I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a surprise announcement/an unexpected announcement
▪
The Senator made the surprise announcement that he will not be seeking re-election.
a surprise attack
▪
We launched a surprise attack on their camp just before dawn.
a surprise party
▪
Amy has planned a surprise party for his birthday.
a surprise visit (= one that the person being visited does not know is going to happen )
▪
Naomi paid a surprise visit to an old school friend.
a surprised/shocked expression
▪
He didn’t need to speak – his shocked expression said it all.
a surprising/startling conclusion
▪
After years of research, he reached a startling conclusion.
a surprising/unexpected discovery
▪
Their work led to some surprising discoveries.
a yell of surprise/delight/triumph etc
▪
Dan gave a yell of delight when Larsson scored.
an expression of surprise (= one showing that you are surprised )
▪
He looked at me with an expression of surprise.
come as no surprise
▪
The news will come as no surprise to his colleagues.
complete surprise
▪
Their engagement came as a complete surprise to me.
express surprise/shock
▪
‘I don’t believe he could hurt anyone,’ she said, expressing her surprise.
give/let out a yelp of pain/dismay/surprise etc
▪
The water was hotter than she had expected, and she gave an involuntary yelp.
greet the news with surprise/delight etc formal (= react to the news in a particular way )
▪
Fans greeted the news of the victory with a loud cheer.
happy/perfect/surprise etc ending
▪
a story with a happy ending
hardly surprising
▪
It’s hardly surprising that she won’t answer his calls after the way he’s treated her.
murmur of agreement/surprise/regret etc (= one that expresses a particular feeling )
▪
There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd.
nasty shock/surprise
▪
It gave me a nasty shock.
nice surprise
▪
What a nice surprise !
pleasant surprise
▪
Kate! What a pleasant surprise !
shocked surprise
▪
He smiled at Donna’s expression of shocked surprise.
surprised to learn
▪
She was surprised to learn that he was a lot older than she had thought.
yell (out) in surprise/pain etc
▪
Clare yelled in pain as she fell.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
big
▪
This was a big surprise to us, and indeed, in some respects rather embarrassing.
▪
But it was a big surprise to me and my family.
▪
The biggest surprise was he did not miss!
▪
That is one of the big surprises for many entrepreneurs.
▪
Qusay, 34, was the big surprise .
▪
Cal has been the biggest surprise .
▪
It had been a big surprise to the nomes.
▪
On that day I was ordered to close my eyes and await a big surprise .
complete
▪
His kiss was a complete surprise .
▪
Be prepared financially, so that the need for extra capital outlays does not come as a complete surprise .
▪
It took me by complete surprise .
▪
His visit home had been a complete surprise .
▪
This result came as a complete surprise to me and everyone else, and it was greeted with general disbelief.
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Yet it should not have been a complete surprise .
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The instruction to evacuate the buildings came as a complete surprise .
▪
Once in the palace the brother and his friend could trust to their own swords and the complete surprise of their attack.
full
▪
The desert is full of surprises .
▪
Her daughter was curious, inventive and full of surprises , Carol Coburn says.
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This one was full of reassuring surprises .
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For our family it was the gentlest of introductions to an island full of surprises .
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It was a walk full of surprises .
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The general chemistry of dithiadiazoles is full of surprises .
▪
The result is a mixed and discontinuous exhibition, full of surprises , but also a record of frustration and disappointment.
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It will be full of surprises and amazing special effects and is a treat not to be missed.
great
▪
Our conversation, to my great surprise , appeared to take a secondary place in his thoughts.
▪
This was no great surprise , or only a brief one.
▪
She pretended a greater surprise than she felt that the leader of those upon the bridle path was Lord Wyatt.
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To my great surprise , the television crews gathered round in order to interview me about my project.
▪
A.R. Did your experience at drama school come as a great surprise to you?
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As before, still-lifes offered the greatest surprises .
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It therefore comes as no great surprise that these systems are not easily linked up to talk to one another.
▪
The clutch of recent paperback thrillers was no great surprise to her.
little
▪
And here's another little surprise .
▪
Every once in a while, there are little surprises .
▪
She might never have ironed shirts, but she too had once upon a time brought Jacob little surprises , little presents.
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This was the little surprise he was keeping for the end.
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It was with a little fillip of surprise that Pascoe realized she hadn't recognized his voice.
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The problem was: What little surprise would I pull next?
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It is little surprise that legend and lore should have built up around it.
