open.

▪ You need to keep your options open in order to change courses at a moment's notice.

kick up your heels

▪ Women in cowgirl outfits kicked up their heels before an audience of 24,000.

▪ BThey kicked up their heels, spun, twirled and got down till dawn.

▪ But perhaps you too are kicking up your heels elsewhere by now.

▪ She deserves to kick up her heels.

▪ This is your chance to kick up your heels and support this group of anonymous women artists.

▪ Women in white boots, short shorts and frilly cowgirl outfits kicked up their heels on it.

kick your heels

▪ For a guy like me to hang around kicking his heels ain't natural.

▪ I kicked my heels and ran my eye along the ruff of mountains surrounding Cuzco, like a tongue over broken teeth.

▪ I sat in the pie shop kicking my heels and pondering the problem.

▪ My son, I began to fear, was still kicking his heels on a fog-bound airport in Birmingham.

▪ That has set Crosby into conflict with Murray and left Armstrong kicking his heels instead of a football.

▪ The clash of steel jarred up his arm, then he kicked his heels back to force the stallion towards the road.

knacker your elbow/hand etc

knit your brows

know which side your bread is buttered on

know your limits

▪ I know my limits, and I'm not a great runner.

▪ Ford says she may be good at her job, but she knows her limits.

▪ The Profitboss does so much and no more, knowing his limits.

▪ These lunchtime drinkers know their limits, or at least most of them do.

know your own mind

▪ I'm in my mid-thirties and ought to know my own mind by now, but I'm scared of getting married.

▪ Though not yet 15, Sara knows her own mind, and has already decided on a career.

▪ All of which suggests a person who knows his own mind and makes his own decisions.

▪ He hardly knew his own mind, they said candidly among their own intimates.

▪ People often didn't know their own minds.

▪ Shirley giggled and said I was a woman who knew her own mind, wasn't I, Jim?

▪ You don't know your own mind.

know your place

▪ I'll get back to the kitchen then - I know my place!

▪ Everyone knew their place in the family, and Dad's was usually behind the newspaper.

▪ George W.. Bush knows his place in the 1996 presidential race.

▪ He knew his place, Shamlou mused contentedly.

▪ It ought to know its place, which ought not to be No. 1.

▪ Mitch and I know our place.

▪ She did not love him, but he knew his place.

▪ There was a lot to be said for knowing your place if you wanted help from Bloomsbury House.

▪ We know our place in this world.

know your way around sth

▪ And he knew his way around.

▪ Bike testers these days tend to know their way around a track.

▪ For he is convinced he knows his way around better than anyone else on earth.

▪ For those who have used soft chalk pastels and know their way around the tints I would advise loose pastels.

▪ Fortunately, I knew my way around cars.

▪ He knows his way around the course and, with any luck, I felt the ground would come up soft.

▪ The people had been friendly, and she had known her way around.

▪ They seemed to know their way around; at least one of them must have been familiar with the layout.

know/find out/learn etc sth to your cost

land on your feet

▪ Capra lost his job, but landed on his feet when Columbia Pictures hired him.

▪ After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.

▪ Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.

▪ He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.

▪ However he landed on his feet.

▪ This is a company that tends to land on its feet.

laugh up your sleeve

laugh/shout/scream etc your head off

▪ By this time Irene was emitting a steady gurgle of contentment, when she wasn't laughing her head off.

▪ If Hancock himself had been around, he would have doubtless squirmed as the audience laughed their heads off.

▪ Joey stood in the door laughing his head off and Noreen peered over his shoulder, her hands over her mouth.

▪ Louise: Ursula would have laughed her head off.

▪ Old Warleigh would laugh his head off if I put reasons like that to him.

▪ Then he tips her down and she's screaming her head off.

▪ Tony races past, laughing his head off.

▪ You were screaming your head off.

lay down your life

▪ He considered it a privilege to lay down his life for his country.

▪ He remembered the words of Izz Huett: She would have laid down her life for you.

▪ I would lay down my life for it.

▪ They had true grievances to settle and were ready to lay down their lives for vengeance.

lay your hands on sth

▪ Government reports, social legislation, anything she could lay her hands on that would better acquaint her with her work.

▪ He will sell anything he can lay his hands on in exchange for drugs, which includes any information he may have.

▪ I know exactly where to lay my hands on them.

▪ I like writing letters and reading anything I can lay my hands on!

▪ Kabari women use whatever birth control technology they can lay their hands on.

▪ Looters carried clothes out of shop windows along with anything else they could lay their hands on.

▪ Monday I felt driven to eat everything I could lay my hands on.

▪ Some one had to overturn the present political arrangements in the Limousin if he was ever to lay his hands on Hautefort.

learn/be taught sth at your mother's knee

lend (your) support (to sth)

▪ Elizabeth Hurley and Robert Wagner lend support.

▪ In these circumstances it was the business of responsible churchmen to lend support to the monarch in every way they could.

▪ President Clinton lent support to the bill Monday.

▪ She lends support to the ecumenical cause.

▪ Some psychoanalytic writing appears to lend support to these assumptions.

▪ These results lend support to the idea that tenascin alternative splice forms may also have functional significance at the protein level.

lend your name to sth

▪ Nintendo lends its name to new games developed by about 60 companies.

▪ But a more calculating side is emerging, where celebrities are almost being blackmailed into lending their names to causes.

▪ Can he lend his name to the petition without compromising his professional integrity?

▪ Is he actually involved, or just lending his name to it?

let sth slip (through your fingers)

▪ And on most of the occasions when they had been alone together he hadn't let a chance slip by.

▪ As an aside, the parties let it slip that the idea of a true playoff system had been scrapped.

▪ Attention creates the foreground of consciousness, letting the rest slip into peripheral awareness.

▪ Be careful lads not to let this one slip away!

▪ Colin, on the other hand, became discouraged and let things slip.

▪ He held it up, and let it slip between his fingers.

▪ The Celtics let this one slip away slowly, painfully and needlessly.

▪ Wrapped up with visions of kissing Deborah, I had ignored his bedtime rituals and let him slip away.

let your guard/defences down

▪ Never let your guard down was the only solace he offered.

▪ We must not let our defences down, Mrs Thatcher and other cautious voices would argue.

let your hair down

▪ Chat rooms on the Internet are a place we can let our hair down and say what we think.

▪ I spotted Juanita really letting her hair down on the dance floor.

▪ Playing softball is just a good way to let your hair down and have fun.

▪ You can really let your hair down and do what you want at the club.

▪ Among the many booksellers and publishers whom I spotted letting their hair down on the dance floor was independent publisher Christopher Hurst.

▪ He liked this: what his pub was all about, for people to let their hair down.

▪ In the second half Complicite let their hair down in their own inimitable way.

▪ Man's got ta let his hair down.

▪ Out in the pasture, the princess let her hair down.

▪ This was the day our friends let their hair down and spoke with amazing frankness.

▪ We know when we can afford to let our hair down and when we can't.

let your hair down

▪ Among the many booksellers and publishers whom I spotted letting their hair down on the dance floor was independent publisher Christopher Hurst.

▪ He liked this: what his pub was all about, for people to let their hair down.

▪ In the second half Complicite let their hair down in their own inimitable way.

▪ Man's got ta let his hair down.

▪ Out in the pasture, the princess let her hair down.

▪ This was the day our friends let their hair down and spoke with amazing frankness.

▪ We know when we can afford to let our hair down and when we can't.

lick your lips

▪ A rare, special smell that should have had her licking her lips and counting the hours until lunch.

▪ Digby could almost hear the commentators licking their lips.

▪ He licked his lips and looked at my laughing mouth.

▪ He bared his teeth and licked his lips, as Blackberry had done before the dead hedgehog on the road.

▪ Plummer licked his lips and frowned.

▪ She licked her lips and read fast.

▪ The other licks his lips, and stares at Slothrop.

lick your wounds

▪ The day after the election, many defeated conservatives were licking their wounds.

▪ At least we were in good hands while we licked our wounds.

▪ Eventually they would withdraw those investments, turn inward, lick their wounds, repair their factories, and bolster their stock.

▪ Feeling hurt, and wanting to lick her wounds in private, another sort of pride came to Fabia then.

▪ Real togetherness Einstein licked his wounds after his long drawn out battle with Bohr about the uncertainty principle.

▪ Sometimes they choose to lick their wounds in quiet or stay in a shut-down state, raging inward1y for years.

▪ The more time she had to lick her wounds, the better.

▪ We thought the murderous hordes were beaten and whimpering out in the jungles, licking their wounds.

line your own pockets

live by your wits

▪ The city's homeless live completely by their wits.

▪ Days when there were no news sensations the newsboys lived by their wits.

▪ Freddie lived by his wits and he was involved with many shady characters.

live out your life

▪ Egalitarian Rousseau lived out his life as the spoilt plaything of eccentric aristocrats.

▪ He began teaching philosophy at Harvard in 1882 and lived out his life as an eastern intellectual.

▪ John Morton lived out his life in Darvel, always respected by the people of the Irvine Valley.

▪ Our comfort is this: We will live out our lives enchanted by Claire, her spell never broken.

▪ She will find a way to live out her life without gangster Jackie.

▪ There, side by side, Amelia and Mary Ann would live out their lives.

look down your nose at sb/sth

▪ I can go in a shirt and jeans and no one looks down his nose at me.

▪ Besides, I didn't fancy going to the Chapel and having all the family looking down their noses at me.

▪ But I was not one to look down my nose at shabbiness.

▪ Don't look down their noses at you.

▪ Never had any man so looked down his nose at her.

▪ No more will I look down my nose at whining, spineless malcontents.

▪ Normally she looked down her nose at men and then ignored them unless they needed the sharp edge of her tongue.

▪ One who doesn't look down her nose at anybody.

▪ We looked down our noses at this pair of student hicks.

look to your laurels

loosen your grip/hold

▪ He made a choking noise, and Marco loosened his grip fractionally.

▪ I felt a shock charge through my hand and could not loosen my grip.

▪ Instead, he waited until the first fierce flood of tears had passed, then loosened his grip on her a little.

▪ It was on a block where he encountered three soldiers that he began to loosen his hold on the sequence.

▪ Richard first noticed me from across the street as he loosened his grip on the lamppost.

▪ The woman jabbed her cigarette into the man's face and he loosened his grip.

▪ When I loosened my grip on him he tried to run back toward Clarisa, stumbling and crawling.

▪ When there is none, he loosens his grip and turns away.

lose your bearings

▪ I was trying to get to the A22 and lost my bearings a bit in all the country lanes.

▪ She soon lost her bearings in the dense forest.

▪ We lost our bearings in the fog and ended up 30 miles from home.

▪ When Kelly left, the company began to lose its bearings.

▪ Among right-wing circles this perception simply intensified their existential feeling of Angst, of having lost their bearings.

▪ But as the world grew unfamiliar, I began to lose my bearings.

▪ He had lost his bearings on a trip to nearby shops a few weeks earlier.

▪ If you lost your bearings down here you might never get out.

▪ Perhaps it was exhausted, perhaps it had lost its bearings in the thick fog.

lose your cool

▪ Sam was a real gentleman who never lost his cool.

▪ But she was not the only one who was losing her cool.

▪ Gable lost his cool with his pal Spencer Tracy who often tested the patience of his peers.

▪ He lost his cool and kicked out two stumps during a frustrating day when he beat the bat consistently.

▪ I should not have lost my cool and behaved in that manner.

▪ In this situation, it hardly ever helps if you start shouting or losing your cool.

▪ Kenneth finally lost his cool with a photographer this morning, and threatened to hit him.

▪ Sometimes she lost her cool and I thought she stepped out of her role as therapist.

lose your grip

▪ Unfortunately, lately her mother seems to have lost her grip on reality.

▪ Half way through, the film loses its grip on the day-to-day reality in Northern Ireland.

▪ He began a forlorn final game by losing his grip on the racket altogether.

▪ He lost his grip and fell into the car's path.

▪ I had made loops to go over her wrists, I told her, so that she wouldn't lose her grip.

▪ If Perelman succeeded, Gutfreund, for the first time, would lose his grip on the firm.

▪ Niyazov does not appear to be losing his grip.

▪ They decide to go, too, but Frank has problems manoeuvring the car, whose tyres keep losing their grip.

▪ Whilst cutting her garden hedge with a chainsaw one recent summer, a woman slipped and lost her grip.

lose your head

▪ Actually, not all of the men had lost their heads.

▪ Buckingham lost his head over the matter.

▪ But he must not lose his head and try to make up the distance all at once.

▪ But you lose your head in this crazy hellhole, you do, and different rules apply.

▪ He made a sort of feeble pretence of being afraid that he might lose his head.

▪ I must be losing my head, she thought.

▪ The bull market in bonds finally lost its head of steam.

▪ There was always something around the corner if you didn't lose your head.

lose your head

▪ Actually, not all of the men had lost their heads.

▪ Buckingham lost his head over the matter.

▪ But he must not lose his head and try to make up the distance all at once.

▪ But you lose your head in this crazy hellhole, you do, and different rules apply.

▪ He made a sort of feeble pretence of being afraid that he might lose his head.

▪ I must be losing my head, she thought.

▪ The bull market in bonds finally lost its head of steam.

▪ There was always something around the corner if you didn't lose your head.

lose your life

▪ Hundreds of people lost their lives when the ship overturned in a storm.

▪ Over 100 soldiers lost their lives.

▪ Supporters continue to visit the site where Colosio lost his life to an assassin's bullet.

▪ Almost losing his life in his effort at reformation, Andrew joined the Theatines.

▪ At least ninety-three people lost their lives in the first days of fighting.

▪ Between 1641 and 1651 more than one in five adult males bore arms perhaps one in twenty lost their lives.

▪ I don't come within an inch of losing my life every day.

▪ It was no simple task to complete; one workman, thrown into the raging rapids below almost lost his life.

▪ Many princes tried and failed, and so they lost their lives.

▪ Nearly 80 journalists, photographers, and associated staff have lost their lives here since May 1993, killed by the fundamentalists.

▪ We mourn the tens of millions of people who lost their lives.

lose your marbles

▪ The old boy had lost his marbles somewhere along the line.

▪ The runner in question hasn't lost his marbles - he's just upholding an old and well-loved Lincolnshire tradition.

lose your mind

▪ What are you doing on the roof? Have you lost your mind?

▪ Either she was losing her mind, or she'd followed the wrong man.

▪ Is Roberto correct when he insists that he is innocent and she has lost her mind?

▪ Obviously she was losing her mind.

▪ PipThe Negro cabin boy who loses his mind when abandoned temporarily in the sea.

▪ Some victims feel they are losing their minds or are about to die.

▪ The musicians are completely losing their minds.

▪ There came a day shortly afterwards when I could no longer ignore the fact that he was losing his mind.

▪ What is not bogus is the position Selda Soyturk is in today because a guy lost his mind behind the wheel.

lose your temper

▪ As the argument escalated, Faison lost his temper completely.

▪ You should never lose your temper with the students - it'll only make things worse.

▪ Bunny wasn't the only one to lose his temper.

▪ Did he ever lose his temper, raise his voice?

▪ He ached with anger at himself for losing his temper once again.

▪ He obviously had impregnation on his mind, but by now Lydia had lost her temper and she told him to get stuffed.

▪ It worked, however, as it had worked when Eng lost his temper about some performing he thought listless.

▪ Once the door is closed, Mami loses her temper.

▪ Then, one day, she had lost her temper, completely, suddenly and, even to herself, shockingly.

▪ Why did he always choose to lose his temper over issues in which he was in the wrong?

lose your temper/cool/rag

▪ Bunny wasn't the only one to lose his temper.

▪ He obviously had impregnation on his mind, but by now Lydia had lost her temper and she told him to get stuffed.

▪ I should not have lost my cool and behaved in that manner.

▪ I then walked across to the photographers and lost my temper, lost my head.

▪ Never-absolutely never in my experience-did President Reagan really lose his temper or utter a rude or unkind word.

▪ She couldn't blame him for frightening Anna, for losing his temper with the child.

▪ That was plainly evident in the locker room, where Hostetler teetered on the brink of openly losing his temper.

▪ Why did he always choose to lose his temper over issues in which he was in the wrong?

lose your way/bearings

▪ I completely lose my bearings when I go outside the city.

▪ The Congressional black caucus has lost its way since Republicans took over Congress.

▪ When my wife left me, I kind of lost my bearings for a while.

▪ Among right-wing circles this perception simply intensified their existential feeling of Angst, of having lost their bearings.

▪ But somehow, in the zeal to get re-elected, we lost our way.

▪ He had lost his bearings on a trip to nearby shops a few weeks earlier.

▪ He lit another cigarette and left, losing his way at the end of the corridor.

▪ I am about to lose my way.

▪ John had a mission to become an entrepreneur, but he went out without a road map and almost lost his way.

▪ She claimed she had somehow been placed on an ocean liner that had lost its way at sea.

lower your eyes/head

▪ A nurse took her arm and led her to a chair, commanding her to lower her head.

▪ Gao Yang lowered his head, sending drops of cooled sweat sliding Jown the tree to the ground.

▪ He lowered his head on to the table; the marble felt fresh in contact with his flushed skin.

▪ It made a small noise in its nostrils, then lowered its head slightly, as if bowing to her.

▪ Kathleen Lavender lowered her head, in tears of distress.

▪ The horse must be taught to lower his head and find balance on his hocks.

▪ When Ray finished, he passed the microphone and lowered his head.

▪ When we meet, she lowers her head and scoots by, but I can see the tears in her eyes.

make (your) peace with sb

▪ A long time ago, I made peace with the state of Virginia and the South....

▪ For almost 20 years, she struggled to make peace with the past.

▪ Her main motive was simple: to retrieve the ring and thereby enable Rick to make peace with his family.

▪ Only Alik seems to have made peace with his upbringing.

▪ Some ODers even made peace with Theory X executives who were willing to back their efforts.

make a/your pile

▪ He did not make his pile opening bazaars you feel sure.

▪ Then gently place the children into the helter-skelter, and make a pile of mats at the bottom.

make good your escape

▪ Angel One and his followers had made good their escape.

▪ At all events the pursuit came to a sudden halt and Henry was able to make good his escape in peace.

▪ By the time they had sorted out the confusion and given chase, the woman had made good her escape.

▪ He opened the door and prepared to make good his escape.

▪ Instead, she made good her escape, bolting the galley door so that he could not follow her.

▪ Only the timely arrival of a window-cleaner enabled Branson to make good his escape.

▪ Salim makes good his escape on the steamer - bound, we take it, for his bride.

▪ The next morning it was found that General Sedgwick had made good his escape and removed his bridges....

make it your business to do sth

▪ Ruth made it her business to get to know the customers.

▪ But before you leave I suggest that you make it your business to find out.

▪ I made it my business to be there at dinner the following day.

