hp_1

a woman of great intelligence and wit Her conversation sparkled with her own subtle blend of wit and charm. He was known for his dry/ready/sharp wit.

Joe originally hails from Toronto. Both John and Leeza hail from South Carolina.

Did you get caught in the hail on your way home? They hailed the war heroes. The film was hailed as a masterpiece

If you forge a signature, you'll do it illegally, a forged passport; to forge your own path. She forged a new career for herself as a singer.; She forged through the snow.

He was the embodiment of the English gentleman. She is the embodiment of calmness.

Rampant corruption brought about the downfall of the government. In the end, it was the continual drinking that was his downfall.

She had herself photographed not once, but thrice in her elegant riding habit.

to tell someone to do something that you think will be impossible:

More and more students are defying their teachers and school rules. They defied an evacuation order and stayed in town during the hurricane.

She gave me a quizzical look/glance/smile.

The girls pick the flowers and twist them into circlets they put on their heads. The necklace is a delicate circlet of gold, wired with pearls and diamonds.

It said "I have killed my wife in a fit of rage to which she provoked me"

She spurned my offers of help. Ellis plays the part of the young lover spurned by his mistress.

The crane lifted the container off the ship.; He craned forward to see the procession. Mike was craning his neck to get the first glimpse of the car.

I shudder to think what you write in your little diary.; I felt a shudder when he went into the room.

When he was semi-retired he sat on a chair in the corner of the saloon, gossiping away to his customers.

Brightly coloured flags were fluttering in the breeze. Leaves fluttered down onto the path. Butterflies fluttered about in the sunshine. A white bird poised on a wire and fluttered its wings.

The hens are pecking at some grain. She pecked her grandmother on the cheek.

The children just pecked at their food, hardly eating anything.

Charlie had/threw a tantrum in the shop because I wouldn't buy him any sweets. If she doesn't get her own way she has temper tantrums.

These new toys aim to engage tykes' brains.; Come here, you cheeky little tyke!

She chortled with glee at the news.

A small group of people stood in a huddle at the bus stop.; After huddling with advisors, the president gave a speech. It was so cold that we huddled together for warmth.

Her latest stunt was walking on a tightrope.

The eagle swooped down to snatch a young rabbit. Undercover police swooped on three houses in the city at 5.00 this morning.

He considered quitting college but thought better of it. I wanted to visit my sister, but I thought better of it because of the distance between our towns.

The dog ran off, and she dashed after him. UK I've been dashing around all day. UK I must dash - I've got to be home by seven.

The family lived in a one-room shack. Perhaps you could live in that little shack off to the side.

I caught some perch last weekend.; He cut off a perch from the tree.; We watched the parade from our perch on the scaffolding. The village is perched on top of a high hill.

She talks gleefully about her adventures. The winner danced gleefully around the room.

He was ambling along the beach. She ambled down the street, stopping occasionally to look in the shop windows.

In the harbour, the boats bobbed gently up and down on the water.

The lack of rain has shrivelled the crops. You ought to pick that lettuce before it shrivels (up) and dies. Profits are shrivelling as the recession gets worse.

The bike was splattered with mud.

Your habit of biting your nails is filthy. The weather is just filthy today; The man is filthy rich. He owns a castle.

From across the town came the rattle of machine-gun fire. I couldn't focus because of the rattle of the toys. Something rattles in my car.; His laugh rattled me. Her question rattled him.

mouldy bread/cheese

The children were wearing dirty, ragged clothes. Two ragged children stood outside the station, begging for money. The leaves of this plant have ragged edges. The patient's breathing was ragged and uneven.

They've been ragging on me, but it's just in fun.

Everyone rejoiced at the news of his safe return. She rejoiced in her good fortune.

This is the first sighting of this particularly rare bird in this country.

The guard dog was snarling and snapping behind the fence. You'll snap that ruler if you bend it too far. When she asked me to postpone my trip to help her move to her new house, I just snapped. He was arrested for snapping photos of a military parade.

I am miserable and I fear this is my lot.; My lot won the competition.; My lot of inheritance is way smaller than my sister's.

She pursed her eyebrows when he walked into the room. She pursed her lips in anger.

The big man peered into the green light but could see nothing. The driver was peering into the distance trying to read the road sign.

Lennie's bottom lip quivered and tears started in his eyes. The opening bars of the music sent a quiver of excitement through the crowd.

a tightly buckled belt, buckled boots, He wore old-fashioned buckled shoes.