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And if coverage by the tabloids has missed some of the debate's subtleties, perhaps that is little surprise .
mock
▪
No wrong questions, no mock surprise .
▪
With mock surprise , he settled into the love seat, draping his arms along its top.
nasty
▪
But when you get hold of the document and look at the detail you're in for a nasty surprise .
▪
What further nasty surprises awaited me that day?
▪
Naturally, the tricky business of welding the Germanies together could still bring nasty surprises .
▪
Outside, all was danger and sudden, nasty surprises .
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There were rarely any nasty surprises .
nice
▪
On the other, it's full of not so nice surprises .
▪
What followed was a nice surprise .
▪
It was not the best car I've driven this year, but it was the biggest and nicest surprise .
▪
That would be a nice surprise .
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I might just do that; it would give him a nice surprise .
pleasant
▪
Your bank balance might be given a pleasant surprise .
▪
It may turn out to be a pleasant surprise or a not-so-pretty sight.
▪
This is a pleasant surprise , on two counts.
▪
It was a pleasant surprise to find a paperback edition of the Henkes book included in the package.
▪
But the main and most pleasant surprise was the sense of camaraderie among climbers in the Alps.
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In fact, the comfortable ride was our most pleasant surprise .
▪
Have the courage to show the world who you really are and you may be in for a pleasant surprise .
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It may come as a pleasant surprise that a few members of Congress are attempting to steer a drastically different course.
real
▪
That Hewlett-Packard Co is thought to be lining up for a piece of Taligent, should come as no real surprise .
▪
This goofy, affable, golden-retriever of a movie trots along offering modest pleasures and no real surprises .
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You will always be welcomed, but the real surprise is to see how beautifully most chapels are kept.
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As for the big categories, nobody expects any real surprises .
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It's a real surprise because we thought they'd split last year.
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The real surprise is that they played so badly down the stretch in both games and still managed to win.
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The ulcer was no real surprise .
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Spring always brings the real surprise , or rather horror, of the live fish retail industry.
unpleasant
▪
All this has come as an unpleasant surprise to Hong Kong's officials.
▪
Those who shorted McAfee, however, had an unpleasant surprise .
▪
Now she knew she was in for an unpleasant surprise .
▪
No crippling Whitewater developments or unpleasant October surprises appeared.
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This will reduce the possibility of unpleasant surprises .
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Party officials' in the towns the unpleasant surprise of losing jobs to which they had become all too comfortably accustomed.
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We may be in for an unpleasant surprise .
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Conversation with her was a series of small unpleasant surprises .
■ NOUN
announcement
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The philanthropic family's largesse was echoed by surprise announcements from both the Federal and provincial governments.
▪
But on Friday, Apple made a surprise announcement .
attack
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Speed of pursuit and a surprise attack gave Abram victory.
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In the surprise attack , they torched the town and rounded up its inhabitants.
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This would increase the warning time of any possible surprise attack .
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No world leader would try to launch a surprise attack because the response would be terminal for his own nation.
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His surprise attack routed the Chaos forces in the woods around the White Tower.
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That could provide clues about who was behind the surprise attack .
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It was also important to demonstrate the ability of nuclear forces to ride out a surprise attack .
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Officially you are all going to be victims of a surprise attack on the rescue party by the native inhabitants.
visit
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And a brilliant friend as he showed on a surprise visit to Abingdon.
▪
Naomi paid a surprise visit to her old school - London's Italia Conti acting academy.
■ VERB
catch
▪
He caught me by surprise and I sounded foolish.
▪
Welch and I had a rather heated exchange about the appropriateness of his editorial interference, which had caught me by surprise .
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Billy had caught him by surprise .
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The chill in the air caught me by surprise , a sharp mountain night breeze.
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He'd caught her by surprise , that was all.
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He dipped her, catching her by surprise , letting her drop backwards.
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So the two white girls standing in front of the mirrors are caught by surprise .
▪
They too were caught by surprise .
come
▪
All this has come as an unpleasant surprise to Hong Kong's officials.
▪
Her answer came as a surprise .
▪
The smile may have come as a surprise to connoisseurs of the pictures of him which have been issued to the world.
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Which should come as no surprise to anyone who has heard his songs.
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It came as no surprise to find that the local translator in Sochi had muddled up the names.
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None of this comes as a surprise .
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Today's developments came as no surprise to journalists at Coach and Bus Week.
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It certainly comes as a surprise or shock to hear some scholars cheering the decline in government and foundation money for research.
express
▪
Mancham expressed surprise at the results and called for a recount.
