COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
are better left unsaid (= it is better not to mention them )
▪
Some things are better left unsaid .
are hotly debated (= argued about strongly )
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His conclusions are hotly debated .
are on a winning streak
▪
The team are on a winning streak .
Are...in touch with (= are you talking to him regularly )
▪
Are you still in touch with John ?
be (just) what/who you are looking for
▪
‘Salubrious’! That’s just the word I was looking for.
factors are responsible for sth
▪
These underlying factors were responsible for his death.
feelings are running high (= people have strong feelings, especially of anger )
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It was the last game of the season, and feelings were running high.
hopes are fading (= people have much less hope of doing something )
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Hopes are fading that rescuers will find any more survivors.
How are things
▪
‘ How are things with you?’ ‘Fine.’
How are you doing
▪
How are you doing ?
How are you off for (= do you have enough? )
▪
How are you off for sports equipment?
If...are anything to go by
▪
If his past plays are anything to go by , this should be a play worth watching.
know what...are talking about
▪
The staff are dedicated people who clearly know what they are talking about .
money is tight/things are tight
▪
Money was tight and he needed a job badly.
my feet are killing me informal (= my feet are hurting )
passengers are stranded (= are unable to continue their journey )
▪
At least 1,000 passengers were stranded at the airport because of the storm.
profits are up/down
▪
Pre-tax profits were up 21.5%.
ready when you are (= said to tell someone that you are ready to do what you have arranged to do together )
rules are rules spoken (= a rule must be obeyed )
▪
Rules are rules and you have to abide by them.
rumours are rife (= are talked about by a lot of people )
▪
Rumours were rife that the band had refused to play.
say (you are) sorry (= tell someone that you feel bad about hurting them, causing problems etc )
▪
It was probably too late to say sorry, but she would try anyway.
sb's calculations are right/correct/accurate
▪
Fortunately his calculations were accurate.
sb's calculations are wrong/inaccurate
▪
Some of our calculations were wrong.
sb's nerves are on edge (= they feel nervous or worried about what might happen )
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His nerves were on edge as he entered the dark room.
sb's nerves are stretched (to breaking point) (= they feel very nervous or worried )
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Her nerves were stretched almost to breaking point as she waited.
sb's nerves are tattered/frayed/shattered (= they feel very nervous or worried )
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Everyone's nerves were frayed by the end of the week.
sb's pockets are bulging (= they are very full )
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Tony's pockets were bulging with loose change.
sb’s chances are zero (= they have no chance of success )
▪
Mike’s chances of winning are virtually zero.
▪
From 1971 to 1976 West Vancouver experienced zero population growth.
sb’s charges are high/low (= you have to pay a lot/a little )
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His charges are too high.
sb’s eyes are burning/smouldering/blazing with hate literary
▪
Then he noticed the dark eyes, smouldering with hate.
sb’s eyes are full of hatred/fear etc
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The prisoners stared at him, their eyes full of hatred.
sb’s eyes are full of tears
▪
When she put the phone down, her eyes were full of tears.
sb’s powers are failing/waning (= becoming less good )
▪
Mark felt that his creative powers were waning.
Storm clouds are gathering
▪
Storm clouds are gathering over the trade negotiations.
such as it is/such as they are etc
▪
We will look at the evidence, such as it is, for each of these theories.
talks continue/are underway
▪
Talks will continue through the weekend.
talks resume/are resumed
▪
Talks resumed in Geneva on April 19 after a month’s break.
the flowers are in bloom ( also the flowers are out ) (= they appear on a plant )
▪
At this time of the year, the flowers are in bloom.
the odds are stacked against sb (= there are a lot of difficulties that may prevent someone’s success )
▪
They may be able to build a life for themselves, but the odds are stacked against them.
the stakes are high
▪
Climbing is a dangerous sport and the stakes are high .
the stars are out (= they are shining )
▪
There was a full moon, and the stars were out.
the way things are going
▪
I feel very encouraged by the way things are going .
the way things are (= the present situation )
▪
I’m not at all dissatisfied with the way things are at the moment.
there are moves afoot to do sth British English (= there are plans, especially secret ones, to do something )
▪
There are moves afoot to change things.
there are signs
▪
There are now signs of an improvement in the economy.
there are tears in sb’s eyes
▪
As she watched, there were tears of joy in her eyes.
things are looking up
▪
Now the summer’s here things are looking up !
things are picking up
▪
We’ve been through a bit of a bad patch, but things are picking up again now.
troops are stationed
▪
525,000 American troops were stationed in the country.
where are your manners? British English (= used for telling a child to stop behaving impolitely )
▪
Jamie! Where are your manners?
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(are you) satisfied?
▪
I'm here now - are you satisfied ?
(there are) no two ways about it
▪
No two ways about it, Blue says to himself: he knows everything.
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No two ways about it, Clint Schneider was dynamite.
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That was the job description, no two ways about it.
▪
There are no two ways about it.
I am/he is/you are etc too!
What are you drinking?
a fool and his money are soon parted
all eyes are on/watching/fixed on etc
are you for real?
for all you are/he is etc worth
here is/are sth
here we are
▪
Here we are home again!
▪
I know I read it somewhere... Here we go! It's at the bottom of page 78.
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And here we are in one of the most notoriously capricious seas in the world, aboard a fantastic yacht called 2041.
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And here we are, four years later, reading of another fracas in another rust-belt town.