▪ I make it my business to acquaint myself with where objects properly belong in a house.

▪ Increasingly, companies are making it their business to develop programs for serving both the worker and the bottom line.

▪ Quinn knew this because he had made it his business to know such things.

▪ She made it her business to find out.

▪ These villagers - of course they would make it their business to know anyone who was rich and whose father lived so near!

▪ They made it their business to worm a curl of something out of you.

make sth your own

▪ At this last, Seton left them, to make for his own castle near Cockenzie, with his terrible news.

▪ Brucha has lived in his off-trail shack for 14 years, and in that time, he has made it his own.

▪ Her sincerity made me doubt my own version of events.

▪ Over the years he continued to make something distinctively his own of the solo that he thought of as a poem.

▪ Some researchers have been able to make use of their own skills to gain access to a group.

▪ The exquisite creation they had made of their own lives blinded them to the aspirations of less fortunate men and women.

▪ The shape it made created its own following silence, and they sat, both in the ease of it.

▪ Wonder if this might be right moment to make arrangements for my own.

make up your mind/make your mind up

make your apologies

▪ Bodie hesitated only briefly before making his apologies and walking away.

▪ It might be wisest to make her apologies and go home.

make your blood curdle

make your excuses

▪ How dared he stand her up - and then get that woman to phone and make his excuses?

▪ I made my excuses and departed soon after that.

▪ I made my excuses and left before Grant Watson remembered I owed him an essay.

▪ I made my excuses and left.

▪ Two-thirds of those summoned for jury service do not turn up, some making their excuses, some not bothering.

▪ Valerie Jones made her excuses and left - she had had more than enough coffee.

▪ We made our excuses and left.

▪ We make our excuses, in fact.

make your mouth water

▪ The thought of bacon and eggs made her mouth water.

▪ Acidity: this is the quality in lemon juice that makes your mouth water.

▪ It fair makes your mouth water.

▪ It made your mouth water even though you'd seen how it was made!

▪ Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

▪ The Brewhouse Theatre offers year-round entertainment and a wide choice of restaurants make your mouth water.

▪ The thought of a sandwich made her mouth water.

make your presence felt

▪ Bruce wasted little time making his presence felt by scoring in the first ten minutes of the game.

▪ A sense of urgency begins to make its presence felt.

▪ After two miles of road, and maybe the first blisters and unknown muscles making their presence felt, came the test!

▪ But Kiker quickly made his presence felt.

▪ Eva was more used to making her presence felt.

▪ In music, art, architecture, and so on, they make their presence felt.

▪ She was a very pretty girl and made her presence felt almost at once.

▪ Some ant cuckoo females make their presence felt in more dramatic fashion.

▪ There were also other things moving around and making their presence felt.

make your way

▪ As I made my way back to the Métro I felt a sort of heightened awareness.

▪ Bleeped for a naughty word during the telecast, Morissette did not make her way backstage to answer questions.

▪ Christine says, not knowing what to expect from the party making its way down the street.

▪ Dragging the door shut, she made her way towards the stairs.

▪ Finally she turned round and, slowly and very reluctantly, began to make her way back towards the house.

▪ Rising slowly like an automaton, she made her way over to the counter and picked up the receiver.

▪ Slowing to seventy, he made his way home.

▪ When that evening she made her way up to Helen's flat, she found that Edward was there.

make your/an entrance

▪ The hero doesn't make his entrance until Act II, Scene 2.

▪ With her long fur coat, she always made a dramatic entrance.

▪ Dominic used to love making an entrance.

▪ Drunk or crazy, the tall man had made an entrance worthy of Henry Irving.

▪ Frankie tells the audience how the Producers had wanted him to make an entrance by sliding down a fireman's pole!

▪ With the separation and distinction, light and life can make an entrance.

make/leave your mark

▪ Accompanied by his wife and stepson, he headed south, leaving his mark as a burglar.

▪ But the company left its mark.

▪ His great predecessors made their marks with bold deeds.

▪ Inevitably, perhaps, Jasper Johns's renowned Target is here and undeniably yet again succeeds in making its mark.

▪ It was here in Iowa in 1988 that the new religious right first made its mark in national politics.

▪ Its competition made their marks by being faster and easier to use.

▪ Stop Hinkley Expansion had made its mark.

▪ The grey streets of London and a Western society on which the permissive 1960s had made its mark were small compensation.

me and my big mouth/you and your big mouth etc

meet your Waterloo

▪ Olivia was just about to meet her Waterloo, and I couldn't bear it.

meet your Waterloo

meet your death/end

▪ If the ropes do jam then please remember that the great Giusto Gervasutti met his death during just such a retrieval operation.

▪ In that position Buddha met his end.

▪ Medieval representation of Frederick Barbarossa as a crusader, the role in which he met his death.

▪ No officer convicted of plotting against him met his end at the hands of the firing squad.

▪ Strange coincidence, the same place where Whitton had met his death.

▪ The last band met its end in 1906, in the Chiricahuas.

▪ When a herring meets its end, it is usually in the mouth of a bigger fish or a in a net.

meet your eyes

▪ Firm fingers turned her head round, and helplessly she met his eyes.

▪ He dared not meet her eye.

▪ I prompted gently, meeting his eyes.

▪ Nothing in the three villagers' long but sheltered past could have prepared them for the horrendous sight that met their eyes.

▪ She met his eyes, and there was a fire burning there.

▪ The sight that met his eyes sent a spasm of horror through him.

meet your maker

▪ At last the father fell down on to the pavement completely exhausted and convinced he was going to meet his maker there and then.

▪ I constantly sought cover from a host of opportunities to meet my Maker.

▪ I guess Big Willie means for you to meet your Maker.

▪ This, their last wish, was respected, and George and Joseph went to meet their maker hand in hand.

meet your maker

▪ At last the father fell down on to the pavement completely exhausted and convinced he was going to meet his maker there and then.

▪ I constantly sought cover from a host of opportunities to meet my Maker.

▪ I guess Big Willie means for you to meet your Maker.

▪ This, their last wish, was respected, and George and Joseph went to meet their maker hand in hand.

meet your match

▪ I slowly started to realize I had met my match in Nigel.

▪ It seems Connoly's finally met her political match.

▪ She's a good player but she'll meet her match when she plays Sara.

▪ All that changes when she meets her match in Doug.

▪ And, in any case, I think she realised she had met her match.

▪ But in political lobbyist Palmer Stoat he meets his match.

▪ But they met their match in Ryde School from the Isle of Wight, who pipped them for victory.

▪ He has met his match, and probably better.

▪ It seemed on this occasion she had met her match.

▪ It was low tide at St Catherine's Dock, and the Thames was about to meet its match.

▪ Well, this time you've met your match, Adam Burns.

melt in your mouth

▪ Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

▪ Crisp, without the slightest hint of being greasy, it both crunches and melts in your mouth.

▪ From the look of her, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth!

▪ However, when you meet Sean Young she's disarmingly polite and looks as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

▪ She may look like a fire-breathing dragon, but butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

▪ The meat is juicy and salty, peppery around the edges, and just soft enough to melt in your mouth.

▪ These eggs melt in your mouth.

mend (your) fences

▪ Is it too late to mend fences with your ex-wife?

▪ Security has tightened since the bombing, but the royal family has tried to mend fences.

▪ Voice over Stephen Morgan wants to mend fences with the council not build obstacles.

mend your ways

▪ If he doesn't mend his ways he'll be in jail by the time he's eighteen.

▪ It's possible the college might take you back, but first you'll have to convince them you've mended your ways.

▪ The Communist Party committees tried to 're-educate' him but he refused to mend his ways.

▪ And attempts to mend its ways are running into trouble.

▪ As a result of this report the caretaker was informed that if he did not mend his ways he would be discharged.

▪ More recently, and equally significantly, the colony's stock market had mended its ways.

▪ More uniform arrangements will allow good schools to flourish, they say, while forcing bad ones to mend their ways.

▪ She wrote back in an unusually cheery vein in-tended to demonstrate, I suppose, that she was mending her ways.

▪ This makes it less likely that investors would encourage a dissolute borrower to mend its ways by withholding finance.

mind your manners/language/p's and q's

mind your own business

▪ I wish you'd stop interfering and mind your own business.

▪ Folks in Montana tend to value their privacy, to the point that minding your own business is considered a virtue.

▪ He also fired his lawyer and told civil libertarians to mind their own business.

▪ He had not minded his own business as a man of seventy in New York should do.

▪ His life had been well-ordered and reasonably happy, he thought, by minding his own business.

▪ I asked her if he'd returned home and she told me to mind my own business.

▪ I was minding my own business, sleeping, when I heard something.

▪ She hoped he didn't interpret them as telling him to mind his own business.

▪ Then I felt a fool and decided to leave it and mind my own business.

muff your lines

▪ They won't muff their lines or fall short in a crisis.

muscle your way into/through etc sth

▪ But other alleged triad leaders used violence to muscle their way into the business, according to the police.

▪ Guliaggi and Norrejo are muscling their way through the mob.

my/his/your etc word

nail your colours to the mast

name your price

▪ While they have consistently refused to name their price, they value their captain much higher than that.

need some (more) meat on your bones

▪ Matt, you need some more meat on your bones!

none of your beeswax

not be your cup of tea

▪ Game shows just aren't my cup of tea.

not be your scene

not bother yourself/not bother your head

not hold your breath

▪ Wall Street is not holding its breath waiting for a new deal.

not know your arse from your elbow

not know your own strength

not let sb out of your sight

▪ Stay here, and don't let the baby out of your sight.

not let the grass grow under your feet

not mince (your) words

▪ Helmut didn't mince any words in his criticism of the department.

▪ Blue does not mince words, however.

▪ Let's not mince words, Cathal Coughlan is the most compulsively watchable frontman in Britain today.

▪ That was the great thing about country music, it did not mince words.

not on your life

not on your nelly

▪ Not dad, not on your Nelly!

not pull any/your punches

not soil your hands

▪ Keep your drug money - I wouldn't want to soil my hands with it.

not your usual self

not/never in your wildest dreams

▪ But never in my wildest dreams did I expect such a transformation as this.

of your acquaintance

▪ Ms. Nichols is a writer of my acquaintance.

▪ A senior international referee of my acquaintance was standing nearby and confirmed my opinion.

▪ Few hackers of my acquaintance smoke.

▪ He looked around, and identified several of his acquaintances who might just have the information he needed.

▪ Instead, she was obliged to subscribe to Emerson's misleading account of their acquaintance.

▪ It seems that in the view of some of her acquaintances, Leapor was simply an ugly woman.

▪ Most men of my acquaintance revel in happy ignorance when it comes to knowing plans and dates for the weeks ahead.

▪ These colonies are millstones around our necks, as a noble lord of my acquaintance once said.

▪ Unfortunately, many of their acquaintances in the university showed considerable sensitivity to this latter mission of the Volunteers.

of your own volition

▪ Deena left the company of her own volition.

▪ But not of his own volition.

▪ Either you go down there of your own volition or I strangle you with my two bare hands.

▪ In the end Frank and I met of our own volition.

▪ Note that it is not possible to apply for a family assistance order; the court must act of its own volition.

▪ One gentleman has fled the country of his own volition, using yet another identity.

▪ The court does not, of its own volition, enquire into the merits of the case.

▪ There are tales of clanking chains and doors which open and close of their own volition.

▪ Very well; sometimes society changes for the good purely of its own volition.

off the top of your head

▪ ""How old is Chris?" "I don't know off the top of my head."

▪ "Do you remember her name?" "Not off the top of my head."

▪ "How much is the house worth?" "Off the top of my head, I'd say it's worth maybe $160,000."

▪ There are some good restaurants around here, but I can't tell you their names off the top of my head.

▪ I keep doing stuff off the top of my head.

▪ In my imagination, I can lift off the top of my head, just like a lid.

▪ It was all off the top of my head.

off your feet

▪ It was a relief to get off my feet for a while.

▪ The doctor told me to stay off my feet for a few days.

▪ But the stories never swept the reading public off its feet the way the Sherlock Holmes tales did.

▪ He kind of swept me off my feet.

▪ He was in livery, and told me he was rushed off his feet.

▪ The boys aim only to get one over on the girls while the girls dream of being romantically swept off their feet.

▪ They have not, therefore, been swept off their feet.

▪ They placed a lavatory chain around his neck and hoisted him off his feet.

▪ We were rushed off our feet yesterday.

offer your hand (to sb)

▪ An old woman sat veiled in black in a corner; toward whom people nodded or quickly offered their hand.

▪ Delia Sutherland offered her hand to a young girl in an overall.

▪ Jotan was getting slowly to his feet, offering his hand to Arkhina.

▪ We have offered our hand again and again.

▪ When I look down toward his waist, I see that he has covertly offered his hand.

offload your worries/emotions/problems etc

▪ It would be nice to have been able to offload your worries on to some one or something like that.

on the edge of your seat

▪ The movie's last scenes kept us on the edge of our seats.

▪ Chesarynth perched on the edge of her seat, fearing a poisoned needle in the cushions.

▪ From the moment he took the rostrum, Gergiev had his musicians tensely perched on the edge of their seats.

▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.

▪ This dramatic opening had me on the edge of my seat!

▪ This keeps you on the edge of your seat.

▪ We're on the edge of our seats.

on the edge of your seat

▪ Chesarynth perched on the edge of her seat, fearing a poisoned needle in the cushions.

▪ From the moment he took the rostrum, Gergiev had his musicians tensely perched on the edge of their seats.

▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.

▪ This dramatic opening had me on the edge of my seat!

▪ This keeps you on the edge of your seat.

▪ We're on the edge of our seats.

on the tip of your tongue

on the/your way out

▪ A group of soldiers pushed past him on their way out.

▪ Alive three years ago, now all of them gone or on their way out.

▪ But drive-ins are on the way out.

▪ I fixed an interview time with Sylvia on my way out. 7 Emily Lightbody came back to work the following Monday.

▪ It also looks like Shutt is on his way out ... bit of a shame really.

▪ She hadn't merely failed to notice it on her way out.

▪ The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.

▪ You would carry this in your sock and give it back to the man, reclaiming your clothes on your way out.

on the/your/its way

▪ A University is not some great machine which trundles on its way, going blindly about its purposes.

▪ Litchfield got up and patted his arm on the way to the closet.

▪ One member of the team must drink a pint of beer at the start and consume another four on the way.

▪ She looked at Bill questioningly, as though expecting him to confess on the way to the cemetery.

▪ The Community is now on the way to solving these problems on the following lines.

▪ The second went beyond this: it focused on the way archaeologists explain things, on the procedures used in archaeological reasoning.

▪ There is turbulence on the way back.

▪ They did not talk any more on the way to the hospital.

on tiptoe/on (your) tiptoes

on your back

▪ For a lew moments I lay spread-eagled on my back, unable to change position.

▪ Forget Michelangelo, lying on his back high above the Sistine Chapel floor to paint his famous frescoes.

▪ He lay grinning up at me on the water, spreadeagled on his back with his arms splayed.

▪ He took Deianira on his back and in midstream insulted her.

▪ It appears to be a board-room decision and not his so let's not get on his back too quick.

▪ She lay on her back and laughed at the sky.

▪ Thousands of people have been practicing step aerobics, but over-enthusiasm could leave them flat on their backs.

on your bike!

on your conscience

▪ At least, he felt, an act of Providence had prevented him from having a death on his conscience.

▪ I have something on my conscience that I want to get off before I die.

▪ It has been on my conscience ever since.

▪ It is a terrible thing to have on your conscience.

▪ No female could live with that on her conscience.

▪ Rest it on your conscience if you wine and dine your lover and claim client entertainment.

▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.

on your feet

▪ She'd been on her feet all morning without once sitting down.

▪ You go. I've been on my feet all day, and I need a rest.

▪ A correspondent from the New York Times was on his feet.

▪ A socialist youth was on his feet, roaring with all the force and outrage of his years.

▪ Daley was on his feet, his arms waving, his mouth working.

▪ He was on his feet, gathering up books from his desk.

▪ He was on his feet, holding out his hand to Nick who went to him and took it trustingly.

▪ I was on my feet in the darkness, dressing quietly.

▪ The crowd was on its feet.

▪ The ones she had just knocked down were on their feet again, hopping on the steps around her.

on your guard

▪ But there are many cases where the merging of meanings are more and we have to be on our guard.

▪ I must always be on my guard.

▪ Police urged racegoers to be on their guard after six separate incidents of forged £20 notes were reported on the first day.

▪ That and Nils, to keep her on her guard.

▪ The boys in the institution had all been on their guard, searching for a way out.

▪ We'd better keep on our guard, all of us.

▪ Well, she had been warned, so she would be on her guard.

▪ When you read anything that any anthropologist has written on the topic of kinship terminology be on your guard.

on your honour

▪ Auguste would take it as a reflection on his honour if they were not, despite the unseasonable time of year.

▪ But I have placed the boy on his honour.

▪ They are a wild, free-spirited people, quick-tempered as Elves go, and swift to avenge any stain on their honour.

on your knees

▪ But now the Captain was on his knees beside the coffin praying.

▪ He gave no trouble and sat with his head down and his elbows on his knees, hands loose and empty.

▪ McAllister should be on his knees after a gruelling month at Elland Road.

▪ Painfully she wallows down on her knees and without diffidence soaps and rinses me all over.

▪ Pausing outside his living room door, he switched on the hall light and crouched down on his knees.

▪ Pearl had sat straight in her chair; her hands overturned on her knees.

▪ When I saw him a week later he got down on his knees and asked me to forgive him what he done.

▪ You know the lasting image: Hendrix on his knees, summoning fire from a flaming Stratocaster guitar.

on your last legs

▪ Sarah looks as if she's on her last legs.

▪ His exit, when he truly is on his last legs, is his most effective gambit.

▪ It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.

▪ It was a nightmare, anyone reading the papers would think I was on my last legs.

▪ Martin Glimmer is the 50-something horn player on his last legs.

▪ The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.

▪ The fenders flapped in the breeze, and the engine coughed and wheezed like an old man on his last legs.

▪ Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.

on your mark(s), get set, go!

on your mettle

▪ He had been on his mettle throughout.

▪ He thinks this keeps him on his mettle, but it often leaves him at a loss for the right word.

▪ I see now that it was just his way of keeping me on my mettle and making sure I didn't get big-headed.

▪ Variations in response put you on your mettle.

on your own account

▪ Carrie decided to do a little research on her own account.

▪ Although his ministers were never permitted to decide matters on their own account, Victor Amadeus delegated wide administrative powers to them.

▪ But if the operators are set against discounting it will not prevent the agencies from doing some on their own account.

▪ He advanced large sums to Parliament and later invested heavily on his own account in the purchase of bishops' lands.

▪ He was going to miss old Mr Schofield and he was disappointed on his own account too.

