AT

preposition

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a bird pecks (at) sth (= makes small movements with its head )

▪

Some birds were pecking at the remains of a sandwich.

a demonstration in protest at sth

▪

There were demonstrations in protest at the food shortages.

a measure is aimed at doing sth

▪

The measures were aimed at reducing the speed of cars on the roads.

a move is aimed at doing sth/is designed to do sth

▪

The move is aimed at strengthening its business in the region.

a policy aims at sth/to do sth (= tries to achieve sth )

▪

The policy aimed to reduce the budget deficit.

aim a kick at sb/sth

▪

Lifting her foot, she aimed a kick at her brother.

an estimate puts sth at sth

▪

Independent estimates put the number of refugees at 50,000.

an ordeal at the hands of sb (= used to say who has made someone go through something painful or difficult )

▪

She has only just revealed her ordeal at the hands of her stepfather.

any...at all

▪

They haven’t shown any interest at all in my research.

appear at a theatre etc

appear/play/speak at a festival (= perform at a festival )

▪

Sting is scheduled to appear at a festival in Amsterdam next month.

at a given moment (= at any particular time )

▪

There was no variety at all - you knew exactly what you would be doing at any given moment of the week.

at a guess British English (= used when saying that you are making a guess )

▪

I'd say it was built around the turn of the century, at a guess.

at a jaunty angle

▪

Her hat was set at a jaunty angle .

at a later stage

▪

These points will be dealt with at a later stage.

at a loss for words (= unable to think what to say )

▪

He seemed, for once, at a loss for words .

at a moment’s notice (= very quickly )

▪

Fire fighters need to be able to get ready at a moment’s notice.

at a moment’s notice (= very quickly )

▪

He’d be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

at a rapid rate/pace

▪

Deforestation is occurring at a rapid rate as a result of agricultural development.

at a rate of

▪

Some customers are paying interest at a rate of over 15%.

at a sedate pace

▪

We continued our walk at a sedate pace .

at a slight/steep angle

▪

The sign leaned over at a slight angle.

at a smart pace (= fairly fast )

▪

She set off at a smart pace .

at a snail’s pace (= very slowly )

▪

Reform is proceeding at a snail’s pace.

at a stretch (= without stopping )

▪

She rarely sleeps for eight hours at a stretch .

at an alarming rate

▪

The rainforest is disappearing at an alarming rate.

at an early/late stage

▪

I can’t change my plans at this late stage.

at an early/young age

▪

Kids can start learning a second language at a young age.

at an ungodly hour (= very early in the morning or very late at night )

▪

Why did you wake me up at such an ungodly hour?

at any given time/moment

▪

There are thought to be around 10,000 young homeless Scots in London at any given time.

at best...at worst

▪

Choosing the right software can be time-consuming at best and confusing or frustrating at worst .

at best...at worst

▪

Choosing the right software can be time-consuming at best and confusing or frustrating at worst .

at board level (= at a senior level in a company, involving people on the board )

▪

The policy was approved at board level.

at breakneck speed (= very quickly )

▪

He drove away at breakneck speed.

at every (possible) opportunity (= whenever possible )

▪

She went to the museum at every opportunity.

at full speed (= running, driving etc as fast as possible )

▪

He ran past us at full speed.

at full speed

▪

Parker was driving at full speed when he hit the wall.

at great/huge/considerable/vast expense (= used when saying that something costs a lot of money )

▪

The tiles were imported at great expense from Italy.

▪

Recently, and at vast expense to the taxpayer, the bridge was rebuilt.

at half mast (= halfway down the pole, in order to express public sadness at someone’s death )

▪

The government ordered that all flags should be flown at half mast .

at high speed

▪

The train was approaching at high speed .

at high/great speed

▪

The train was travelling at high speed.

at high/low etc magnification

▪

When viewed at high magnification it is clear that the crystals are quite different.

▪

greater levels of magnification

at home and abroad

▪

The books about Harry Potter have been very popular, both at home and abroad .

at irregular intervals

▪

Beamish only returned to Britain at irregular intervals .

at least one occasion (= once, and probably more than once )

▪

On at least one occasion he was arrested for robbery.

at low/slow speed

▪

Even at low speed, an accident could mean serious injury for a child.

at maximum capacity

▪

The plant is operating at maximum capacity .

at no extra cost

▪

Residents can use the gym at no extra cost .

at one point (= at a time in the past )

▪

At one point I was thinking of studying physics.

at one pole/at opposite poles

▪

We have enormous wealth at one pole, and poverty and misery at the other.

▪

Washington and Beijing are at opposite poles think in two completely different ways on this issue.

at one pole/at opposite poles

▪

We have enormous wealth at one pole, and poverty and misery at the other.

▪

Washington and Beijing are at opposite poles think in two completely different ways on this issue.

at one stage (= at a time in the past )

▪

At one stage I had to tell him to calm down.

at one with nature

▪

She felt as she always did in these mountains: peaceful, without care, at one with nature .

at opposite ends of the country (= a long distance apart )

▪

They work at opposite ends of the country , so only see each other at weekends.

at regular intervals

▪

The pipes were placed at regular intervals .

at regular intervals

▪

Trains will run at regular intervals from 11am to 4pm.

at room temperature

▪

Store the wine at room temperature.

at sb’s feet (= on the ground, near your feet )

▪

The dog was sitting at his master’s feet.

at short notice (= without much time to prepare )

▪

Thank you for coming to help at such short notice.

at short notice BrE, on short notice American English

▪

The party was arranged at short notice.

at some point

▪

Over half the population suffers from back pain at some point in their lives.

at some stage

▪

Four out of ten people are likely to contract cancer at some stage in their lives.

at the appointed time (= at the time that had been arranged )

▪

Everyone assembled in the hall at the appointed time .

at the bottom of the pecking order

▪

Nobody wants to be at the bottom of the pecking order .

At the close of

▪

At the close of trade, the Dow Jones index was 1.92 points down.

at the core of

▪

Debt is at the core of the problem.

at the crack of dawn (= very early in the morning )

▪

I was up at the crack of dawn to get the plane.

at the first/earliest opportunity (= as soon as possible )

▪

He decided to leave school at the earliest opportunity.

at the flick of a switch

▪

I can shut off all the power in the building at the flick of a switch .

at the flick/touch of a switch (= very quickly and easily, with a switch )

▪

The advantages of having electricity available at the flick of a switch are obvious.

at the height of sb’s/sth’s fame (= when someone was most famous )

▪

At the height of his fame, he could earn $5,000 a day.

at the height of the boom

▪

They sold their house at the height of the boom.

at the opposite end of the scale/spectrum

▪

two parties at opposite ends of the political spectrum

At the opposite extreme,

▪

At the opposite extreme, Ashworth’s style is very simple and modern.

at the other/opposite extreme

▪

At the other extreme is a country like Switzerland with almost no unemployment.

at the pinnacle of sth

▪

The bank was then at the pinnacle of England’s financial system.

At the present time

▪

At the present time we have no explanation for this.

at (the) public expense (= paid for by the public through taxes )

▪

The bridge was built at public expense.

at the ripe old age of

▪

She was put in charge at the ripe old age of twenty-nine.

at the slightest excuse (= for any reason, however unimportant )

▪

She comes to our house at the slightest excuse.

at the slightest provocation

▪

Julie has a tendency to burst into tears at the slightest provocation .

at the time of

▪

I was at home at the time of the murder.

at the top of your voice (= in a very loud voice )

▪

She shouted ‘Help!’ at the top of her voice.

at the top of...voice (= very loudly )

▪

He could hear Pete yelling at the top of his voice .

at the top/bottom of a list

▪

Her name was at the top of the list of students.

at the (very) least (= not less than and probably much more than )

▪

It would cost $1 million at the very least.

at the very most (= he was probably younger )

▪

The boy looked nine at the very most .

At this juncture

▪

At this juncture , I suggest we take a short break.

at this moment in time (= now )

▪

At this moment in time we cannot proceed with the proposal.

at this time of night (= used when something happens very late at night, and you are surprised )

▪

Why are you calling me at this time of night?

at this/that point in time formal (= used especially in official speeches, announcements etc )

▪

It would be wrong to comment at this point in time.

at this/that point

▪

I’m not prepared at this point to make any decision.

at this/that stage

▪

At this stage his wife did not realise he was missing.

at three o'clock/seven thirty etc on the dot (= at exactly 3:00/7:30 etc )

▪

Mr Green arrived at six on the dot .

at your own expense (= used when saying that you pay for something yourself )

▪

He had copies of the book printed at his own expense.

at your own pace (= at the pace that suits you )

▪

This allows each child to learn at his or her own pace.

(at/from) a safe distance

▪

We watched from a safe distance.

▪

Drivers should keep a safe distance from the car in front.

at/from the very beginning (= used for emphasis )

▪

He had been lying to me from the very beginning.

at/in one go

▪

Ruby blew out all her candles at one go.

at/in the front (of sth)

▪

She always sits at the front of the class.

▪

I found a good place on the bus, on the top deck, right at the front.

at/on a superficial level

▪

At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same.

at/on the stroke of midnight (= at exactly midnight )

▪

The treaty will come into force on the stroke of midnight tonight.

at...sniff of trouble

▪

He got us into this mess, and then left at the first sniff of trouble !

at/with lightning speed (= very quickly )

▪

He moved with his usual lightning speed.

at/with lightning speed (= extremely quickly )

at/with the push of a button (= used to emphasize how easy a machine is to use )

▪

Files can be attached to your email at the push of a button.

be alarmed/appalled/upset etc at the prospect (of sth)

▪

She was secretly appalled at the prospect of being looked after by her aunt.

be at its peak

▪

The strawberry season is now at its peak.

be at peace (with sb) (= not be involved in a war )

▪

Officially England was at peace with Spain.

be at the centre of a scandal British English , be at the center of a scandal American English

▪

The banker at the centre of the scandal has disappeared.

be at the centre of a storm British English , be at the center of a storm American English (= be the person or thing that is causing strong protest, criticism etc )

▪

He has been at the centre of a storm surrounding donations to the party.

be at the height of your powers (= be at a time in your life when your abilities are strongest )

▪

Fonteyn was still at the height of her powers as a dancer.

be (at the) top of the agenda

▪

Energy efficiency is top of the agenda.

be (at the) top/bottom of the league (= be the best or the worst team in a group )

be at university British English

▪

We were at university together.

be at war

▪

Russia was at war with Poland.

be back to/at square one

▪

The police are now back at square one in their investigation.

be burned at the stake (= burned in a fire as a punishment )

▪

In those days witches were burned at the stake.

be excited/thrilled/delighted etc at the prospect (of sth)

▪

I was excited at the prospect of going to Washington.

be lost at sea formal (= be drowned in the sea )

▪

His father had been lost at sea three months before.

be on/be showing at the cinema

▪

Do you know what’s on at the cinema?

be present at a ceremony

▪

The French ambassador was present at the ceremony.

be sick at heart (= to feel very unhappy )

▪

He was too sick at heart to know what to say.

be/lie at the root of sth (= be the cause of something )

▪

Allergies are at the root of a lot of health problems.

be/lie at the root of sth

▪

the liberal economic policies which lie at the root of American power

burnt at the stake

▪

Suspected witches were burnt at the stake .

cast a look/glance at sb/sth

▪

She cast an anguished look at Guy.

close at hand (= very near )

▪

A variety of good restaurants are close at hand .

come at a price ( also come at a high price ) (= involve suffering or a bad result )

▪

She won fame, but it came at a high price.

come to/arrive at a compromise

▪

The negotiations took place and they arrived at a compromise.

come to/arrive at/reach a conclusion (= decide something )

▪

I eventually came to the conclusion that I wanted to study law.

coming apart at the seams (= failing completely )

▪

She felt as if her life was coming apart at the seams .

could at least

▪

You could at least say that you’re sorry.

death toll stands at

▪

The official death toll stands at 53.

eat at/in a restaurant ( also dine at/in a restaurant formal )

▪

Have you eaten in this restaurant before?

exhibit sth in/at a gallery

▪

It was the first time that the paintings had been exhibited in a gallery.

falling apart at the seams

▪

The health service is falling apart at the seams .

falling asleep at the wheel (= falling asleep while driving )

▪

One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel .

finish (at) college

▪

What are you going to do when you finish art college?

flying at an altitude

▪

We’re flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet.

get at/to the truth informal (= discover the truth )

▪

The police will eventually get to the truth of the matter.

have a go at

▪

On the tour, everyone can have a go at making a pot.

have a laugh about/at/over sth (= laugh about something )

▪

The farmer had a good laugh at our attempts to catch the horse.

have/make/take a stab at (doing) sth

▪

I’ll have one more stab at it.

have/take a look (at sb/sth)

▪

Have you had a chance to take a look at my proposal yet?

have/take a look (at sb/sth)

▪

Let me have a look at that – I think it’s mine.