You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads. His front teeth are crooked. Crooked nose; crooked police officers

You should tuck your shirt in. I tucked my notebooks into my bag and left.; He tucked a shirt and put it into his backpack. She tucked her legs under her; She tucked the baby in. My wife fell asleep so I tucked her with a blanket.

She made a spectacle of herself. The carnival was a magnificent spectacle. The television show was mere spectacle (= had an exciting appearance, but little value).

She rummaged in/through all the drawers, looking for a pen.

He amused us by his anecdotes. Our hosts amused us during the dinner. He always tries to amuse me when I am sad.

I could hear his chuckle. The hens chuckled in their pens.

Stop muttering and speak up! He was muttering (away) to himself. Laurence muttered something about his wife and left. He muttered something under his breath to the person next to him.

He carefully flicked the loose hairs from the shoulders. She quickly flicked the crumbs off the table. Horses flick their tails to make flies go away. The lizard flicked out its tongue at a fly. His eyes flicked between her and the door.

I felt a cold draft and the candle started to flicker. A smile flickered across her face. He'd been in a coma for weeks, when all of a sudden he flickered an eyelid.

There was a pinprick on his arm. The darkness was broken by the odd pinprick of light. You have to ignore the pinpricks and just get on with the job.

His beady little eyes were fixed on the money I held out. She's always got her beady eyes on what I'm doing (= she watches me closely).

She affectionately ruffled his hair with her hand as she passed. The birds ruffled their feathers (up) in alarm. He's easily ruffled by criticism

The soldiers stood stiffly to attention. "I don't think that it's anything to do with you," he said stiffly. I wrote a stiffly worded letter of complaint to the council.

A huge feast is being held in your honour.

He didn't even flinch when the nurse cleaned the wound.

Jane blushed and changed the subject. He blushed as if he had been caught naked.

It was cold, and she was wearing pink earmuffs.

There was the rasp of a bolt and the door suddenly opened. I heard his breath rasping in his chest.

Her friends never faltered in their belief in her. His career began to falter. He didn't falter in a very important moment. I faltered because everything was spinning around me.

an astounding fact/decision/revelation an astounding (= very great) victory/achievement/success

This shop sells only hand-made lace.; coffee laced with brandy

My grandpa always carried a handkerchief in his pocket.

She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. She dabbed a little perfume behind her ears. Put a dab of ointment on the wound.

She grudgingly admitted that she had been wrong to criticize him. He grudgingly accepted that he would retire after the general election.

a tangle of cables orof wires, a tangle of hope and fear. Her hair was in a tangle.; [T ] I tangled the cables and don’t know which is which. [I ] Her hair tangles easily. [M ] Who tangled these wires up?

She’s not afraid to tangle with her father.

Holding her painful back, she sat down gingerly on the bench.

I could hear muffled voices next door but couldn't make out any words. The muffled roar of traffic could be heard in the distance.

I tried to slink out of the room so that nobody would see me go. disapproving He usually slinks off (= leaves) at about 3.30.

a swish hotel, She was wearing a very swish dress.; I heard the rope swish through the air. The horses swished their tails to get rid of the flies hovering around them.

I prodded her in the back to get her attention. She prodded the cake with her fork to see if it was cooked.; He gets things done, but only after I've prodded him into doing them. She hasn't ordered that book for me yet - I must give her a prod.

Add a pinch of salt to the soup. Somebody pinched his arm. "Mum, he pinched me!" These shoes are pinching my feet.

Don't forget, even priceless brass turns black! He wants to talk about the brass instruments we're thinking about buying.

She has photographs of all her grandchildren on the mantelpiece.

Despite their small size, crickets make very shrill noises. Your violin shrills, you should retune it. A group of boys were riding on their bikes and shrilling.

She was rapping at my door

I groaned with pain. The patient groaned when he saw the needle. We could hear the groans of the wounded soldiers.; He looked at the piles of dirty dishes and gave a groan of dismay.

watery eyes; a thin, watery fluid; watery soup/coffee; The sun shed its thin watery light over the sea.

She was wearing a blonde wig. In Britain, judges wear white wigs in court.

also: 'at a girl!, atta girl!, attagirl!, that a girl! thattagirl!

The car made a strange noise and then jerked to a halt. "What's wrong?" she asked, jerking her head up.; The shock of losing his job jerked him out of his settled lifestyle.

I saw a lot of slugs in the garden after the rain.

His crying turned into a wail. The women gathered around the coffin and began to wail, as was the custom in the region. [+ speech ] "My finger hurts," wailed the child. Business people wailed that their trade would be ruined.

