I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
ease a shortage (= make it less serious )
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Building more houses will ease the shortage of accommodation.
ease of movement (= when someone or something can move easily )
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Cyclists wear tight fitting shorts for ease of movement.
ease sanctions (= make them less strict )
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The last administration decided to ease sanctions against Cuba.
ease the strain (= make it less )
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You can do much to ease the strain of the situation for her.
ease/allay/dispel sb’s fears (= help someone stop being afraid )
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Frank eased my fears about not being able to speak the local language.
ease/reduce/lighten the burden
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Smaller classes would ease the burden for teachers.
reduce/ease/relieve tension
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Breathing deeply helps to clear my mind and reduce tension.
relax/ease restrictions (= make them less strict )
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There are restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens.
relieve/ease pain ( also alleviate pain formal ) (= make it less severe )
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Exercise can help to relieve lower back pain.
relieve/ease/reduce overcrowding
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There are plans to relieve overcrowding in the village.
the rain eases off (= it starts to rain less )
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The rain should ease off in a minute.
with consummate ease (= very easily )
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He won the race with consummate ease .
with practised ease
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He faced the television cameras with practised ease .
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
apparent
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One such was David Gentleman who was impressed by the apparent ease with which the drawings had been produced.
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Pearce pauses for reflection when asked to define the qualities which took him to the top with such apparent ease .
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But apparent ease of transition has been achieved only with much thought and sensitivity.
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Rohmer seized his wrist and with apparent ease , twisted.
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Susan Allen's sister quite rightly asked why she was allowed to draw her gun from the armoury with such apparent ease .
comparative
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We stripped a combination of primer and varnish from a plywood screen with comparative ease .
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Her life, comparative ease from the cradle up; she had to thank her father.
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Gooch was 57, Stewart 38, and the new-ball attack had been weathered with comparative ease .
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He is following a correspondence course in gardening for adults with comparative ease .
consummate
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They led a well-orchestrated attack and found their target with consummate ease .
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Illustrations produced by any package can be transferred with consummate ease to another.
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The mind does extraordinary things exaggerating or minimising with consummate ease .
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Levinson demonstrates consummate ease with this material.
equal
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Rotational needs - the venue may change when meetings are held regularly to allow delegates equal ease of access 5.
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She snapped out careless retorts and soared in brief Puccinian reminiscences with equal ease .
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Leopards can run, jump, climb trees and swim with equal ease .
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By undulating this, it drives itself forwards - or, with equal ease , backwards.
great
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This means you can change its layout in many different ways with great ease .
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It is unlikely that we shall escape these rituals with any greater ease today than when those words were written.
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She had on several occasions fobbed off my clumsy advances with great ease and much friendliness.
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Room to carry the essentials and luxuries with the greatest of ease .
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A few days later the few uneven patches were shaped up with a second mowing, with the greatest of ease .
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And all apparently with the greatest of ease .
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To those bred in greater ease , I suppose this is one of his less attractive sides.
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I thought, as we climbed through the air with the greatest of ease .
ill
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And all of this is inevitable, for Utopians are ill at ease at the sharp end of politics.
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He is extremely ill at ease .
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Nevertheless, their formality sits ill at ease with Esau's spontaneous show of love.
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They looked ill at ease in the same camera frame.
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A thin, nervous child, with drab mid-brown hair and pointed features, she was ill at ease .
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The thought of confinement can make me ill at ease .
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He pressed the button controlling the trolley and moved forward again, feeling ill at ease and claustrophobic.
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If people are already ill at ease in unfamiliar surroundings the order of service becomes another pressure.
relative
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It provides the breadth and depth of financial resources required to enable banks to adjust their liquidity positions with relative ease .
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Do you really want to give up the relative ease of having a whole accounting department at your beck and call?
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We are able to explain and understand completely new ideas with relative ease .
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Why not just stick with egg rolls and pot stickers, which most kitchens can handle with relative ease ?
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It includes assets which could be converted with relative ease and without capital loss into spending on goods and services.
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Such schemes as this will offer the possibility for speed with flexibility and relative ease of use.