▪ In 1862 Smith set up in business on his own account.

▪ The company imposed regulations on its members, but individuals still traded on their own account.

▪ They may not set up in practice on their own account for a further three years.

on your own head be it

on your tod

▪ I had just had three weeks on my tod with company only in Reykjavik campsite.

on your/sb's mind

▪ But Alvin had a good deal else on his mind.

▪ But those who succeed him will have no such hold on hearts and minds, nor the same unity of purpose.

▪ Expansion is very much on the mind of Hahn, and always has been.

▪ I want to ask him about Gloria, but he has other things on his mind.

▪ It was probably inappropriate, dumb, or even rude, but it was the persistent question on my mind.

▪ Robyn lay, eyes closed, and concentrated on keeping her mind blank and her body relaxed.

▪ The last time I won was here and I had that on my mind most of the week.

▪ Visitors who come with only escape on their minds usually leave with a Chan Chich bird list.

on/about your person

▪ At the time he died he was carrying the bomb on his person.

▪ Away to the police surgeon to be probed for invisible cells hidden about her person.

▪ Don't worry, he's not about to escape with film concealed about his person.

▪ Her long blonde hair tumbled artistically about her person.

▪ His favourite weapons are a.357 Desert Eagle, which he always carries on his person, and a Franchi Spas shotgun.

▪ I distributed them properly about my person, and put on my hat.

▪ We healed them with our doctor's hands and placed them about our person.

on/by your lonesome

▪ Are you by your lonesome this weekend?

open your heart (to sb)

▪ For her part, she felt that he was some one to whom she could open her heart and who would understand.

▪ He was close to tears when he started to read a statement in which he opened his heart as never before.

▪ Just allow your intuitive faculties to operate, open your heart and be honest with yourself and the landscape.

▪ Robbie opened his heart after a secret charity gig at London's Equinox club on Thursday.

▪ She thought about it and decided it was a sign, and what it meant was: open your heart.

▪ Three quarters of all the teenagers questioned would open their hearts at home.

▪ We opened our hearts and wept.

open your mind (to sth)

▪ As the days go by open your mind to what is going on around you - what are other people's goals?

▪ He opened his mind to the sounds of the city.

▪ If you open your mind, then you see it really does have feeling.

▪ Television is a powerful force to bring people together to entertain, to educate, to open our minds and hearts.

▪ The overall influence of Seattle opened his mind on a few things.

▪ Very soon the research opened my mind to more subtle ideas.

▪ We are duty-bound to search, question, open our minds.

▪ We must break down the barriers of conditioning and open our minds to far higher goals.

open your mouth

▪ If you can get people to relax, they're more likely to open their mouths and talk.

▪ Angrily she opened her mouth to protest but at that moment the door opened and David appeared.

▪ Even I wouldn't realise until they opened their mouths - which was only to sing the malai national anthem.

▪ He stared, he threw back his head in glad greeting and opened his mouth.

▪ He would croak if he opened his mouth, so he kept it shut.

▪ I opened my mouth to shout for help, but nothing came out.

▪ If you have to be sure before you dare open your mouth, most people are going to stay quiet.

▪ She stumbled to her feet, clutching the eiderdown around her, and opened her mouth to call to them.

▪ The baby robins, scrub jays, finches, sparrows and starlings opened their mouths wide in anticipation.

our/your friend

▪ Our friend with the loud voice is back.

our/your/their differences

▪ By looking to the Bible and seeking spiritual guidance, he is taking steps to reconcile our differences.

▪ Despite our differences, I had no need or desire to slam the new administration.

▪ If our needs conflict I am certainly ready to explore our differences and I may be prepared to compromise.

▪ In recent weeks the two groups had buried their differences to stage joint armed protests across the country.

▪ So do you think that we could put our differences aside for just one evening?

▪ We discussed our differences and agreed to call an armistice.

▪ When you are weighing up which lender to go to for your loan, you ignore their differences at your peril.

out of your shell

▪ Middleschoolers, their teachers tell me, are as endearing as chicks just pecking out of their shells.

▪ Mones, for example, began peeking out of his shell of mortification.

outlive its/your usefulness

▪ And when they have outlived their usefulness, they are slaughtered or sold cheaply for lab experiments.

▪ By contrast, the over-hyped Times Guide to 1992 now seems to have outlived its usefulness.

▪ Daniels said a number of programs that were being recommended for elimination had outlived their usefulness while others had never been successful.

▪ Even the message on the answering machine has outlived its usefulness, providing no current or future information.

▪ I question, personally, whether these inspectors have not outlived their usefulness.

▪ In his view peace conferences were a waste of time; the old elm had outlived its usefulness.

▪ In order to enhance his credibility Fedora was allowed to expose John Vassall who by then had outlived his usefulness.

▪ It also includes discouraging cultural traits that have outlived their usefulness and may be otherwise harmful to society.

outstay/overstay your welcome

▪ Either way, the free sections often seem to outstay their welcome.

▪ I had been there almost two hours, and had perhaps overstayed my welcome.

▪ I never overstayed my welcome and always dreamed up some excuse if any of them suggested meeting me outside working hours.

▪ It would be senseless to overstay their welcome.

▪ Some parts of her book overstay their welcome.

▪ We complain if a band stays away too long; we complain if they outstay their welcome.

overplay your hand

▪ By opposing even a moderate ban on assault weapons, the gun lobby has overplayed its hand.

▪ Eventually, however, Safdarjung overplayed his hand.

▪ If his opponents were intent on overplaying their hand, it could only improve his position with the cardinal.

▪ Should she spell it out to him, or would that fatally overplay her hand?

▪ The unions overplayed their hand in the end.

▪ This drove a much harder bargain and, it has been suggested, represents the moment at which Edward overplayed his hand.

pack your bags

▪ She should pack her bags and go back where she came from.

▪ Tell him that if he doesn't shape up, he can pack his bags.

▪ A third group have packed their bags and are ready to travel immediately as the snow falls.

▪ And if Clinton wins it, George Bush can start packing his bags.

▪ In March his doctor told him to pack his bags and go to sunny Arizona for a long rest.

▪ Mr Wijeratne has suggested that civilians in the area - a million of them - should pack their bags and leave.

▪ So, once again, Erhardt will be packing his bags.

▪ Then I recall that I forgot to bring it with me when I packed my bags in Boston.

▪ They packed their bags, sold the house and left me: I got that news in prison.

▪ They returned to their hotel, packed their bags, and left for Penn Station to catch a train for Washington.

pack your bags

▪ A third group have packed their bags and are ready to travel immediately as the snow falls.

▪ And if Clinton wins it, George Bush can start packing his bags.

▪ In March his doctor told him to pack his bags and go to sunny Arizona for a long rest.

▪ Mr Wijeratne has suggested that civilians in the area - a million of them - should pack their bags and leave.

▪ So, once again, Erhardt will be packing his bags.

▪ Then I recall that I forgot to bring it with me when I packed my bags in Boston.

▪ They packed their bags, sold the house and left me: I got that news in prison.

▪ They returned to their hotel, packed their bags, and left for Penn Station to catch a train for Washington.

paddle your own canoe

pay your last respects (to sb)

▪ At the graveside, a volley of shots ... before a Hercules flew overhead to pay its last respects.

▪ Many thousands paid their last respects to Dubcek at his funeral in Bratislava on Nov. 15.

▪ The Krays, Richardsons, and many more villains had come to pay their last respects.

▪ This was quite a normal thing at that time and neighbours would call to pay their last respects.

pay your way

▪ Pfeiffer worked as a shipping clerk to pay his way through college.

▪ But, in spite of the considerable effort and investment, it has for many years failed to pay its way.

▪ Finally, I offered to become an air hostess to pay my way, and this time, received an immediate reply.

▪ His father is paying his way.

▪ If education postpones such dependency it will have paid its way.

▪ It was an important principle that these housing schemes should pay their way.

▪ It wasn't often that men shrugged off her attempts to pay her way.

▪ Octavia Hill believed, with most other Victorians, that housing should pay its way to her, housing subsidies were unthinkable.

▪ They either pay their way, or they go.

pick your feet up

▪ Ronnie, stop shuffling and pick your feet up.

pick your nose

▪ Davey, don't pick your nose!

▪ Centuries later the light brought two of the shepherds, the tall one picking his nose, and Douthwaite smirking.

▪ Edwina Currie was opening her post, Sir James Spicer was picking his nose.

▪ He wouldn't be allowed to fart or pick his nose or put his feet on the table.

▪ I just saw a man trying not to pick his nose behind his newspaper!

▪ Please don't pick your nose at the table.

▪ The toilet stank of urine, and at one point a chef was seen picking his nose while preparing food.

▪ The young Eric was looking away and picking his nose, looking bored.

▪ You have to watch them picking their noses.

pick your teeth

▪ Hands to muzzle, he delicately picked his teeth.

▪ He began to pick his teeth with a toothpick.

▪ He was picking his teeth with a match while some one on the phone talked his ear off.

▪ The man sawed very quickly with one hand and picked his teeth with the other hand.

▪ There was a long pause while he picked his teeth and looked down into the seat of his chair.

▪ They were there at lunchtime and still there in the evening, just reading, picking their teeth, and watching.

▪ Well, pop a mint, our friends, head for the hills, and pick your teeth with a mesquite twig.

▪ Woolley picked his teeth with a matchstick.

pick your way through/across/among etc sth

▪ Hardly glancing at Berowne's body Dalgliesh picked his way across the carpet to Harry Mack and squatted beside him.

▪ I picked my way through the noisy tables and went into the Gents.

▪ Publishers and booksellers will have to pick their way through a landscape made strange and problematic by change.

▪ So four of us took our stirrup pumps and torches and picked our way through what was a minefield.

▪ The Arvins came picking their way through rubble, nervous as rats, poking people aside with the barrels of their M-16s.

▪ There was just one lock, and I picked my way through it with ease.

▪ They picked their way through broken pieces of furniture, their feet crunching across splintered glass and wood.

▪ We pick our way across the cement floor and into the battered portacabin.

pin your hopes/faith on sth/sb

▪ Duregar pinned his hopes on Dwarven determination to keep the army safe.

▪ He seems to pin his hopes on it.

▪ Ministers are pinning their hopes on a big spending Christmas this year to give the High Street and struggling businesses a boost.

▪ Stores, pinning their hopes on a brighter Christmas, were cheerful.

▪ This year it is pinning its hopes on an 8% uplift in passenger growth to around the 82m mark.

▪ Those who pin their hopes on highly specified, short range solutions may or may not get it right.

▪ Treacy is pinning his hopes on Derry again falling victim to a goal famine of crisis proportions.

pique your interest/curiosity

▪ The tour of the hospital piqued her interest in studying medicine.

▪ But organization is not the arena that piques my interest most.

▪ But something innkeeper Darlene Elders said over breakfast piqued their interest.

▪ But three recent cases are piquing our interest, and analysts say they may signal new and more venal form of corruption.

▪ Then he told me something that piqued my curiosity.

▪ What we want to do first, though, is to pique your interest by sharing some of the accomplishments.

pit your wits against sb

▪ Jill and Oz will pit their wits against each other, as they try to identify mystery wines.

play to your strengths

play your cards close to your chest

▪ Roslin, known for playing his cards close to his vest, declined to comment.

play your cards right

▪ If you play your cards right, you might get them to reduce the price.

▪ Oh, no - she knew how to play her cards right.

▪ The domino effect can work for us as well as against us if we play our cards right.

▪ This could all turn out for the best if he played his cards right.

play your cards right

▪ Oh, no - she knew how to play her cards right.

▪ The domino effect can work for us as well as against us if we play our cards right.

▪ This could all turn out for the best if he played his cards right.

play/keep your cards close to your chest

plight your troth

▪ Of course, if everyone knew their partners inside out, there's a good chance no-one would ever plight their troth.

pluck your eyebrows

▪ Because you can lose your mind staying in two rooms, and so I fix my hair and pluck my eyebrows.

▪ She could even pluck her eyebrows!

▪ She did not even like to pluck her eyebrows in his presence.

ply your trade

▪ A number of drug dealers ply their trade in the park.

▪ But it is up front where the experts ply their trade and both Ian Wright and Les Ferdinand are bouncing with confidence.

▪ But then, as a free agent, he must have a warm climate in which to ply his trade.

▪ Complaints Police have received scores of complaints about dealers openly plying their trade in front of small children on street corners.

▪ In earlier days a lady barber plied her trade here, Belle Kendal by name.

▪ She is only plying her trade.

▪ There was Captain Show, a seemingly respectable ex-army man, who plied his trade around the Sunningdale area of the moor.

▪ Tom was not the only preacher plying his trade that day.

point your toes

▪ What do they do besides wave their arms and point their toes?

poke your nose into sth

▪ Or maybe they resented a stranger poking his nose into their affairs?

pop into your head/mind

▪ A line from an old drinking song popped into his head.

▪ And Arnie was the first lie that popped into her head.

▪ Funny, the sort of things which popped into your head.

▪ List these assets and liabilities at random as they pop into your mind or as they are suggested to you by others.

▪ Whenever the question of whether or not she needed him popped into her head, Constance conveniently ducked it.

pop your clogs

▪ The only way a girl gets stuff is if her dad pops his clogs and leaves her a few bob.

powder your nose

▪ You get the drinks in - I'll just go and powder my nose.

▪ After the main course Vanessa disappeared to powder her nose.

▪ One way or another, I had drunk quite a bit this evening, but I didn't need to powder my nose.

present your apologies/compliments etc

press home your advantage

▪ Will its foes use the occasion of Kabila s death to press home their advantage?

prick (up) your ears

▪ Henry pushed his door open a crack, and pricked up his ears.

▪ I pricked my ears up on that one.

▪ I pricked up my ears, and sure enough, the sound was getting louder.

▪ The boy pricked up his ears, because, as it happened, so they were this earth.

▪ The horse, scenting home and supper, pricked his ears and stepped out.

profess your innocence

▪ If they can come to a binding agreement, the prisoners will both profess their innocence and be sentenced to two years.

project your voice

▪ Now DeCicco can project his voice, balance better and use his hands.

▪ The use of the microphone helped to project her voice.

▪ There are innumerable books on public speaking, dealing with everything from how to project your voice to what to wear.

puff out your cheeks/chest

▪ Gillespie's cheeks puffed out as he blew into his bent-bell trumpet.

pull your socks up

▪ Maybe we needed to pull our socks up and we are trying to do just that.

▪ With 16 games to go Oxford have still got time to pull their socks up.

▪ You're not exactly a young lad any more so you've got to pull your socks up.

pull your weight

▪ If you don't start pulling your weight around here, you're fired.

▪ All members were expected to pull their weight.

▪ Be firm, and tell him that he must either pull his weight or leave.

▪ For the average business, pulses and linseed didn't pull their weight.

▪ He didn't pull his weight, but knew how to keep it from the consultants.

▪ He just didn't pull his weight domestically.

▪ Some members of this class haven't been pulling their weight.

▪ The superiors counted on the new managers to pull their weight in contributing to the superiors' agendas.

▪ You subs are not pulling your weight.

pull yourself up/to your feet etc

▪ Behind Duvall, Jimmy could see that Barbara was pulling herself to her feet.

▪ Granny pulled herself to her feet and tottered over to the bench, where Hodgesaargh had left his jar of flame.

▪ On March 4 she caught hold of the end of her buggy and twice pulled herself to her feet.

▪ Weary now that the excitement of the film was no longer sweeping her along, she pulled herself to her feet.

▪ Whitlock pulled himself to his feet and winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg.

pull/get your finger out

▪ You could easily finish your essay if you just sit down and pull your finger out!

▪ So, come on shoe companies, pull your finger out, deliver the goods you advertise.

pull/haul yourself up by your bootstraps

punch above your weight

push sth out of your mind

push your luck/push it

push/grope/inch etc your way somewhere

put (your) money on sth

▪ A lot of people are putting money on the line, hoping what Petruchio says he can do, he will do.

▪ Even the madmen wouldn't have him in real life, I'd put money on it.

▪ No one in their senses puts money on a horse other than in the hope of winning money.

▪ On the basis of what I told them, they put money on the line.

▪ She'd be willing to put money on that.

▪ The investor decides on the currency most likely to appreciate against sterling and puts money on deposit in that currency.

▪ The question this time, however, is would you still put your money on her?

▪ They put money on the table, too, perfect strangers expressing unmistakable monetary interest in the Tonelli Nation.

put all your eggs in one basket

put in your two cents' worth

put on your thinking cap

▪ Instead, put on your thinking cap, and turn those prepared ingredients into new dishes.

put your back into it

▪ Come on, John. Stop messing around and put your back into it!

▪ I really put my back into it, you know?

put your back out

put your face on

▪ Jill's still busy putting on her face.

▪ Then I put her face on her desk, supported by a heap of loose files.

put your faith/trust/confidence in sb/sth

▪ Can she put her faith in the people who oversaw her career before?

▪ Events that happen previously show us that Atticus is a person that we can put our trust in.

▪ He put his faith in the genius of individuals.

▪ None the less, geophysicists continue to look, continue to put their faith in ghosts of a sort.

▪ Others put their faith in camphor.

▪ She was putting her trust in the wrong people again.

▪ The Profitboss puts his trust in his people.

▪ The unfortunate crew of Tai Ki had put their faith in several coats of tung oil, to no effect.

put your feelings/thoughts etc into words

▪ However; they had done little to develop emotional ideas and emotional thinking, to help Kyle put his feelings into words.

put your feet up

▪ Well, at least put your feet up for a few minutes. Would you like a drink?

▪ When you're pregnant and doing a full-time job, you must find time to put your feet up.

▪ E for elevation, otherwise known as putting your feet up.

▪ He pushed the ottoman over and I put my feet up.

▪ He says it gave him time to put his feet up and relax.

▪ Take off your coat and put your feet up.

▪ Tammuz had dimmed the lights, put his feet up, and asked the computer to tune in the wall-screen.

▪ That boy needs a lot of teaching, he thought, putting his feet up.

▪ Then he put his feet up on the bench and snored for ten minutes.

put your finger on sth

▪ I can't put my finger on it, but there's something different about you.

▪ But what they were she could not quite put her finger on.

▪ Ezra put his finger on the photos.

▪ I can't put my finger on it.

▪ Lord Wyatt had put his finger on it: The hunts wouldn't let her in.

▪ Nightbreed almost does, but fails for some reason I can't quite put my finger on.

▪ One child put her finger on 17.

▪ Something was happening amongst the youth movement that so admired him and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

▪ The Captain of the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry could not quite put his finger on what was wrong.

put your foot down

▪ Ed was talking about dropping out of school, but Mom and Dad put their foot down.

▪ I wanted to take a year off before college, but my mother put her foot down.

▪ You'd better put your foot down before those kids get completely out of control.