His Adam's apple protruded in his scrawny unshaven neck. He came home after three months at college looking terribly scrawny.

The earth revolves around the sun. The gun turret revolved until the gun was aimed at the advancing soldiers.

Hoodlums robbed two people in a convenience store, police said.

Why are you sniggering, you idiot? They spent half the time sniggering at the clothes people were wearing. What are you two sniggering at/about?

He had a coil of rope tied to his backpack. I need only a coil of her hair.

The ducks waddled down to the river. A short, fat waiter waddled over. With a quack and a waddle, the duck continued on its way. Towards the end of her pregnancy, she developed a waddle.

Our enemy is a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians. The horde of buffalo trampled (stratowała) everything on its path.

When she saw the money hidden in the box she gasped in surprise. He pulled her aboard the boat and she sprawled on the deck, coughing and gasping for breath.

Stop gibbering, man, and tell us what you saw.

He's been under a lot of strain recently. Jogging puts a lot of strain on the knees. The hurricane put such a strain on the bridge that it collapsed. Their constant arguments were putting a strain on their marriage.

Jim walked with the help of crutches. Martin broke his leg and has been on crutches for the past six weeks. As an atheist, he believes that religion is just an emotional crutch for the insecure.

boa constrictor; constrictor muscle

He lent me a comprehensive book on Italian cuisine. He offered us a comprehensive explanation. It is a very comprehensive study of drug addiction.

By this time the outfit had changed to magenta with navy knickerbockers.

"You drive," Casey gruffly told Jack. "Hello," he said gruffly, "what do you want?"

We have dodged a bullet a lot of times in the last three or four years. He dodged to avoid the hurtling bicycle.; He avoided the arrow with a dodge. They bought another car as a tax dodge (= a way to avoid paying tax).

a nasal/southern twang; He twanged the guitar string. The springs twanged.

I write with ink and parchment. It was an ancient parchment.

Cats carry their kittens by the scruff of the neck. I took/grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the hall.; I feel a bit of a scruff in my jeans.

He whacked the tree trunk with his stick. She whacked him in the mouth.; "Where shall I put my bag?" "Just whack it in the corner there."

It came again, a strangled cry from the room next door.

I'm sorry that I trod on your foot. I accidentally trod on the dog's tail. I will tread the same path as my father; There is almost no tread on the tyre.

I've bought some squashy pillows for the couch.

I put my money in the slot and pressed the button but nothing came out.; The legs of the chair are meant to slot into the holes at the back. Do these two pieces slot together?

She ducked to avoid being hit by a snowball.; I always duck washing up after dinner.; The moment I saw my ex-boyfriend, I ducked into the bushes.; A lifeguard asked us not to duck each other. He ducked me and I got scared.

He attacked me so I wrenched his arm. The phone had been wrenched from/off the wall. His hands were tied but he managed to wrench himself free.

He sniffed his socks to see if they needed washing. You're sniffing a lot - do you have a cold? "They didn't even serve wine at dinner!" she sniffed.

The clothes are still damp., a cold, damp day,

musty old books, a musty smell, a musty room

"Um, excuse me," he said timidly. People peered timidly from their windows to assess the damage.

These fields have been under the plough for centuries. Farmers start ploughing in the spring. We're going to plough the top field next week.

He's sitting in his bedroom snivelling because he was told off for not doing his homework.

It is for my parrot Polly, to sharpen his beak.; Even in a crowd of people, I could always recognize his beak.

the usual political humbug; mint humbugs

lioness defends her young ferociously. He was ferociously attacked.

The door creaked on its hinges. I heard the floorboards creak as he crept closer.

The glass crunched under pressure. He crunched the cereal. She was crunching noisily on an apple. The gravel crunched underfoot as we walked up to the house.

The car went into a skid after a sudden brake. The Mercedes skidded to a stop four metres from her.

He took the door off its hinges.

The stream glinted in the moonlight. A large diamond glinted on her finger. She smiled at him, her eyes glinting with mischief.

mane of hair, The painting depicts a beautiful young man with a flowing mane of red hair.

I asked you not to stoop. My son stoops all the time.

She crouched next to the wall. He crouched in the shadows, ready to strike. The leopard crouched behind the tree.

She crinkled (up) her nose in distaste. She felt him relax again, the crinkles deepening as his smile returned. It's much easier to sew without wrinkles and crinkles.

She spent the afternoon pruning roses.; Arco has reacted to the loss in revenue by pruning (back) its expansion plans. I felt his essay needed a little pruning.