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But here we are faced with a dilemma.
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However, here we are not to be intimidated and held off.
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Just a Yes, here we are.
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Oh and here we are going to a tango lesson.
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Okay, here we are for the Final Jeopardy round.
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So we bargained, and here we are, in the house.
here you are/here you go
hit sb when they are down
how (are) you doing?
▪
Hiya George how are you doing ?
▪
How are you doing on those?
▪
How you doing , Mr West?
▪
William Yes-hey, how you doing ?
how are things going?/how's it going?/how goes it?
▪
"Hey, Al, how's it going ?" "Fine."
how are you fixed for sth?
▪
Hey Mark, how are you fixed for cash?
how are you keeping?
kick sb when they are down
▪
The newspapers cannot resist kicking a man when he is down.
know what you are talking about
▪
Look, I know what I'm talking about because I was there when it happened.
▪
Pilger knows what he is talking about, having spent several years as a reporter in Vietnam.
▪
Rolim seemed to know what he was talking about, but his theories raised some questions for me.
▪
Wayne, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
▪
And those who hint that this approach increases the guilt of the patient simply do not know what they are talking about.
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But the debate will be between two insiders who know what they are talking about.
▪
But we ensure we first know what we are talking about.
▪
Engineers should only offer an opinion if they know what they are talking about.
▪
They are not the only people who know what they are talking about when it comes to children and education.
▪
They have demonstrated publicly, through close scrutiny by their peers, that they know what they are talking about.
my lips are sealed
▪
Fear not my lips are sealed.
no kidding?/are you kidding?/you're kidding
not be as black as you are painted
not know whether you are coming or going
▪
Andre's so in love he doesn't know whether he's coming or going.
right you are
▪
A: How right you are.
▪
Every day couples meet who are amazed at how right they are for each other - proof that Dateline works!
▪
How right you are, very clever, very ... disputatious.
▪
Yes, well, how right you are.
rumours/accusations etc are flying
sb's ears are burning
▪
I bet your ears were burning - Tom and I were just talking about you.
▪
My ears are burning in the cold, but there's nothing I can do about it.
sb's ears are flapping
sb's eyes are out on stalks
sb's hands are tied
▪
I'd like to help you, but you missed the deadline. I'm afraid my hands are tied.
▪
The company's hands are tied because of government regulations.
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We'd really like to help you, but I'm afraid our hands are tied.
▪
Bankers argue that their hands are tied by the Fed.
sb's/sth's days are numbered
▪
I think Harry's days as a bachelor are numbered.
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But if the church has its way, the garden's days are numbered.
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He knows his days are numbered.
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If Gordon Gekko is still around, his days are numbered.
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My image flickers and your days are numbered.
▪
Whatever the protests, it seems that Hospital's days are numbered.
sb's/sth's days are numbered
▪
But if the church has its way, the garden's days are numbered .
▪
He knows his days are numbered .
▪
If Gordon Gekko is still around, his days are numbered .
▪
My image flickers and your days are numbered .
▪
Whatever the protests, it seems that Hospital's days are numbered .
so she is/so there are etc
some friend you are/some help she was etc
the dice are loaded
the dice/odds are loaded against sb/sth
the gloves are off
▪
Now though, the gloves are off.
the honours are even
the knives are out (for sb)
▪
The service is in ferment at the moment, the knives are out.
the odds/cards are stacked against sb
▪
Although confident, we know the odds are stacked against the climbers.
the streets are paved with gold
there are no easy answers
▪
As usual, there are no easy answers to explain human behavior.
▪
But suddenly we find ourselves acknowledging that there are no easy answers to the dilemmas Christians face.
▪
So there are no easy answers.
▪
There are no easy answers to this problem.
there are no flies on sb
there are plenty more fish in the sea
there is/are
▪
Is there life on other planets?
▪
I didn't know there was Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood.
▪
There's no evidence to prove that Gray is the murderer.
▪
Because the teachers are so friendly there is a good atmosphere for getting on with your work.
▪
But there is another, more essential respect for nature itself, which we dishonour at our peril.
▪
Don't give them a sales pitch because there is nothing more irritating.
▪
In Britain there is a preference for a tactical step-by-step approach against a background of traditional consensus.
▪
Smokeless powder, for which there are many formulas, is used in modern ammunition.
▪
The effect of the order is that even though youths are being sentenced, there is no room for them.
▪
While this may not mean they are preventable, there is at least the possibility of fortifying the individual against their effects.
there it is/there they are etc
there it is/there you are/there you go
there you are/there you go
two heads are better than one
what are we waiting for?
▪
What are we waiting for? Let's go eat.
what are you like!
what are you talking about?
▪
What are you talking about? - Ron has lots of money.
▪
And I was like, I was just like, what are you talking about?
▪
And, anyway, what are you talking about, the rich man in his castle?
what are you waiting for?
▪
What are you waiting for? Ask her out on a date.
▪
And with actual tickets for the event up for grabs, what are you waiting for?
▪
So what are you waiting for.
when the chips are down
▪
When the chips were down, you felt he could handle the situation.
▪
As you know, when the chips are down Leslie Bence comes out fighting.
▪
It is disappointing to find that, when the chips are down, your paper is no better than the rest.
▪
The implication, they fear, is that when the chips are down it is only rational human beings that really matter.
you are what you eat
you are/he is a one