▪

Take a good look at the photo and see if you recognize anyone in it.

in one gulp/at a gulp

▪

Charlie drank the whisky in one gulp.

in/at the dead of night literary (= in the middle of the night when it is quiet )

▪

He drove through the countryside in the dead of night.

in/at the height of summer (= in the middle of summer )

▪

Even in the height of summer, it's cool in here.

inflation is running at 3%/4% etc ( also inflation stands at 3%/4% etc ) (= used to talk about the present rate of inflation )

▪

Inflation currently stands at 3.2%.

jump at a chance (= use an opportunity eagerly )

▪

Ed jumped at the chance to earn some extra money.

keep your mind on the job/task in/at hand

▪

Making notes is the best way of keeping your mind on the task at hand.

knock on/at the door (= hit it with your hand to make someone open it )

▪

Who's that knocking at the door?

late at night

▪

We often get to bed very late at night.

late at night

▪

It was not a place to walk in late at night .

laugh at sb’s jokes

▪

A few people laughed at his jokes, but some didn’t find them funny.

leave it at that (= used to say that you will not do any more of something, because you have done enough )

▪

Let’s leave it at that for today.

level an accusation against/at sb (= bring an accusation against someone )

▪

As a result, some outrageous accusations were levelled at her.

level criticism at sb/sth (= aim it at someone or something )

▪

A great deal of criticism was levelled at the company.

live at home (= live with your parents )

▪

More people in their twenties are still living at home because housing is so expensive.

live at home (= live with their parents )

▪

Most seventeen-year-olds still live at home .

look at a map

▪

She stopped the car to look at the map.

look at an option (= consider an option )

▪

You have to look at every option as your business develops.

look at/consider/examine an aspect

▪

Managers were asked to look at every aspect of their work.

look at/examine etc sth in context

▪

Although this does not seem to be a good result, let’s examine it in context.

look at/glance at your watch

▪

I looked at my watch. It was 4.30.

look at/glance at your watch

▪

I looked at my watch. It was 4.30.

look at/see the menu (= read the menu )

▪

He looked at the menu and decided to have the salad.

look up at the stars

▪

I had spent a lot of time looking up at the stars as a kid.

look/gaze longingly at sb/sth

▪

He looked longingly at the tray of cakes.

look/glance at the clock

▪

She looked at the clock. It was eight thirty.

lost at sea

▪

Peter was lost at sea when his ship sank.

love at first sight (= when you love someone as soon as you meet them )

▪

For Marion and Ron it was love at first sight.

made...go weak at the knees

▪

His smile made her go weak at the knees .

none at all/none whatsoever

▪

‘Was there any mail?’ ‘No, none at all.’

not at all sure

▪

By now, we were not at all sure where we were.

not at all/not ... at all (= used to emphasize what you are saying )

▪

The changes were not at all surprising.

▪

I do not like his attitude at all.

not at all/not ... at all (= used to emphasize what you are saying )

▪

The changes were not at all surprising.

▪

I do not like his attitude at all.

not be much to look at (= it does not look good )

▪

The car may not be much to look at but it’s very reliable.

Nothing at all

▪

‘Do you know much about business?’ ‘ Nothing at all .’

on at full blast

▪

The radio was on at full blast .

or at least

▪

We’ve cleaned it all up, or at least most of it.

pitch sth at a high level/the right level etc

▪

The projects were pitched at a number of different levels.

point a camera at sb/sth

▪

A group of Japanese tourists were pointing their cameras at the cathedral.

point the finger of blame at sb (= say that someone is responsible for something bad )

▪

I couldn’t believe it when they started pointing the finger of blame at me.

put/place sb at a disadvantage (= make someone less likely to be successful than others )

▪

Not speaking English might put you at a disadvantage.

reach its zenith/be at its zenith

▪

The Roman Empire reached its zenith around the year 100.

reach/arrive at a verdict (= agree on a decision )

▪

The jury failed to reach a verdict.

reach/arrive at your destination ( also get to your destination informal )

▪

It had taken us 6 hours to reach our destination.

reach/be at the top of your profession

▪

He was a very highly respected man, at the top of his profession.

reach/come to/arrive at a decision (= make a decision after a lot of thought )

▪

We hope they will reach their decision as soon as possible.

remain/stay at a level

▪

The fees are likely to remain at current levels.

riding at anchor

▪

There was a large ship riding at anchor in the bay.

right at/from the beginning (= used for emphasis )

▪

That’s what I suggested right at the beginning.

run/operate etc at a loss (= to earn less money from something you sell than it costs you to produce it )

▪

Two of the mines are running at a loss.

sb is at a disadvantage (= someone has a disadvantage )

▪

The company was at a disadvantage compared with its competitors.

sb's/sth's honour is at stake (= someone may lose their honour )

▪

French people believed that the country's honour was at stake over the incident.

see at a glance (= find out very easily )

▪

By looking at this leaflet, you can see at a glance how much a loan will cost.

see you tomorrow/at three/Sunday etc

▪

See you Friday – your place at 8:30.

sell at/for £100/$50/30p etc (= be offered for sale at £100/$50/30p etc )

▪

Smoke alarms sell for as little as five pounds.

sell sth at a profit/loss (= make or lose money on a sale )

▪

Tony had to sell the business at a loss.

shout/hurl/scream abuse at sb

▪

The other driver started hurling abuse at me.

shuddered at the thought of

▪

He shuddered at the thought of the conflict ahead.

shudder/wince at the memory of sth (= be upset by remembering something )

▪

She shuddered at the memory of her parents fighting.

sit at a desk

▪

I don't want to do a job in which I'm sitting at a desk all day.

sit at a table

▪

He was sitting at a corner table.

sit (down) at the piano

▪

She sat down at the piano and began to play.

sold at a premium

▪

Top quality cigars are being sold at a premium .

space/time is at a premium

▪

Foldaway furniture is the answer where space is at a premium.

spend time etc in/at sth

▪

We’ll have to spend the night in a hotel.

▪

His childhood was spent in Brazil.

stare/gaze/look fixedly at sth

▪

Ann stared fixedly at the screen.

start at the beginning (= start a story or activity at the first part )

▪

Just start at the beginning and tell us exactly what happened.

started at the bottom (= in a low position in a company )

▪

Higgins had started at the bottom and worked his way up to become managing director.

stay (at) home

▪

I decided to stay home.

stay at/in a hotel

▪

We stayed in a hotel near the airport.

stick at it

▪

Revising with your friends may help you stick at it .

strike a blow at/against/to sth

▪

The scandal seemed to have struck a mortal blow to the government’s chances of re-election.

strike...at the heart of

▪

Such prejudices strike right at the heart of any notions of a civilized society.

study (sth) at a university

▪

She studied law at Edinburgh University.

take a shot at sb (= fire a shot trying to hit someone )

▪

Someone took a shot at her, but missed.

take an exit/turn off at an exit

▪

Take the next exit, junction 15.

takes a swipe at (= criticizes )

▪

In her latest article, she takes a swipe at her critics.

tap on/at the door (= hit it very gently )

▪

I tapped on the door and opened it.

tax sth at 10%/a higher rate etc

▪

They may be taxed at a higher rate.

the jury reaches/arrives at a verdict (= decides if someone is guilty or not guilty )

▪

Has the jury reached a verdict?

the matter at hand ( also the matter in hand British English ) (= the thing you are dealing with now )

▪

Do not let yourself be distracted from the matter in hand.

to/at a depth of sth

▪

The cave descends to a depth of 340 feet.

▪

Plant the beans at a depth of about six inches.

took a poke at

▪

Bennett took a poke at the President’s refusal to sign the bill.

took a swing at (= tried to hit )

▪

He took a swing at my head and missed.

took a swipe at

▪

She took a swipe at the ball.

took a whack at (= tried to hit )

▪

Singleton took a whack at Miller’s head.

wince at the memory/thought/idea

▪

I still wince at the thought of that terrible evening.

work from/at home (= do your work at home instead of at an office )

▪

I work at home three days a week.

work out at/to £10/$500 etc

▪

The bill works out at £15 each.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

at the (very) least

▪

But, at the very least , we want to be cut in on the deal.

▪

Each tier was held in place by tiny press studs which sprang apart at the least pressure.

▪

He threw noisy tantrums at the least provocation.

▪

I suppose I had expected anger, an outburst of violence, at the very least surprise and furious disbelief.

▪

I was sure, at the very least , that diet does had done thousands of women like me no good.

▪

Obviously, organic does signify better, or at the least an improvement, but the buyer must beware.

▪

People's lives could be at stake, or at the very least their futures.

▪

That there should be, at the least , periodic review.

(all) at sea

▪

A girl from near his village in Trondheim fell ill the first day at sea .

▪

At worst, they can sink or lose their nuclear warheads at sea .

▪

Down to the beach to see the oil rigs at sea .

▪

His eyes were an astounding blue and his complexion was ruddy from a life spent mostly at sea .

▪

Teredo, or shipworm, can have a devastating effect on the hulls of wooden ships at sea .

▪

This week, however, when you find yourself all at sea , you may wonder whether you've chosen well.

▪

We are glad to be with them again, especially when they are at sea .

(at) any minute (now)

▪

And underneath it all was a sour feeling that at any minute the very pillars of life could collapse.

▪

At any minute Penumbra's killers could burst in here and carry you off.

▪

His clothes look as if they are re-tailored daily to accommodate any minute fluctuations in weight.

▪

I was expecting her any minute .

▪

Linda is due to arrive any minute .

▪

The police could arrive at any minute !

▪

The right guy would come along any minute now.

▪

They said they were sending along at once, so they should be here any minute now.

(at) any moment

▪

At any moment the current spot exchange rate is the anticipated spot exchange rate discounted to the present.