▪ I put my feet down carefully.

▪ I put my foot down and the car began to move forward.

▪ Justice puts its foot down on Oxie.

▪ Later still My silly wee sister has put her feet down and refuses to let me near her Power Pack.

▪ Rice, however, put his foot down and made what he called his first policy decision.

▪ She didn't answer, just put her foot down and sent the Cortina faster and faster through the night.

▪ They could have put their foot down and dragged us into court.

▪ We were nearing the camp, so I aimed for the ruts in the track and put my foot down.

put your foot in it

▪ She's a little weird isn't she? Oh no, have I put my foot in my mouth? Is she a friend of yours?

▪ Simon wanted to finish the conversation before he put his foot in it any further.

▪ As creative types, we're notoriously unpredictable, and thus liable to put our foot in it in front of touchy clients.

▪ Glover had put his foot in it somehow.

▪ I have put my foot in it.

▪ It was immediately clear that he had put his foot in it.

▪ It wasn't her fault if she had a gift for putting her foot in it.

▪ Somehow, with her usual clumsiness, she had opened her mouth and put her foot in it.

put your hand/foot/arm out

▪ Everyone puts his hand out, from cabinet ministers to loan underwriters.

▪ He put his hand out and there was Lily, quiet and warm beside him.

▪ He put his hand out, touching his father's cheek.

▪ Minna put her hands out and I handed her the divorce.

▪ She tottered, and put her arms out.

▪ Vern put his hand out this time.

▪ When she put her hand out, trying to rise, she skittled a row of bottles.

put your head/neck on the block

put your heads together

▪ 150 government leaders are putting their heads together to discuss how to curb the production of greenhouse gases.

▪ The challenge is to put our heads together and think of a new way of working.

▪ We'll put our heads together after work and see if we can come up with a solution.

▪ Anyway, we can put our heads together later and see if it means anything.

▪ Emily and I put our heads together after office hours and came up with the answers we needed.

▪ Fearing the ships might founder on coastal rocks, the admiral summoned all his navigators to put their heads together.

▪ He will be less easy to understand if you literally put your heads together.

▪ Stevie and I are going to put our heads together to try and reconstruct them for Midge.

▪ The next day Martha and I would put our heads together and decide what should be done.

▪ They put their heads together, from thousands of miles away.

put your money where your mouth is

▪ It's time for the governor to put his money where his mouth is.

put your shoulder to the wheel

put your tongue out

▪ Donaldson fought the urge to put his tongue out.

▪ I put my tongue out at them as far as it would go.

put/bet/stake your shirt on sth

put/lay your cards on the table

▪ If they're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate, that's good.

▪ If we want to reach an agreement, we'll have to lay all our cards on the table.

▪ They're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate.

▪ Come on, you can lay your cards on the table in this house.

▪ The new rules appear to encourage parties to lay their cards on the table and facilitate early settlements.

put/set/get your (own) house in order

▪ But Apple first must get its house in order.

▪ Commissioners are satisfied with the progress it is making to put its house in order.

▪ Following numerous complaints the Vicar of Woodford has been told to put his house in order.

▪ Henry had set his house in order but had no thoughts about setting off on crusade.

▪ Others have called on the council to step in and tell the firm to put its house in order.

▪ The Law Society no longer can support equally those who have put their house in order and those who have not.

put/set/turn your mind to sth

▪ A second glance put my mind to rest, but for a moment there it gave me a turn.

▪ Across the table, Lalage put her mind to the subjugation of Dada.

▪ Anybody could do what I do if they put their mind to it.

▪ But he can turn his mind to detailed needs, like pensions, if he has to.

▪ He would put his mind to other issues, one of which was sobering in its own right.

▪ I turned my mind to Archie.

▪ Whatever you set your mind to, your personal total obsession, this is what kills you.

▪ When Medea knew the deed was done she turned her mind to one still more dreadful.

put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it

put/stick your head above the parapet

put/stick/get your oar in

▪ I heard him mention something about organs to another guest so I put my oar in and started such a nice conversation.

▪ She was talking to me just now, before you put your oar in.

▪ We were sorting it out quite nicely until you stuck your oar in.

put/take sb over your knee

quake in your boots

quench your thirst

▪ After exercising, fruit juices are excellent because they quench your thirst.

▪ Iced tea really quenches your thirst.

▪ We stopped in a small village to quench our thirst and refuel the jeep.

▪ Fire is for heat and water to quench our thirst.

▪ I pressed snow against my bruised face, and managed to melt more snow in my mouth to quench my thirst.

▪ It will not quench your thirst faster or make you even sexier than you were before.

▪ Not that this deterred him; he was determined to break one open and quench his thirst.

▪ There would be water from the sink to quench his thirst, and that would buy him some time.

▪ Try to quench your thirst with a light, fresh white and you will drink enough to put you on your back.

rack your brains

▪ Desperately, Irvin racked his brains, but there was nothing he could tell them.

▪ She racked her brains, trying to remember what David had said.

▪ They sat in silence, racking their brains for the name of the road.

▪ I've racked my brains, but at my age there are precious few left to rack.

▪ I waved back, racking my brains to remember who she was.

▪ Rachel racked her brains, trying to remember what Jamie had said of him - ruthless, living only for his ambition.

▪ There was a silence in the room as we all simultaneously racked our brains for a missing disease.

▪ Which left Fabia racking her brains to think of how next best to get through to the woman.

raise your eyebrows

▪ He raised his eyebrows but he didn't actually skewer my hand to his desk with his favourite kris.

▪ Rose raised his eyebrows and drank a cup of Mrs Burbanks' tea.

▪ She did not speak when he raised his eyebrows the second time, so in went onions, mustard and ketchup.

▪ She raised her eyebrows and drew out a hank of hair, backing slowly away from me.

▪ While he was pouring the drinks Ron the landlord raised his eyebrows at me.

▪ Your facial expressions can help to emphasize parts of your speech too: try smiling, scowling, or raising your eyebrows.

raise your eyebrows

▪ He raised his eyebrows but he didn't actually skewer my hand to his desk with his favourite kris.

▪ Karen smiled and raised her eyebrows: Check that!

▪ Rose raised his eyebrows and drank a cup of Mrs Burbanks' tea.

▪ She raised her eyebrows and drew out a hank of hair, backing slowly away from me.

▪ She did not speak when he raised his eyebrows the second time, so in went onions, mustard and ketchup.

▪ While he was pouring the drinks Ron the landlord raised his eyebrows at me.

▪ Your facial expressions can help to emphasize parts of your speech too: try smiling, scowling, or raising your eyebrows.

raise your glass

▪ A flushed and jolly character raises his glass among friends and family - how real, how reliable is that evidence?

▪ Gore appeared stone-faced and unwilling to toast as Li raised his glass.

▪ He raised his glass towards the old woman and drank the bitter white wine.

▪ He raised his glass, toasting his host and hostess silently, his smile serene, sincere.

▪ It took the urgings of the mob of photographers to get him to raise his glass of fizz higher than his chest.

▪ We stared at each other for a moment and then she raised her glass.

▪ When the drinks came, Tony stood and raised his glass.

raise your voice

▪ Don't you raise your voice at me!

▪ I never heard my father raise his voice in his life.

▪ Stop raising your voice, Amanda.

▪ We heard raised voices coming from the next room, and then a cry.

▪ Eventually, even Western governments began to raise their voices.

▪ He seemed calm and thoughtful, and throughout his recent eloquent speeches had not raised his voice.

▪ In my family nobody raised their voices and nobody fought with each other.

▪ Often it does not occur to them that they can speak up, raise their voices in front of people.

▪ Oliver raised his voice slightly to say, I may have to ask him not to come over here any more.

▪ So far neither of them had raised their voices, or only enough to be heard above Gordon's din.

▪ They have to raise their voices to be heard above the clam our of the world.

rake your fingers (through sth)

▪ He raked his fingers through fur the color of weak tea, brown, red, golden tint of gaslight.

▪ He raked his fingers through his hair and watched it spring back around his face in untidy tufts.

▪ He raked his fingers through his hair, as if debating what to say next, and she followed the movement.

reassert your authority/power/control

▪ For the next year the Republican government was obliged to struggle to reassert its authority.

▪ Governments will reassert their control over corporations when people reassert their control over governments.

▪ Historians are divided into two viewpoints about the Tsars ability to reassert his power and avoid revolution.They are the optimists and pessimists.

▪ Louis the Pious, taking Charles with him, moved quickly to reassert his control.

▪ The battered Premier was today desperately trying to reassert his authority after Mr Lamont's devastating attack.

recharge your batteries

▪ Durrant was sent to Florida last month to recharge his batteries.

▪ The letters are manna from heaven, filling my time and recharging my batteries.

▪ They like to renew old acquaintances, make new friends, see an interesting place in good company, recharge their batteries.

recharge your batteries

▪ Durrant was sent to Florida last month to recharge his batteries.

▪ The letters are manna from heaven, filling my time and recharging my batteries.

▪ They like to renew old acquaintances, make new friends, see an interesting place in good company, recharge their batteries.

redouble your efforts

▪ Society should redouble its efforts to give everyone equal opportunities.

▪ An appropriate response, it seemed, would have been for the company to redouble its efforts to improve its own offering.

▪ But Sheffield, who had survived two spot kick claims against goalkeeper Alan Kelly and full-back Ward, simply redoubled their efforts.

▪ Instead of rethinking their programme, they redoubled their efforts to implement it.

▪ The punishment, as it were, is so severe that they redouble their efforts to avoid encountering it again.

▪ We redoubled our efforts to control the flood of water that gushes down our field from the mountains behind.

▪ When Chutra saw that I was laughing, he redoubled his efforts until we were at war with hundreds of monkeys.

▪ When the United States intervened, the Front redoubled its efforts.

▪ You will to the utmost maintain a middle attitude and redouble your efforts to carry out our policy.

regain your senses

▪ Out in the fresh air, she quickly regained her senses.

▪ Doctor Robert Dexter sat forward quickly, sucking in a deep breath as he regained his senses.

relax your concentration/vigilance etc

▪ I forced myself to open my fingers, to relax my vigilance, to fall asleep.

▪ Once they lose those bright feathers they can afford to relax their vigilance.

▪ Take care not to relax your concentration on the way up. 2.

relax your hold/grip

▪ But attitudes of this kind took time to gain the upper hand: the past relaxed its grip only slowly.

▪ He relaxed his grip on the mug, rolled his sleeves down, pushed his chair back.

▪ Never for one moment does this shimmering, simmering emotional desert storm of a film relax its grip on your senses.

▪ The pilots cautiously relaxed their grip and let their muscles slacken.

▪ Then with excruciating slowness he relaxed his hold, allowing her to back away a pace.

▪ Weeping with merriment, gleeful through and through, she never relaxed her grip.

▪ When he tries to say something I relax my grip.

repose your trust/hope etc in sb

reserve (your) judgment (on sth)

▪ I think people should reserve judgment.

▪ Professor Furmston said he would reserve judgment until next week.

▪ Three appeal court judges reserved judgment.

rest on your laurels

▪ In such a competitive market, the leading company can't afford to rest on its laurels.

▪ But there is no room for resting on our laurels.

▪ But this generous accolade does not mean that we are resting on our laurels.

▪ Little time was granted to Lee and his men for resting on their laurels.

▪ Motorola has long been a leader in that as well, and it has never stopped to rest on its laurels.

▪ That is the only time when you can rest on your laurels.

▪ The religious authorities, who were very active during the nationalist struggle, rested on their laurels after independence.

▪ This evolution of Diamond Rio signals that the group is not ready to rest on its laurels -- at least not voluntarily.

▪ You can never rest on your laurels.

rest your feet/legs/eyes etc

▪ Fit in periods away from people, giving yourself the opportunity to renew your energy and rest your eyes.

▪ He rested his eyes on her, very conscious of the smooth skin and her flowery perfume.

▪ I took off my shoes and rested my feet on her thighs as she massaged them.

▪ In fact I was having trouble finding a place to rest my eyes.

▪ Should children with defective vision be resting their eyes?

▪ Slinging his mac over the back of a pew he sat down and rested his feet on the one in front.

rest/sit on your laurels

▪ But there is no room for resting on our laurels.

▪ But this generous accolade does not mean that we are resting on our laurels.

▪ Little time was granted to Lee and his men for resting on their laurels.

▪ Motorola has long been a leader in that as well, and it has never stopped to rest on its laurels.

▪ That is the only time when you can rest on your laurels.

▪ The religious authorities, who were very active during the nationalist struggle, rested on their laurels after independence.

▪ This evolution of Diamond Rio signals that the group is not ready to rest on its laurels -- at least not voluntarily.

▪ You can never rest on your laurels.

resume your seat/place/position

▪ Will the delegates please resume their seats?

▪ By the time Michele returned and resumed his seat she was sipping her wine, her plate almost empty.

▪ If your opponent interrupts you, resume your seat while he is speaking.

▪ Madame Olenska rose, wound it up and returned to the fire, but without resuming her seat.

▪ Mr Scott resumed his place, a look of quiet satisfaction on his face.

▪ They resumed their seats and Owen slipped away into a tide of music and colour.

▪ Winnie resumed her seat and her knitting.

retrace your steps/path/route etc

▪ As he retraced his steps of the past day avoiding streets and roads, he stayed alert to the sounds around him.

▪ Ellsworth, who had gone ahead, retraced his steps to shepherd the two through.

▪ Frankie forgot the eggs and hurriedly retraced his steps.

▪ He kept walking; there was little point in making them suspicious by turning round and retracing his steps.

▪ It's an easy walk which can be extended as far as you wish without having to retrace your steps.

▪ It is best to retrace your steps for the return journey.

▪ There are several possible routes to choose - try retracing your steps as far as Suileag.

retreat into yourself/your shell/fantasy etc

▪ I retreated into my shell, being painfully shy in the first place.

rick your back/neck

ring in your ears

▪ My father's discouraging words still ring in my ears.

▪ And with those echoes ringing in my ears I booked up my day - and contemplated my fate.

▪ His reply astounded me, and will ring in my ears for eternity.

▪ In the end, the men returned with the praises of the generals ringing in their ears.

▪ Lucy's advice rang in her ears.

▪ The noise still rang in his ears.

▪ The triumph of their compromise still rang in their ears.

▪ The words ring in my ears.

▪ There was a ringing in his ears.

roll your r's

roll your sleeves up

▪ We've got a crisis on our hands, and we need to roll up our sleeves and do something about it.

▪ Boss Peter Wheeler conceives the cars, tests them himself and even rolls his sleeves up to help design them.

▪ In the second half, the Cherry and Whites rolled their sleeves up and got stuck in.

roll your sleeves/trousers etc up

▪ Boss Peter Wheeler conceives the cars, tests them himself and even rolls his sleeves up to help design them.

▪ In the second half, the Cherry and Whites rolled their sleeves up and got stuck in.

run your eyes over/along etc sth

▪ The customs officers run their eyes over us as if we weren't there.

run/cast your eye over sth

▪ A note from Mellowes instructed me to cast my eye over the draft, pronto, for inaccuracies.

▪ Above him Cornelius ran his eye over a box of ancient cane carpet beaters.

▪ And of course Prince also casts his eye over rock too.

▪ He also casts his eye over the proposed law changes.

▪ I cast my eye over the front page of the Telegraph while Anne poured the coffee.

▪ The customs officers run their eyes over us as if we weren't there.

▪ They've even invited Michael Heseltine, care of Spitting Image, to cast his eyes over the exhibition.

salve your conscience

▪ Don't think you can salve your consciences by giving us money. We won't forgive you that easily.

▪ She felt guilty and tried to salve her conscience by inviting him out for a meal.

▪ But do not let us allow their punishment to salve our consciences.

▪ But she brought them because it salved her conscience to bring something, and she had not been for two weeks now.

▪ It was to salve her conscience, she thought, and make up for her obsessional preoccupation with Nick Frazer.

▪ The international community has so far salved its conscience by voicing a succession of pious hopes.

▪ We are there to salve their conscience and to administer their guilt money.

save your breath

▪ He might as well have saved his breath - a sea of green benches confronted the Ulster members.

▪ She might as well have saved her breath.

▪ You can save your breath, Fiver.

say your piece

▪ He knew that he was clever and always wanted to say his piece in meetings.

▪ I was wondering what would happen when Dolly came out on to the stage and said his piece.

▪ Now I have come forward and said my piece.

▪ She'd come this far to say her piece and say it she would, come hell or high water.

▪ Sutton was allowed to say his piece.

▪ The horse-trading that lies ahead will end only when the three key players have said their piece.

▪ The rules state that you let a guy say his piece and you consider what he said.

▪ We each said our piece, each absolutely predictable.

sb's your man

scratch your head

▪ Budget directors are scratching their heads about how to deal with the shortfall.

▪ The last question really left us scratching our heads.

▪ He scratched his head, a sure sign of thought.

▪ One, and he scratched his head about this, appeared to be a sparrow.

▪ There's nothing more guiltily satisfying than watching the experts scratch their heads.

▪ They studied the map for a while, scratched their heads, turned it upside down and studied it some more.

▪ When I scratched his head, he would not hold still as long as before.

▪ Where possible he would seize scraps of parchment and draw lines, muttering to himself and scratching his head.

▪ You scratch your heads in selection, and can't find a proper balance with less than 12.

screw up your eyes/face

▪ Blake screwed up his eyes, trying to peer through the fog.

▪ He screwed up his eyes against the light and Jurnet saw the gipsy in him.

▪ He screwed up his eyes and put his hands over his ears.

▪ He screwed up his face as the hot water from the kitchen tap scalded his hand.

▪ He screwed up his face at the appalling stench but made no move to draw back.

▪ She screwed up her face and whispered: you're so revoltingly fat you disgusting baboon.

scrunch up your face/eyes

▪ They scrunch up their faces, peering into the haze.

scuff your feet/heels

see sth out of the corner of your eye

▪ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man running out of the store.

see the error of your ways

▪ In fact Brian Moore reckoned it would take only twelve days for the administrators to see the error of their ways.

see your way (clear) to doing sth

▪ Finally he could see his way clear to his goal.

▪ Small builders can not see their way to take on many trainees.

▪ There was just enough light for her to see her way to the bathroom.

see your way clear (to doing sth)

▪ If you can see your way clear, call this number to volunteer.

▪ Finally he could see his way clear to his goal.

seek your fortune

▪ Coles came to the Yukon in the 1970s to seek his fortune.

▪ A fatherless, penniless boy - possessed of great determination, faith, and courage - seeks his fortune.

▪ A succession of scandals finally persuaded his father that William must seek his fortune overseas.

▪ But trade was slack so he made his way to London to seek his fortune.

▪ Full also on the outgoing journeys with emigrants about to seek their fortune in London.