I grated some apples for the baby. Mark was so annoyed that he grated his teeth in anger. I can hear his shoes grating.; This sound is really grating on my nerves!

He put some coal in the grate. She took the bucket and poured the water down the grate.

The shelf sagged under the weight of the heavy books. a sagging roof/floor/bed; The dollar held up well this morning but the pound sagged.

The bacon in the frying pan was beginning to sizzle, the sizzle of bacon

Children can't sit still for long without fidgeting. Stop fidgeting!; Tim's a terrible fidget.

The poker was hanging next to the furnace.

Stop cowering! I'm not going to hit you.

Oh drat! I don't have her phone number!

A crab scuttled under a rock as we passed. he children scuttled off as soon as the headteacher appeared.; The chance has been scuttled. Angry workers scuttled all hope of quick agreement on a new contract.

It's just a lot of tosh.

battered furniture/toys; She set up a sanctuary for battered wives.

What a load of codswallop!

We quickly grew tired in the blazing sunshine. Usain Bolt's blazing speed. They used to have some blazing rows over money.

She beaned him on the head with a frying pan. He wanted to bean me with a bottle but I was faster.

crackpot ideas This sounds like another crackpot conspiracy theory to me.

"I wish we'd started six months earlier," he said ruefully. She shook her head and smiled ruefully.

The student was expelled from school. The new government has expelled all foreign diplomats.

A large worm wriggled in the freshly dug earth. Baby Martha was wriggling her toes in the sand. After twisting and turning for a while, he managed to wriggle free.

My bike has had two punctures in the last three weeks. I (= my car tyre) had a puncture when I was driving back from work. She had a puncture wound in her arm, from a wasp sting.

The gleam of the Moon guided us; A gleam of hope appeared in her eyes.; She polished the table until it gleamed.

He's an incompetent bungler. She depicted her fellow investigators as bunglers.

We saw rioters pelting police with bricks and bottles.; The children pelted down the bank.;

They clambered over/up the rocks. I clambered into/onto the bus. She clambered into bed.

He had to have 7 stitches. For this pattern you'll need to use a different stitch.; I got a stitch in my left side.

a pewter plate/tankard

In children's books, witches are often shown riding broomsticks.

This used to be a bustling town but a lot of people have moved away over recent years. The house, usually bustling with activity, was strangely silent.

Rosie suddenly grasped my hand. We must grasp every opportunity to strengthen economic ties with other countries. I think I managed to grasp the main points of the lecture.

a nice plump chicken plump juicy grapes a child with plump rosy cheeks

She threatened, in a fit/burst of spleen, to resign.

She walked slowly with tottering steps. It is now so easy to buy books over the internet that the average home is bursting with tottering piles of paperbacks. It was the last decision of a tottering government.

a swarthy face/complexion a swarthy fisherman

The company took no heed of (= did not consider) public opposition to the plans.; The airline has been criticized for failing to heed advice/warnings about lack of safety routines.

a marble floor/statue

a bar/kitchen/piano stool a three-legged stool; He told the doctor he had been passing bloody stools.

The loan appears not to have been entered in the ledger. ledger accounts/books/systems

a ski/mountain slope Snow had settled on some of the higher slopes.; The roof is at a slope (= at an angle to a horizontal surface) of 30°.; The path slopes up/down to the house.

The truck came hurtling towards us. The explosion sent pieces of metal and glass hurtling through the air.

The old part of the town was a maze of narrow passages. There was a maze of wires inside the computer.

We ran down to the beach and plunged into the sea. The car went out of control and plunged over the cliff. Niagara Falls plunges 55.5 metres. Our income has plunged dramatically. I really enjoyed my plunge (= jumping in and swimming) in the pool.

The sails billowed out in the strong wind; Her skirt billowed out in the breeze

He was wearing some old shorts and a grubby T-shirt. Don't wipe your grubby hands on my clean towel!; She sees the business of making money as just grubby opportunism.

We were squatting by the fire. He squatted down and examined the front wheel of his bike.; They squatted (in) an old house in King's Cross when their money ran out.; a row of ugly, squat houses a heavily built, squat man

In the grounds is a lily pond dabbed with white, pink, and mauve flowers.

"Hey, what's the rush? Slow down, baby!" he drawled.

a person who has little skill or is slow to learn

Federer has a wide repertoire of clever shots that befuddle even the best of his opponents.

"Wh-when can we g-go?" she stammered. He dialled 999 and stammered (out) his name and address.

spindly legs a plant with a spindly stem. Carrie, almost six, was all spindly arms and legs.

