I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a clear/sharp outline
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Peeling off the tape after the paint has dried leaves a clear outline to the shapes.
a sharp click (= loud and quick )
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There was a sharp click, and the panel opened like a tiny door.
a sharp cry (= loud, short, and sudden )
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He gave a sharp cry of pain.
a sharp disagreement formal (= strong disagreement )
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There were sharp disagreements between Republicans and Democrats.
a sharp distinction (= very clear )
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The President drew a sharp distinction between his party and the Republican Party.
a sharp exchange (= one that shows someone disapproves of something or is annoyed )
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The proposed bill provoked some sharp exchanges in the House of Commons.
a sharp frost (= a sudden severe frost )
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There had been a sharp frost overnight.
a sharp pain (= short but severe )
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She felt a sharp pain in the back of her throat.
a sharp reduction (= large and quick )
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High interest rates brought about a sharp reduction in sales.
a sharp tap
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A few sharp taps with a hammer will force the nail through the surface.
a sharp/dramatic/marked drop in sth
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The results showed a sharp drop in profits.
a sharp/stark/strong contrast (= very great )
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There is a sharp contrast between the type of people who read the two newspapers.
a sharp/tight bend (= a curve that changes direction suddenly )
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That road sign means you are approaching a sharp bend.
a sharp/tight curve (= one that turns suddenly in another direction )
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There's a tight curve in the road up ahead.
a stark/sharp reminder (= strong or unpleasant )
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This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers police officers face every day.
a tight/sharp corner (= very curved and difficult to drive around )
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Go slowly because there’s a sharp corner up ahead.
dramatic/sharp (= large and sudden )
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What has led to this dramatic increase in prices?
drastic/sharp cuts (= big and sudden reductions )
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He resigned over drastic cuts in the education budget.
fierce/bitter/harsh/sharp criticism (= involving angry feelings )
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The prison system has been the object of fierce criticism.
good/sharp/acute
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My hearing isn't as good as it used to be.
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Owls and other predatory birds have very acute hearing.
in sharp/stark etc contrast
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We are still getting some sun, in marked contrast to last year’s everlasting grey skies.
keep a sharp lookout (= watch extra carefully )
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When you’re driving, keep a sharp lookout for cyclists.
loud/sharp crack
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There was a sharp crack as the branch broke off.
quick/dry/sharp etc wit
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His sharp wit had them all smiling.
sharp retort
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He was about to make a sharp retort .
sharp shooter
sharp turn
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There’s a sharp turn coming up ahead.
sharp
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Be careful using that knife - it's very sharp.
sharp
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The fish has small but very sharp teeth.
sharp/drastic/severe cutback
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sharp cutbacks in the military budget
sharp/steep fall
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the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countries
sharp/steep (= by a large amount )
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The higher prices caused a sharp decline in sales.
sharp/steep (= great and sudden )
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There’s been a sharp rise in house prices.
shoot sb a quick/sharp/warning etc look/glance
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‘You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.’ Michelle shot him a furious glance.
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Jack shot an anxious look at his mother.
stand in sharp/stark etc contrast to sth
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The mountains stand in stark contrast to the area around them.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
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It was about eight inches long, double edged and as sharp as a razor.
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Roper, who is as sharp with a put-down as he is with a knockdown, has run out of worthy opponents.
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The rain fell almost horizontally, its bite as sharp as darts.
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She saw herself, all of her, as sharp .
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Steel threaded through her muscles, and her senses became as sharp as a cat's.
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He was a tallish man with a mind as sharp as a razor.
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A searching, frantic hand savagely grasped Maggie's hip, and she yelped as sharp nails pierced her skin.
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Dan comments' Paceley was as sharp as a tack and super dependable.
o'clock
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At nine o'clock sharp , the party chieftains met in John Major's room.
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Tony's gon na bring up the lorry at six o'clock sharp on Saturday night.
■ NOUN
contrast
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His lack of hypocrisy is in sharp contrast to some politicians.
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In sharp contrast , growth in the incomes of those in general or family practice has barely declined.
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Last year's prodigy, in sharp contrast , endured the most miserable day of his short and spectacular formula one career.
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Cactus-covered buttes stand in sharp contrast to the blue water, making this an idyllic spot for a getaway.