▪ The lesser ones probably opted to seek their fortune in the clothing trade.

▪ When he reached the age of reason, I confidently sent him forth to seek his fortune.

sell your soul (to the devil)

▪ A whole week in Paris at Easter seemed to her something for which she would willingly have sold her soul.

▪ Faustus wilfully ends himself; he sells his soul to the devil.

▪ He doesn't accuse us of selling our souls.

▪ If he were mine, I would rather sell my soul.

▪ Men who have sold their souls to the darkness.

▪ She was accused of being a Salem witch for selling her soul to the devil at the strawberry banks.

▪ The fact that we would literally sell our soul to Continental Airlines.

▪ Timothy was agonising over her, when Honor West would have sold her soul for a single kiss from him.

sell your vote

▪ Nine legislators were charged with selling their votes for cash.

send shivers/chills up (and down) your spine

▪ Stephen King's novels have sent shivers up readers' spines for more than 20 years.

▪ He kicked her sending shivers up her spine; again she yelped, and everything turned black.

▪ We both kept waiting for the moment when the experience would overwhelm us and send chills up our spines.

send your love/regards/best wishes etc

▪ He sends his best wishes to everybody at home.

▪ Mr Mason sends his best wishes for the success of the event.

send/give your love (to sb),

▪ Dad and Charles send their love.

▪ I am fine and your family is in good health and send their love.

▪ Now I am alone except for this unwilling stranger and even to him I gave my love freely. 6.

▪ Of course, she sent her love to Jean.

▪ Open now your hearts to me; give your love to me.

▪ Please give my love to Christopher - will speak to you soon.

▪ Please send me a couple of views of St Albans. Give my love to Kitty.

▪ We are all fine and Chris and Nick send their love.

set your face against sth

▪ Alternatively, the rule-makers can set their faces against the pressures for change.

▪ Does the hon. Gentleman really want to set his face against the improvements that trust status could deliver?

▪ I would set my face against the casualisation of the Corporation.

▪ It has set its face against cutting prices.

▪ The Lord Chancellor set his face against growing criticism over his behaviour.

set your heart on sth

▪ He's set his heart on a new bike for Christmas.

▪ By January 1768 they were back in Vienna, where Leopold had set his heart on securing an opera commission for Wolfgang.

▪ He's always set his heart on going to Simon's school.

▪ He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.

▪ I have held no office because Thou did not will it, and I never set my heart on office.

▪ So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.

set your heart/mind/sights on (doing) sth

▪ But where there are sellers there are buyers, and it was this latter rare species we had set our sights on.

▪ Gazing intently into her computer screen, Christine Montgomery has set her sights on the next generation of electronic language translators.

▪ He knew he was bound to pull any girl he set his mind on - he always had.

▪ Heath had set her sights on the U. S. Senate seat from Colorado.

▪ Her youth and beauty elicited a predictable reaction from my father, who set his sights on her at once.

▪ Sofa Head's greatest asset is the realisation that you don't have to set your sights on one target.

▪ Wagner set his sights on a degree in electrical engineering, and he followed his star with a fervid intensity.

▪ Yes, she thought, if Tamar had set her mind on something she would never rest until it was accomplished.

set your jaw

▪ Tom set his jaw and stared at the officer.

▪ Tom set his jaw, frowning, listening, and concentrating doggedly on his own life.

shadows under your eyes

▪ Duhamel's face was white; the shadows under his eyes seemed to deepen.

▪ Even with the blinds down, she could see the dark shadows under her eyes.

▪ He noted the shadows under her eyes.

▪ How fresh she looked every morning, despite the slight shadows under her eyes which denoted not much sleep.

▪ Mr Stead was middle-aged and paunchy, with deep shadows under his eyes and square rimless glasses.

▪ On Monday morning Sam came to class events with dark shadows under his eyes, looking ten years older over a weekend.

▪ One day she came to history class with dark shadows under her eyes.

▪ She still looked pale, with deep shadows under her eyes.

shake your fist (at sb)

▪ Asshe shook his fist, and advanced threateningly.

▪ Better to leave your audience wailing in the dark, shaking their fists, some crying How?, others why?

▪ Eighteen years and 110 Tests later he bowed out, with Nemesis unable to resist shaking her fist at him.

▪ Follow me round muttering and shaking their fists.

▪ In the midst of all this I let go of one handful of weed to shake my fist at him.

▪ It made him laugh to see her standing there, shaking her fist at the departing van.

▪ She shook her fist as she had at the old man in the lobby.

▪ Then he spoke roughly once more, shoved the teeth deeper into his pocket and shook his fist at her.

shake your head

▪ "Shall I give him a message from you?" "Rosalie shook her head. "No, I expect he'll be telephoning me."

▪ Even before I'd finished my sentence, Dad was already shaking his head.

▪ She shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't agree," she said.

▪ Ah, good, he has stopped shaking his head.

▪ And you are laughing again, shaking your head, it's what's-happening-I-don't-believe-this-honey time again.

▪ Behind Billic, Loulse shook her head.

▪ Broomhead shook his head in resigned disbelief and set about installing the gramophone in its housing.

▪ I watch a white Lamborghini Countach trundle past on the street outside and shake my head in disbelief.

▪ She shook her head, moved it closer to the glass, and the image changed.

share your life with sb

▪ For how long would Rachaela have to go on sharing her life with this being?

▪ Here I am, knocking 40 any year now and sharing my life with a woman who is seven years my junior.

▪ How much trouble are we prepared to go to for the privilege of sharing our lives with feline companions?

▪ I married Danny because I was madly in love and wanted to share my life with him.

▪ I thought that at last I'd found some one I could share my life with.

▪ I wasn't ready to share my life with anyone.

▪ In the end it wasn't just for me but for those I wanted to share my life with.

▪ We shared our faith with them and they shared their lives with us.

shift/move your arse

shit (in) your pants

▪ I was so scared, I could've shit my pants.

shoot your load

shoot your mouth off

▪ All he did was shoot his mouth off a little.

▪ So you can't shoot your mouth off.

shoulder your way through/into etc

▪ Bringing up the rear, Duke shouldered his way into the kitchen.

▪ But wait, some one is shouldering their way through the crowd.

▪ Erlich shouldered his way through the crowd and went after her.

▪ He was curious and, shouldering his way through the crowd, made his way to St Mary Le Bow.

▪ I went in there, shouldered my way through the crowd.

▪ Nicolo shouldered his way through the crowd towards the Princess.

▪ Some surprise managed to shoulder its way into Jenner's turgid writing.

▪ They looked as though they could shoulder their way through solid rock and beat up a regiment of trolls into the bargain.

show your face

▪ It was a dangerous place for a non-Italian to show his face.

▪ At this palace, as at the other, servility shows its face and performs its tricks.

▪ How's he gon na show his face?

▪ Not a weed dared to show its face.

▪ Old Harker never shows his face.

▪ She couldn't understand how he dared to show his face after what he had done to Mr Potter.

▪ So you must show your face at their door, bloody and bloodthirsty and raving.

▪ Then one by one the other four women find a reason to show their faces.

▪ Wherever I showed my face, a thousand other faces immediately collected around it.

show your hand

▪ He said that he wouldn't be bullied into showing his hand first.

▪ At Michaelmas 1183 Henry showed his hand.

▪ For one thing he needed hard evidence, and to get it he would have to show his hand.

▪ Kingfisher was forced to show its hand after rumours that a bid was in the offing began to circulate on Tuesday.

▪ Not the time to show our hand.

▪ Now the government has shown its hand.

▪ Though nobody on the government side had shown his hand, it was hardly necessary.

▪ When Dastmalchi called and showed his hand, Tom knew the game was up.

shuffle your feet

▪ Monica shuffled her feet nervously and stared at the floor.

▪ Archie shuffled his feet and looked as if he'd like to vanish up his parlour chimney.

▪ Des shuffles his feet, like he's just the driver and didn't oughta be around.

▪ People cease to cough or sniff or shuffle their feet.

▪ She looked down and shuffled her feet inanely.

▪ So I breathe out long and slowly, and I shuffle my feet.

▪ Standing at the kitchen counter, shuffling his feet to the music, he caught himself smiling from ear to ear.

▪ This only discomfited the coroner further, he stared down at the floor and shuffled his feet like some clumsy schoolboy.

shut your eyes/ears to sth

▪ We must not shut our ears to the voices of suffering people.

▪ Claudia sank down on to her bed and tried to shut her ears to the sound of him in the next room.

▪ Rincewind tried to shut his ears to the grating voice beside him.

▪ She shut her eyes against it all; shut her eyes to open them again on to the harmless horizon.

▪ She shut her eyes to shut everything out.

▪ She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.

▪ Sometimes she even managed to shut her ears to the arguments going on around her.

▪ They could not shut their eyes to the ugly and degrading side of wine-drinking and see only the delightful side.

shut your mouth/face/trap!

shut your trap!

sing/shout at the top of your voice

sink your differences

sit on your hands

▪ Most delegates sat on their hands while a few radicals took control of the discussion.

▪ So we sat on our hands about Sally, because we thought the stakes were higher than the National Enquirer.

slake your thirst

▪ We chewed salted sunflower seeds, and slaked our thirst.

slash your wrists

▪ Four other suicide attempts, including slashing her wrists with a razor blade, were also detailed.

▪ In September he tried to kill himself by slashing his wrists.

▪ Last autumn he came within a few minutes of death when he slashed his wrists with a razor blade.

▪ Last December, he took a drugs overdose and in September slashed his wrists and groin with a smuggled razor blade.

▪ Mr Jamshidi has recently left hospital after slashing his wrists in his own suicide attempt.

▪ On other occasions he had taken a drugs overdose and slashed his wrists.

▪ Rather than betray the others, Stockdale broke a window and slashed his wrists with a jagged shard of glass.

▪ She had made determined attempts at suicide by slashing her wrists several times.

sling your hook

▪ Forget it, I said, For a moment I thought he was going to tell me to sling my hook.

slip your mind/memory

▪ He had seemed thrown for a moment, as though it had genuinely slipped his mind that he was about to be married.

▪ I can't believe it has slipped my mind.

▪ It slipped my mind because of the tragedy that followed.

▪ It completely slipped my mind I was going to be accused of theft!

▪ It had slipped his mind entirely that today.

▪ Jean hadn't even asked Helen what she had said; the entire episode had slipped her mind.

▪ Yes, that had slipped her mind.

▪ You think something as important as that would slip my mind?

smack your lips

▪ Cranston snored gently like a child, muttering now and again and smacking his lips.

▪ Granny Weatherwax smacked her lips, like some one emerging from a very deep sleep.

▪ He smacked his lips and stroked his moustache with surprise.

▪ She begins cackling, smacking her lips, like a child thinking of a turkey dinner.

▪ Shove his face into his own shit, they were learning, and he will devour it, smacking his lips.

▪ The chimpanzee then pulls out the grass stem and picks off the termites with its teeth, smacking its lips with pleasure.

▪ The woman seemed to be smacking her lips over every word.

▪ The young one smacked his lips.

smarten up your act/ideas

▪ Despite the encouraging figures, the Chunnel has prompted ferry companies to smarten up their act, and offer better deals.

snap your fingers

▪ He gave a royal snort, either of disappointment or relief, and snapped his fingers for another round of wine.

▪ One of the guys snaps his fingers, and the nearest workman veers in a sharp turn and sprints to his side.

▪ The nurse snapped her fingers, and they sprang into motion.

▪ Those riverbeds could snap an axle as crisply as the way that Zervos snapped his fingers when he danced.

▪ Those were the times when a hunter found out how good he was.. Granny snapped her fingers.

▪ When finished, each boy was to raise his hand and snap his fingers to be acknowledged.

▪ Zak snapped his fingers even faster and started humming.

▪ Zak was nodding his mop of curls beside me and had begun snapping his fingers rather fast.

sow your wild oats

speak your mind

▪ Larry isn't afraid to speak his mind, even in front of the boss.

▪ Sam has never been shy about speaking his mind.

▪ She's very direct and believes in speaking her mind.

▪ She believes in speaking her mind, which makes her very unpopular.

▪ We thought that the process of filming might stop people from speaking their minds.

▪ Dean Shearer was a man of compassion, humility and integrity who was never afraid to speak his mind.

▪ Even if they disagree sometimes with what he says, they like a candidate who speaks his mind.

▪ He dawdled, afraid to say no or resist her or speak his mind.

▪ Nizan generally spoke his mind and refused to pull his punches.

▪ The company insists Vinik spoke his mind at the time comments were made and he simply changed his opinions.

▪ What does one say in a culture that hesitates to speak its mind?

▪ With Freemantle Leapor could easily speak her mind; to have the same confidence with new readers would take time.

spill your guts

▪ Rob let Al talk until he finally spilled his guts about his affair with Louise.

▪ Albert let Rob run on till he spilled his guts, but Loulse probed.

spin your wheels

▪ I felt like I was just spinning my wheels trying to make him understand.

▪ And so you stay stuck, spinning your wheels, and getting angry or depressed.

▪ At the heart of all of the basic questions about normality we shall find we are spinning our wheels.

split your sides

▪ A tall barrel had split its sides, gaped.

▪ It was at this point that I left to seek medical help for fear I would split my sides.

spread your wings

▪ Recently she's begun spreading her wings, taking courses in real estate.

▪ Diana was eager to spread her wings and start her own life in London.

▪ Her dad wanted her to spread her wings a little - not too much mind.

▪ Later, I take off my watch to let it spread its wings.

▪ Others are like birds in a greenhouse: banging against the glass, desperate to spread their wings.

▪ She must be allowed to spread her wings and open up.

▪ The dragon spread its wings and gave an experimental flap, which lifted it momentarily off the ground.

▪ Then it spreads its wings and flies away, ready for its first meal of nectar!

▪ They just spread their wings and take off.

spring in your step

▪ But suddenly the sight of Giuseppe Signori's invitingly lofted ball into the penalty area put a spring in his step.

▪ He walks away with a high spring in his step.

▪ It read: Bedford, keep the spring in your step.

▪ Kangaroo has not changed our lives, just given us deeper pockets and put a little more spring in our steps.

▪ Preston emerged after the interval with a new spring in their step, and the game took on a different complexion.

▪ The candidates, their staffs and the press have a spring in their steps.

▪ There was a spring in his step, and ineffable calmness dressing his sun-brown face.

▪ There was a new spring in his step, a feeling of youthful zest stirring his muscles.

square your shoulders

▪ I squared my shoulders, returned to the flat and cleaned the kitchen.

▪ Pulling himself upright, he squared his shoulders.

▪ She got back on Midnight, in order to look down on Sebastian and Antony, and squared her shoulders.

▪ She hesitated on the back steps a minute, then squared her shoulders and went inside.

▪ She threw her head back, squared her shoulders and walked briskly toward the elevator.

▪ Then she squared her shoulders and headed indoors.

squeeze your eyes shut

▪ He squeezed his eyes shut and swore silently to give himself courage.

▪ Isabel squeezed her eyes shut for a second.

▪ Just in case, he also crossed his legs and squeezed his eyes shut.

▪ She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists tight.

▪ She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyelids.

▪ Shiona gripped the steering-wheel and squeezed her eyes shut and slowly counted up to ten.

▪ The boy squeezed his eyes shut and stopped moving.

▪ With a groan she squeezed her eyes shut.

stake your claim (for sth)

▪ Before we staked our claim to our own windward isle, there was something I wanted to see first.

▪ Families were already staking their claims on the beach; children were digging eagerly as terriers, spraying sand all around them.

▪ Honor had been satisfied; each group had staked its claim to its own territory.

▪ If you want him, stake your claim.

▪ Other fish may have already staked their claim to other hiding places in your aquarium.

▪ Shastri died in 1966, and Indira Gandhi staked her claim.

▪ Those undertaking the drainage were quick to stake their claim to the best bits of land.

stand on your dignity

stand on your head/hands

▪ A malevolent demon was standing on his head.

▪ And the hoops were made by soldiers, who turned over and stood on their hands and feet.

▪ I can do it standing on my head, although I won't.

▪ Maybe I have to stand on my head to prove I mean it.

▪ She had a washboard stomach, and her boyfriend would stand on his hands on chairs balanced above her.

▪ Somehow the doctrine of the Fall had been stood on its head.

▪ Susan was teaching Wyatt how to stand on his hands.

▪ We did; the moment the car stopped there I jumped out and stood on my head in the grass.

stand on your own (two) feet

▪ Able to stand on her own feet.

▪ I guess I shall have to learn to stand on my own feet.

▪ Out-and-out competitive in the world market standing on our own feet?

▪ She's very kind, but we ought to stand on our own feet.

▪ She, who'd always stood on her own feet, fought her own battles.

▪ Such beliefs are able to stand on their own feet, without support from others.

▪ Using the market price means that each division must stand on its own feet, as though it were an independent company.

stick to the/your knitting

▪ They want me to help make their lives trouble free so that they can stick to their knitting.

stick to the/your story

▪ Bring in the police, the press, the king himself, and I shall stick to my story.

▪ He had stuck to his story, that they'd quarrelled at the dance and he had left early.

▪ You do not have to stick to the story line.

stick to your guns

▪ And there was great admiration for Livingstone's transparent honesty, self-effacing modesty and determination to stick to his guns.

▪ But Klein stuck to his guns.

▪ I can decide how I am going to act, stick to my guns, and ignore the consequences.

▪ Spenser should have stuck to his guns and been satisfied with unity of design.

▪ The clubs should have stuck to their guns.

▪ The two brothers had conversation after conversation on the theme of religion, the younger one sticking to his guns.

▪ Whether I'd stuck to my guns or not, it had been a harrowing experience and I felt abused.

stick your neck out

▪ Look, I'll stick my neck out and say it'll be finished by tomorrow evening.

▪ The evidence is good, but I won't stick my neck out until all the data is in.

▪ And many economists are reluctant to stick their necks out.

▪ He'd stuck his neck out all right, but not as much as he'd led Holman to believe.

▪ I want to stick my neck out and help her.

▪ It was a place for people who wanted to stick their necks out.

▪ Let Bixby stick his neck out for once, he thought as he stared wearily at his folded hands.

▪ She listened to his ideas, had even stuck her neck out to champion some of his more radical plans.

▪ So I have decided to stick my neck out and to make some predictions for the next 30 years.

▪ You don't have to stick your neck out in meetings.

stick/poke your nose into sth

▪ No one wants the government sticking its nose into the personal business of citizens.

▪ Or maybe they resented a stranger poking his nose into their affairs?

stop/halt (dead) in your tracks

▪ A dreadful thought struck Jean, and she stopped in her tracks, right in the middle of the pavement.

▪ An hour later they were halted in their tracks by a cataract not marked on the map.

▪ Blue speaks her name, in a voice that seems strange to him, and she stops dead in her tracks.