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Whilst most user groups can be identified with relative ease , the various types of material or service often resist clear definition.
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C., where she lived a life of relative ease and privilege.
■ VERB
feel
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He had almost made her feel at ease , but her embarrassment was not something she could laugh about.
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Then as now, judges felt more at ease burning some poor wretch if they had a confession in hand.
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I feel at ease within myself and I am at peace.
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Perhaps they feel more at ease helping their children with their homework.
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He pressed the button controlling the trolley and moved forward again, feeling ill at ease and claustrophobic.
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Players feel at ease around their new coach.
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She felt remarkably at ease with this man who only three nights before had been a total stranger.
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Such furnishings, they think, provide status for users of the systems and make them feel more at ease .
help
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A vet, may be able to suggest some treatment to help ease tight muscles causing the pain.
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And they put young people in touch with adult role models who can help ease the shift into adulthood.
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It recently launched a program to cull the academic community for new technologies that will help ease the gridlock.
increase
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The system will use intelligent retrieval technologies to increase the speed, ease and accuracy of answering customer support calls.
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The first is to increase the ease and reduce the cost of performing previously expensive, time-consuming tasks.
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Delaney pushed him back, slowly at first, then with increasing ease , carrying on as he rolled over the top.
put
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Fred Bradley stayed very much in the background and his soft, kind eyes helped to put her at ease .
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Well, let me put your mind at ease , Winston.
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Female speaker I was worried because I looked small, but it put me at ease knowing everything was all right inside.
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Could never talk to women, never had the knack for putting them at ease .
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I was very shy but his mischievous grin put me at my ease and we strolled along behind Sally and her beau.
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But Cose put my mind at ease in his introduction.
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Speech can actually improve if stammerers can be put at ease .
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The surroundings put him at ease .
seem
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Prost seemed utterly at ease with the pressure being put on him.
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Only the charming little stewardess seemed completely at ease in his presence.
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His birthday it might be, but the Grand Duke seemed ill at ease as he received them in the morning room.
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While many in the Society seemed at ease with the practice, he had to speak up.
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Michael Portillo seemed ill at ease , and his voice squeaked and cracked like a choirboy.
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Everyone seemed quite at ease as they remained standing and casting large shadows on Lois and her group.
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Only the boy seemed now quite at ease .
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He didn't seem at ease .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
ill at ease
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And all of this is inevitable, for Utopians are ill at ease at the sharp end of politics.
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By the way, most women are very ill at ease when you call them out from the jury pool.
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He is extremely ill at ease.
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He looked about him, for once strangely ill at ease, disconcerted to learn that she had ridden off ahead of him.
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If people are already ill at ease in unfamiliar surroundings the order of service becomes another pressure.
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Nevertheless, their formality sits ill at ease with Esau's spontaneous show of love.
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The thought of confinement can make me ill at ease.
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They looked ill at ease in the same camera frame.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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I'm amazed at the sense of ease he has with children.
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I was surprised by the ease with which I had gotten reservations.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Already Morales talks of being tired, and he appears ill at ease with the insistent pace of campaigning.
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Because of the ease of manufacture, an increasing number of so-called Cassegrain reflectors are being made to the Dall-Kirkham design.
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But, as of old, his smooth face fairly shone with affable ease .
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C., where she lived a life of relative ease and privilege.
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Just like that, with the ease and assurance of a thing that was not only commonplace hut also predestined.
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The ideal tech is good at computers and at ease with people, a combination which can be difficult to find.
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They offer the advantages of cheapness, ease of operation and simple maintenance, and are ideal for routine petrographic purposes.
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We stripped a combination of primer and varnish from a plywood screen with comparative ease .
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
away
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But the stars soon lost their sheen and went out as the first strain of light eased away the darkness.
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He trotted in sync across the yard as the swarm eased away .
back
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He eased back the stick and the nose came up and the jeep slid into his gunsight.
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It was time to ease back over to the slow lane, take another off-ramp, let the car cool.
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I ease back with the gun so he has room to move.
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Glover eased back in his chair and played possum.
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Thawed by the meal, we've eased back together.