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Her simple, dusty clothes made a sharp contrast with the rich fabrics around her.
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That was in sharp contrast to a 6. 5 % decline for all of 1994.
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Such sharp contrasts are partly the consequence of inequalities of income earlier in life.
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Either would be in sharp contrast to pre-settlement times, when pines represented 90 percent of the forest.
crack
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Sometimes a sharp crack and something falling into darkness.
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The umbrella fell to the floor with a sharp crack of the ferrule on the tile.
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We're used to the sharp cracks of lightning and the belch of thunder issuing from the belly of the sky.
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The bomb detonated with a sharp crack , sending tiny but razor-sharp pieces of metal into the backs of the gun crews.
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I was telling myself that it would soon be over when I heard a sharp crack .
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Her head hit the concrete with a sharp crack .
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The sharp crack of the pistol always brought her awake, cold and shivering.
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Off in the distance, sharp cracks of gunfire and the occasional dull blast of dynamite interrupted the rural drumming.
criticism
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Hart has attracted some sharp criticism , especially from Otago and southern parts of the South Island.
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That measure drew sharp criticism from Gov.
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The sharpest criticism levelled was that the collection amounted to little more than a reshuffling.
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But while Mr Mitterrand won praise and respect abroad, he often drew sharp criticism at home, especially from conservative commentators.
decline
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During Ellis's tenure at Kurunagala cattle stealing went into a sharp decline , but as soon as he left the district it revived.
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The sharpest decline , 7 percent, was among children aged 10-14, according to the Justice Department figures released Thursday.
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This led to an especially sharp decline during the 1960s, from over half a million to well under 300,000.
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February gasoline suffered a sharper decline , down 1. 83 cents at 58. 65 cents a gallon.
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But the sharp decline in peasant disturbances in the pre-war years pointed to peaceful development.
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In the 1720s the use of walnut went into sharp decline and it was replaced by mahogany.
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The evidence pointed to a sharp decline in guerrilla prowess.
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In the upland region an old-established pastoral economy and the local industry that supported it was in sharp decline .
difference
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Miss Diane died of a brain haemorrhage after a sharp difference of opinion with the producer about salary.
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One person familiar with their work said there have been some sharp differences of thinking between the male and female members.
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Undoubtedly it was the sharp difference in personalities that first prompted talk that Nicky was not the man for the throne.
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Both sides will argue vehemently that there are sharp differences between the parties, and there are.
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None the less, the sharp differences in survival curves between the three comorbidity groups indicate that this simple categorisation was valid.
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The sharpest difference between the two is seen in their views of the role of language in intellectual development.
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There has been a sharp difference over what its price tag should look like.
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Teachers' status and length of teaching experience are also associated with sharp differences in the attitudes represented by this factor.
distinction
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All sports came to make sharp distinctions between those who received payment and those who did not.
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A sharp distinction between soma and germ line makes it possible to prevent acquired characters from being transmitted.
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The proliferation of retention of title clauses requires a sharp distinction to be drawn between contracts of sale and agency.
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There is no sharp distinction between the later stages of transition and the earlier ones of turbulent motion.
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Behaviouralists drew a sharp distinction between normative and scientific statements, and made it the hallmark of science to avoid the normative.
drop
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A sharp drop in population coupled with forest regeneration in the Basin of Pátzcuaro may have significantly reduced erosion.
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One reason: a sharp drop in the number of undergraduate students choosing economics as a major.
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The resulting sharp drop in its levels causes the lining of the womb, along with the unfertilised egg, to be shed.
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The decline was in part due to a sharp drop in gasoline prices.
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Far better to await a further sharp drop in mortgage rates into the high or even middling single digits.
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Last year, a sharp drop in interest rates boosted the value of a 30-year Treasury bond by more than 30 percent.
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Cuts in salaries, bonuses and overtime payments have reduced many family-incomes and caused a sharp drop in consumer spending.
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Nevertheless, he said the sharp drop in the book-to-bill came as a surprise.
edge
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Again do not round over the sharp edges when sanding.
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Every aspect of my real estate practice presents sharp edges , you see.
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I also learned not to step on the shiny ones and that red pebbles usually have sharp edges on top.
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There are no sharp edges and nothing rough.
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She felt the sharp edge of his teeth trying to force her lips apart and tasted blood.