▪

Daylight began to fail early, but still we pressed on, knowing that Donald could make an appearance at any moment .

▪

Her eyes could fly open at any moment , he thinks, and look objectively at him.

▪

If, for any moment , it overwhelms him that he stands just off-center of it all.

▪

It was all the harder because I could have given up at any moment .

▪

On the first occasion Bunny was tactful, assuring him she would be sent home in a taxi at any moment .

▪

The army taught us to fly the machine as if the engine would quit at any moment .

▪

They went about their business, expecting him to appear at any moment .

(at) any second (now)

▪

As in any second language situation, the grammatical code which is relied on is the one which is already known.

▪

At any second , they would begin to breathe.

▪

He had been ready to go at any second .

▪

The barriers are so low you feel you could plunge off at any second .

▪

The casualties of the greatest battle in history would be as nothing, before the carnage that might start at any second .

▪

The room was unnaturally still about her, but the stillness might shatter at any second .

▪

They were both breathing fast, and Polly's legs threatened to give way at any second .

▪

We would be at the hot spot any second now.

(at) fever pitch

▪

By the time the star is sighted, octave passages have taken over and the excitement reaches fever pitch.

▪

Excitement grew to a fever pitch.

▪

Her legs trembled as his strokes of desire on her thighs crazed her need to fever pitch.

▪

In 1989, an 11-year-old girl was killed by two Rotties and public terror reached fever pitch.

▪

Speculation about the deportations have reached fever pitch in Hong Kong.

▪

The challenges to her credibility are reaching fever pitch and are putting the first lady and her allies on the defensive.

▪

The crowd was getting to a fever pitch of excitement, Will among them.

▪

The debate in Birmingham has reached something like fever pitch, now that the city council is faced with two rival development schemes.

(at) first hand

▪

Students in the program are exposed first hand to college life.

▪

The school deals first hand with all the problems of today's society.

▪

Eventually divers provided first hand evidence that sea otters use rocks as hammers under water to dislodge the abalones.

▪

Primary data is collected by the researcher at first hand, mainly through surveys, interviews, or participant observation.

▪

Released from prison, Rudd travelled around the country, undertaking surveys and checking information at first hand.

▪

The visit lasted over an hour during which time Neil Kinnock experienced at first hand what carpet manufacturing was all about.

▪

These two boys say nothing to me as they get in, first handing their weapons to their friends.

▪

Work is developed from first hand sources and observed drawing.

▪

Your letters were very welcome, but I still want to hear everything at first hand.

(at) first hand

▪

Eventually divers provided first hand evidence that sea otters use rocks as hammers under water to dislodge the abalones.

▪

Primary data is collected by the researcher at first hand , mainly through surveys, interviews, or participant observation.

▪

Released from prison, Rudd travelled around the country, undertaking surveys and checking information at first hand .

▪

The visit lasted over an hour during which time Neil Kinnock experienced at first hand what carpet manufacturing was all about.

▪

These two boys say nothing to me as they get in, first handing their weapons to their friends.

▪

Work is developed from first hand sources and observed drawing.

▪

Your letters were very welcome, but I still want to hear everything at first hand .

(at) full blast

▪

The heating was on full blast , but it was still freezing.

▪

And at that moment, the air-conditioning goes off, and the heat is turned up full blast .

▪

At Ninety-sixth Street they ascended together into the full blast of Broadway.

▪

But the team, with their sirens and blue lights on full blast , raced on unaware of their own emergency.

▪

By then, Second Brother had gone inside and turned the radio up full blast .

▪

Even Reeves's younger brother, under the full blast of a howitzer shell, had stood a better chance.

▪

He sometimes turned on the radio full blast , for example.

▪

She made herself a high tea, put the gas fire on full blast and sat with a tray in front of the television.

▪

They're certainly not over-fond of me, probably because my central heating is always on full blast in winter.

(at) full blast

▪

And at that moment, the air-conditioning goes off, and the heat is turned up full blast.

▪

At Ninety-sixth Street they ascended together into the full blast of Broadway.

▪

But the team, with their sirens and blue lights on full blast, raced on unaware of their own emergency.

▪

By then, Second Brother had gone inside and turned the radio up full blast.

▪

Even Reeves's younger brother, under the full blast of a howitzer shell, had stood a better chance.

▪

He sometimes turned on the radio full blast, for example.

▪

She made herself a high tea, put the gas fire on full blast and sat with a tray in front of the television.

▪

They're certainly not over-fond of me, probably because my central heating is always on full blast in winter.

(at) full pelt

▪

He ran full pelt down the street with a brick in his hand.

▪

She was still going full pelt when Parkwood came into view.

(at) full tilt

▪

Our factories are running at full tilt .

▪

For old-style feel playing, I found this by far the best and most controllable overdrive setting, even on full tilt .

▪

He just felt as if he'd run full tilt into a brick wall.

▪

He scrambled to his feet and charged full tilt down the side of the dell.

▪

Martin moved after it, slowly at first, but then faster and faster until he was running full tilt after the intruder.

▪

Meanwhile, production amidst all the changes continues at full tilt .

▪

Milan is usually still, the wind rarely sweeping full tilt across the Plain.

▪

She was right at the end when, without warning, she ran full tilt into the arms of the waiting figure.

▪

This was deep reading at full tilt , a sprint with lead survival gear strapped to your back.

(at) full tilt/pelt

▪

For old-style feel playing, I found this by far the best and most controllable overdrive setting, even on full tilt.

▪

He just felt as if he'd run full tilt into a brick wall.

▪

He scrambled to his feet and charged full tilt down the side of the dell.

▪

Martin moved after it, slowly at first, but then faster and faster until he was running full tilt after the intruder.

▪

Meanwhile, production amidst all the changes continues at full tilt.

▪

Milan is usually still, the wind rarely sweeping full tilt across the Plain.

▪

She was right at the end when, without warning, she ran full tilt into the arms of the waiting figure.

▪

This was deep reading at full tilt, a sprint with lead survival gear strapped to your back.

(at) second/third/fourth hand

▪

A computer virus A watch with a second hand doing double time.

▪

Deathtraps: Coroner's warning over second hand electrical goods.

▪

Other rates may apply where the development is acquired second hand , or is merely a refurbishment of an existing industrial building.

▪

The Fourth Hand glides to a soft landing in Wisconsin, and readers will be left smiling.

▪

The leader takes a watch with a second hand , points to a player and calls out a letter of the alphabet.

▪

The second hand had its own dial at the bottom of the face.

▪

The story is now taken up at second hand .

▪

There is even a chapter on buying second hand - which has to be a boon for other Leica devotees.

(stand) at ease

▪

And they looked happy and at ease as they moved inside to the enormous champagne reception Mel had arranged.

▪

Ashkenazy at ease in land of his birth.

▪

Blanche enjoyed social drinking with her officers but Dexter sometimes noticed she was ill at ease .

▪

But Cose put my mind at ease in his introduction.

▪

Fred Bradley stayed very much in the background and his soft, kind eyes helped to put her at ease .

▪

He was equally at ease on the telephone.

▪

I was never perfectly at ease .

▪

Our workmen do work hard, but we live at ease .

... at a time

▪

At times he was struck by a fierce desire to believe that the suspicion was nothing but a demon in his head.

▪

At times whole sections will be finished while others remain blank.

▪

At a time when skills are in demand, they have been wantonly discarded.

▪

I don't think that I can send you more than four or five canvases at a time because of the cold.

▪

I long, at times , for clear-cut answers.

▪

In a way, she had come close to hating Nona at times , although she was not going to admit it.

▪

The slow hours seemed to tick by one tick at a time in the night.

▪

They are evolving at a time when more and more consumers are turning to the Internet for their shopping needs.

What is sb playing at?

a/one bit at a time

▪

The text can be put on an overhead and revealed a bit at a time.

aim sth at sb

▪

Soft-drink commercials are aimed mainly at teenagers.

all at once

▪

All at once the trailer started shaking.

▪

All at once , she broke into a smile.

▪

Should we send the packages all at once ?

▪

And with the slow-going afternoon the world all at once can make perfect sense.

▪

Employees at the plant are experiencing a-change overload. --- Changes came too fast and hit thern all at once .

▪

Father Timothy was kind and bad all at once .

▪

I have never seen so many injunctions all at once .

▪

Not all at once and not so anyone could tell.

▪

The cold in our house made it clear all at once .

▪

This is a distinctive and often very funny picture, disquieting and diverting all at once .

angry with/at yourself

▪

David was angry with himself for trusting Michael.

▪

A shiver went over her and she became angry at herself.

▪

Are we angry with ourselves and blaming something or some one else?

▪

He was so angry with himself.

▪

I felt a sharp stab of disappointment and was surprised and angry at myself.

▪

I felt so guilty, do you see, yet I felt so angry with myself for feeling that way.

▪

If you catch yourself worrying about money, then welcome the thought rather than fighting it, or getting angry with yourself.

▪

Suddenly she felt angry with herself for having let her emotions get out of control.

▪

Those who played were angry with themselves for making mistakes.

another/a second bite at the cherry

arrive at a decision/solution/compromise etc

▪

He arrived at a decision, threw the cigarette away, and turned towards a small depressing row of agricultural cottages.

▪

He finally arrived at a compromise with her, which was that he could have three independent, non-civil servant, advisers.

▪

However, the parties involved were prepared to have their heads hit together to arrive at a solution.

▪

In such a case, some form of conflict resolution must be adopted to arrive at a solution.

▪

My colleagues and I, after much consideration have arrived at a decision.

▪

Now, she thought, now we shall get things done, sort things out, arrive at a solution.

▪

They spent time arriving at a decision on the correct software.

▪

Using committees internally to overcome restrictions on information and thereby arrive at a decision.

asleep at the wheel/switch

▪

One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

at (a) breathless pace/speed

▪

Indeed, Moffett worked at a breathless pace to ensure that those issues were addressed before the annual meeting took place.

▪

Though she has had little education, her vocabulary is excellent: she fountains out ideas and observations at breathless speed.

at (long) last

▪

At last , we were able to afford a house.

▪

And I, at last , had some one to talk to.

▪

And then, at last , I crossed a high mountain pass to discover smoke drifting across my route.

▪

But his work lives on, and after decades of neglect he is rediscovered, celebrated anew and recognized at last .

▪

Lendl's 7-6 6-2 defeat by Omar Camporese follows his opening match loss at last week's Madrid Open.

▪

Now, at last , they are coming home.

▪

Well, at last I got my chance.

at (some/great etc) length

▪

All the torments of the one class and the joys of the other are described at length .

▪

An example may, in consequence, be worth considering at some length .

▪

Moreover, they were journalists from a premier worldwide newsgathering organization, playing themselves and at great length in a feature-film fantasy.

▪

Standing in the farmyard, Giles Aplin also spoke to Seb at some length .

▪

The criteria employed for the weeding process are discussed at some length in Chapter 11.

▪

The distinctions between kinds of complex idea are considered at some length in the Essay.

▪

Their objections, based on religious grounds, are discussed at length in the opinion.

▪

This argument is both diversionary and, at length , immobilizing.

at (the) most

▪

It's about ten minutes down the road, fifteen at the most .

▪

She was given no emotional security at the most influential stage of her life - early puppyhood.

▪

Spiders may be found at most times of the year except during the coldest weather.