My fingers and toes are tingling with the cold. There's a line in that poem that makes my spine tingle every time I read it. She tingled with fear as she entered the dark alleyway.

The fruit can be eaten once the prickles have been removed. I felt a hot prickle of embarrassment spread across my cheeks. This jumper prickles my skin.

; a long swishy skirt

How am I supposed to live in this armpit?

This shirt crumples easily. Her face crumpled with laughter. The top of the mast was starting to crumple.

He always comes back from France laden with presents for everyone. The table, as always, was laden with food.

I sat under the tree on the ruddy leaves. Her ruddy cheeks were a delightful sight. I envy your ruddy complexion (cera).; This ruddy dog bit me! The ruddy cat! It ate the meat!

I got through to the final interview, but I was pipped at the post (= in the final stage) by a candidate with better qualifications.

She walked briskly into town. Beat the eggs whites briskly until soft peaks form. "Let's get it over with," he said briskly.

He was a tall and skinny, almost gangling man, in his late twenties.

Someone jostled her from behind. As we came into the arena, we were jostled by fans pushing their way towards the stage. She always jostles when she sleeps.

wrought-iron gates

Flying glass wounded her in the face and neck. The police chief was badly wounded in the explosion. He was deeply wounded by her fierce criticism.

She gave three short hoots on the car horn. He gave a hoot of laughter/derision. He hooted with laughter. There were some hoots from the audience at these so-called experts. They heard the hoot of an owl.

A disgruntled former employee is being blamed for the explosion. The players were disgruntled with the umpire (sędzia/arbiter).

The children babbled excitedly among themselves. She was babbling something about her ring being stolen.

shrieks of delight He suddenly let out a piercing shriek. The maid shrieked when she discovered the corpse.

You'll poke someone in the eye with that umbrella if you're not careful! Stop poking your fingers into your nose!; The price tag is poking out of your shirt.

On business trips, I travel in a first-class compartment.

She was jostled and shoved by an angry crowd as she left the court. Just wait your turn - there's no need to shove.; I'll just shove this laundry in the washer before we go out. "Where should I put this suitcase?" "Shove it down there for the moment."

He heaved the bag onto his shoulder.; She picked up a heavy book and heaved it at him.; As the wind increased, the deck of the ship began to heave beneath his feet.; The smell of the fish made me/my stomach heave.

My father speaks fondly of my mother. She remembers her grandpa fondly.

"I want that 'ickle pony," called out a small voice from the audience, at which remark even the manager smiled.

He blurted out that I'm pregnant. She trusted me but I blurted her secret out.

His mother makes delicious tripe and she gave me her recipe.; She said my last essay was complete tripe. This is complete tripe!

The bogey of recession scared us.; In this house lives a bogey. There was a bogy in my dream.

Do you have some peanuts for us to nibble while the party warms up? A mouse has nibbled through the computer cables.; She nibbled his ear.

mellow flavours / mellow sounds / mellow autumn sunlight / a mellow mood/atmosphere After a few drinks, he became very mellow.

Are there any more batteries? This one's a dud. A customer had tried to pay with a dud cheque (= one for which a bank will not give money). The movie turned out to be a dud.

Ray is dumbfounded at the questions.

His hair is ginger with a tinge of brown. The grass has a grey tinge. I heard a tinge of bitterness in his voice. She said the compliment with a tinge of envy.; I tinged my sweater with pink.

She says that charging high prices will keep the riff-raff out.

The two leaders ribbed each other good-naturedly during the press conference. His brothers ribbed him about his new girlfriend.

The boy scowled at her and reluctantly followed her back into school.; She was clearly annoyed, as you could tell from the scowl on her face. After I lost the tender (przetarg), my boss greeted me with a scowl.

She's a bit sniffy about my taste in music.

a crammed train/room The docks were crammed with/crammed full of people trying to board the boats.

A huge throng had gathered around the speaker. Crowds thronged the market place. The narrow streets were thronged with summer visitors.

She beamed with delight/pleasure at his remarks. The sun beamed (= shone brightly) down on the boat as it drifted along. The concert was beamed (= broadcast) by satellite all over the world. He seemed to beam with happiness.

parched earth/fields/corn It was the height of summer and the land was parched and brown. I'm parched, I need a drink.

The village is perched on top of a high hill.

She sat atop a two-metre wall. A bow was atop her hair.

a starry night/sky; I fell in love with her starry eyes.

He forced the car into a glide. I love my new pen - it just glides across/over the paper. We saw a condor gliding high above the mountains.