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I could see the metal barrel of a pistol, or the sharp edge of an army knife.
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It needed a really sharp edge and just a light brushing with the cutter to form some of these parts.
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The wound is of linear character with sharp edges .
end
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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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The effect of these changes will be far-reaching and transport will, in many respects, be at the sharp end .
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All three came from the Midlands and had been at the sharp end of the business as salesmen for distribution companies.
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Meadowlark-his first name is used just once-finds himself at the sharp end of all of the culture shock.
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Our aim is to ensure that we become more efficient and enhance the effectiveness of our sharp end research.
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This was the commission's first visit to meet people at the sharp end of the system.
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They were at the sharp end of an operation conceived at the Oxford based company Unipart.
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I wanted to invite Virginia back to the unit to show her what these rationalisations will really mean at the sharp end .
eye
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Their sharp eyes select the lowest part of the lip of the fall.
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As a teen-ager, I kept a sharp eye on who was winning the prizes I wanted: Honor Roll.
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She is the insider with the sharp eye of an outsider.
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And it is for that reason he admonishes his crew to keep a sharp eye for whales.
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She was a small, tough girl - determined, opinionated, with light brown hair and quick, sharp eyes .
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I keep a sharp eye on him.
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And she had rarely met anyone with a sharper eye , or a truer judgement on people.
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You, old sharp eyes , are going to collect at 40-1.
fall
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An inadequate person in a job can lead to a sharp fall in morale or sales.
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The first and most striking thing about these figures is the sharp fall which they show.
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And unemployment generally brings a sharp fall in income.
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There has been a sharp fall in the number of reported rapes involving strangers; these account for 12 % of attacks.
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As a result we have seen a sharp fall in the numbers who sleep rough on our streets.
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This period has seen a sharp fall in the average rate of growth as compared to the earlier post-war experience.
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However, in April there were further sharp falls in the price of shares and the value of the yen.
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However, a sharp fall in the dollar would be awkward for the Fed.
focus
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That puts the importance of the order in sharp focus .
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At most ski resorts, large and small, there has been a sharper focus on day-care facilities and staff.
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The banning of the annual sea dump brought the issue of nuclear waste disposal into even sharper focus .
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Programs designed to motivate patients into leaving voluntarily brought into sharp focus conflicting institutional dynamics inherent in the leprosarium setting.
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In recent years this has been brought into sharp focus with growing public concern for a healthier and safer environment.
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Everything was in sharp focus , the horizon was a clear line dividing sea and sky; more rain about.
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Fast Forward Advanced At this level, there is a much sharper focus on authentic listening and speaking.
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Until now, long-sighted people have to wear glasses or contact lenses to see the world in sharp focus .
glance
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Lessingham gave him one sharp glance .
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He took in her formal outfit and the case in her hand with one sharp glance .
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She halted half way across the carpet, and was aware of his sharp glance going over her bespectacled face and shapeless suit.
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She felt her toes curl, but couldn't help giving him a sharp glance .
increase
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Book illustration is a field marked by sharp increases in price over the last two decades.
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Individual communities saw their own sharp increases in adult cases, with devastating results.
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By 1948 another sharp increase to 19,765 had occurred, with the average daily population exceeding 20,000 in July of that year.
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The sharpest increases were in California and New York, the group said.
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As motorists have found to their cost, the result has been a sharp increase in petrol prices at the pump.
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The policy shift was triggered by a sharp increase in violent crimes committed by young offenders during the late 1980s.
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The decay of Britain's roads has been reflected in a sharp increase in central government's spending on road maintenance.
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About 14 percent of the civilian population is enrolled in Medicaid, a sharp increase from 10 percent in 1990.
knife
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One uncle starts a discussion of whether a stick and sharp knife is better than scissors.
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Use the sharp knife to cut off the crusts.
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Scrape a large sharp knife across the surface, shaving off rolls of very fine chocolate.
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Using a sharp knife , remove all of the white pith, which is quite bitter.
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You know this because you have prodded one of the pieces with the tip of a sharp knife .
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Remove the skin by scraping with a sharp knife .
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Here a handful of pages had been removed with scissors or a sharp knife .
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That night she must hide a sharp knife and a lamp near her bed.
look
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But despite its sharp looks , underneath the Herald was seriously dated, even in 1959.