▪ I stopped dead in my tracks, unsure of what to do next.

▪ It had been stopped in its tracks by the Railway Inspectorate and a public outcry.

▪ People stop in their tracks and stare.

▪ Petey stopped dead in his tracks at the question.

▪ The people had stopped in their tracks, women were making their children stand behind them.

stretch your legs

▪ A few of the passengers got off the bus to stretch their legs.

▪ After so long on the train, we couldn't wait to get out and stretch our legs.

▪ Do you feel like stopping here and stretching your legs?

▪ After lunch, eager to stretch our legs, we simply set off walking without a map.

▪ Every boy needs to stretch his legs.

▪ Gene and the blond boy followed me to stretch their legs.

▪ He sighed a lot, stretched his legs, cracked his knuckles.

▪ I try to be comfortable; to stretch my legs and think soothing thoughts.

▪ She stretched her legs from thigh to toes - and let go.

▪ She stretched her legs under the table, feeling the same satisfaction that she felt when she woke that morning.

▪ Sometimes Alfred allowed Ruth to leave the barge and walk beside the horse on the towpath, to stretch her legs.

strike out on your own

▪ It feels great to strike out on your own and find a job and a place to live.

▪ After problems in obtaining components, Comart struck out on its own, producing its Comart Communicator, a small business computer.

▪ And I was beginning to feel I wanted to strike out on my own.

▪ But she was right: it is time for him to strike out on his own.

▪ Glover was afraid Paul was going to strike out on his own with that suitcase, with that hat on his head.

▪ I found that I could quickly discard the handbook in favour of striking out on my own and was quite satisfied with the results.

▪ Or should I throw off all restraints and strike out on my own?

▪ So why not strike out on your own?

▪ The time was finally ripe, they decided, to strike out on their own.

strut your stuff

▪ He likes to strut his stuff on the stage in the annual Shakespeare production.

▪ Look at Dave strutting his stuff on the dance floor.

▪ We watched the sixteen year olds strutting their stuff on the dance floor.

▪ And by 1895, the city was ready to strut its stuff when it hosted the Cotton States International Exposition.

▪ And, as it happens, I haven't come to watch you strut your stuff on this dubious little contract.

▪ I have done nothing to allow it to grow, change or strut its stuff.

▪ Just the thing to stop you from dropping down dead after strutting your stuff to the latest chart topper!

▪ No, this guy's fault is he had one too many bourbons before getting up to strut his stuff on the dance-floor.

▪ The presenters strut their stuff behind a podium instead of on a runway.

▪ To celebrate, the ensemble will strut their stuff for hometown fans in Ticket to Amsterdam.

stub your toe

▪ As a prominent figure in Rottweiler rescue, she's stubbed her toe on more unfair bullying and downright idiocy than most.

▪ Distracted, Luce stubbed her toe against a piece of raised planking and tripped.

▪ It is one thing to say it when you stub your toe.

▪ Jackie seemed to float upwards and Sam stubbed his toe.

▪ Never mind that the offense continued to stub its toe on all but one trip inside Minnesota territory on the afternoon.

swallow your pride

▪ He'll have to swallow his pride and apologize.

▪ I swallowed my pride and did as I was told.

▪ But the argument, that they should swallow their pride and join the union, does not seem popular at present.

▪ Elsie kept quiet about his affair and swallowed her pride, however.

▪ He swallowed his pride and went to Frieda, told her the situation.

▪ Last night she had swallowed her pride and rung the Kilburn flat twice.

▪ Michelle, set on being an actress, wasn't interested at first, but in the end she swallowed her pride.

▪ Still, it was painful, and he struggled desperately to swallow his pride.

synchronize your watches

take leave of sb/take your leave

take leave of your senses

▪ You challenged him to a fight? Have you taken leave of your senses?

▪ But frequently they appear to have taken leave of their senses when it comes to choosing the right sort of women.

▪ But John had not taken leave of his senses.

▪ Her daughter had taken leave of her senses and her husband was never at home when he was needed.

▪ I know what you're saying and I think you've taken leave of your senses.

▪ She had taken leave of her senses!

▪ Was she taking leave of her senses?

▪ You must have taken leave of your senses! b. You must have left your senses behind! 35a.

take matters into your own hands

▪ The city council took matters into its own hands and set a date for the meeting.

▪ As a result, some countries have taken matters into their own hands.

▪ Finally the women of Buntong Tiga can stand it no longer - they take matters into their own hands.

▪ She then took matters into her own hands.

▪ She was more than capable of taking matters into her own hands.

▪ So why not take matters into our own hands?

▪ The last thing leaders want is Tutsi who survived the genocide taking matters into their own hands.

▪ When the psycho is caught, then let go on a technicality, Mom takes matters into her own hands.

take pride in your work/appearance etc

▪ And taking Pride in their work ... behind the scenes of a top drama.

▪ He takes pride in his appearance, setting a high standard to exemplify his healthy leadership style.

▪ I take pride in my work-particularly my work as a health educator.

▪ In fact, a set of beautifully manicured nails is a sign of a woman who takes pride in her appearance.

▪ Muriel took pride in their appearance and tried to forget Stephen's late night and Lily's missing days.

▪ The croft cottage was small, only two rooms, but she took pride in her work.

▪ You have to take pride in your work.

take sb into your confidence

▪ At first she thought she might take Leo into her confidence.

▪ Disclosing information Give others nuggets of information about yourself and take them into your confidence.

▪ Draw the children to you; take them into your confidence.

▪ He is for ever telling us what he will do and why, for ever taking us into his confidence.

▪ I want to take you into my confidence.

▪ Not that she had made up her mind about taking Bridget into her confidence - she would leave that decision until later.

▪ One of the best ways of doing this is to take children into our confidence.

▪ Use you, yes, but take you into his confidence?

take sb to your heart

▪ Baptism is a mark of belonging, a ground of assurance, which the Spirit can take home to our hearts.

▪ Crowds have taken Mota to their hearts.

▪ So listen carefully and take it to your hearts.

take sb under your wing

▪ Adrienne, eleven years older, had taken the 19-year-old singer under her wing.

▪ He had sized me up, he said, and had decided to take me under his wing.

▪ Tom took the young reporter under his wing.

▪ Adrienne, eleven years older, had taken her under her wing.

▪ Gyorgy Aczel, the liberal-minded ideology chief, spotted the talented regional boss and took him under his wings.

▪ He had sized me up, he later explained, and had decided to take me under his wing.

▪ He understood that the boy had had little formal education until Edouard took him under his wing.

▪ Nor could you expect some sage old workman to take you under his wing and bestow upon you his store of knowledge.

▪ Simon's uncle had taken him under his wing, so Simon and his wife, Mary, half lived there.

▪ They monitor the student at the work site and take them under their wing.

take sth in your stride

▪ Liz seems to be taking the divorce in her stride.

▪ Most kids get teased a bit at school - they have to learn to take it in their stride.

▪ Nigel smiled and took the criticism in his stride.

▪ Cocooned in happiness, Leslie seemed to take it in his stride, his attitude one of cheerful impatience.

▪ He took mountains in his stride.

▪ I was very impressed with our position, but Peter just took it in his stride.

▪ Jimmy was old enough to take it in his stride.

▪ No doubt, he felt he could take that in his stride.

▪ Rut the Europa took it in its stride, sucking itself to the tarmac and slicing through.

▪ You do dangerous things and take them in your stride just for starters.

▪ You took everything in your stride - walking up Henry Street, a bucket of water went right in front of me.

take the law into your own hands

▪ Citizens should not be expected to take the law into their own hands.

take the weight off your feet

▪ Come in, take the weight off your feet.

▪ Make the bed - then you can lie down and take the weight off your feet while we talk.

take to your bed

▪ But on 20 November, his condition worsened, and he took to his bed.

▪ He was depressed, so severely that he took to his bed.

▪ If he took to his bed now, he might as well stay there - permanently.

▪ Old Eugene had taken to his bed.

▪ We are told it was a bilious attack which had forced Désirée to take to her bed instead of the boards.

▪ Whenever there's a whiff of trouble she takes to her bed with the asthma.

take to your heels

▪ He jumped off the train, took to his heels, and was quickly out of sight.

▪ The boys jumped down and took to their heels.

▪ The kids immediately took to their heels as Mrs Brewster appeared around the corner.

▪ The deer in turn took to their heels.

▪ The infantry detailed to guard them let off only a couple of volleys before also taking to their heels.

▪ They took to their heels and ran up the road.

▪ Used to moving fast on jobs, Fitzgerald took to his heels and outran the bees over a couple of hundred yards.

take your breath away

▪ The view from the overlook will take your breath away.

▪ And if they don't take your breath away the scenery certainly will.

▪ His arrogance almost took her breath away.

▪ She had taken his breath away when she appeared at the door.

▪ Some of it was charmingly primitive, some of it so exotically painted it took your breath away.

▪ The audacity of it takes my breath away, the nerve of the man.

▪ The volatility of the top performers can take your breath away.

▪ This time it was not Ana who took her breath away.

take your cue from sb

▪ The salesman controls the timing of a sale, but he should take his cues from the buyer.

▪ But there was change in the air: one woman began to study and others took their cue from her.

▪ I took my cue from her, surviving the eulogy by neatly disconnecting myself from what was said.

▪ Maybe the academy membership took its cues from the small panel that decided the nominees in the top four categories.

▪ McGee, who had clearly been primed, did not move and Julia took her cue from him.

▪ Musically, things take their cues from the staging s unsettling tone.

▪ The woman takes her cue from the guy eventually.

▪ They speculated, taking their cues from the beliefs of many religions, that mind would eventually free itself from matter.

▪ We take our cue from our leaders.

take your lumps

▪ Our team took its lumps this season, but still finished with a winning record.

▪ For all these shortcomings, Apple took its lumps.

take your medicine (like a man)

▪ Come on, Ragtime Cowboy Joe, take your medicine.

▪ Conradin hated her with all his heart, but he obeyed her quietly and took his medicine without arguing.

▪ He and his grandpa took their medicine together, at the same time.

▪ He hadn't been changed or taken his medicine.

▪ He shut his eyes, held his nose like a kid about to take his medicine, and started to drink.

▪ His major problem is that he misses taking his medicine, and he travels too much.

▪ Like some one recovering from the flu, she quit taking her medicine as soon as she felt better.

▪ Soon after she left the hospital, with a clearer mind, she again stopped taking her medicine.

take your places

▪ Amidst shuffles and low-voiced murmurings the rest of the members took their places and eyed each other uneasily across the table.

▪ As the happy couple took their places there was a stir and a rising babble behind them.

▪ Differences in wealth and the superiority of elder over younger sons are ignored as they take their places according to age.

▪ Many of the new sovereign states took their places in the United Nations.

▪ Then two of our most experienced divers took their places in the bell, and it was lowered again.

▪ There was a delay while people took their places in the vehicles parked along the road.

▪ They took their places at the table with an awkward, almost shy silence.

take your time

▪ Alice took her time telling the story, making sure to include every detail.

▪ Just take your time and think about what you're saying and you'll be fine.

▪ Just take your time, and speak slowly and clearly.

▪ Just take your time. You don't have to decide immediately.

▪ Not wanting to seem too eager, Susan took her time about replying to the invitation.

▪ Take your time, think the matter over carefully, and then tell me what you've decided.

▪ Anne Hutchinson took her time going into exile.

▪ He was used to taking his time and not seeing every instant as a precious resource.

▪ Her own country took its time to create her a baroness; it came only in 1979.

▪ I took my time to do it right.

▪ If it did seek revenge, the lady's spirit certainly took its time.

▪ Liz took her time over washing, in order to give the child a chance to return to bed.

▪ Peahens survey several males and take their time over their decision, allowing each to parade his tail to best advantage.

▪ The woman behind the bar takes her time opening the fruit juice, as if trying to needle us.

take/catch your fancy

▪ A porcelain corgi in the window took her fancy.

▪ And you use everyone, for whatever little scheme takes your fancy.

▪ Have you been trawling the sales and picking up every urn and tub that caught your fancy?

▪ I'd wander down the high street, frittering away on whatever took my fancy.

▪ I am just glad I wasn't Anne Boleyn, or some other lady who took his fancy.

▪ Selection is not a matter of having everything that takes your fancy.

▪ Turn to page 14 to see which takes your fancy.

▪ When Oates took his fancy passing to Boston, Cam Neely thrived.

talk your way out of sth

▪ How did Cindy talk her way out of getting a speeding ticket?

▪ He was explaining something to the police with no apparent concern, talking his way out of it.

▪ I could talk my way out of trouble.

▪ Then, Benjamin tries to talk his way out of it by saying that he slowed down at the stop sign.

talk/buy etc your way into/past etc sth/sb

▪ Each receives some kind of government stipend, and Harry talks his way into a computer job while Kate does laundry.

▪ Forbes' rivals have accused him of buying his way into the race.

▪ Now nationalised and backed by government money, the firm may buy its way into video technology and markets.

▪ The adventurers could fight, but it would be safer to try and talk their way past.

▪ The family - without plane tickets and passports - had to talk their way past airport officials on their homeward journey.

▪ They bought their way into the landed aristocracy.

▪ You should be able to buy your way into any Mystery you choose with that.

teach your grandmother (to suck eggs)

thank your lucky stars

▪ Thank your lucky stars the boy wasn't seriously hurt.

▪ He was probably even now thanking his lucky stars for a narrow escape.

▪ The Bruins this morning are thanking their lucky stars for goaltender Bill Ranford.

that's your/his etc problem

▪ Anyway, that's your problem.

the bridge of your nose

▪ He drew an imaginary scarf across the bridge of his nose.

▪ He stopped, and pinched the bridge of his nose. ` Oh, I am sorry.

▪ Heavy black glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, but the effect was not severe.

▪ Her false teeth were encompassed in a loose smile and her glasses were low on the bridge of her nose.

▪ Marco takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose.

▪ She then brought her clenched fists down viciously on to the bridge of his nose.

▪ The lid fell on to the bridge of my nose.

▪ The low mewling sound it made indicated its displeasure; those long, clawed fingers rubbed the bridge of its nose.

the crook of your arm

▪ He carried his jacket in the crook of his arm.

▪ Carey stood up, the fish held in the crook of his arm, as you would hold an infant.

▪ His ripped jacket was draped over the crook of his arm.

▪ Mortified, she turned her face and hid it in the crook of her arm.

▪ One of them was cradling a sub-machine-gun in the crook of his arm.

▪ Thérèse clasped the biscuit tin in the crook of her arm.

▪ The army ride round in jeeps, rifles in the crooks of their arms.

▪ When he returned, he was carrying four good-sized rocks in the crook of his arm.

▪ With a big sign she lay her head in the crook of his arm and closed her eyes.

the daddy/your daddy

the end of your tether/rope

▪ By the time Katherine and Gary came to see me, they were at the end of their rope.

▪ By then Diana was truly at the end of her tether.

▪ Five hours later Mr Humble was at the end of his tether.

▪ However, at other times I feel at the end of my tether.

▪ Of course, when Carl walked to the end of his rope, he fell like a load of bricks.

▪ Rich, meanwhile, has come to the end of his rope on these negotiations.

▪ The court heard they were both at the end of their tether.

▪ With all that had happened with Anthony, he was near the end of his tether.

the small of your back

▪ A hot water bottle in the small of your back should help.

▪ As the skaters skated, they sometimes tucked one arm into the small of their backs.

▪ But then he was sandwiched between the door and the floor level, concrete lip digging into the small of his back.

▪ Her white sweatshirt is bunched up and tucked in at the small of her back, so her rear is exposed.

▪ I could see the great livid weals of scars running across the small of her back and down her mighty thighs.

▪ I stroke the small of his back.

▪ She moved her hand to the small of his back and propelled him across the porch.

▪ When he stepped forward to use the other hand, something cracked into the small of his back, and he stumbled.

the sth of your choice

▪ Even those who want nothing are still using their deep pockets to promote the party of their choice.

▪ In discussing the team of my choice, I made sure to highlight these factors.

▪ Most applicants lived close to the university of their choice.

▪ Refer to symbols for full list of available facilities, then contact the Hotel of your choice.

▪ The nature of his choice or the terms in which it is expressed may then tip the balance.

▪ The significance of their choice has surprised everyone, including the man they have rejected.

▪ When he enters Cambridge, Sir Hugo gives him freedom to pursue the studies of his choice.

▪ Wilken said voters' First Amendment right to pick the candidate of their choice was hampered.

the woman/man/girl etc in your life

▪ He was a tough little kid, Esteban, the women in his life say.

▪ Michael: Who are the men in your life?

▪ My doctor is the man in my life.

▪ Nevertheless, he felt abandoned and betrayed by the women in his life.

▪ Recent books have revealed the unacknowledged literary debts that writers such as Brecht and Joyce owed to the women in their lives.

▪ To clarify things that may be confusing the men in their lives.

▪ Was that why she found the men in her life all so boring?

▪ Why was it that the men in her life seemed to have found some other woman to give them an heir?

the world is your oyster

▪ After that, the world is your oyster, as they say.

▪ The world is her oyster but she dreams of being a librarian.

the world is your oyster

▪ After that, the world is your oyster, as they say.

▪ The world is her oyster but she dreams of being a librarian.

the/your last penny

▪ They took everything she had, down to the last penny.

the/your mind boggles,

think on your feet

▪ He can think on his feet quicker than anyone I've ever met.

▪ I've always been good at thinking on my feet.

▪ Industry today needs workers who can think on their feet and relearn their jobs constantly.

▪ She clasped them and tried to think on her feet.

▪ She had to use a lot of initiative and think on her feet.

▪ Stay alert and think on your feet.

▪ Their ability to think on their feet impressed the boss.

▪ This will probably be to see if you can think on your feet and react well under stress.

▪ You must not be afraid of thinking on your feet and adding good ideas that occur to you as you speak.

thread your way through/into sth etc

▪ Even as I write this, the shared facts of our lives continue to thread their way through our flesh.

▪ He threads his way through narrow alleys where the sun never penetrates.

▪ I watched her thread her way through the crowd, toward the elevator.

▪ Judges have a hard time trying to thread their way through the labyrinthine case law.

▪ Rather, the guitar and drum set seem like obbligato instruments, threading their way through the varied and highly imaginative texture.

▪ The door was held open for him, and he threaded his way through all the backstage equipment.

▪ This time she threaded her way through the high peaks of the Rockies without incident.

▪ We thread our way through the cemetery, misquoting or humming quietly and almost comforted.

throw in your hand

throw in/cast your lot with sb/sth

▪ All you have to do is throw in your lot with me.

▪ At the next meeting of the Unionist Cabinet Ministers Boscawen threw in his lot with me.

▪ Desperate to win in the third most conservative state, Bush threw in his lot with the religious right.

▪ I suppose we are right to throw in our lot with them.