This part of the coast has pebble beaches.;

All this time I was blissfully unaware of the situation. We've been able to blissfully ignore these things because it all looked so far off.; They seemed blissfully happy. She sank blissfully into a hot, bubbly bath.

We sat by the glowing/dying embers of the fire.

Sitting hunched over a computer all day can cause problems. He stood with his shoulders hunched and his head down.

The maid jumped and began to scream shrilly. These incidents were shrilly denounced in the news pages.

He snuffles when he sleeps. He was snuffling and blowing his nose. The dog snuffled around and began digging at the base of the tree.

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

a pig's snout

The customs official beckoned the woman to his counter. "Hey you!" she called, beckoning me over with her finger.; For many young people, the bright lights of the city beckon, though a lot of them end up sleeping on the streets.

In the fading light, we saw bats flitting around/about in the garden.

The lights of the village were glimmering in the distance. The sky glimmered with stars. a glimmering candle

The mouse scurried across the floor. The noise of the explosion sent everyone scurrying back into their homes.

I stood petrified as the most enormous dog I've ever seen came bounding up to me. She's petrified of being on her own in the house at night.

I could hear the old man behind me wheezing. I know when I've been smoking too much because I start to wheeze when I run for a train.

"But, er ... when, um, ... how?" he spluttered. The old gentleman was spluttering with indignation. He sputtered an apology about being 14 minutes late.

We could hear the piglets squealing as we entered the farmyard. The brakes squealed as the van rounded the corner. The two children squealed with joy.

The hens cackled in alarm. A group of women were cackling in a corner. a cackling witch. He burst into cackles of laughter.

"Keep quiet!" the teacher bellowed across the room. We could hear the sergeant bellowing orders to his troops. The bull bellowed in pain.

I had to stop suddenly, and the car behind me slammed into the back of me. The police slammed into the party and arrested the drunk teenagers.

The train sped through the station with a whoosh. I felt a great whoosh of adrenalin. A fast motorboat whooshed by.

The dog lay drooling on the mat. I drooled all over my pillow.

She groped for her glasses on the bedside table. I had to grope my way up the dark stairs. He groped me as I was going to the bar.

I heard the screech of the tires. She was screeching at him at the top of her voice. He was screeching with pain/laughter.

She opened her presents with glee.

They arrived at the house to find the door locked and barred.

She feels spite towards her mother-in-law. Don't let your spite ruin this evening.; She married him to spite her parents.

The ship strayed off course during the storm.

stray dog

I closed the window and drew the bolt; The house next to ours was struck by a bolt of lightning.; Frightened by the car horn, the horse bolted.

The bed was covered with a blue bedspread.

The cat had sleek fur. Who owns that sleek black car parked outside your house? disapproving He's one of those sleek (= seeming rich and dishonest) businessman types.

He should jump through a burning hoop. She was wearing large gold hoops in her ears.

I saw the policeman clubbing some young man.

People thought I was lazy and a bludger. I find it quite disgusting that employers readily assume if you're off work sick you're just a bludger.

jet-black hair

The old man reeled off the names of his 22 grandchildren.

I didn't mean to be offhand with her - it's just that I was in such a hurry. I can't quote the exact statistics for you offhand, but they're there for you to see in the report.

She thought I'd snitched on her. UK He snitched to my boss that I'd been making long-distance calls at work!; "Where did you get that money?" "I snitched it from my dad when he wasn't looking." Dad snitched the Halloween sweets.

You can't trudge through this snow. It's too deep. The trudge through the tundra took us the whole day.

They got into the car and zoomed off. House prices suddenly zoomed up last year.

a ball gown, a hospital gown, Students wore black gowns for the graduation ceremonies.

She stutters a little, so be patient and let her finish what she's saying. [+ speech ] "C-c-can we g-go now?" stuttered Jenkins. Suddenly the engine stuttered and then it stopped completely.

Isn't that picture slightly askew? My hat was askew so I adjusted it in the mirror.

The oil spill fouled the river and destroyed habitats.; Those toilets smell foul! I've had a foul day at work.

It seems impossible, but you can feel his stench all the way up here. I was wondering what is the source of this foul stench.

He can waggle his ears.

Straighten your back - try not to slouch. A couple of boys were slouched over the table reading magazines. In a bad mood, the boy slouched off to the beach.

I fumbled with the lock. He fumbled in his pockets for some change. She fumbled around/about in her handbag, looking for her key.; If Wilson hadn't fumbled that catch, we might have won the match.