▪

Ten minutes, fifteen at the most , and the wind would be on them, tearing them from the saddle.

▪

The Jesuits at Holy Trinity scoffed at most of the conservative critique.

▪

There are, at most , 20 people at the game, all of them with a family interest.

▪

We ate eggs at most meals.

▪

What's that? 15 to 20 yards at the most .

▪

You find yourself flying coach, and staying at the most reasonable hotel in town.

at (the) worst

▪

Many drivers feel their job is unpleasant at best, and dangerous at worst .

▪

Developing these required equations is at best difficult and at worst nearly impossible.

▪

Him, with him: the worst man in the worst place at the worst time.

▪

If we drop a tin can probably nothing will happen; at the worst we may make a small dent.

▪

In most cases doing a course of any kind will, at worst , just be a small waste of time.

▪

Naturally, it happened at the worst possible time.

▪

Patient and neutral stares at worst .

▪

The first assumption of the Census Bureau, therefore, must be viewed as fatuous at worst , naive at best.

▪

Up until then I had sometimes seen writing as at best a compulsion and at worst a sickness.

at (your) leisure

▪

Sixty cars will be displayed, and potential buyers will be able to inspect them at leisure .

▪

Take a brochure home to read at your leisure .

▪

Every facet of the signal can be studied at leisure , including amplitude, frequency, phase and detailed time dependence.

▪

Instead, she was utterly at leisure to give unstintingly to friends and foes, colleagues and passing tramps.

▪

Of Athens' other allies, only Byzantion came out, and both cities were reduced at leisure .

▪

The rest of the day is at leisure .

▪

There would be months in which they could play it back at leisure .

▪

Treat yourself to something special, or simply browse at leisure .

▪

You may work, doctor, at your leisure , with your hundred thousand about you.

at His/Her Majesty's pleasure

at a glance

▪

An expert can tell at a glance whether it's a real diamond or a fake.

▪

Here are the weekend football scores at a glance .

▪

I could see at a glance that the situation was serious.

▪

I saw at a glance that the place was full of police.

▪

Ellingham Diagrams Ellingham diagrams show at a glance which oxide will be reduced.

▪

Garden rooms A small garden that can be taken in at a glance can soon become boring.

▪

Sports reporters are reputed to gauge crowds well; who measures populations at a glance ?

▪

That Holy Trinity is different from most Catholic parishes is evident at a glance .

▪

The facilities table on page 10 will show you at a glance which Clubs offer a Club 16.

▪

The structure of your project needs to be visible, almost at a glance .

▪

The whole of the mystery - there at a glance .

▪

You can see at a glance the few places other readers lingered Over.

at a good/rapid/fast etc clip

▪

He was walking along at a good clip , his eyes idly panning the facades of the brownstone houses.

▪

Up ahead, a thoroughfare Traffic was going across the intersection at a good clip in both directions.

at a great/fair lick

at a later/future date

▪

Or how about a vital organ being removed and the opt-out card being found at a later date ?

▪

Peter Novick dismisses the Freudian theory of repression of trauma leading to problems at a later date .

▪

Secondary sources, in contrast, are interpretations of the past produced at a later date .

▪

Some firms are very flexible on this issue and where possible, allow them to relocate at a later date .

▪

The total would be capped at a later date .

▪

They feared further repercussions at a later date because their participation in the boycott would almost certainly go into their files.

▪

This is particularly helpful if your school's organisation seeks to register as a charity at a later date .

▪

This means that the sea in which the Bright Angel was deposited flooded the land in the east at a later date .

at a pinch

▪

But this novel has not just one but two barmen who could also at a pinch be hailed as lords of language.

▪

Her appointments for the following week could, at a pinch , be postponed.

▪

Interior is snug but seats four at a pinch .

▪

Or at a pinch he might be able to squeeze himself into the desk drawer and hide.

▪

Our flat was a little box that would have probably accommodated Michael's sports shoes at a pinch .

▪

Ponyets could have handled them at a pinch .

▪

There is a large bench seat in the rear which will accommodate two adults or three smaller people at a pinch .

▪

You could, at a pinch , also serve either with the Pizzettas.

at a price

▪

As so often in life, the best comes at a price .

▪

But convenience comes at a price .

▪

But early admissions come at a price .

▪

In April of that year the contract was awarded to H Lyttle and Son at a price of £16,524.

▪

It is successful because it produces a high quality product on time at a price the customer can afford.

▪

More choice for viewers - at a price .

▪

Shakespeare market a very good one through tackle dealers at a price that will not break the bank.

▪

They have a competitive edge in larger buying power, enabling them to acquire stock at prices way below the small independents.

at a push

▪

Michael, at a push , will admit to being the most sensible of the three.

▪

Paul is not very good at pushing it yet.

▪

This is something to which 70 percent of the Carter camp will likewise admit, at a push .

at a rakish angle

▪

A black, felt bowler sits on his head, tilted slightly forward at a rakish angle.

▪

But some were written at rakish angles.

▪

There was Philippa Mannering looking avid in a beautifully cut check suit and a brown beret at a rakish angle.

at a rate of knots

▪

So was Mary - still whizzing helplessly backwards, at a rate of knots.

at a snail's pace

at a spanking pace/rate

▪

In the distance, ponies in long-shafted light chariots trotted at a spanking pace, the wheels spinning around.

at a/one stroke

▪

Brian saw a chance of solving all his problems at one stroke .

▪

But as the 1980s began it seemed as if all the uncertainty had been resolved at a stroke .

▪

Gardening in tomorrow's world Future pest control at a stroke ?

▪

His reputation would be lost at a stroke .

▪

No one could therefore call for the closure of incineration plants at a stroke , because noxious chemicals have to go somewhere.

▪

People pretty much looked at a stroke as a permanent condition: Once you had it, it was there.

▪

Routes may be closed, reducing accessibility, or subsidies may be removed, increasing fares for users at a stroke .

▪

The lek paradox is thus solved at a stroke .

▪

Then, at a stroke , something happened that gave him a powerful sense of purpose.

at a/the minimum

▪

Communication between them was at a minimum .

▪

Formal guidelines covering team objectives and operational policies were at a minimum in 1982.

▪

It should press, at a minimum , for a fair referendum in each.

▪

Managers and supervisors will no longer make hiring decisions or, at a minimum , will share such decision-making responsibilities.

▪

Only. 8 percent of all workers over forty work full-time at the minimum wage.

▪

The agent also has a vested interest in keeping the event's costs at a minimum .

▪

There were other ways to advertise that could keep the warnings at a minimum , and the sales of cigarettes zooming.

▪

When E is at a minimum , the output is the settings of the other visible switches.

at all

▪

Access at all times with own key.

▪

Gabby found herself wondering how Jane put up with them at all .

▪

In 1956, the contrast from conduct at all previous conventions was startling.

▪

Keep one eye on them at all times to avoid problems.

▪

My job as duty officer involves keeping Teesside Airport running smoothly at all times.

▪

The game evolved into the kind of event that you feared would either feature the headliner little, or not at all .

▪

The good cross country horse must think forwards at all times.

▪

To the hunter, temporal or spatial measurements mattered very little, if at all .

at all times

▪

Carry your passport with you at all times .

▪

Keep your hotel door locked at all times .

▪

Many books recommend carrying your passport with you at all times .

▪

He made a point of chatting to her at all times .

▪

He measured CO2 at all times of the day and night.

▪

Neighbours say the animals bark incessantly at all times of the day and night.

▪

Now she had to consider another person's wishes at all times .

▪

Rice dresses immaculately and stylishly at all times , on the field and off.

▪

To help other people at all times .

▪

We can remind ourselves of, and help our children to realise, the need at all times for compassion.

at an angle

▪

The portrait was hanging at an slight angle .

▪

He was sitting at an angle which allowed him to watch the door.

▪

Inch by inch we tilted the cabin on its side until it leaned at an angle .

▪

Papers are missing from each and the sheets inside have been turned back to front, and at angles .

▪

Planes of soap solution have the property that only three can intersect along an edge at an angle between them of 120°.

▪

She draws a man in a tuxedo, places him at an angle on the page.

▪

They stood at angles , not quite facing each other.

▪

This could result in the blind and pleats falling at an angle to the window.

▪

We took the left-hand cut, which runs into the Thames at an angle .

at any price

▪

We all want peace at any price .

▪

Corporate security is not 100 percent effective, at any price .

▪

From the point of view of other firms, Salomon mortgage traders were cheap at any price .

▪

He did not want blood, at any price .

▪

Peace everywhere, for ever, and at any price .

▪

They can not however expect the Swan Hunter work force to accept the imposition of such working conditions at any price .

▪

This really is vintage material and would be worth the strongest recommendation at any price .

▪

To the targets of those terrible promises, there could have been no course but resistance at any price .

▪

Ursula wanted her daughter free at any price and did not mind what risks Maurice had to run to bring that about.

at any rate

▪

That's what they said, at any rate .

▪

Well, at any rate , the next meeting will be on Wednesday.

▪

It is assumed that de Reszke was dissatisfied with test-pressings; at any rate , neither was issued.

▪

Or at any rate , he is with one of the research teams working on the man project.

▪

Out of the house at any rate .

▪

Reminder bells went off, at any rate , and I wondered what the story was.

▪

So, at any rate , was it.

▪

The fresh cheese with cream was all we, or at any rate I, wanted.

▪

They were fairly certain he was immune; certain enough to consider it worth the risk, at any rate .

▪

Under his influence courage was quickened and fear banished, at any rate for the moment.

at best

▪

At best , sales have been good but not great.

▪

Public transportation is at best limited.

at bottom

at breakneck speed/pace

▪

As most travelers know, you can only travel at breakneck speed for so long.

▪

Dorothy Newman nudged her fellow conspirator back to reality, then they ran at breakneck speed to their respective homes.

▪

If they had been alone ... She shook her head in disbelief; everything was suddenly moving at breakneck speed.

▪

Neither do I. Tradition is being manufactured at breakneck pace.

▪

Some guides are indeed very brief, suggesting visits at breakneck speed where only a few items or rooms will be seen.

at close quarters

▪

From our hiding place we were able to observe the animals at close quarters.

▪

This was the first time I had seen such poverty at close quarters.

▪

As the family kept vigil, the children saw at close quarters the stubborn determination of their stepmother.

▪

At close quarters a rifle is almost useless.

▪

Harry and I were tall and strong, not easy to attack at close quarters.

▪

He wishes to inspect at close quarters all the actors in this drama.

▪

I had seen it happen at close quarters because I am his caddie.

▪

The battle continued at close quarters.

▪

The girl must have been, as Martha had said, stagestruck: she had wanted to see Désirée at close quarters.

▪

There tactics were strongly influenced by reliance on line formation and fire-power, as against attack at close quarters.

at cross-purposes

▪

Administration officials insist the two policies are not at cross-purposes .

at ease

▪

And they looked happy and at ease as they moved inside to the enormous champagne reception Mel had arranged.

▪

Ashkenazy at ease in land of his birth.

▪

Blanche enjoyed social drinking with her officers but Dexter sometimes noticed she was ill at ease .

▪

But Cose put my mind at ease in his introduction.

▪

Fred Bradley stayed very much in the background and his soft, kind eyes helped to put her at ease .

▪

He was equally at ease on the telephone.