▪
He expressed surprise when he learned we were staying there because he thought it was so expensive.
▪
Pearce expressed surprise and said that this was the first he had heard of it.
▪
She expressed no surprise on learning that the second child was also a daughter.
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Otherwise, he'd never have expressed surprise at the news that he and Ixora were living together.
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Some people have expressed surprise at learning the U. S. Chamber of Commerce is taking such a keen interest in welfare reform.
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Afterwards, he expressed surprise that the Post Office had not been invited to send a representative.
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The band often finds a radio-ravaged fan after a show who expresses surprise and delight in the retro sound.
find
▪
To their surprise , they found that some schools had grown in number from one week to the next.
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To his surprise she was found to be partial to peas.
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It is no surprise to find that there are some who believe that history is about to repeat itself.
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It was a pleasant surprise to find a paperback edition of the Henkes book included in the package.
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To my surprise , I found I liked it.
▪
To her surprise , Alfreda found herself thinking about work at home and planning for the next day.
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It was a surprise to find the power to be mostly up high in the rev range.
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It came as no surprise to find that the local translator in Sochi had muddled up the names.
learn
▪
It is certainly no surprise to learn that it is not a cure for all cancers.
▪
He expressed surprise when he learned we were staying there because he thought it was so expensive.
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It's no surprise to learn that she numbers among her ancestors the Brothers Grimm.
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She expressed no surprise on learning that the second child was also a daughter.
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It comes as no surprise to learn that he was trained in Vienna in the Maulbertsch workshop.
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Some people have expressed surprise at learning the U. S. Chamber of Commerce is taking such a keen interest in welfare reform.
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It is no surprise to learn that an art dealer has closed down.
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One also will get surprises by learning a foreign language.
look
▪
I looked at her in surprise .
▪
She looked up in surprise as he walked in, and then smiled hesitantly.
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She came to a halt and Fenn looked up in surprise .
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Frank looked up in surprise when Matron walked in.
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At the same time a gentle bell sounded, causing both men to look round in surprise .
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Constance thought, looking in surprise at this woman who seemed so radiant with health.
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She turns to look at him in surprise .
show
▪
Better to be casual and try to show no surprise .
▪
But he shows no sign of surprise .
▪
And a brilliant friend as he showed on a surprise visit to Abingdon.
▪
He showed no surprise at seeing me.
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He shows no surprise that Fairfax has come to pay his respects after nearly fifty years.
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Neither Mama nor Dad showed the slightest surprise or resentment toward the doctor.
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The boys show no surprise , hesitation, confusion - they merely laugh and confer as to how to attack them.
▪
When Meese handed North the memorandum, he at first showed no surprise .
spring
▪
Calvin Smith, the world-record holder, could always spring a surprise .
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Perhaps they will spring a surprise player or two in Atlanta.
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And she can spring a surprise .
▪
Theo distracted him from this gloomy conclusion by springing a surprise on him.
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And even when you think you know the island intimately, it will keep on springing surprises .
▪
And they can spring some surprises .
▪
Glasser orders his events thematically, while also wanting to tell a story and to spring surprises .
take
▪
What happened next took Madeleine completely by surprise .
▪
But it took many by surprise , those who still imagined that women only loved; whereas men lusted.
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The transition was so abrupt that it took her by surprise .
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How could anyone be taken by surprise by a flight of Hueys?
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His deep voice took Romanov by surprise .
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I kept my hands folded on my desk. Take the enemy by surprise .
▪
What took her by surprise was her own response to the priest himself.
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But each time it was a sudden sortie and took Trondur by surprise so he was not ready to spear them.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
beat/surprise/scare the hell out of sb
▪
And I said, beats the hell out of me.
▪
Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
▪
It scared the hell out of me.
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Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
▪
Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
▪
There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
▪
Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
▪
Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
catch sb by surprise, catch sb off guard, catch sb napping/unawares
▪
My pregnancy caught us by surprise, but we're happy about it.
▪
The public's reaction obviously caught the governor off guard.
color me surprised/confused/embarrassed etc
come as a surprise/relief/blow etc (to sb)
▪
And this might come as a surprise to our brethren in the popular national press - Thirty-eight.
▪
Buller's Hill House came as a surprise.
▪
Her answer came as a surprise.
▪
It comes as a surprise to find him boasting of his prowess as a rioter.
▪
Nevertheless, he said the sharp drop in the book-to-bill came as a surprise.