▪ Like Dudley Williams, Jamison threw in her lot with Alvin early on, at the start of her career.

▪ She threw in her lot with the Jowles.

▪ The Dance caught on everywhere, and eventually Sitting Bull himself threw in his lot with the shakers.

throw up your hands (in horror/dismay etc)

▪ But instead of throwing up her hands and blaming the problem on organizational chaos, she stepped back and analyzed the situation.

▪ Davide had seen the priests, who had shrugged and thrown up their hands indolently at the laundress's problem.

▪ Even his most recent wife, Mercedes, had thrown up her hands.

▪ He rounded the bend nearest the building, and nearly dropped the branch for throwing up his hands in frustration.

▪ Here Abie threw up his hands at the ignorance of policemen.

▪ Jenny exclaimed to E.. Ames, throwing up her hands.

▪ Paul Reichmann threw up his hands in protest at the suggestion, but did not utter a sound.

▪ Then they throw up their hands, wondering why the benefits they have been pursuing never seem to accrue.

throw your voice

throw your weight about/around

▪ But being annual they would be open to reprisals if they threw their weight around too much.

▪ But that bloody Caitlin, he had to throw his weight around.

▪ Do we in petty ways throw our weight around?

▪ How dare the Nottinghamshire police suppose they can throw their weight around in this way?

▪ It's a chance for rugby to throw its weight around.

▪ Maybe she could have handled that a little more tactfully instead of sounding as though she was throwing her weight around.

▪ Mortgage traders were the sort of fat people who grunt from the belly and throw their weight around, like sumo wrestlers.

▪ Very strong in his own way, not swaggering or throwing his weight about, but a great inner strength.

throw your weight around

▪ She likes to throw her weight around -- it makes her feel important.

▪ The commission has a reputation for throwing its weight around.

▪ Why is everyone so upset? Has George been throwing his weight around again?

▪ But being annual they would be open to reprisals if they threw their weight around too much.

▪ But that bloody Caitlin, he had to throw his weight around.

▪ Do we in petty ways throw our weight around?

▪ How dare the Nottinghamshire police suppose they can throw their weight around in this way?

▪ It's a chance for rugby to throw its weight around.

▪ Maybe she could have handled that a little more tactfully instead of sounding as though she was throwing her weight around.

▪ Mortgage traders were the sort of fat people who grunt from the belly and throw their weight around, like sumo wrestlers.

▪ The apprentice was some distant relation of Pollitt's wife; that'd be why he was throwing his weight around.

throw your weight behind sb/sth

▪ Bahlman is throwing his weight behind the cultural center proposal.

▪ But Gloucester learnt their lesson and threw their weight behind the task.

▪ Chris is following in the footsteps of other Merseyside sports personalities by throwing his weight behind drugs prevention.

▪ Feminists threw their weight behind Mrs Killea's campaign, and hundreds of students attended a rally in support of abortion rights.

▪ The idea has been mooted of throwing our weight behind her version.

▪ When the idea hit the streets, we at Guitarist were unanimous in wanting to throw our weight behind the project.

▪ Why he chose to throw his weight behind a man who stood such a slender chance remains unclear.

throw your weight behind sb/sth

▪ But Gloucester learnt their lesson and threw their weight behind the task.

▪ Chris is following in the footsteps of other Merseyside sports personalities by throwing his weight behind drugs prevention.

▪ Feminists threw their weight behind Mrs Killea's campaign, and hundreds of students attended a rally in support of abortion rights.

▪ The idea has been mooted of throwing our weight behind her version.

▪ When the idea hit the streets, we at Guitarist were unanimous in wanting to throw our weight behind the project.

▪ Why he chose to throw his weight behind a man who stood such a slender chance remains unclear.

throw/toss your hat into the ring

thumb your nose at sb/sth

▪ This is yet another example of Republicans thumbing their nose at the poor.

▪ Faubus had again thumbed his nose at the judiciary by refusing to appear.

▪ Judges who thumb their noses at presidents are thought to be good for democracy.

▪ So long as he had the support of Sir Rufus Stone, he could thumb his nose at Cotton.

▪ The protestors were denigrating the primary symbol of the ordained ministry, they claimed, and thumbing their noses at the Church.

▪ Voters have thumbed their noses at it.

▪ Voters here have always been drawn to against-the-grain outsiders who make a career of thumbing their noses at party traditionalists.

tighten your belt

▪ Colleges have tightened their belts and are giving fewer scholarships than before.

▪ Governments and companies are forced to tighten their belts during a recession.

▪ Most people have to tighten their belts a little when they retire.

▪ Let them tighten their belts like we have to.

▪ Others will tighten their belts, downscale their programs, sell more t-shirts and look for local sources of revenue.

▪ The harsh years of the Depression were causing everyone to tighten their belts.

tighten your grip/hold on sth

▪ He tightened his grip on the sub-machine-gun, waited for the helicopter to slow and swing towards him.

▪ His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.

▪ However, planning permission is required, and legislation is tightening its grip on mast sites.

▪ It was only when they tensed, curling and tightening their grip on the floor, did he realise they were alive.

▪ Oats tightened his grip on the axe.

▪ The suspended despair inside her splintered into a shuddering sob and Fernando tightened his hold on her.

▪ There were months of interrogations, torture and repression as the military tightened its grip on the country.

▪ They tightened their grip on the girl.

time hangs/lies heavy on your hands

time is on your side

▪ But time is on your side if you can be gentle and good-naturedly persistent.

▪ For that matter, so could Rob, but then again, time is on his side.

▪ On the other hand, both Fujimori and Cerpa seem intent on showing that time is on their side.

▪ On this occasion, they also appear confident that time is on their side.

▪ When you begin identifying challenges at a relatively early age, time is on your side.

tip your hat/cap (to sb)

▪ And with that word of reassurance, Black tips his hat to Blue and continues on his way.

▪ Johnnie Walker tips his hat, smirks and hurries westward off the shelf.

▪ Stephen slid him a coin, the doorman tipped his hat with a smile.

▪ The watchman came out from his hut, tipped his hat, and opened the gate.

▪ Thrifty, hardworking, unemotional, they tipped their hats to no one.

to the best of your ability

▪ All the children competed and performed to the best of their ability.

▪ I have always done my work to the best of my ability.

to the best of your knowledge/belief/ability etc

to your dying day

▪ He chose Everton over Arsenal and will regret that decision to his dying day.

▪ He would insist to his dying day that an arctic wolf had savaged him.

▪ Nixon believed to his dying day, and with good reason, that Kennedy had stolen the contest, especially in Illinois.

too nice/clever etc for your own good

▪ According to her, he was too clever for his own good.

▪ That Tom was too nice for his own good.

▪ They were both too nice for their own good.

▪ You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.

toss your head/hair

▪ The girl tossed her hair and twisted in her chair.

▪ And the mare, as if finally understanding, begins to strain, tosses her head wildly, pulls at the reins.

▪ His horse snorted, tossing its head so that foam flew in dark patches on the ground.

▪ I tossed my hair and glided on to the stage.

▪ Karen tossed her head back, sending her hair over her left shoulder.

▪ The animal plunged to a halt, snorting and tossing its head nervously as water sprayed into the air around them.

▪ The Lieutenant's horse was tossing its head, snorting, raising its bright hooves high as it trampled the crop.

▪ Then the fox tossed his head and gulped down the Gingerbread Man.

▪ Two goats will circle head to tail in a display of strength, tossing their heads and posturing and grunting at each other.

touch your toes

▪ Bend from the waist, with your arms still straight, and touch your toes.

▪ Can you touch your toes while keeping your legs straight?

▪ Then he would touch his toes twenty times.

transfer your affections/loyalty/allegiance etc

▪ If Henry failed to abide by these terms his barons were to transfer their allegiance to Philip and Richard.

true to your word/principles etc

▪ A man true to his word.

▪ But true to his word, before I left, my uncle gave me help.

▪ Jim, true to his word, may be the man to fix it after all.

▪ Otto had been true to his word and left out for me a pair of boy's shorts.

▪ The captain was true to his word.

▪ The Characters A young girl: Lazy but true to her word.

▪ We have been true to our word and true to our mission because of your skill and professionalism.

try your hand at (doing) sth

▪ A visit to West Dorset also offers a perfect opportunity to try your hand at windsurfing.

▪ If you have the urge to try your hand at a grant, do so!

▪ Isaac Mizrahi tried his hand at the corset, and in the process turned out some fabulous evening dresses.

▪ It's time to try my hand at the settled life.

▪ Just like Walsh, too, Robinson first tried his hand at broadcasting.

▪ Many who are in the process of acquiring these technical skills may wish to try their hand at grantsmanship.

▪ More than once, more than a dozen times I have been tempted to try my hand at another profession.

▪ Plenty of Christians have tried their hand at putting their beliefs into prose or poetry, usually with calamitous aesthetic results.

try your hand at sth

▪ Diane has always wanted to try her hand at acting.

▪ But he decided to try his hand at writing books and was enormously successful.

▪ Guinness tried his hand at the new Porter with rather more success than his fellow Dublin brewers.

▪ If you have the urge to try your hand at a grant, do so!

▪ Isaac Mizrahi tried his hand at the corset, and in the process turned out some fabulous evening dresses.

▪ It's time to try my hand at the settled life.

▪ Many who are in the process of acquiring these technical skills may wish to try their hand at grantsmanship.

▪ Plenty of Christians have tried their hand at putting their beliefs into prose or poetry, usually with calamitous aesthetic results.

▪ Sons wanted to try its hand at selling iced tea.

try your luck

▪ Stern says he is tempted to try his luck as a candidate for mayor.

▪ But the next time Berger tried his luck, it produced a spectacular dividend.

▪ Fruity Fred the bull terrier took a fancy to the leggy lovely and thought he'd try his luck.

▪ He squatted down with a stick to try his luck.

▪ Ibn Battuta was always one to try his luck.

▪ Riker and I were chosen to try our luck again.

▪ So why not try your luck?

▪ Without a pub to be seen for miles we decided to try our luck in the bar of the hilton.

▪ You can try your luck in Scheffau, and even compete for a bronze, silver or gold medal.

try/chance your luck

▪ Akinbiyi was next up to try his luck after 25 minutes, following a great break from the left touchline.

▪ And if Mr. Birt does find himself out of a job, he could always try his luck as a timeshare salesman.

▪ But the next time Berger tried his luck, it produced a spectacular dividend.

▪ He squatted down with a stick to try his luck.

▪ Moments later Pauleta tried his luck with a fizzing 30-yarder, but Shay Given got a hand to it.

▪ Well, I strongly recommend that you try your luck on any wide verges close to towns.

▪ Why not try your luck and help others at the same time?

▪ Without a pub to be seen for miles we decided to try our luck in the bar of the hilton.

tug/touch your forelock

turn your ankle

▪ Disembarking from the steamer, she'd turned her ankle.

turn your back (on sb/sth)

▪ He turned his back on Shauna and walked to the window.

▪ He would never turn his back on a fellow veteran.

▪ Many immigrants turn their back on the old ways.

▪ He turned his back abruptly and walked away.

▪ He acknowledged his paternity when he could have easily turned his back on him and told him he was a servant.

▪ I handed him back that hundred dollars and turned my back and took him in.

▪ Kissinger said it was disgraceful that the United States had turned its back on one of her oldest and closest friends.

▪ So in the end I turned my back on it and walked away.

▪ Weaken, turn your back for a moment and it could be lost for good.

▪ Wiltshire's Social Services department has promised not to turn its back on the problem of alcoholics.

turn your hand to (doing) sth

▪ Adam Burns was probably good at everything he turned his hand to.

▪ Adult women could often turn their hand to more than one form of casual employment.

▪ Friday marks the start of a new music programme as Channel 4 turns its hand to dance.

▪ He has had to be able to turn his hand to almost anything.

▪ I have turned my hand to trying a bit of writing and I keep meaning to take it up again.

▪ Roth also turned his hand to poetry, his best-known volume being, as you no doubt guessed, his Shit Poems.

▪ She can also turn her hand to mending and spotting.

▪ She turned her hand to short stories, getting two published in the early 1990s.

turn your nose up (at sth)

▪ Many professors turn their noses up at television.

▪ Time and again he had to turn his nose up into the arch of the drain to keep from drowning.

turn your stomach

▪ The sight of the dead body turned his stomach.

▪ The strike has meant piles of rotting garbage in the streets. "It's enough to turn your stomach," said one resident.

▪ And the rich, savoury smell of the hare drifted down to meet her, turning her stomach.

▪ I don't know anything about art, but I know what turns my stomach.

▪ It was in the air, all right, a stink that turned his stomach.

turn/spin on your heel

▪ Seifert turned on his heels and stomped away in anger.

▪ Cooper turned on his heels and walked away.

▪ He turned on his heel and went into the dining room.

▪ I turned on my heel and left the room.

▪ She turned on her heel and vanished into the murk.

▪ Suddenly, the boar had been faced with a cliff too steep to climb and had turned on its heel.

▪ Then she turned on her heel and we marched back down the hall.

▪ Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and left the room.

twiddle your thumbs

▪ I sat there and twiddled my thumbs.

▪ The rest of us could just sit and twiddle our thumbs and drink iced coffee.

▪ Till then, its quarry sat twiddling his thumbs and not quite smirking.

twist your ankle/wrist/knee

▪ As he fell, he twisted his ankle.

▪ Harriet slipped on the stairs and twisted her ankle.

▪ If I had twisted my ankle, would people be making such a big deal of it?

▪ One morning as she was rushing back to the changing rooms one of the models slipped and twisted her ankle.

▪ She twisted her ankle while getting off the lift and had made the long trip down in pain.

▪ Twice in the morning he left the field, limping and in pain after twisting his knee.

twist/wrap/wind sb around your little finger

under your breath

▪ "Son of a bitch," Bill muttered under his breath.

▪ And, as he played, he seemed to talk to himself under his breath.

▪ Greatly relieved, he muttered under his breath and crossed himself several times.

▪ He hissed those words under his breath, your friend, his fingers digging mindlessly into the clear plastic packets of prophylactics.

▪ He swore under his breath and then quickly thrust the sack back into the water.

▪ Major Roland Tuck swore peaceably under his breath.

▪ Peter muttered something resentful under his breath, but did as she asked.

▪ Quietly, under my breath, I began humming Handel.

▪ Sitting back, humming under his breath, he scanned the waters for anything that might present itself.

under your own steam

▪ Can you manage to get up to the house under your own steam while I bring up the food?

▪ I never thought Sal and Thomas would make it here under their own steam!

▪ He left unexplained why, if that was his view, he had not gone under his own steam somewhat earlier.

▪ He would prefer an assistant who was prepared to be directed, not one who would dash away under their own steam.

▪ It now stands in North Road museum having last moved under its own steam in 1925.

▪ Otherwise, they'd be all over the place under their own steam.

▪ We need to know whether Paul got to the Cathedral under his own steam and at what time.

up to the/your eyeballs in sth

upgrade your skills

▪ Admittedly, these subordinates had to show some personal initiative to upgrade their skills.

▪ They were offered Saturday courses, combined with distance learning materials, to upgrade their skills.

upset your stomach

use your imagination

▪ How can you look at a bunch of stars, so far away, and so incomprehensible, without using your imagination?

▪ Of course, Vincent explained to Theo, he could avoid the expense of models and use his imagination.

▪ This means using your imagination and buying some fairly unusual items.

▪ This would be a well-placed lesson to her in how to use her imagination a bit more.

▪ We also need to encourage children to use their imaginations in science lessons.

▪ When the information was slow in coming, the announcers were forced to use their imaginations to fill in the details.

▪ With Game Boys and other computers you don't need to use your imagination.

use your loaf

▪ I play by ear I use my loaf I suspect fair play.

use/turn sth to your/good advantage

▪ First and foremost, Borland have taken the Windows interface and used it to good advantage.

▪ Homeloans are one of the cheapest ways of borrowing money - find out how to use them to your advantage.

▪ If you would like to reassess your life and learn how to use stress to your advantage, come along.

▪ Parents may feel suspicious of these, or resentful, and will need help in using them to best advantage.

▪ Professionals need to be aware of such things and use them to good advantage.

vote with your feet

▪ Women are voting with their feet and leaving the party in large numbers.

▪ If not, they will vote with their feet when they are old enough to do so.

▪ Perhaps it is not surprising that many younger doctors are voting with their feet.

▪ The Derbyshire Times noted that defiant parents were voting with their feet by keeping children away from school.

vote with your wallet

wait your turn

▪ A long line of people waited their turn to shake his hand.

▪ Everyone has to wait their turn.

▪ Everyone had to wait their turn or be punished by filling in a long complicated questionnaire two hundred and sixteen times.

▪ Goibniu would have to wait his turn.

▪ In one corner of the improvised surgery lay four other forms on stretchers, waiting their turn.

▪ Inside, he picked up a magazine and waited his turn.

▪ It is unnecessarily unnerving to be waiting your turn while potential workmates eye you up and down.

▪ Jelani had to wait his turn.

▪ Men line up in the yard, smoking and passing around flasks and bottles while they wait their turn inside.

▪ Wearing red overalls, the princess laughed and chatted to other drivers while she waited her turn.

walk off (the/your etc job)

▪ A reporter for the Wheeling Intelligencer had just walked off the structure when the catastrophe occurred.

▪ Emotionlessly she kissed me in the vineyard and walked off down the row.

▪ He walked off disconsolate: he knew he had played well enough to win and had not.

▪ It makes the software easier to display and harder to walk off with.

▪ Stewart walked off with the look of one who was the sole survivor of a particularly nasty plane crash.

▪ The sergeant was tempted to walk off but did not.

▪ We had quite literally walked off the map.

▪ When he walked off towards the car park Henry didn't bother following.

wash your dirty linen/laundry

wash your hands of sth

▪ Dunbar has already washed his hands of the project.

▪ Chun was not able to wash his hands of the Kwangju massacre, which dogged him throughout his eight-year rule.

▪ Did you feel like washing your hands of me again?

▪ I wash my hands of you.

▪ Imagine Delwyn Pepper up so in New York, washing his hands of our business.

▪ In the summer of 1988, King Hussein washed his hands of the territories.

▪ Let us wash our hands of those who do not care for us.

▪ The sooner it washes its hands of Mr Haider the better.

▪ We can not wash our hands of this.

wash your mouth out!

waste your breath

▪ Besides, something told her she'd be wasting her breath.

▪ I ain going waste my breath.

▪ I figure why waste my breath.

▪ Was there any point in even wasting her breath trying to convince him?

▪ You know it and so do I. So don't waste your breath!

watch your back

▪ He may be prime minister for now, but he still needs to watch his back.

▪ Besides which, I needed an ally at the shop, some one to watch my back should things get hairy.

▪ But watch your back when I get out, all right?