In the distance, we could see a herd of elephants lumbering across the plain.; I have to throw away all this lumber.

My mother will go berserk (= be extremely angry) when she finds out I've ruined her favourite dress.

A wasp came towards us and Howard started flailing his arms around. She ran from the house in a terrible rage, her arms flailing in the air.

My son clings to me all the time. I cling to the hope that he will come back. I don't like the way this shirt clings to me.

The boy fell to the ground with a thud. I could hear the thud of horses' hoofs down the dirt road.; A small ball thudded to the ground close by. The soldiers marched along the street, boots thudding.

I can't handle the sway of the ship.; He held the whole country in his sway.; Many people are under the church's sway.

It is believed that an object fell on the track and derailed the bogie.; He has raised the bogie of "privatization", striking a nationalist chord with many.

They were making such a racket outside that I couldn't get to sleep. They were jailed for running a protection/prostitution racket.

I saw a swift in the forest today.; He took very swift action, for which I should like to thank him most sincerely. We will then crush the rebellion with one swift stroke.

He's very untidy about the house; mind you, I'm not much better.

We couldn't see his face because his beaver was closed

In an instant, the magician had conjured (up) a dove from his hat.

Three minutes into the game, Jackson limped off the pitch with a serious ankle injury.

It was a restless night, I couldn't sleep at all. The children always get restless when we are travelling.

We left the door ajar so that we could hear what they were saying.

All that remains of yesterday's car crash is a pile of mangled metal. He made fun of his own mangled syntax and grammatical errors.

The jury who convicted him were suspected of being nobbled. He nobbled her in the corridor to sign the invoice.

The car was belting along/down the road.; He belted him in the face.; I belted my coat tightly.

He'd been painting the door and there were specks of paint all over the floor. There's not a speck of (= not any) dust/dirt in their house. We could see a speck (= a small amount) of light at the end of the tunnel.

Blood was spurting out all over the place.; Shares of the jewellery store chain spurted $6.; There was a sudden spurt of activity in the housing market. He tends to work in spurts.; The water came out in spurts.

The boat sank because of its sudden lurch. When he put the truck into gear, it lurched forward. The party's lurch (= sudden change) to the left will lose it a lot of support.

Buck him off the horse and run as fast as you can. Your son bucked my daughter off her bike!

There's a jinx on this computer – it's crashed three times this morning! I thought we would win, but I didn't say so – I didn't want to jinx it.

A hem is a folded and sewn piece of fabric on the edge. I need to hem those curtains. She was busy hemming her skirt.

I accidentally stepped on the dog's foot and it yelped. She yelped, as if being punched in the stomach. "Nooooo," yelped a small girl at one point. "This is an outrage!" he yelped.

The paper managed to secure a major scoop and broke the scandal to the world. Talk to his friends to get the scoop on his love life.

a draughty old house

He used taunts to enrage his enemies. A simple taunt will not affect me.

The tree they cut down was a fir.

He came puffing up the stairs. "I ran all the way home," she puffed (= said while puffing).

"Maybe your husband does things that you don't know about," he said with a smirk. "I told you it would end in disaster," said Polly with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

The hall was festooned with Christmas lights and holly.

In some cultures a kiss under the mistletoe is considered a kiss of love.

Most fruit trees blossom in spring.

She used his old T-shirt as a duster.; fartuch, kitel

once a fortnight, a fortnight ago

We had tea and buttered crumpets.

Why don't we toast some marshmallows over the fire?

An old sailor sat on the dockside, whittling a toy boat.

Inside was a brown envelope, sealed with sellotape.

She suspects that this compromise deal will be nothing more than a fudge. It's a bit of a fudge but we could put the cost through on next year's budget.; The government continues to fudge the issue by refusing to give exact figures.

They would invite him to follow them onto the roof, then slip back inside and lock the window, marooning him up there for the rest of the day.

She watched the snake slither away.

The bread had been cut very thickly. Dust has settled thickly on the dark wood furniture. This is a thickly wooded area.

He was frogmarched off by two police officers.

Would you like some gravy on your potatoes?

The feeble old man collapsed on the sidewalk. She made a feeble attempt to explain the issue.

I looked under the bonnet and clouds of smoke poured out.

The Yankees won by the lopsided score of 17 to 2.; a charming, lopsided grin

She heard the eerie noise of the wind howling through the trees. He had the eerie feeling that he had met this stranger before. He told me an eerie tale of vampires.

Over time, the milk thickens or curdles into a yogurt-like substance with a strong, sour flavor.

