My words

He spotted a niche in the market.

a brisk walk

Rosa was impulsive and sometimes regretted things she'd done.

She resisted his amorous advances.

her luscious body

Many managers are resistant to change.

Many people find slugs repulsive.

Journalists received a stern warning not to go anywhere near the battleship.

I'm still a complete novice at the sport.

His boss gave him a severe reprimand for being late. She was reprimanded by her teacher for biting another girl.

I didn't leave just on a whim (=for no good reason).

Modern warfare often results in the indiscriminate killing of combatants and innocent civilians alike.

In the early morning they had got drenched in the grass. The athletes were drenched in/with sweat. A sudden thunderstorm had drenched us to the skin.

He's very humble about his success. Please accept our humble apologies for the error. to eat humble pie

After his candidate had lost the election, the boastful campaign manager had to eat humble pie.

He was always modest about his role in the Everest expedition.

He's fun to be with, but he's very superficial.

The walls were covered in grime.

The rescue team also had bad weather conditions to contend with.

You'll have to scour out those old cooking pots before you use them.

cigarette ash

Man may be freed from backbreaking labor by the products of scientific technology.

He is one of the top chefs in Britain.

a financial/political/sex scandal

Bergman's films are often full of gloom and despair.

She considers teaching a worthwhile career. You have accomplished something worthwhile this week.

Without a tinge of evidence, the coroner could not solve the murder.

After the election, when my candidate conceded his loss, I had to eat humble pie.

He was, she said, a heartless scoundrel who had stripped her of everything she owned.

In Britain, half of all violent crime is perpetrated by people who have been drinking alcohol.

There are any number of miracle cures on the market for people gullible enough to buy them.

He managed to convince the jury of his innocence.

as a testimonial to her good faith a testimonial dinner in honour of him

My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin.

Today's sermon was on the importance of compassion.

His speech was usually rambling, but this time I found it brief and laconic. Shall we go rambling tomorrow? I love to ramble through the fields and lanes in this part of the country.

He gave me a surly look. We were served by a very surly waiter.

imminent disaster/danger

It's extraordinary how hard it is to change the mindset of the public and the press.

I went to a violin recital today.

The region is renowned for its outstanding natural beauty.

I think she takes a rather cynical view of men.

The three nations competed for regional hegemony.

Half of the prisoners died after torture and starvation.

That dreadful noise is driving me to distraction. I can turn the television off if you find it a distraction.

Reeds grew in clumps all along the river bank.

She hasn't got much savvy. business savvy

If you drive a car all your life, the odds are that you'll have an accident at some point. The odds are stacked against a woman succeeding (= it is not likely that a woman will succeed) in the business.

unwary travellers

Recordings of conversations are transcribed and entered into the database.

a lofty ceiling/mountain/wall

The software is pretty much there - it just needs a little tweaking. The test writers made minor tweaks to the test.

I'm completely stumped - how did she manage to escape? Scientists are stumped by this mystery virus.

The captain was typically self-effacing when questioned about the team's successes, giving credit to the other players.

I'm ravenous - where's supper? Growing boys have ravenous appetites.

My uncle was irate when the drunken driver swerved in front of us. The bus driver swerved to avoid hitting the cyclists.

After eight years in power, the government can no longer use the previous government's policy as an alibi for its own failure. When the teacher asked why the homework had not been done, he was greeted by a plethora of incredible alibis.

a government plan to revive the stagnant economy

a complacent smile/attitude

He was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

We've had spectacular success with the product.

She dwelt in remote parts of Asia for many years.

the plight of the poor/homeless

a high school dropout He was a loner and a dropout.

She's the warden of a home for mentally handicapped people. He's the warden of Robinson College, Cambridge. a prison warden

We had to coax Alan into going to school. He has some information I want, so I'm going to try to coax it out of him over a drink.

We paused to marvel at the view. I often marvel that humans can treat each other so badly.

He's a sly old devil - I wouldn't trust him with my money.

She's one of those children who can wheedle you into giving her anything she wants.

political satire In reading the satires of Jonathan Swift, one must be vigilant in order to catch each nuance.

The international business community sees English as a lingua franca.

Guy Fawkes was executed for treason.

The company began as an amalgamation of small family firms.

a skilled orator

Then you literally cut the sausage down the middle.

The blurb on the back of the book says that it 'will touch your heart'.

seizure of power/property/control Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30 percent this year.