▪ But Yeltsin will have to watch his back.

▪ Drug traffickers and guerrillas mix with spies and mercenaries, all cautiously watching their backs.

▪ Enjoy it, but watch your back.

▪ Other agents are watching his back, he says.

▪ She watched his back for a moment.

▪ She noticed that everyone seemed to have drifted a little closer; was talking a little less, watching their backs.

watch your step

▪ You'd better watch your step if you want to keep your job.

▪ He would have to watch his step on his return.

▪ I had to watch my step.

▪ I would watch my step if I were you.

▪ Inside I was guided down a weird stairway and told at one point to watch my step carefully.

▪ Opposing players really had to watch their step....

▪ Plus, Best foot forward, but watch your step ... aerobics can be a pain.

▪ Some one bumped into him and sharply told him to watch his step.

▪ The sign outside may say Céad Míle Faíte, but inside you watch your step.

watch your step

▪ He would have to watch his step on his return.

▪ I had to watch my step.

▪ I would watch my step if I were you.

▪ Inside I was guided down a weird stairway and told at one point to watch my step carefully.

▪ Opposing players really had to watch their step....

▪ Plus, Best foot forward, but watch your step ... aerobics can be a pain.

▪ Some one bumped into him and sharply told him to watch his step.

▪ The sign outside may say Céad Míle Faíte, but inside you watch your step.

wear out your welcome

▪ For a decade, Jerusalem continued approaching Washington with a measure of humility, careful not to wear out its welcome.

▪ I mean when you get bored or some one wears out their welcome do you treat them like you would your job?

▪ They may become tired of being asked constantly; you may wear out your welcome.

wear your heart on your sleeve

weave your magic/weave a spell

weigh your words

▪ He began to weigh his words with great care, struggling to express himself as economically and clearly as possible.

wend your way

▪ We watched the train wend its way through the mountain pass.

▪ As the spectators began to wend their way home, the emotions of some were mixed.

▪ Following an ancient rhythm people are wending their way home before the light fails.

▪ From there I was going to hitch a ride on a freight train and wend my way back east.

▪ John and I would wend our way into Westwood Village to window-shop or see a movie or buy groceries.

▪ Motorists wend their way through orange traffic cones and detour signs.

▪ The sound of automobiles wending their way along the road far below does not reach me.

▪ This was the last mill, the brook now wending its way towards the Severn at Minsterworth.

▪ We wend our way through the most crowded portion.

what's her/your etc game?

what's your poison?

whatever floats your boat

wipe sth from your mind/memory

▪ And when he had done with her, she could wipe him from her mind, obliterate him.

▪ He cared nothing for his wife and daughter and they must wipe him from their minds.

wish your life away

▪ Such pessimists are wishing their life away.

with (your) tongue in (your) cheek

with all your heart

▪ I believed that with all my heart.

▪ And I am glad, yes, glad with all my heart.

▪ And you do it with all your heart in order to f fulfill whatever.

▪ He held that microphone steady with all his heart.

▪ I believe with all my heart that we were about to be overrun.

▪ I wish with all my heart I could believe what you say.

▪ It had seemed right in that split second; now she wished with all her heart that she hadn't done it.

with every fibre of your being

▪ And in that moment she wished with every fibre of her being that it really was possible for her to stay away.

▪ What she was sure of, though, was that she wanted him with every fibre of her being.

with your bare hands

▪ They'll fight with their bare hands to protect their homeland.

▪ Firemen dug with their bare hands to free Gemma Kitchiner from the storage pit on her parents' farm.

▪ He'd strangled two children with his bare hands, then called the police to give himself up.

▪ He was capable of killing a man with his bare hands.

▪ I reached out to feel your forehead, but you burned so hot I could not touch you with my bare hands.

▪ Oyama is famous for fighting bulls with his bare hands.

▪ The novices empty vats of mutton scraps into the dustbins and pack them down with their bare hands.

▪ The shaman broke the bones with his bare hands, and used the jagged edges to scratch at his bark.

▪ With their bare hands, they fought to save the man who had an ear ripped off in the attack.

with your eyes open

▪ They went into the deal with their eyes open.

▪ And we lie there, with our eyes open, waiting for the sun.

▪ He was just lying there looking at her as if he was dreaming with his eyes open.

▪ She lies there in the dark, with her eyes open, keeping watch.

▪ She lies with her eyes open, listening to his noisy jerking-off and then his snores.

▪ The young man was gazing straight ahead, as if asleep with his eyes open.

▪ There are some people who get bored who can just fall asleep, standing up with their eyes open.

▪ They will be tough with you, so that you go into self-employment with your eyes open.

▪ Three days after that, I learned that I could begin the ascent with my eyes open.

with your last/dying breath

▪ With his last breath, he told me he would always love me.

with your nose in the air

▪ She just walked past with her nose in the air.

▪ Standing with their noses in the air.

with your own fair hands

with your tail between your legs

▪ And that is when the toughest Bruin team in years sent the Huskies home with their tails between their legs.

▪ He knows he can not come back with his tail between his legs.

▪ I would go out of the Chamber with my tail between my legs.

▪ Pottz wiped out three waves in a row and crept back in with his tail between his legs.

▪ They got scared and ran away with their tail between their legs.

without so much as a by your leave

work your butt/ass/arse off

▪ I work my butt off for you, while that restaurant is doing worse and worse.

▪ I worked my butt off in basketball and stayed on the varsity-in fact, did well.

▪ I had to give the ball up, and then I had work my butt off to get it back.

▪ In short, I worked my butt off.

▪ Meanwhile, Inspiral Carpets went in at grass roots level and worked their butts off in the clubs.

▪ You could have worked your butt off helping a rep and you finally got the rep doing everything right.

work your fingers to the bone

▪ His mother had had a hard life - had worked her fingers to the bone bringing up six children.

▪ In those days we got up at 5 in the morning, and worked our fingers to the bone.

work your way through school/college/university etc

▪ He worked his way through college, performing menial tasks in exchange for reduced tuition.

work your way to/through etc sth

▪ And national campaign finance reform began to work its way through the U. S. Congress.

▪ For nearly two hours he worked his way through his agenda, more administration and finance today than scientific exploration.

▪ He would stand in the gents' cubicle and work his way through the fantasy, peeing in synchronization with the finale.

▪ I realize that I need to work my way through the next passages with care and delicacy.

▪ Magistrates are working their way through questioning all the officers who participated in the raid, beginning with the 13 commanders.

▪ The engine started to sound rough, but she thought it would work its way through and ignored it.

▪ Tom, like most of the others, will need lots of reinforcement as he works his way through the change.

▪ We are attempting to work our way through all these questions.

work/munch/smoke etc your way through sth

▪ Environmentalists have warned that dioxins accumulate in fat and milk and will work their way through the food chain.

▪ He's probably smoking his way through your deposit.

▪ He had even tried starting at page 1 and working his way through to the end.

▪ He worked his way through a bag of sandwiches and four cans of Pepsi.

▪ He worked his way through college, performing menial tasks in exchange for reduced tuition.

▪ Tom, like most of the others, will need lots of reinforcement as he works his way through the change.

▪ We are attempting to work our way through all these questions.

▪ You could sense the passage of time working its way through the foundation.

work/play etc your butt off

▪ He took a beating today but he played his butt off.

▪ I had to give the ball up, and then I had work my butt off to get it back.

▪ I work my butt off for you, while that restaurant is doing worse and worse.

▪ I worked my butt off in basketball and stayed on the varsity-in fact, did well.

▪ In short, I worked my butt off.

▪ Meanwhile, Inspiral Carpets went in at grass roots level and worked their butts off in the clubs.

▪ You could have worked your butt off helping a rep and you finally got the rep doing everything right.

work/sweat your guts out

work/weave your magic

▪ Across the country, says Fitness magazine, enterprising and agile therapists are working their magic on patients while running alongside them.

▪ Biemiller referred the congressman to this doctor, who again worked his magic.

▪ But now the two men have changed places, and the boat has worked its magic.

▪ Charles was one such, and he invited her to Highgrove to work her magic.

▪ He said his name was Christmas and he had worked his magic act in theatres and royal palaces all over the world.

▪ Morley weaves its magic only by using a hedge fund to protect the assets of shareholders.

▪ Paris works its magic on me.

▪ Two others have medical problems that have to be corrected before he can work his magic.

worm (your way) into/through etc sth

▪ But you can bring worms into your house, too, and make your kitchen scraps disappear.

▪ Clive felt delicate feelers worming through his mind, draining his pain, his fear.

▪ Jess wormed through the crush, at last emerging into daylight.

▪ Or perhaps you've an idea that you might worm your way into my affections, is that it?

worm your way into sb's affections/heart/confidence etc

worm your way out of (doing) sth

▪ Somehow Ben wormed his way out of mowing the lawn.

worth your/its weight in gold

would give anything/a lot/your right arm etc for sth

wring your hands

▪ "I don't know what else to do," Dan said, wringing his hands.

▪ Antoinette wrung her hands inside her daughter's clasp.

▪ But you can do more than stand around the coffee bar and wring your hands with your co-workers.

▪ He wrings his hands like a fly and clinches his eves at the awful sound of that squeaking.

▪ He wrung his hands in pleasure at her pleasure.

▪ I am not thinking simply of an inventory of the human woes that people wring their hands about.

▪ I remember my father standing over her sickbed, wringing his hands, so afraid of losing another child.

▪ Jenny fretted, wrung her hands.

▪ She was wringing her hands, pulling at her lovely mane of hair.

you (can) bet your life/your bottom dollar

you'll catch your death (of cold)

▪ Don't go out without a coat! You'll catch your death of cold!

you've made your bed and you must lie on it

your (fair) share

▪ I've made my share of mistakes.

▪ We'll make sure everyone gets their fair share.

▪ You've sure had your share of bad luck, haven't you?

your Sunday best

your best bet

▪ For getting around the city centre, a bicycle's your best bet.

▪ We decided that our best bet was to leave him where he was and go and get help.

▪ Well, your best bet would be to go back to Highway 218 and turn left.

your best bib and tucker

your better half/other half

your betters

your bounden duty

your courage/will/nerve fails (you)

your dignity

your due

your eyes water

▪ An icy wind blew into my face, making my eyes water.

▪ Jo's eyes were watering from the smoke that filled the room.

your front

▪ I hoped I wouldn't embarrass myself by spilling my drink down my front.

your good deed for the day

your guess is as good as mine

▪ "When's the next bus coming?" "Your guess is as good as mine."

▪ "Who do you think will win the World Cup?" "Your guess is as good as mine."

your heart sinks

your heart's desire/everything your heart could desire

your heart/stomach lurches

your heart/thoughts go out to sb

your humble servant

your obedient servant

your own flesh and blood

▪ He raised those kids like they were his own flesh and blood.

your time

your tongue runs away with you

your true colours

your very own

your wish is my command

your word of honour

your/her etc senses

▪ But once you start to write, you are moonstruck, out of your senses...

▪ His cheek brushed hers with a cathartic effect on her senses.

▪ It proved impossible; her senses were heightened to such a degree that she could hear every move he made.

▪ Paige could feel her heart beating like a trapped bird in her chest and her senses reeled.

▪ She could only pray that Dana had come to her senses and had left before they arrived at Garry's hide-out.

▪ Steel threaded through her muscles, and her senses became as sharp as a cat's.

▪ Until she comes to her senses, that is.

▪ Use all your senses to find yourself there.

your/her ladyship

▪ And while I adored them both, I was closer to her ladyship.

▪ Now, you're a plants-woman of no small renown, if I may say so, your ladyship.

▪ Privately, I think he wanted to spare her ladyship his death.

▪ The shallow space is articulated by the angled chair on which her Ladyship is seated, and by the elegant rococo table.

▪ There was therefore left at the Lodge only Mrs Elswick in the kitchen and Theda attendant on her ladyship.

your/her/my etc Sunday best

your/his lordship

▪ Jun. 805, where his Lordship dismissed a petition to expunge the proof of a surety against the estate of a co-surety.

▪ Nor did his Lordship draw any demarcation between administrative institutions and inferior courts for the purposes of review.

▪ The reason you want to see his lordship has nothing to do with gratitude and you know it.

your/his/her Royal Highness

your/sb's bread and butter

your/yer man

▪ Boss your men and shame your women; that was a rule of thumb with him.

▪ Ged Taggart scored for Barnsley Taylor told: Wright is your man!

▪ I've read the files on your men.

▪ In that way you got paid whether your man was elected or not.

▪ It sounds like your man Dario was up there too, cool-wise, I mean.

▪ Perhaps your men have uncovered something.

▪ Reinforce this so your man won't feel pressure to become aroused.

▪ Then I am your man, Watson.

zip it/zip your lip

The Collaborative International Dictionary

Your

thou \thou\ ([th]ou), pron. [Sing.: nom. Thou; poss. Thy ([th][imac]) or Thine ([th][imac]n); obj. Thee ([th][=e]). Pl.: nom. You (y[=oo]); poss. Your (y[=oo]r) or Yours (y[=oo]rz); obj. You.] [OE. thou, [thorn]u, AS. [eth][=u], [eth]u; akin to OS. & OFries. thu, G., Dan. & Sw. du, Icel. [thorn][=u], Goth. [thorn]u, Russ. tui, Ir. & Gael. tu, W. ti, L. tu, Gr. sy`, Dor. ty`, Skr. tvam. [root]185. Cf. Thee, Thine, Te Deum.] The second personal pronoun, in the singular number, denoting the person addressed; thyself; the pronoun which is used in addressing persons in the solemn or poetical style.

Art thou he that should come?
--Matt. xi. 3.

Note: ``In Old English, generally, thou is the language of a lord to a servant, of an equal to an equal, and expresses also companionship, love, permission, defiance, scorn, threatening: whilst ye is the language of a servant to a lord, and of compliment, and further expresses honor, submission, or entreaty.''
--Skeat.

Note: Thou is now sometimes used by the Friends, or Quakers, in familiar discourse, though most of them corruptly say thee instead of thou.

Your

You \You\ ([=u]), pron. [Possess. Your ([=u]r) or Yours ([=u]rz); dat. & obj. You.] [OE. you, eou, eow, dat. & acc., AS. e['o]w, used as dat. & acc. of ge, g[=e], ye; akin to OFries. iu, io, D. u, G. euch, OHG. iu, dat., iuwih, acc., Icel. y[eth]r, dat. & acc., Goth. izwis; of uncertain origin. The pronoun of the second person, in the nominative, dative, and objective case, indicating the person or persons addressed. See the Note under Ye.

Ye go to Canterbury; God you speed.
--Chaucer.

Good sir, I do in friendship counsel you To leave this place.
--Shak.

In vain you tell your parting lover You wish fair winds may waft him over.
--Prior.

Note: Though you is properly a plural, it is in all ordinary discourse used also in addressing a single person, yet properly always with a plural verb. ``Are you he that hangs the verses on the trees, wherein Rosalind is so admired ?''
--Shak. You and your are sometimes used indefinitely, like we, they, one, to express persons not specified. ``The looks at a distance like a new-plowed land; but as you come near it, you see nothing but a long heap of heavy, disjointed clods.''
--Addison. ``Your medalist and critic are much nearer related than the world imagine.''
--Addison. ``It is always pleasant to be forced to do what you wish to do, but what, until pressed, you dare not attempt.''
--Hook. You is often used reflexively for yourself of yourselves. ``Your highness shall repose you at the tower.''
--Shak.

Your

Your \Your\ ([=u]r), pron. & a. [OE. your, [yogh]our, eowr, eower, AS. e['o]wer, originally used as the gen. of ge, g[=e], ye; akin to OFries. iuwer your, OS. iuwar, D. uw, OHG. iuw[=e]r, G. euer, Icel. y[eth]ar, Goth. izwara, izwar, and E. you. [root]189. See You.] The form of the possessive case of the personal pronoun you.

Note: The possessive takes the form yours when the noun to which it refers is not expressed, but implied; as, this book is yours. ``An old fellow of yours.''
--Chaucer.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary

your

Old English eower, possessive pronomial adjective, genitive of ge "ye" (see ye), from Proto-Germanic base of you. Cognate with Old Saxon iuwar, Old Frisian iuwer, Old Norse yðvarr, Old High German iuwer, German euer, Gothic izwar "your." Used in titles of honor by mid-14c.

Wiktionary

your

contraction (misspelling of you’re English) det. 1 Belonging to you; of you; related to you (singular; one owner). 2 Belonging to you; of you; related to you (plural; more owners). 3 A determiner that conveys familiarity and mutual knowledge of the modified noun. 4 (cx: Ireland) That; the specified (usually used with a human referent)

WordNet

Wikipedia

Usage examples of "your".

And he has to answer for much more than aiding and abetting you with your plot to fool the old man.

They may opine that I have been an abettor of treason, that I have attempted to circumvent the ends of justice, and that I may have impersonated you in order to render possible your escape.

But I have bethought me, that, since I am growing old and past the age of getting children, one of you, my sons, must abide at home to cherish me and your mother, and to lead our carles in war if trouble falleth upon us.

Either come down to us into the meadow yonder, that we may slay you with less labour, or else, which will be the better for you, give up to us the Upmeads thralls who be with you, and then turn your faces and go back to your houses, and abide there till we come and pull you out of them, which may be some while yet.

I have heard thy windy talk, and this is the answer: we will neither depart, nor come down to you, but will abide our death by your hands here on this hill-side.

The fact that you saw what you did confirms your ability to be functional at our destination.

Will you abjure such of your deeds and sayings as have been condemned by the clerks?

Give me the Saltings of Essex with the east winds blowing over them, and the primroses abloom upon the bank, and the lanes fetlock deep in mud, and for your share you may take all the scented gardens of Sinan and the cups and jewels of his ladies, with the fightings and adventures of the golden East thrown in.

But your far song, my faint one, what are they, And what their dance and faery thoughts and ours, Or night abloom with splendid stars and pale?

But this is not your fight, and if things do not go well aboard Persephone I rather fear there will be little quarter, given or taken.

As soon as abreaction hits one of your group, the others soon topple - one after the other they are hooked.

I mean, why take his word for it that he caught your father abusing you?

For your willing ear and prospectus of what you might teach us, we will make sure, on your eight-hour shift, that we take all drunks, accidents, gunshots, and abusive hookers away from the House of God and across town to the E.

If your mother was abused by her father, she may well have married a sexually abusive man.

The workbooks help you become aware of your abusive history and find ways to get rid of the anger.

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your

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

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Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary

Wiktionary

WordNet

Wikipedia

Usage examples of "your".

Find the word definition

What is "your"

Crossword clues for your

your

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

The Collaborative International Dictionary

Related phrases:

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary

Wiktionary

Related phrases:

WordNet

Related phrases:

Wikipedia

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Usage examples of "your".