▪
Nor should it come as a surprise that these rules frequently get S corporation owners into trouble.
▪
So it comes as a surprise to discover that this is not always the case.
▪
This should not come as a surprise to people who are free.
element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc
▪
I like the element of risk.
▪
If Weaver had been watching as Liz Spalding had been smuggled into the house, then the element of surprise was lost.
▪
It contains a major element of truth, even if it is not precisely the truth which its originators intended.
▪
The element of risk gave it an added excitement.
▪
There is an element of truth in all of these.
▪
There were elements of truth in this critique, Jim supposed.
▪
Web browsers, once limited to displaying text and graphics and downloading files, have created an entirely new element of risk.
▪
What I do is count on the element of surprise.
mock surprise/horror/indignation etc
▪
No wrong questions, no mock surprise.
▪
She threw up her hands in mock horror as the little pomeranian ran yapping among the guests.
▪
With mock surprise, he settled into the love seat, draping his arms along its top.
much to sb's surprise/embarrassment etc
▪
A week later, much to my surprise, I was told my order must be changed.
▪
And much to everyone's surprise he won it.
▪
And he was still sober, much to her surprise.
▪
But he has written a steamy thriller, much to the surprise of his conservative minions.
▪
Pitsligo died there in 1767, head, much to his surprise, still firmly attached to his unrepentant shoulders.
▪
So now he is clubbed to death instead, much to the surprise of the audience.
▪
Those questions were asked in front of a packed gymnasium, much to the Surprise of the state officials who attended.
something of a shock/surprise etc
▪
At the time it came as something of a shock.
▪
But perhaps in a way that will be something of a surprise.
▪
It must have been something of a shock to her system.
▪
It was something of a shock to him to realize how fond of the little boy he had become.
▪
Some of their views came as something of a surprise.
▪
Suddenly she has time to think of herself, and this may be something of a shock.
▪
That she was shocked came as something of a shock to me, too.
▪
The feel of his strong fingers enclosing her small palm came as something of a shock to her system.
spring a surprise
▪
And even when you think you know the island intimately, it will keep on springing surprises.
▪
And she can spring a surprise.
▪
Calvin Smith, the world-record holder, could always spring a surprise.
▪
Glasser orders his events thematically, while also wanting to tell a story and to spring surprises.
▪
Perhaps they will spring a surprise player or two in Atlanta.
▪
Theo distracted him from this gloomy conclusion by springing a surprise on him.
the shock/surprise/game etc of sb's life
▪
And so that would be the surprise of her life .
▪
But on Sunday Collins played the game of his life in destroying the fancied Vikings.
▪
Goalie Garth Snow played the game of his life to save Philly.
▪
He had arrived before the others, and got the shock of his life when he saw Nails.
▪
He said he was the security guard, but he had the shock of his life when he saw me.
▪
She is having the game of her life .
▪
So when he followed up by pointing us towards the touchline, I got the shock of my life .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Hal! What a surprise to see you here.
▪
I've got a little surprise waiting for you at home.
▪
I expressed some surprise at the elaborate welcome which had been prepared for me.
▪
Sam stared at his girlfriend in surprise . "What are you doing here?'' he asked.
▪
To everyone's complete surprise , the Labour Party lost the election.
▪
You can imagine my surprise when I saw my sister's photograph on a magazine cover.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
And I've always liked to be ready for surprises, especially the lethal sort.
▪
But in a surprise move Short and Kasparov snubbed the ruling body and rejected the offer.
▪
He rolled back the leather covering and heard Selkirk's gasp of surprise .
▪
Many readers expressed surprise at the findings, but I was not among them.
▪
Normally she was animated - laughing, frowning, grimacing, registering surprise or scepticism or compassion.
▪
Police had been taken by surprise as fifteen thousand travellers converged on the area.
▪
This came as no surprise to Dee Dee, our all-purpose advice columnist, who has long suspected the link.
▪
To my surprise he said I might.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
hardly
▪
It is hardly surprising that collections of such photographs hold great personal importance.
▪
That San Francisco has become the battleground for this fight is hardly surprising .
▪
That is hardly surprising: the Pentagon has told both firms that it would tolerate closer ties but no full merger.
▪
This is hardly surprising since half of them work most evenings and a third work most weekends.
▪
And it is hardly surprising that she did not think of tongue speaking as a possible exception.
▪
This is hardly surprising: the two most carcinogenic compounds ever detected are produced by diesel engines.