▪

I was never perfectly at ease .

▪

Our workmen do work hard, but we live at ease .

at every turn

▪

Government officials demanded bribes from us at every turn .

▪

Above: the craggy coastline offers new treasures at every turn .

▪

Emboldened by their mandate from the voters, the parties challenged de Gaulle at every turn .

▪

Everyone wants to define this free spirit of music, and at every turn the 26-year-old DiFranco rebuffs.

▪

He relentlessly shadowed Michael from the start, harrying the Ferrari at every turn .

▪

She had to be particularly vigilant when it came to the large amounts of water threatening them at every turn .

▪

The latter we were born into, but at every turn we exile ourselves from our own Eden.

▪

There Amelia was, an intensely ambitious woman without any professional training, blocked at every turn .

at fault

▪

The accident report found both drivers at fault .

at first

▪

At first , exercising seemed like an obligation, but now I really enjoy it.

at first blush

▪

At first blush , this discovery seems to confirm his theory.

▪

A.. The results here sound more grim at first blush than they really are.

▪

That may sound strange at first blush .

at first glance/sight

▪

After months of waiting, it was hardly love at first sight, he admits.

▪

At first glance this will probably sound strange, yet there is a way in which it is also logical.

▪

At first glance, it looked like unalloyed good news.

▪

At first glance, the place seemed deserted.

▪

It was love at first sight.

▪

This is not as heretical a suggestion as it might seem at first sight.

▪

What was inside the cradles at first sight terrified me.

at first glance/sight

▪

At first glance this will probably sound strange, yet there is a way in which it is also logical.

▪

At first glance , it looked like unalloyed good news.

▪

At first glance , the place seemed deserted.

at first light

▪

The search continued at first light.

▪

They left camp at first light and were in the mountains by nightfall.

▪

A small flock of evening grosbeaks flew over, and at first light I heard chickadees and goldfinches.

▪

It was black as night at new moon and white as frost at first light.

▪

Mountain rescue teams continued the hunt overnight, and a full-scale search resumed at first light.

▪

The ambush would leave its position the next morning, at first light, to return.

▪

The Caribou took off at first light.

▪

We have had trouble at first light with the Khmer Rouge.

at full stretch

▪

Ahead, her father was riding alongside the hounds, at full stretch .

▪

All the services for mental health seemed to be at full stretch already, he said.

▪

Even so, their defence was at full stretch with the pace and movement of Saha and Hayles.

▪

I was already at full stretch .

▪

Jim Magilton, who has our vote as man of the match, had the champions at full stretch .

▪

Last night, emergency services were still at full stretch and a full picture of the disaster had not yet emerged.

▪

The men of Plataia were helping Athens, whose manpower was at full stretch , to man her great fleet.

▪

Then she swiped me right across the nose, claws at full stretch .

at gunpoint

▪

The storekeeper was robbed at gunpoint .

at gut level

▪

She knew at gut level that he was lying.

▪

For one thing, this new record hits you straight at gut level the first time.

▪

Intellectual conviction is nothing like feeling at gut level.

at half-mast

at hand

▪

Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand !

▪

Some of his comments had nothing to do with the topic at hand .

at heart

▪

I guess I'm just a kid at heart .

▪

Paul was an easy-going fellow at heart who wanted only to enjoy himself.

▪

She's a traveller at heart . You'll never get her to settle down.

at home

at issue

▪

At issue are the moral questions raised by cloning.

at knifepoint

at least

▪

At least fifty people were waiting in line.

▪

At least you should listen to his explanation.

▪

His name is Kevin. At least that's what he told me.

▪

His parents should at least go to his graduation.

▪

The food was terrible, but at least we had a nice view.

▪

The law has changed, at least as far as I know.

▪

Everyone on the Cardinals' roster should be here for at least part of the minicamp.

▪

For the time being, at least , the Falls was safe.

▪

It goes against calls from the London Chamber of Commerce which wants at least 1000 more free parking spaces for bikes.

▪

Lastly, they want to give tax advantages to causes deemed worthy, or at least popular.

▪

That would mean at least $ 7. 28 an hour in wages and benefits.

▪

There are at least four companies, perhaps five, that would like to start a 24-hour news channel.

▪

To all appearances, it kept a grip on at least 30 million Muslimsmore than the entire population of the Maghreb today.

▪

Unless I see at least a hint of contour, I assume a crotch has been padded.

at liberty

▪

Tonight only one of the escaped prisoners remains at liberty; the other seven are now back in Central Prison.

▪

Walker was at liberty for many years before the police apprehended him.

at local/state/national etc level

▪

Bureaucracy, long absent from the country, was making a rapid return, both at central and at local levels .

▪

Even the left-wing parties that may yet form the government have a record of economic reform at state level .

▪

First, of course, there really does need to be a range of choices available at local level .

▪

He believes everyone has ideas worthy of attention and that earth-saving decisions are best made at local level .

▪

In keeping with the rank-and-file strength of the movement, however, pressure was applied most effectively at local level .

▪

It has also highlighted the differential at local level .

▪

The decision has generated sheafs of proposed new abortion legislation, pro and anti, at state level .

at no time

▪

At no time did anyone suggest that the drug was dangerous.

▪

Despite what I'd been told about the local people's attitude to strangers, at no time did I encounter any rudeness.

▪

Benefits: A better piece at no time cost to you.

▪

But at no time is this conditioning of mild hysteria and personality cult a wholesome thing.

▪

Certainly, at no time did the lift pass anything like 6,000 tons a day.

▪

Interestingly, at no time did anyone consider reinstating the four women.

▪

She most certainly at no time condoned what had happened to her daughter.

▪

That code requires only that the trustees are at no time resident or ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

▪

Their economic viability, at no time very great, has become fragile risking complete social and economic disintegration.

▪

They empathized with each other, responding to that which at no time had been spoken aloud, but understood between them.

at once

▪

Anyone know the answer? Don't all shout at once , put your hand up.

▪

Everyone knew at once how serious the situation was.

▪

I can't do two things at once !

▪

I can't understand what you're saying when you both talk at once .

▪

You're trying to do too many things at once .

▪

You can't have three weeks' holiday all at once , you'll have to take them separately.

at one time

▪

At one time forests covered about 20% of Lebanon.

▪

See, I can lock the doors all at one time .

▪

There aren't many places around here where you can cater for fifty or so people at one time .

▪

This word processor allows you to work with two documents at one time .

▪

You feel like you are going in twelve different directions at one time .

▪

Although you can see only 80 characters on the screen at one time .

▪

It has been established that at one time or another during her life she had been wounded by all three arrows.

▪

The city at one time had talked to Edwards Theaters about building a multiplex theater there, but those talks faltered.

▪

The curriculum, which at one time had seemed novel, barely changed from decade to decade.

▪

The somewhat better-known Sigmund Freud at one time worked with Janet.

▪

Up to 24 packages can be accessed at one time .

▪

We cured all our bloaters and our kippers, at one time .

at present

at random

▪

The forms were distributed at random to people passing by.

▪

Twenty students were chosen at random to take part in the experiment.

▪

We selected the agencies at random from the phone book.

▪

While he waited, he picked up a magazine, turned to a page at random , and started reading.

at regular intervals

▪

Feed your puppy at the same regular intervals each day.

▪

Small trees can be planted at regular intervals along a path to create an avenue.

▪

There are stations where runners can get water at regular intervals throughout the marathon.

▪

These women were given blood tests at regular intervals for a year.

▪

Better to feed small amounts at regular intervals .

▪

By practicing at regular intervals , the insight and calm of meditation are maintained and amplified.

▪

He made long sweeps at regular intervals in and around the Teeth, but there was nothing.

▪

He may be required to report to a particular individual or place at regular intervals as part of a monitoring process.

▪

If using a cone, spray again at regular intervals .

▪

Now for the decorations ... Push the gold candles into the icing at regular intervals .

▪

The fog-horn, its sound now muffled by the houses, continued to bleat at regular intervals .

▪

They would have to field candidates for a variety of offices at regular intervals or risk being closed.

at rest

▪

The mass was measured while the object was at rest .

at right angles (to sth)

▪

The aisles intersect at right angles to form the shape of a cross.

at risk

▪

Millions of lives are at risk because of food shortages.

at sb's bidding

at sb's disposal

▪

Hadden has some of the best medical advice in the country at his disposal .

at sb's expense

▪

Louis kept making jokes at his wife's expense .

▪

Several state senators traveled to Asia at taxpayers' expense .

at sb's heels

at sb's instance

at sb's instigation

▪

Shepard lied to investigators at the instigation of his direct superior officer.

at school

▪

Lisa always buys her lunch at school .

at short notice

▪

Both players pulled out of the competition yesterday at short notice .

▪

Occasionally, tours may have to be cancelled at short notice .

▪

One of the players dropped out at short notice .

▪

He was called in at short notice due to the unfortunate motor accident involving Design Director, Bill Naysmith.

▪

Many laboratories have cooperated at short notice and are analysing large numbers of samples.

▪

Many of the more glamorous film and photographic opportunities crop up at short notice , so you have to be flexible.

▪

Occasionally tours may be cancelled at short notice owing to circumstances beyond our control.

▪

The landlord could also terminate the arrangements at short notice .

▪

There is an aversion to holding meetings at short notice with a diminished complement.

▪

These alternatives will not always be available at short notice but it might be possible to plan for them.

▪

Working conditions may not be up to much, and as a casual employee you can be fired at short notice .

at sixes and sevens

at stake

at ten thirty/2 o'clock etc sharp

at that

▪

That would mean they've taken something like ten miles at that point.

▪

An intelligent computer-based agent will have determined that you will be on that flight at that time, in that seat.

▪

It contained at that time 23 houses.

▪

Lifeguards at that time reported that the whale appeared lethargic and did not attempt to swim away once freed from the kelp.

▪

None of these four and five-year-olds could read at that stage.

▪

Party managers arrived at that conclusion because that is the way they had treated their own party for the past eight years.

▪

So personal growth at that time was in high leaps forward rather than in little trickles.

▪

This was not so easy at that time as the crewing arrangements were very much of a closed shop.

at the (very) outside

▪

At the same time, more IBMers were encouraged to look at the outside via secondments or community links.

▪

From a three-hour flight, at the outside , when he'd only flown from London to Helsinki on the last lap?

▪

George is tall, red-haired, freckled, with deep squint lines at the outside corners of his blue eyes.

▪

I settled myself at the outside table and sipped my coffee, trying to get my bearings.

▪

Look at the outside and don't be fooled by appearances.

▪

Looking at the outside of this building.

▪

Picasso aimed his passion at the outside world.

▪

The second turning starts at the outside edge turning the whole field including the double row towards the hedgerow.

at the behest of sb

▪

The committee was formed at the behest of Governor Sinclair.

▪

A proposal added Monday at the behest of Sen.

▪

Administration officials have said he was given the job at the behest of the White House.

▪

Is that what such a force would have done, acting at the behest of the Council of Ministers?

▪

Like producing their first two records at the behest of inquiring fans.

at the best of times

▪

Even at the best of times the roads are dangerous.

▪

A salmon is slippery enough to handle at the best of times, but one of this size ....

▪

But reason told her it was a precarious business at the best of times.

▪

In fact Polanski, unconventional at the best of times, takes us to the limit - and beyond.