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Profits eased back from £15.1m to £14.7m before taxation in the first half as turnover stagnated at £98.8m.
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The fourth stair up creaked as it eased back into place.
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But there are more flexible ways of easing back into the job market.
gently
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Then he gently eased her arms down, and with infinite patience began to stroke her nightdress from her body.
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She grasped at the barrier between us and gently eased the wire apart.
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Hook your right toes or ankle above your left knee and gently ease your left leg back in small slow movements.
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She gently eased it off his lap, gave it a few licks and pushed it over to me for first bite.
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Using a knife, gently ease the mixture away from the sides of the dish. 7.
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Place your hands either side of your leg and gently ease forward.
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This will loosen up your left shoulder as you gently ease your left arm further over your head.
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Lean to your right side, gently easing the waist into that position.
off
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The mortaring had eased off a bit.
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The climb slowly eases off as you reach the summit plateau.
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Niki had a big cushion on the third-place car, eased off and placed second.
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Then she eased off her shoes, put her stockinged feet on the fender and began to read.
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But if it doesn't ease off , or if it gets worse, you must see your doctor.
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Tobacco is a drug and addicts should be given a chance to ease off gradually.
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Lorna met me at Kennedy, warned me to ease off .
up
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His doctor had told him to ease up .
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He appeared to ease up in the last 10 meters of the race.
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The snow was easing up and last-minute shoppers were everywhere.
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But Black is too clever for that and has gone into hiding, waiting for the pressure to ease up .
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I'd ease up on the hard stuff if I were you.
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Also, the culture has eased up on men.
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Gently she released the metal bolt, eased up the lower light and clambered through.
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When the boss comes along, you sputter and flutter into activity, then ease up once he leaves.
■ NOUN
burden
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I help to ease that burden for him.
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They will block further tax cuts, except modest breaks for small businesses to ease the burden of a minimum wage increase.
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From time to time, authorities step forward to ease the burden of incomprehension.
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The agency apparently also wants to ease its administrative burdens under the contracting ordinance.
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Non-domestic rates are also regressive but various measures have sought to ease the burden .
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Moreover, there is no doubt that in large classes this practice can ease the burden on the class teacher.
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Reserves Perry Carter and Lionel Washington handled the emergency responsibilities with little problem, easing the burden of an undermanned secondary.
car
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With painful care she eased the car out of its parking place and into the flow of traffic.
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Lois eased her car to a stop in front of the Johnsons' place.
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Grumbling quietly in a highly satisfactory sort of way, I eased the car into the traffic and headed back towards Colcutt.
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He nodded a goodbye, forced a smile, then eased himself into his car and slammed the door.
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Larry eased the car to a stop alongside the rail fence.
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He eased the car gently up the cobbled ramp, passed beneath the shadowed arch of the gatehouse.
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Miguel eased his car forward a little and slipped into a dark spot by a gurgling hydrant.
crisis
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Giscard d'Estaing even went to meet Brezhnev in May 1980 to ease the sense of crisis .
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Fujitsu sells another 30% to ease its cash crisis .
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Sao Paulo state officials admit that more aggressive long-term water conservation may have averted, or at least eased , the crisis .
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Recognising the problem, district councillors have come up with a much needed cash injection to ease the crisis .
difficulty
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I hope that it will ease the difficulties of people who face such a tragic circumstance.
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Since the 1987 article, some bureaux have taken action to ease the difficulties of the hearing impaired.
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Try this putting idea as it can ease the difficulty of computing distance and direction together once you have addressed the ball.
fear
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Donna gripped her hand briefly to reassure her, but the gesture did little to ease Julie's fear .
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But focus groups eased the fear .
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How long had it been since she had let anyone come this close, comfort her, try to ease her fears ?
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By selecting a doctrinal conservative with a record of compassion, the Vatican eased those fears .
grip
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He eases his grip on John's hand.
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She gave me a gooey smile and then eased her grip .
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He eased his grip , then let go completely.
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Deflation, the curse of farmers and wage earners, seemed ready to ease its icy grip .
mind
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Concentrating on the stitching helped to ease her mind , and the hours passed.