People in the street wept with joy when peace was announced. She wept buckets (= cried a lot) when Paul left.

insincere tears an insincere apology And all this praise just because the poor man has died - doesn't it strike you as a bit insincere?

A hawk hovered in the air before swooping on its prey.

Eddie's technique was to jostle a victim toward a confederate who would then slip the man's wallet out of his back pocket while Eddie was stammering an apology to the confused dupe.

"Wh-when can we g-go?" she stammered.

Heedless destruction of the rainforests is contributing to global warming.

The meeting was adjourned until Tuesday. Shall we adjourn for lunch?

There was an ominous silence when the jittery defendant rose in court.

first/second lieutenant The general attempted to repudiate the testimony of the lieutenant, claiming that the young officer was not an authority on low level bombing.

Lennie's bottom lip quivered and tears started in his eyes.

Some of the more disreputable newspapers made false claims about her private life.

Something needs to be done to expedite the process.

For many of the refugees, the clothes they are wearing are all the worldly goods (= possessions) they have.

The girl stood gazing in/with pity at the old lion in the cage. Pity (= feel sorry for) those on the street with no home to go to.

a tangle of wires My hair tangles easily. He is combing his hair to get the tangles out.

The president was ousted (from power) in a military coup in January 1987. Police are trying to oust drug dealers from the city centre.

Sailing the Atlantic in such a tiny boat wasn't so much brave as foolhardy. It would be foolhardy to try and predict the outcome of the talks at this stage.

He was shot and fatally injured by a sniper. sniper attack

In a fit of temper he hurled the book across the room. Youths hurled stones at the soldiers.

She reiterated that she had never seen him before. The government has reiterated its refusal to compromise with terrorists.

Drunk drivers are a menace to everyone. He spoke with a hint of menace. He was accused of unlawfully demanding money with menaces. Hurricane Hugo menaced the US coast for a week.

When he came out of the water, he was trembling with cold. Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes.

Do all types of bee sting? The soap/smoke/sweat stung my eyes. She knew he was right, but his words still stung. He was stung by her criticisms.

The judge said that the teacher had been negligent in allowing the children to swim in dangerous water.

His mother scolded him for breaking her favourite vase.

At school she had complete contempt for all her teachers.

an impudent remark/child

You may sneer, but a lot of people like this kind of music. She'll probably sneer at my new shoes because they're not expensive. "Is that the best you can do?" he sneered.

His arms and back were covered in bruises. She had a few cuts and bruises but nothing serious.

The first mobile phones were heavy and clumsy to use, but nowadays they are much easier to handle. My attempts to apologize were very clumsy (= not said well).

The car skidded off the road, hit a tree and overturned. The burglars had overturned all the furniture in the house.

We perched on bar stools and had a beer. A blackbird was perching on the gate. The village is perched on top of a high hill. We watched the parade from our perch on the scaffolding.

Scaffolding has been erected around the tower and repair work will start next week.

They were mocking him because he kept falling off his bike. She made fun of him by mocking his limp.

Three minutes into the match, Jackson limped off the pitch with a serious ankle injury. She has a slight limp. He walks with a limp.

a limp lettuce leaf/salad a limp handshake

She has nothing but scorn for the new generation of politicians. Why do you always pour/heap scorn on (= criticize severely and unfairly) my suggestions?

It turned out that he wasn't a real doctor at all - he was just a sham. They claimed that the election had been fair, but really it was a sham.

Isn't it rather vulgar to talk about how much money you earn?

She accused him of making indecent suggestions to her.

an insolent child/young man

Charity organizations have chastised the government for not doing enough to prevent the latest famine in Africa.

an ignoble action/idea

The incumbent president faces problems which began many years before he took office.

a plague of insects When the plague was rampant on the island, Dr. Arrowsmith's wife died.

a woman of great intelligence and wit

crib sheets

Television sleuths are inexorable in their pursuit of lawbreakers.

She will be remembered as an unrelenting opponent of racial discrimination.

a glaring injustice

The teacher gently reproved the boys for not paying attention.

"It is outrageous for us to have to do this on all our equipment," she said. Seattle Times (Dec 28, 2013)

The conceit of that man is incredible!

He was a member of the varsity baseball team.

the alumni of St MacNissi's College

breach of ethics He was sued for breach of contract.

I'm prepared to overlook his behaviour this time.

He showed admirable restraint, and refused to be provoked.

The soldiers were distraught to learn that their furloughs had been canceled.

a cunning plan/ploy

He only said he had a meeting as a ploy to get her to leave.

A rose is the national emblem of England.