▪

It was run on a shoestring at the best of times and Kelly was merely adding to his problems.

▪

Listening is a difficult and complex skill at the best of times.

▪

Memory was mischievously selective at the best of times Trivia stuck limpet-like and the useful filtered away.

▪

Rising living standards and well-being are ambiguously related at the best of times, and not simply for ecological reasons.

▪

The mind was a delicate mechanism that he disliked interfering with at the best of times.

at the coalface

▪

I have tremendous admiration for anyone who has spent a lifetime in the mining industry, especially at the coalface .

at the door

▪

I think there's somebody at the door .

▪

Cover is $ 4 at the door .

▪

Debtors have difficult choices about whom to pay first; often they will pay the person at the door at the time.

▪

During my second evening at the hotel there was a knock at the door .

▪

I stood at the door and looked up, but the windows were dark; she had gone to bed.

▪

Jack was at the door almost as soon as Fogarty got himself off the sofa.

▪

Thanking her at the door , he asked who at the committee might know something and be willing to talk about it.

▪

The last thing he had expected was to find the police at the door .

▪

When he turned at the door .

at the double

▪

He dived away at the double and took himself as far as his long legs would carry him.

▪

I looked at the double doors in horror and wondered if perchance Toplis might be hiding inside.

▪

Mercury prepares to expand at the double WALLASEY-based same-day courier service Mercury Express has embarked on a national expansion.

▪

Not much is gained by pointing at the double standards of western nations; these are too well known.

▪

You have taken on far too much and are trying to do too many things at the double .

at the drop of a hat

▪

He's willing to organize anything guests want at the drop of a hat.

at the earliest

▪

He'll arrive on Monday at the earliest .

▪

But the borrower must cooperate with the lender, particularly by answering correspondence and making contact at the earliest possible moment.

▪

Cosby is expected to testify, but not until Monday at the earliest .

▪

If you are wrongfully dismissed, you should therefore seek alternative employment at the earliest opportunity.

▪

It should be noted that this type of shelf should be replaced with something more suitable at the earliest opportunity.

▪

It was not associated with the occult until the eighteenth century at the earliest .

▪

It was then decided that the attack should be made on the next morning, at the earliest hour practicable...

▪

The first set might not show up until 1998 at the earliest .

▪

The full inquests will be heard in May at the earliest , with families hoping at last to discover the truth.

at the end of the day

▪

At the end of the day, it's just too much money to spend.

▪

At the end of the day, the best team won.

▪

You may be working for yourself but at the end of the day you still have to pay tax on what you earn.

▪

And that is, at the end of the day, the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful business.

▪

Because, at the end of the day, professional regulation is in the best interests of both auditors and the public.

▪

It was not unusual for them to have a snack at the end of the day.

▪

Prayers must be moved at the end of the day's business, an unpopular time.

▪

So when Summerchild steps out up Whitehall at the end of the day he is still hugging their secret madness to himself.

▪

The hours of work were reduced so that the hands were not exhausted at the end of the day.

▪

We regularly baked some at the end of the day and held a little milk and cookie ritual.

▪

You realize that at the end of the day.

at the expense of sb/sth

▪

He did not want to devote more time to his business at the expense of his family

▪

The cars were produced quickly, at the expense of safety.

▪

All is filtered through Hoving's glass, which magnifies himself at the expense of his colleagues.

▪

Similarly, countries may make use of automation to improve their international competitiveness, sometimes at the expense of other countries.

▪

So there is little chance that the 1993 programme will go for short-term audience gain at the expense of long-term credibility.

▪

Such values work at the expense of a positive evaluation of females.

▪

The client may win in court, but at the expense of destroying the business relationship, he says.

▪

The two companies said their marriage will come at the expense of 2, 000 jobs.

▪

These are not just the shifting form of the economy and the rise of financial capital at the expense of productive capital.

▪

You will now release me: the resulting implication being that I bought my freedom at the expense of his.

at the graveside

▪

He was at the graveside looking mournful and interesting.

▪

However, I was not alone at the graveside .

▪

It was not by any of the group at the graveside .

▪

She arrived at the graveside to find her daughter had already been buried.

▪

Some reporters tried to interview her at the graveside .

▪

The benign ruler who took over, Major-General Bantu Holomisa, spoke at the graveside .

at the hands of sb

▪

He told of the abuse he had suffered at the hands of prison guards.

▪

He felt shamed and humiliated by the officious treatment he received at the hands of the pompous men at Immigration.

▪

He was in surprisingly good humour, considering how much he's suffered at the hands of the puppet.

▪

Horror stories of what can happen at the hands of a well-meaning but inexperienced neighbour are legion.

▪

No officer convicted of plotting against him met his end at the hands of the firing squad.

▪

They suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Hampshire, who won with two wickets to spare.

▪

They were this nutty two years ago, after taking their second proper walloping at the hands of the Dallas Jerrys.

▪

When he rang me he was already cross about his treatment at the hands of a previous biographer of Hamilton.

▪

Women are particularly vulnerable to abuse at the hands of jail guards and criminal inmates.

at the helm

▪

In a decade and a half at the helm , O'Neil transformed the company's image.

▪

After Smith's departure, his deputy Nick Logan began a glittering career at the helm .

▪

He feels like the captain of a sleeping ship, alone at the helm , steering his oblivious crew through dangerous seas.

▪

Mitchell at the helm , Sanders and his fancy footwork, Moore and his mind-blowing numbers.

▪

Norton also criticized the control board for studying whether the city should put a city manager at the helm .

▪

That means Mr Maxwell will remain at the helm of the club at least for the short term.

▪

The 1992 Five Nations Championship will, therefore, be his fourth at the helm .

▪

There is nobody at the helm of the corporate ship, because there is no helm.

▪

There was no panic, no shouting, just well-directed, sensible work while I kept at the helm , maintaining course.

at the last count

▪

At the last count , only 18 Japanese firms were making car parts in America.

▪

There are a lot of professional athletes living in the Orlando area -- more than 100 at last count .

▪

Apart from Summerchild and a clerical assistant, the Unit at the last count still consisted of one single member, Serafin herself.

▪

I have, at the last count , 19 separate applications under consideration by 12 separate funding bodies.

▪

It has now become a challenge to find new varieties of herb - at the last count there were just over 130.

▪

More than 200, in fact, at the last count .

▪

My sister Mahaud, at the last count , had more admirers than there are Elks.

▪

The total world population was put at 190 at the last count .

▪

They have been joined by a growing group of people denied entry, 198 at the last count .

▪

Yet at the last count there were six oil-rich states bordering the Gulf.

at the latest

▪

I want you home by 11 at the latest .

▪

But I definitely want some live dates set up by the new year at the latest .

▪

By half past six at the latest he reached the place where he died.

▪

Let's continue this look at the marine aquarium scene by looking at the latest thinking regarding the nutritional requirements of marine fish.

▪

On this principle write all initial letters together on the day you receive instructions, or at the latest the following day.

▪

That meant flying out at 10.30 at the latest .

▪

The story was that trainees had to pass the exam on the third attempt at the latest , or leave.

▪

They should arrive for ten past at the latest .

▪

With only 11 declared at the latest acceptance stage, the Doncaster Classic looked somewhat below par.

at the mercy of sb/sth

▪

Having lost engine power, the boat's crew found themselves at the mercy of the wind.

▪

Once again Oliver is separated from his friends and left at the mercy of strangers.

▪

But like Jim, she soon found herself at the mercy of events.

▪

Even compassion for a man so much at the mercy of his physical urges.

▪

He says you're at the mercy of the elements and you just go where the weather takes you.

▪

Putting him at the mercy of men like you, Creller?

▪

Ten miles straight up, at the mercy of bears, leopards and tigers.

▪

With monarchy, the essential problem is that power is put at the mercy of relatives and genetics.

▪

With that relationship gone, they are at the mercy of more laws and more political meddling.

▪

You are at the mercy of the man upstairs.

at the moment

▪

At the moment , the county is doing nothing with the property south of town.

▪

We're really busy at the moment .

▪

And the right price for Rod's Lamborghini at the moment is £40,000.

▪

Asthings stand at the moment , 70 years have to elapse before they can be inspected.

▪

He missed Josh terribly, but knew there was no way of winning back his affections at the moment .

▪

Her primary problem at the moment is tendinitis in her left wrist.

▪

It is said that birds began to pair at the moment of his death.

▪

Republicans, at the moment , hold 41 seats while Democrats have 37.

▪

She says that everyone dreams of winning a medal, but at the moment she is just hoping to get there.

▪

That means we put ourselves completely into the feeling in question; at the moment it occurs, that feeling is us.

at the ready

▪

I kept my camera at the ready in case the bird reappeared.

▪

Several reporters were outside, microphones at the ready .

▪

The crowd stood around, cameras at the ready .

▪

Two police officers advanced, with guns at the ready .

▪

As yet unsigned, Lisa B has several major record companies with a pen at the ready .

▪

He leapt to the ground beside the ship, his sawed-off shotgun at the ready .

▪

He pictured the Federals now strongly entrenched, with cannons and muskets at the ready .

▪

On the other side of the double row of barbed wire a guard was standing still holding his rifle at the ready .

▪

Ralph would compose himself, at the ready .

▪

She cleaned her teeth every three hours and had Juicy fruit continually at the ready in case he wanted to kiss her.

▪

So throughout it all my readiness to refuse the will and hand of Maman was at the ready .

▪

The President started swearing silently as soon as he saw the troops in camouflage uniforms with rifles at the ready .

at the risk of doing sth

▪

A school has to be able to make rules about students' dress, even at the risk of upsetting parents.

▪

At the risk of being boring, I have to say again how much I enjoyed myself.

▪

At the risk of sounding like your mother, you'd better dress up warm.

▪

This is a point which -- at the risk of being boring -- I must emphasize once again.

▪

Cantor figured he could afford caution, even at the risk of insulting the caller.

▪

How I loved being normal, even at the risk of becoming a Red Cross water-safety statistic.

▪

However, at the risk of underestimating such differences, certain current issues can be picked out.

▪

However, there is no point investing for the long term at the risk of being caned in the short term.

▪

Proceed with caution and, at the risk of sounding like a tabloid astrologer, look before you leap.

▪

There were even imitation sheepskins, but worn at the risk of being considered a total nebbish.

▪

Which, at the risk of uttering sacrilege, may not be such a bad thing.

at the same time

▪

Are you supposed to press these two buttons at the same time?

▪

Charlie and I arrived at the same time.

▪

His wife had a baby at the same time as Elaine.

▪

Karl and I were hired at the same time.

▪

So you want to talk to them, identify that they are a candidate, and then give them the test all at the same time?

▪

The media's criticism can be hard to take. But at the same time, we've got to keep doing our jobs.

▪

We've launched an appeal, and at the same time we are sending out supplies, shelters, and blankets.

▪

We both started talking at the same time.

▪

You must have been at Harvard at the same time as I was.

▪

And there was firing and screaming and hollering at the same time.

▪

But at the same time most people find the expression of their individuality through work.

▪

Each document is at the same time unique and existing in a thousand places.

▪

I wanted to throw up, pass out, scream and cry at the same time.

▪

Once we had five homicides on trial at the same time.

▪

Remarkably, they can still swill and swagger at the same time, weaving toward an exit.