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He gave her a sharp look , but said nothing.
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Out on the flats there is nothing to hide behind and the birds must keep a sharp look out for trouble.
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Or kept a sharper look out for the paparazzi.
pain
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It was more than a headache; it was like a sharp pain right through the brain.
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A loud buzz erupted above his head, and sharp pains tore at his cheeks and scalp.
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A sharp pain twisted in Theda's guts.
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The former Scarborough player felt a sharp pain in a knee against Scunthorpe United.
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And suddenly a sharp pain as if stabbed in the gut.
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Then one day at school I got a sharp pain in my stomach.
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Irritating, pricking, stitching sharp pain in the point of the fracture.
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When she went to fetch the water she felt sharp pains rushing through her body.
practice
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In it he mentions several examples of sharp practice in the laboratory, one or two of which are new to me.
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At times these adjustments verge on sharp practice enabled by the fact that ingredients do not have to be revealed.
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Any kind of sharp practice or dishonest dealing will infallibly ruin his career.
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But trams also had to face some sharp practice from competing bus companies.
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Recognising sharp practice in their dealers from the outset, they would be less likely to blame them for huge losses.
reduction
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The reason for the sharp reduction is more security doors, screens, lighting, and alarms.
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The result has been a saving on energy of Aus$90,000 a year and a sharp reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide..
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Mr. Heathcoat-Amory Yes, the sharpest reduction in disconnections for debt has occurred since the companies were put into the private sector.
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However, other observers attributed the sharp reduction in rainfall to the accelerated destruction of tropical forests.
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One of the consequences of the 1988 drought was a sharp reduction in the set-aside programme.
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That's led to a sharp reduction in the volume of other rubbish that's collected in the normal way.
relief
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The clarity of light throws everything into sharp relief against a backdrop of clear blue sky.
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Such excellence threw the next hour into even sharper relief with two sides growing increasingly scrappy.
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The dark sky had forced an eerie light on to the buildings, causing colours to jump out in sharp relief .
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A further trick of the light throws their roller-coaster ridge into sharp relief , like a cardboard cut-out.
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Miles used his connection with the starpod to dim the chamber lights, and the stars sprang into sharp relief .
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The above brief account throws into sharp relief the essential differences between the Keynesian and classical theories of labour market adjustment.
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The literature throws into sharp relief the essential dichotomy in the approach to this issue between economics and economic history.
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Moreover, although these issues were thrown into sharp relief during the Thatcher administrations, Labour governments had been hardly more liberal.
right
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For this you turn sharp right off the road from Saint-Jean to Saint-Palais, about half-way between those two towns.
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Pass over a broken wall and turn sharp right .
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The track emerges on to a forestry lane, taking a sharp right and continuing on the lane.
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I went up the stairs, turned sharp right and there were another eight stairs.
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At the three stone cairns turn sharp right and head downhill to the edge of the forest.
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Walk along the road until you come to Overton Hall Farm where you bear sharp right down bend in track.
rise
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A further important consequence was the more rapid implementation of planned petrochemical projects in response to sharp rises in oil production and oil prices.
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The sharpest rise in shop sales for almost 12 years encouraged hopes that the worst of the recession is over.
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However, its wholesale introduction would mean a sharp rise in prices.
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The immediate effect was a sharp rise in prices, but inflation then came under control.
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They have coincided with a sharp rise in refugees taking advantage of liberal asylum laws.
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There, a sharp rise in interest rates popped the market's speculative bubble.
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Rise in long-term unemployment There's been a sharp rise in the number of people out of work for more than a year.
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The charges for prescriptions have seen the sharpest rise - an increase of no less than 1,425 percent between 1979 and 1990.
tongue
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Only that you have a sharp tongue and an undisciplined sister, neither of which attributes I find endearing.
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Oh, she has the sharpest tongue !
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She was still slightly in awe of Violette, her worldliness, her sharp tongue .
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How I try to punish my parents with my sharp tongue .
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They opened their mouths to show her sharp tongues and teeth, ready to bite, gobble her up.
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If Toyah cuts that easily she'd better watch herself on Linda's sharp tongue .
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Nobody but nobody commented on Maggie's shapely form - not unless they wanted acid dripping on them from that sharp tongue .