An upturned boat on the beach provided shelter.

I propped my bike (up) against the wall. She was sitting at the desk with her chin propped on her hands.; The set is minimal and the only props used in the show are a table, a chair, and a glass of water.

"He's so unreliable!" she said crossly. "Of course not," he denied crossly.

My sister loves paisley. a paisley tie

Rabbits transfixed in the glare of car headlights are common victims on the roads. He sat transfixed all through the film.

The children sat silent on the carpet, entranced by the puppet show.

She dwelt in remote parts of Asia for many years.

There was something sinister in his eyes. It just makes the whole thing seem sinister. I was frightened by the sinister shadow outside.

I've been working frantically all week to get it finished on time. I got home to find Lara frantically searching for her keys.

The boss gave the staff a pep talk this morning in an attempt to boost sales.

Do you want to see me do a somersault? She was so happy she turned three somersaults on the lawn.

Taylor was staring fixedly at her.

Two police officers were injured in scuffles with demonstrators at Sunday's protest.

Do you have a rag? I spilt some water on the floor. When the game was over, people spilled from the stadium. Be careful with the sugar, don't spill it.

The blackbird flew back and forth to its brood. Ann was at the party with her brood.

I wish she wouldn't sit brooding in her room all day. He brooded over the insult.

She was having a spat with her brother about who should do the washing up.

We keep all the tools in the shed at the back of the house.; All trees in my garden have already shed leaves for winter. My dog started to shed his coat.

There have been reports of a masked man prowling in the neighbourhood. At night, adult scorpions prowl the desert for (= trying to catch) insects.

You have to steady this tree, otherwise it will fall.; Let's meet and steady our plans for the holidays.; I had to steady my cat after the fireworks.

You have to learn to stand up to your mother. I know you're scared of your teacher but you have to stand up to him.

the drone of an engine Outside the tent I could hear the constant drone of insects.

When no one answered the door, she peered through the window to see if anyone was there. The driver was peering into the distance trying to read the road sign. The judge peered over his glasses at the jury.

My eyes were smarting from the onions.; The police are still smarting from their failure to prevent the robbery.

After the play had finished, we lingered for a while in the bar hoping to catch sight of the actors. The smell from the fire still lingered days later. It's impossible to forget such horrific events - they linger (on) in the memory forever.

The train stopped unexpectedly and we were jolted forwards. I was jolted out of bed by the earthquake.

Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom.; This plan was doomed to failure from the start.

The portrait was of a bearded man wearing an Elizabethan ruff. He wore a tunic of crimson velvet and a big starched ruff around his little neck.

The whole experience left me with frayed nerves (= feeling worried).

He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch. She twitched her nose like a rabbit.; You'll feel something twitch the line when you get a fish.

His trousers ripped when he fell off his bike. Can you rip this nut? The pain suddenly ripped through her body.

Bowler hats were very popular in England.

the age of chivalry

What set her apart from the other candidates for the job was that she had a lot of original ideas.

As I have said, this is an ambitious and daring strategy. The Council feels your daring may put others in danger.

Lindi has achieved her comfortable life only after years of hard toil. I toil every day so you could have a good life.

a cunning plan/ploy He's a very cunning man.; a cunning little child/puppy/kitten

Birds flap their wings. The flag was flapping on the wind.

greasy food/dishes/skin/hair

Jenny lay amid the pile of cushions, in a deep sleep.

The darkness and the gale deafened her.

They swaggered into the room. A group of young men swaggered around outside the bar.

Why do snakes hiss? The iron was hissing and spluttering. People in the audience were hissing their disapproval.

His thirst for power was so strong that he ignored the needs of the people.

The man we met was very peculiar.

His teachings were preserved on a leather scroll. He just used up our last scroll of toilet paper.

With his stupid laughter, Jim is usually taken for a nitwit.

There he sat, cowering against the wall, blubbering like a child. (UK informal blub) Oh stop blubbing! Your knee can't hurt that much.

a few oddments of fabric

He spent the entire week tweaking his car.

She hadn't called for a week and I was getting miffed.

I seized his arm and made him turn to look at me. I seized his arm and made him turn to look at me.

Her face was gaunt and grey. The house looked gaunt and unwelcoming.

treacle toffee

a sherry trifle; I brought a few trifles back from India - pieces of jewellery and fabric mainly. It was such a trifling sum of money to argue about.

lemon meringue pie

Her complexion became sallow because she had been smoking for years. a sallow complexion/face

a scabby knee, scabby potatoes

He brushed the fluff off his coat.