▪

She felt an absolute wreck, yet at the same time she felt acutely self-aware.

▪

So a television picture changed at the same time as you saw your ex-lover walking down the road opposite.

at the time

▪

A spokesman for the Housing Department would only say that the tower blocks had seemed a good idea at the time .

▪

And I must admit I didn't know at the time exactly what her flying weight should be.

▪

Apparently, Shaw was not skiing with her husband or sons at the time of the accident, said Malik.

▪

From what I learned of their disappearance at the time , I never believed they would re-surface intact.

▪

In fact, at the time it must have seemed a remarkably good idea.

▪

Montaine was still living in the attic at the time .

▪

My view is that he combined two qualities that were, at the time of his ascendancy, regarded as mutually exclusive.

▪

Twenty two had active colitis at the time serum was obtained.

at the top/bottom of the heap

at this rate

▪

At this rate , I'll lose $30 million by the end of the season.

▪

I calculated miserably-nearly three thousand words at this rate , more than ten pages.

▪

If he keeps blossoming at this rate , too, basketball coaches soon will be pitching tents in his yard.

▪

Indeed, at this rate the City's fears of Labour's policies could make the difference in getting Labour elected.

▪

It was last to start and at this rate , will probably be last to finish.

▪

Police claim that at this rate , the thief could clear out the entire flock of Trafalgar Square pigeons in seven months.

▪

Poor Maud can only totter along at this rate .

▪

To miss the odd target is acceptable, but not finds coming up at this rate and in such a confined area.

▪

Work out how many woodlice you will have in 10 years' time if they continue to multiply at this rate .

at this time

▪

"Do you have any health insurance?'' "Not at this time .''

▪

Gas prices always go up at this time of year.

▪

I have no further questions at this time , your honor.

▪

It would be difficult at this time to explain all the new regulations.

▪

What are you doing out at this time of night?

▪

His frustration with not carrying the ball at this time of year is as routine as the end of daylight savings time.

▪

His salary at this time was £1,000, and upon leaving the service he received a pension of £600 p.a.

▪

I have no reason to believe at this time that this was anything more than a terribly tragic accident.

▪

It was not uncommon for critics at this time to be engaged in character study and reconstructions of plot and chronology.

▪

No, not the World Series, but the asinine bets politicians make at this time of the year.

▪

Remember that at this time the special eucharistic celebration of Christians took place during the course of a meal of fellowship.

▪

The rejection of the newly mobile toddler may be accentuated if another baby is born at this time .

▪

There were controversies about various forms of Church Government and many sects flourished at this time of religious toleration.

at times

▪

At times even the most talented athletes lose their motivation.

▪

At times Jean deeply regretted not having children.

▪

In a job like this, you're bound to feel a little stressed at times .

▪

Check that machines and materials will be available at times that suit them.

▪

Even Preston had to admit it was fun at times .

▪

Everybody has to pull together and support each other at times like this.

▪

Granted this role at times seems like little more than an extension of his stint as a motivational speaker.

▪

Hart is an amiable and enthusiastic guide, if a little corny at times .

▪

He wrote beautiful, at times too beautiful prose.

▪

It is one of the devious ways in which we all can behave at times .

▪

It was very inadequate at times , especially in winter if you were on point duty.

at weekly/20-minute etc intervals

▪

After ingestion of sucrose, breath hydrogen was measured at 20 minute intervals for 160 minutes.

at will

▪

He can't just hire and fire people at will , can he?

at work

at your back

▪

Caesar marched into Rome with an army at his back .

▪

Run into the wind so it's at your back as you return.

▪

He felt the wide gaze of the french windows at his back and the awareness put his timing out.

▪

I hear the whip at his back compelling him to shed his will, to stay in line.

▪

She could tell this by looking at his back as he stood at the bar ordering more drinks.

▪

She stared at his back view in exasperation.

▪

She wants a phalanx of allies at her back before she climbs those stairs again.

▪

Staring at his back , she tried to conjure up the image of him lover-like, tender, and failed.

▪

The pub blazed at my back as I walked off.

▪

When Schmidt tapped the chauffeur's arm, the man pressed a button that raised a glass panel at his back .

at your best

▪

At his best , he's one of the most exciting tennis players in the world.

▪

This recording captures Grappelli at his very best .

▪

And if I sometimes see them at their worst, I sometimes see them at their best as well.

▪

Augusta was not at her best yesterday on a drab, grey day.

▪

But like Natalie Merchant, Cerbone is at her best when composing character sketches.

▪

Still, quarterbacks are not at their best when their throwing motion is impeded.

▪

The answer, in brief, is the method of empirical inquiry, at its best the method of science.

▪

The early 1960s showed such policy at its best .

▪

The formal work of the House is often seen at its best in committee.

▪

The Machine is at its best in primaries, but Daley was taking no chances.

at your command

▪

Try to hire a carpenter with years of experience at his command .

▪

A 12-hour alarm sounds off at your command .

▪

An old soldier, he had a few choice words at his command .

▪

And nor would i lead my company to be slaughtered, at their command .

▪

How can students cope with the limited resources at their command ?

▪

In short, they have an explanatory rhetoric at their command .

▪

Loyal, bonded silicon brains, hired for cheap and at your command , even if you were only 13.

▪

Owen played with all the strength and passion at his command .

▪

So he would protect himself, with all the weapons at his command .

at your earliest convenience

▪

We should be grateful if you would reply at your earliest convenience .

▪

Could you therefore please telephone me at your earliest convenience ?

▪

I also enclose a Medical Assessment Card which you should complete and return at your earliest convenience .

at your own risk

▪

Anyone who swims in this part of the river does it at their own risk .

▪

Danger - enter at your own risk .

▪

Journalists were allowed into the area, but only at their own risk .

▪

Visitors who park their cars in the corner lot do so at their own risk .

▪

Any such person relies upon the report at his own risk .

▪

But it's at your own risk .

▪

Follow their advice at your own risk .

▪

Parkers need to be clearly warned that they park their vehicles entirely at their own risk .

▪

Taste them at your own risk .

▪

The trespasser comes on to the premises at his own risk .

▪

There are also sanctioned nude beaches and unsanctioned beaches, where you go buff at your own risk .

▪

You could leave your bicycle at Dingle Station every day for a week for only 6d, at your own risk of course.

at your pleasure

▪

He will appoint a five-member board that serves at his pleasure to oversee development of the island for city use.

▪

He wrung his hands in pleasure at her pleasure.

▪

The first verse concludes: We live at our pleasure , and take our delight.

▪

We change names at our pleasure .

▪

What was she, a communal slave to be passed around at their pleasure ?

at/from an early age

▪

Both Maddy and Patrick were professionally successful at an early age, secure, and surrounded by helpful family.

▪

But what about alteration of brain chemistry at an early age?

▪

Did you start painting at an early age?

▪

I worry about cholesterol, because my father died of a heart attack at an early age.

▪

If you get to know about these things at an early age you lose your shame and shyness.

▪

Robin adds that as a boy he saw both the Graf Zeppelin and R-101, obviously an enthusiast from an early age.

▪

Spong does not advocate marriage at an early age.

▪

Women learn at an early age that most men do not like angry women living in the same house.

at/from the outset

▪

It was clear from the outset that there were going to be problems.

▪

It was stated at the outset that this system would not be here, and at once, perfected.

▪

Liverpool, so dominant at the outset , were glad to hear referee Andy D'Urso blow the final whistle.

▪

Local authorities have presented the Treasury with a particular problem from the outset .

▪

She also remarked at the outset that her personal belief was that the category had no place in a psychiatric manual.

▪

There was a whole platoon of black-and-whites on our tail at the outset , but we lost them one by one.

▪

This establishes at the outset for both parties the criterion for evaluation of work done.

▪

This is why it is so important to be consistent in your approach right from the outset .

▪

We had from the outset a desire to cross barriers that had previously existed and to get involved in community groups.

at/in one sitting

▪

Jeff ate a whole bag of potato chips in one sitting .

▪

As in my landscapes, I work quickly and the portrait has to be completed in one sitting .

▪

At other times the sessions are intended to serve the need of teachers of five of six languages at one sitting .

▪

But if you get a copy, save it for when you can read it at one sitting .

▪

I devoured it all almost at one sitting , reading it until my eyes closed.

▪

I read it in one sitting and lay awake that night disturbed by its power and frightened by its implication.

▪

It is an interesting book to dip into, but it can not be read at one sitting .

at/in the back of your mind

▪

I was hurt that she'd left, but I guess at the back of my mind I always knew she would.

▪

There was always a slight feeling of fear at the back of his mind.

at/with the push/touch of a button

be (at the) top of the list/agenda

▪

Improving education is at the top of the mayor's agenda.

be a dab hand at/with sth

▪

However, they might be a dab hand at needlework or crochet.

▪

She was a dab hand at couplets, was Rosie.

▪

They should be dab hands with the diapers, and more in touch with their emotions.

▪

Workers at the Wellingborough factory are dab hands at turning out unusual orders.

be a past master (at sth)

▪

Johnny Morris is a past master at both.

▪

That sort of thing wasn't her style at all, but Susan was a past master at it.

be an old hand (at sth)

▪

Helms is an old hand at backroom politics.

▪

Blue is an old hand at such compositions and has never had any trouble with them.

▪

Habitat is an old hand at changing habits of a lifetime.

▪

Pete Zimmerman is an old hand at water initiatives.

▪

These were old hands, and Dawn Run was effectively still a novice.

▪

We are old hands in the public-school system.

be at a loose end

▪

After her husband died, Mildred found herself suddenly at loose ends.

▪

I felt rather at a loose end at the end of the term so I decided to take a trip to London.

▪

Bert, Alice was pleased to see, missed Jasper, tended to be at a loose end.

▪

He was at a loose end.

▪

One's best friend's cousin's daughter might well be at a loose end after leaving art college.

▪

Rhoda had died a year or two ago, and we had heard that Ralph was at loose ends.

▪

So, through no fault of my own, I was at a loose end quite a bit.

▪

They'd be at a loose end when it was over, which would be the time to approach them.

be at a loss

▪

He was at a loss to explain to himself why he found it so appealing.

▪

Her performances were legendary, and I am at a loss to describe them now.

▪

I am at a loss to understand all this.

▪

I was at a loss with you being so beautiful and intelligent and all that.

▪

Lord said he was at a loss to find room to play his shots in the first two games.

▪

Still, you will not be at a loss for conversation with such an unusual choice.

▪

With the provisions stored away, Robbie was at a loss for occupation.

be at a low ebb

▪

I was at my lowest ebb after the kidney surgery.

▪

Basic research on petrochemicals was at a low ebb around 1980.

▪

He came in when the lads were at a low ebb somewhere on the ocean bed.

▪

Idei is overhauling a corporate structure Sony introduced in mid-1994 when its fortunes were at a low ebb .

▪

Interest in religion seemed to be at a low ebb .

▪

Self-confidence can be at a low ebb if you've just been told to p ... off by an embittered pedestrian.

be at a premium

▪

A less complimentary analysis might be that value was placed on this because intellectual stimulation was at a premium on that unit.

▪

Even in the midst of the current job crisis, some skills are at a premium .

▪

Space is at a premium in the back of a Warrior.

▪

The few remaining hermaphroditic mice are at a premium because only they can produce the sperm that the all-female mice still need.