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The men are white-haired and silent, the women dark-haired with sharp tongues .
tooth
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A vast pink tongue was hanging out of the creature's mouth between a pair of the longest, sharpest teeth imaginable.
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Combat Bonus A charging war boar is a bad-tempered mound of bloody-minded muscle and bone with pointy tusks and sharp teeth .
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My sharp teeth sink themselves into its nose.
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Tom's work mostly involves checking for sharp teeth and rasping them smooth.
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It has relatively large eyes and a small mouth, with small sharp teeth on both upper and lower jaws.
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Unlike most dinosaurs it had sharp teeth with which it ate smaller creatures.
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Piglets are born with sharp teeth .
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It opened its mouth, growling deep in its throat in a display of wickedly sharp teeth .
turn
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A sharp turn to the south east took us past St Ives, and up a massive sand-filled estuary towards Hayle.
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The road made a last sharp turn and ran straight west along the shoreline into Angle Inlet.
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However her outspoken opinions mask an iron determination matched by a formidable charm and sharp turn of phrase.
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After a sharp turn in the path, they are suddenly approaching a faint square of light.
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Their wings do not normally come into contact, but even so there are problems when the dragonfly executes sharp turns .
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His feet and hands kept striking stone corners, sharp turns , and massive columns difficult to circumvent.
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Another sharp turn sent them soaring out of a tunnel mouth in the side of a vast cavern.
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Ro and Brent do the carrying, negotiating sharp turns in the stairwell.
wit
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Ice creams and lollies seem to benefit from the sharp wit of its frosting.
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Revealing his conclusion would spoil the fun because Hitt tells his story with a deft touch and a sharp wit .
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The blood in my veins ran high and my usually sharp wits dulled.
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Lapworth was retiring, generous, especially to his students, and sincere, though he had a sharp wit .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
not the sharpest tool in the box/shed
sharp tongue
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How I try to punish my parents with my sharp tongue .
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If Toyah cuts that easily she'd better watch herself on Linda's sharp tongue .
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Nobody but nobody commented on Maggie's shapely form - not unless they wanted acid dripping on them from that sharp tongue .
▪
Oh, she has the sharpest tongue !
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Only that you have a sharp tongue and an undisciplined sister, neither of which attributes I find endearing.
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She was still slightly in awe of Violette, her worldliness, her sharp tongue .
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The men are white-haired and silent, the women dark-haired with sharp tongues .
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They opened their mouths to show her sharp tongues and teeth, ready to bite, gobble her up.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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"Clear, sharp photos every time," the advertisement promised.
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sharp Cheddar cheese
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a sharp rise in prices
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a sharp young attorney
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Be careful. That knife's very sharp .
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Hey, you look sharp . Where'd you get the suit?
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I like this marmalade. It's very sharp .
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lawyers in sharp suits
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Lichtenstein's paintings are full of colours and sharp outlines - almost like children's comics.
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Mia has a sharp nose and very dark eyes.
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Paula's a very sharp dresser, so I always have her go shopping with me.
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Peel the apples using a sharp knife.
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Puppies mean to be playful, but their sharp teeth can give you a nasty bite.
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The drink had a very sharp lemony taste.
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The lemon juice gives the dressing its sharp flavour.
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The wind blew across the lake in sharp gusts.
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There's no point lying to her - she's much too sharp .
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There is not always a sharp distinction between murder and manslaughter.
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This TV set gives you a very sharp picture.
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Those lawyers are razor sharp , and you've got to be careful about every single word you say.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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A very sharp increase might have persuaded some Fed officials to push for higher rates to restrain inflation.
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After a sharp turn in the path, they are suddenly approaching a faint square of light.
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Colours were brighter, but less sharp .
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Her skin is wrinkled, her face cruel and knowing, her fingers bony and sharp .
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That puts the importance of the order in sharp focus.
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The chill in the air caught me by surprise, a sharp mountain night breeze.
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The clarity of light throws everything into sharp relief against a backdrop of clear blue sky.
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The current offensive has provoked a sharp recession, with investment, construction, travel and commerce suffering badly.
II. adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
look
▪
Although the costumes look sharp , the set is bare-bones and nondescript.
▪
Hobert looked sharp , completing 10 of 13 passes.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
The performance starts at 8 o'clock sharp .