▪
It is hardly surprising that it is beginning to go missing.
pleasantly
▪
But I was pleasantly surprised by the tips.
▪
The gregarious, silver-haired Dodd has himself been pleasantly surprised by his year-and-a-bit as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
▪
Boehlert, who was ignored when he told them the same thing last year, was pleasantly surprised by the quick action.
▪
We put eight to a blind taste test and were pleasantly surprised .
■ NOUN
people
▪
Tests can often surprise people by uncovering unrealised gifts or simply confirming perceived talents.
▪
Which is why it always surprises me when people turn out to be such bad listeners.
▪
You be surprised what people want in the casket with them.
▪
Little evidence exists to indicate that tests help teachers; however this sad fact may not surprise many people .
▪
It lacked co-ordination and Morrissey's ability to surprise people with words, seemed strangely lacking.
▪
The intensity and urgency of Galway's hurling in the semi-final win over Tipperary surprised most people .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
beat/surprise/scare the hell out of sb
▪
And I said, beats the hell out of me.
▪
Eddie knows this, and it scares the hell out of her.
▪
It scared the hell out of me.
▪
Just to make the move scared the hell out of me.
▪
Statistics like that scare the hell out of me, and they must scare a lot of CEOs too.
▪
There is no stopping planned randomness, and that scares the hell out of us.
▪
Today, he scares the hell out of a lot of Republicans.
▪
Tornadoes are not fascinating to me; they scare the hell out of me.
element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc
▪
I like the element of risk.
▪
If Weaver had been watching as Liz Spalding had been smuggled into the house, then the element of surprise was lost.
▪
It contains a major element of truth, even if it is not precisely the truth which its originators intended.
▪
The element of risk gave it an added excitement.
▪
There is an element of truth in all of these.
▪
There were elements of truth in this critique, Jim supposed.
▪
Web browsers, once limited to displaying text and graphics and downloading files, have created an entirely new element of risk.
▪
What I do is count on the element of surprise.
mock surprise/horror/indignation etc
▪
No wrong questions, no mock surprise.
▪
She threw up her hands in mock horror as the little pomeranian ran yapping among the guests.
▪
With mock surprise, he settled into the love seat, draping his arms along its top.
much to sb's surprise/embarrassment etc
▪
A week later, much to my surprise, I was told my order must be changed.
▪
And much to everyone's surprise he won it.
▪
And he was still sober, much to her surprise.
▪
But he has written a steamy thriller, much to the surprise of his conservative minions.
▪
Pitsligo died there in 1767, head, much to his surprise, still firmly attached to his unrepentant shoulders.
▪
So now he is clubbed to death instead, much to the surprise of the audience.
▪
Those questions were asked in front of a packed gymnasium, much to the Surprise of the state officials who attended.
something of a shock/surprise etc
▪
At the time it came as something of a shock.
▪
But perhaps in a way that will be something of a surprise.
▪
It must have been something of a shock to her system.
▪
It was something of a shock to him to realize how fond of the little boy he had become.
▪
Some of their views came as something of a surprise.
▪
Suddenly she has time to think of herself, and this may be something of a shock.
▪
That she was shocked came as something of a shock to me, too.
▪
The feel of his strong fingers enclosing her small palm came as something of a shock to her system.
surprised/angry/pleased etc isn't the word for it
the shock/surprise/game etc of sb's life
▪
And so that would be the surprise of her life .
▪
But on Sunday Collins played the game of his life in destroying the fancied Vikings.
▪
Goalie Garth Snow played the game of his life to save Philly.
▪
He had arrived before the others, and got the shock of his life when he saw Nails.
▪
He said he was the security guard, but he had the shock of his life when he saw me.
▪
She is having the game of her life .
▪
So when he followed up by pointing us towards the touchline, I got the shock of my life .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Diana's reaction surprised him - he hadn't realized that she was so upset.
▪
I have to say, it surprises me that they haven't gone bankrupt before now.
▪
It was the tone of his voice that surprised me.
▪
Police surprised Dyer in the parking lot of the building where he worked.
▪
The exam was actually quite easy, which surprised me.
▪
The report's conclusions have surprised many analysts.
▪
What surprised me most was how cheap everything was compared to at home.
▪
Why don't you just have a go at skiing? You might surprise yourself.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
I felt a sharp stab of disappointment and was surprised and angry at myself.
▪
The extent of her stepmother's generosity surprised her.
▪
The urgency of desire surprised him.