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I had had to talk about him to some one to ease my mind .
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When they thud through the letter-box, £150 will go a long way to ease your mind .
pain
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And within a week of switching to a macrobiotic diet the pains had eased .
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Muscular aches and pains can be eased by eucalyptus, camomile, lavender or marjoram.
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Once the patient has passed through casualty and becomes a coronary care admission the pain has usually eased significantly.
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It certainly sounds as if he might have a peptic ulcer - especially as the pain is eased by milk.
passage
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They meet with men from an agency who promise to accompany them and ease their passage across borders.
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Rostov used the moment to search for a formula which would ease his passage through the final introduction.
plight
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There was little Sanson could do to ease the King's plight other than expedite the procedure.
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Or he could introduce an exchange rate policy to ease the plight of manufacturing companies.
position
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The Labour government eased the position by reducing the levy.
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I eased into an upright position , ducking back out of sight until I heard him start the car and pull away.
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Be ready to ease up to stay in position as the tug starts to climb.
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Carrie eased her position in the cushioned chair and stretched again.
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Accordingly, in future the limit will rise with increase in the hourly remuneration rates, which should ease the position .
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Finally, the front legs can be eased into position , the seat and rails and the whole lot driven home.
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Gently ease into this position and repeat with your left leg out to the side.
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The situation can be improved by gently easing the edge into position with your hands and steaming the welt.
pressure
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After she moved to New York the pressures eased somewhat.
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Construction improved and cost pressures are easing , he added.
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But Black is too clever for that and has gone into hiding, waiting for the pressure to ease up.
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The pressure had been eased , however, when White drove Dharmasena through the covers for the first boundary in 21 overs.
problem
▪
The growth of labour productivity and commercialization eased some of these problems .
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This meant flexible hours and more time at home, which eased the problems of parents.
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The slump in profits has limited the scope for corporation tax offsets but economic recovery should help ease the problem .
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But there are short- and medium-term measures that can contain and ease the problems .
▪
This will include disk compression, which will ease the space problem on your Compaq portable.
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This eases the problem , because a number of circuits exist which give a complete null at one frequency.
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The project aims to ease the homelessness problem in the region.
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Relocation to an area which presented the right company image together with good facilities for employees could ease the problem .
restriction
▪
The number of deals will grow as the finance ministry eases restrictions on raising capital offshore.
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Then, a couple of weeks ago, Congress passed the Telecommunications Reform Act, which eases restrictions on cross-ownership of media.
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The directive is designed to ease labour market restrictions and strengthen the single market.
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But he supported an amendment that would have eased the restrictions .
▪
The security forces began easing the curfew restrictions on Feb. 5.
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This easing of restrictions opened the floodgates for commercial Internet access.
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Within five years, 45 states had similarly eased restrictions on divorce, and now all 50 have such laws.
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The proposal calls for easing land-use restrictions and establishing a road-financing plan so sparsely used properties can be turned into thriving enterprises.
shortage
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It also might ease shortages on the San Diego side of the border.
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He had expected to get a $ 100m loan to ease the fuel shortage .
▪
The money wage increases which workers won exceeded those required to generate enough scrapping to ease labour shortage .
situation
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Teachers also received a great deal of support and help from both popular organizations and from communities to ease their situation .
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The rain and snow that came Friday and Saturday will do little to ease the situation .
strain
▪
Ember twisted his head to ease the strain in his neck.
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Western teaches a Santa leg lift to ease the strain .
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She was pushing his body to the limits of its endurance to divert and ease the strain on his spirit.
tension
▪
And pumping more weapons into Bosnia is likely to raise tensions , rather than ease them.
▪
After a while the tension eased .
transition
▪
It may be desirable to spend what could otherwise be dole money on temporarily subsidizing lame ducks to ease the transition .
▪
Person has been active in Farm Wrap, a program that helps ease the transition from agriculture to other careers.
▪
We have provided valuable economic and humanitarian aid to ease the transition to a market economy.
▪
But Golding said she would work with Huntington Beach officials to ease his transition .