General Rattigan summoned reinforcements to help resist the attack. I'm afraid I'll have to go - I'm being summoned by my wife.(humorous)

After the fire, there wasn't much furniture left worth salvaging. ...but we can salvage our self-respect.

a diligent student Leo is very diligent in/about his work.

one of Britain's most notorious criminals The company is notorious for paying its bills late.

He claimed the police had used coercion, threats and promises to illegally obtain the statement.

Candidates with a qualification in Chemistry have exemption from this course.

How could you humiliate me by questioning my judgment in front of everyone like that? England were humiliated (= completely defeated) in last night's match.

Wash your hands so you don't get germs on the food. Rats and flies spread germs. Germ theory of disease

The national anthems of the teams are played at the beginning of international football matches.

the Bishop of Durham

He did missionary work for the Presbyterian Church in Alaska.

The Princess Royal is a well-known patron of several charities.

The supporters watched in/with dismay as their team lost 6–0. She discovered, to her dismay, that her exam was a whole month earlier than she'd expected.

The refugees were a pathetic sight - starving, frightened and cold. After the accident he became a pathetic figure, a shadow of his former self.

'Certainly not', he snorted.

Everyone rejoiced at the news of his safe return. She rejoiced in her good fortune. I rejoiced to see that she had made such a quick recovery.

It was the Republican Party's third election triumph in a row.

He said that the tax was a major political blunder. I made a bit of a blunder by getting his name wrong.

The young cubs hungrily devoured the deer.

She's been in the limelight recently, following the release of her controversial new film.

They showed open (= obvious) hostility to/towards their new neighbours.

My cat likes dozing in front of the fire.

Women should never hitchhike on their own.

commendable efforts/behaviour/bravery

The article dredged up details of her unhappy childhood.

A special committee has been appointed to handle prisoners' grievances. The small amount of compensation is a further source of grievance to the people forced to leave their homes.

He was chastened by the defeat and determined to work harder.

There was a big controversy surrounding/over the use of drugs in athletics.

The landlord had promised to redecorate the bedrooms before we moved in.

a ten-year-old feud between the two countries

The money was donated by an anonymous benefactor.

The camera focused on a group of women whose faces were tormented by/with (= showed that they were suffering) grief.

a villainous dictator

I didn't want to agitate her by telling her.

The centre of the town was barred to (US usually barred off to) football supporters.

Now that the civil war is over, relative normality has returned to the south of the country.

She sighed deeply and sat down. "I wish he was here," she sighed (= she said with a sigh). Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

She ushered us into her office and offered us a coffee. The ushers moved with alacrity to oust the disorderly patrons.

It's a disorderly sort of a house with books and papers lying around everywhere.

a sarcastic comment/remark

an excruciating pain in the lower back

We went to a riotous party and danced all night. Five students were arrested for riotous behaviour.

After a while her behaviour really began to irritate me.

the recently deceased Member of Parliament

I hardly think jeans are appropriate attire for a wedding. She was attired from head to foot in black.

Queen Victoria reigned over Britain from 1837 to 1901. The bomb attacks produced a panic which reigned over the city. Love reigned supreme in her heart.

I seized his arm and made him turn to look at me. The rebels have seized ten soldiers to use as hostages.

The flight attendant welcomed us aboard. Welcome aboard flight BA345 to Tokyo. The train's about to leave. All aboard! We spent two months aboard ship (= on the ship).

I hope I haven't distressed you with all these personal questions.

aquatic plants aquatic sports

There was a splendid array of food on the table. They sat before an array of microphones and cameras.

Deforestation is destroying large areas of tropical rain forest.

intrusive questioning intrusive lighting

The number of students at the college has quadrupled in the last ten years. We expect to quadruple our profits this year.

a glorious victory a memorial to the glorious dead of two world wars

an obscure island in the Pacific an obscure 12th-century mystic

The Berlin Wall was a potent symbol of the Cold War. This is a very potent drug and can have unpleasant side-effects.

He hated wearing a tie - he felt it constricted his breathing. If you're going dancing, you don't want to wear anything that constricts your movements. The drug causes the blood vessels to constrict.

We spent the day trekking through forests and over mountains.

Everyone should be entitled to a decent wage/standard of living. I thought he was a decent sort of person. It was very decent (= kind) of you to help.

"Shall we meet at six?" "Sure, that's just dandy."

We had splendid food/a splendid holiday/splendid weather. You look splendid in that outfit.

I've got a cowboy outfit for the fancy dress party.