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As a way to ease that transition , the Department of Defense has agreed to allow it to become a redevelopment area.
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It was Schindler who stepped in at that moment to ease the transition to the right.
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This meeting was to air grievances and ease our transition into the future.
way
▪
When they thud through the letter-box, £150 will go a long way to ease your mind.
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It also recommends ways to ease those effects.
▪
It was a great way to be eased into a new genre.
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I never suspected them of having spied for long, a feeling which in no way eased my shame.
▪
Grumbling quietly in a highly satisfactory sort of way , I eased the car into the traffic and headed back towards Colcutt.
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As a way to ease that transition, the Department of Defense has agreed to allow it to become a redevelopment area.
▪
In other words, it was a way of easing the dilemma of choosing between tax cuts or more public spending.
▪
Visiting the supermarket might have been a transforming moment for Alexei, a way of easing his contempt and shattering his paralysis.
worry
▪
Shrewsbury eased their worries with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Halifax at Gay Meadow.
▪
This would ease worries in the West about supply shortages.
■ VERB
begin
▪
The security forces began easing the curfew restrictions on Feb. 5.
▪
You crumple the paper and begin daydreaming to ease the frustration.
▪
Then, holding her own breath and moving stealthily on tiptoe, she began to ease her way towards the exit.
▪
In the summer of 1947, he began easing Babe Connelly out as committeeman of the Eleventh Ward.
▪
Growth began to falter and inflation began to ease .
▪
War fears in Washington began to ease .
design
▪
Of course, family allowances, tax benefits and preferential housing allocation are all designed to ease the cost of dependent children.
▪
This can be avoided through a training program which is designed to ease people into the technology gradually and with confidence.
▪
The directive is designed to ease labour market restrictions and strengthen the single market.
help
▪
I help to ease that burden for him.
▪
In a way it helped ease the guilt.
▪
He walked around in this fashion for a while, it helped to ease his frustrations.
▪
He also wound up mad enough to spend eight years in courtrooms, battling for something else to help ease the pain.
▪
The slump in profits has limited the scope for corporation tax offsets but economic recovery should help ease the problem.
▪
Knowing this should help to ease your pain and anguish.
▪
It helps to ease my pain, even though you aren't hearing me.
▪
The building will help ease the growing pressure on academic accommodation.
seem
▪
Outside, the rain which had been falling when they entered the building seemed to have eased .
▪
Deflation, the curse of farmers and wage earners, seemed ready to ease its icy grip.
▪
Our amusement at his false assumption seemed to ease the tension between us.
▪
It really does seem to ease their breathing while they sleep.
try
▪
Most of us will try anything to ease ourselves of the pain of having been unsatisfactory children.
▪
I wanted to try to ease him for a disappointment to come.
▪
It was a generous gesture to try to ease the tension and relax a fellow professional.
▪
Whose own sorrows I would gladly try to ease .
▪
He tried unsuccessfully to ease the T-shirt over the boy's head.
▪
In the late I960s the city planners of Stuttgart tried to ease downtown traffic by adding a street.
▪
I try to ease the tension for players.
▪
I was trying to ease the wagon down a short slope when it broke loose and almost broke my leg.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Congress may ease import restrictions on grain.
▪
Rod rubbed his jaw to ease the pain a little.
▪
Tensions in the region have eased slightly.
▪
The arrival of the others eased her embarrassment slightly.
▪
The help of UN experts eased the transition to independence.
▪
We need to get rid of Africa's long-term debt burden, and ease trade and commerce.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A faint smile eased her heavy mouth.
▪
Cresson warned, however, that partial privatizations should not be used to ease the government's financial problems.
▪
I was trying to ease the wagon down a short slope when it broke loose and almost broke my leg.
▪
She eased herself slowly from the bed.
▪
The overtime and opportunities for easing which court duty affords is often not compensation enough for the stress it involves.
▪
This led to a discussion of timetabling and the constraints imposed by group sizes, and how these constraints might be eased.
▪
To ease non-marital breakups:-Remind yourself why you moved in in the first place.
▪
Whose own sorrows I would gladly try to ease .