▪

The mirrors would warp up; there would be odd folds and creases; clarity would be at a premium .

▪

With the combat units dispersed and the opposition extremely difficult to locate, good and timely intelligence was at a premium .

▪

Younger, unattached people were at a premium in Southland.

be at bat

be at daggers drawn

▪

In practice they are at daggers drawn as the furore over Tom Clarke's pronouncements on the subject this week amply illustrates.

▪

The prospect of an interesting friendship had been destroyed and now they were at daggers drawn.

be at death's door

▪

His skin was so pale, he looked like he was at death's door.

be at each other's throats

▪

Congress and the President have been at each other's throats for so long that it's a wonder they can agree on anything.

▪

Lisa and Nicole were at each other's throats the whole trip.

be at large

▪

Two of the escaped prisoners are still at large .

be at liberty to do sth

▪

The secretary of state told reporters, "I am not at liberty to get into the details" of the proposal.

▪

We are not at liberty to discuss our hiring practices.

▪

You are quite at liberty to make an official complaint if you wish.

▪

Also, of course, a trust is at liberty to raise new capital by an issue of additional ordinary or debenture shares.

▪

And the world will say: now she is at liberty to pursue her inclination, the parson is the man.

▪

But we are at liberty to form our own judgement of the person doing so.

▪

Elsewhere anyone was at liberty to hang up a shingle and go into practice as a physician.

▪

Freed from the trappings of conventional morality, Van Ness is at liberty to invent his own.

▪

Staff in these Departments considering additional computers are at liberty to submit suggestions through line management in the usual way. 3.

▪

Time when he was at liberty to go fishing or take a drive along the coast.

▪

While I am still free, I am at liberty to take my pleasure when I choose.

be at loggerheads (with sb)

▪

His trusted advisers are at loggerheads , and he can not put off a decision much longer.

▪

I think Himmler and Speer are at loggerheads .

▪

Interview he sez the idea that industrialists are at loggerheads with conservationists needs to be dispelled.

▪

Now Nicholas's parents and his old school are at loggerheads .

▪

Peasants in grain-short areas may well be at loggerheads with those in grain-surplus areas.

▪

When kings were at loggerheads with their clergy, which was not their usual relationship, morality constituted the most dramatic battleground.

be at odds

▪

Britain and France were constantly at odds with each other throughout the negotiations.

▪

The two sides are still at odds over a pay increase for airline pilots.

▪

Enduring success was at odds with all history and could not be expected.

▪

Her description is at odds with Tiller's.

▪

More often, however, navigation engineers were at odds with drainage men, especially when they were working on existing rivers.

▪

The Buchanan trade plank is at odds with long-standing Republican endorsements of free trade.

▪

The interests of scholarship and pedagogy are at odds here.

▪

The Piagetian / constructivist vision is that educational practice and development need not and should not be at odds .

▪

Their pleasure was tempered with concern that the policy change was at odds with what they requested.

▪

They radiated a fierce interest in their work which was at odds with their taciturn manner.

be at one with sb/sth

▪

Because: In order to be at one with the Static Cosmos, one must achieve a state of supreme stillness.

▪

I have seemed to be at one with the world.

▪

In that belief he was at one with the Communists.

▪

It was at one with consumer bodies in wishing to see their activities stopped.

▪

Nevertheless he was at one with Wheatley on the need to abandon free trade and develop a protected imperial bloc.

▪

Reyntiens' considerable technical expertise is at one with his imagination.

▪

So far the Church is at one with the State.

▪

The gestures they make are at one with their interesting footwork.

be at pains to do sth

▪

Mrs Henessy was at pains to say that she was fighting for a principle, not just for financial compensation.

▪

The U.S. military has been at pains not to offend its Muslim host.

▪

A year on they acknowledge the problems, but are at pains to defend the good name of their community.

▪

I was at pains to show how and why.

▪

Officials were at pains to point out that it was focused on resolving border disputes and promoting trade.

▪

She taught in a racially mixed school and was at pains to correct simple stereotypes and unthinking prejudices.

▪

She was at pains to tell me - several times - that her male friends were divided into two groups.

▪

These he is at pains to hide in order to promote the fiction of his rise from rags to riches.

▪

They are at pains to insist that they are not called to be a denomination.

▪

Writers in the early art and photographic journals were at pains to define its precise meaning.

be at sb's beck and call

▪

I have never liked to be at anybody's beck and call.

▪

She was always rushing around at her mother's beck and call.

▪

I had to be at his beck and call, night and day.

be at sb's side/stay by sb's side/not leave sb's side

be at the centre of sth

▪

Humiliation was at the centre of Jock Stein's disciplinary philosophy.

▪

Perhaps more serious was the failure to understand, or accept, bureaucratic mores which were at the centre of the system.

▪

The Charter will be at the centre of government's decision-making throughout the 1990s.

▪

The duty officer at the Cabinet Office Briefing Room was at the centre of a web of information technology.

▪

The inter-relationships between the flows will be at the centre of the proposed research.

▪

The privatization of up to 40 state-owned companies was at the centre of the governments economic recovery plan.

▪

The problem of deciding what is relevant and important is at the centre of your task as a note-maker.

▪

This is at the centre of the Iasiah's concern.

be at the end of your tether

▪

I had no money, my husband was sick, and I couldn't get a job. I was at the end of my tether .

be at the height of your success/fame/powers etc

▪

By the 1860's, when he was at the height of his fame, tragedy struck as he took increasingly to drink.

▪

However, in 1985 he was at the height of his fame as a novelist.

▪

Outwardly, the Cowboys appear to be at the height of their powers.

be at the top of your game

be at variance (with sb/sth)

▪

Her current statement is at variance with what she said July 10.

▪

Cabinet's vision of the Task Force was at variance with Heseltine's own ideas.

▪

It is quite clear that this thread of non-incrimination is at variance with the recent emphasis on obtaining confession evidence.

▪

The Communists were at variance with all their previous allies and there was room for an alternative viewpoint.

▪

The research examines this conclusion since it is at variance with rational economic planning.

▪

The Spirit reconciles men who were at variance .

▪

There is likely to be material that is at variance with your own views.

▪

This shows a Spartan caution which is at variance with their previous bellicosity over Samos.

▪

This was at variance with the Eurocheque system as exempted by the Commission in 1984.

be at your wits' end

▪

I'm at my wits' end trying to fix this computer.

▪

I don't know what I can do to keep our marriage together -- I'm at my wits' end!

▪

It was two days before the baby was due, and Robert was at his wit's end.

be at/hit/reach rock bottom

▪

By four o'clock Melissa's spirits were at rock bottom .

be at/in/to the forefront (of sth)

▪

Everywhere in the world, it was women who were in the forefront of campaigning.

▪

He is at the forefront of the campaign to save the Elephant from extinction.

▪

Meleager slays his uncles, who are in the forefront of those who would destroy Atalanta.

▪

The brothers were at the forefront of the story from the beginning.

▪

The company's main business is in sheet fed offset and it is at the forefront of printing on recycled paper.

▪

The mill was never to be in the forefront of industry.

▪

Through their own efforts, deaf people were in the forefront of Glasgow society.

▪

You have to be willing to be in the forefront .

be at/near etc the end of your rope

be bursting/bulging at the seams

▪

The auditorium was bulging at the seams during the governor's talk.

▪

The island couldn't be bursting at the seams , surely?

be champing at the bit

▪

David is champing at the bit.

▪

Within three months Eva was champing at the bit.

be clutching at straws

▪

Green ponds should not be a problem now, but come next summer, you may be clutching at straws.

be clutching/grasping at straws

▪

Green ponds should not be a problem now, but come next summer, you may be clutching at straws .

be coming/falling apart at the seams

▪

The country's whole economy is coming apart at the seams .

be foaming at the mouth

▪

One man is foaming at the mouth and moaning.

be getting at sth

▪

But I knew what they were getting at....

▪

Half the time it wasn't Clemence she was getting at - it was me.

▪

I am sure he is the toad behind the unprecedented negative media coverage we are getting at the moment.

▪

I never felt deprived, if that's what Winifred Shalcross is getting at.

▪

Let me try to explain what I am getting at.

▪

Propaganda could be effective - this was what Eliot was getting at - only by ceasing to be mere propaganda.

▪

She wondered what on earth he could be getting at.

▪

Try to identify the heart of the matter the question is getting at.

be hard at it/work

▪

Ahead of her, Bite the Bullet's jockey was hard at work while the horse on his outside was clearly beaten.

▪

Cook was making fresh cornbread rolls for breakfast and lesser mortals were hard at it with brooms and mops.

▪

He was hard at work on the translation of a play which had to be ready two days later.

▪

Not much is said, as each young person, and Bill, is hard at work at the task at hand.

▪

Over the road, Sylvia Brackley and daughter, Karen are hard at work on this year's crop.

▪

Thacker had set him a spot of overtime and he was hard at it in the mill.

▪

Today, all eight of the Van Andel and DeVos offspring are hard at work making this company better.

▪

When she was hard at work and on top of things her productivity was exceptional.

be in at the beginning/start (of sth)

▪

But Effie Bawn was in at the start.

be in attendance (at sth)

▪

A number of celebrities were in attendance .

▪

Almost the entire Cabinet and senior White House staff were in attendance .

▪

Both, however, were in attendance .

▪

Coincidentally, Pelagia was in attendance at that particular sermon.

▪

Mr Guy Salter was in attendance .

▪

Mrs Michael Wigley was in attendance .

▪

The Lady Juliet Townsend was in attendance .

▪

Their parents, Rick Barry and Pam Connelly, were in attendance .

be in the right place at the right time

▪

"You did well to get that contract.'' "Not really, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.''

▪

An off--duty cop happened to be in the right place at the right time to stop a robbery.

▪

Being a successful news photographer is all about being in the right place at the right time.

▪

He could be in the right place at the right time when top jobs come up for grabs next summer.

▪

He was in the right place at the right time and hustling as he usually does.

▪

If we do not provide sufficient places, the necessary skill will not be in the right place at the right time.

▪

It was in the right place at the right time.

▪

They just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

▪

You have to be in the right place at the right time with the right partner and the right judges.

be in the wrong place at the wrong time

▪

Kambule claims he was just a bystander when the shooting occurred, a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.

▪

The driver was drunk and hit her as she was crossing the road. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

be in/at/to the forefront of sb's mind/attention etc

▪

The risks of a court case also have to be in the forefront of your mind.

▪

This meant that fund-raising news and any other news about the deaf was in the forefront of everyone's attention.

be joined at the hip

be no slouch (at sth)

▪

At 12-1, Stanford is no slouch at home either, you know.

▪

Bonds were no slouch , either.

▪

Reed, 33, is no slouch in the kitchen herself.

▪

Shearer is some talent, but Newell & Gallagher are no slouches .

▪

Your engineer officer, McCafferty, is no slouch either and neither is mine.

be on/at the receiving end (of sth)

▪

I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that.

▪

On the other there was the undoubted fact that we would be on the receiving end.

▪

Otherwise, his supply unit would be on the receiving end of a simulated bomb or Tomahawk cruise missile.

▪

Talk show hosts can also be on the receiving end of questions.

▪

This is often best done in conjunction with those who are going to be on the receiving end of an appraisal interview.

▪

Today it was my turn to be on the receiving end.

▪

What was it like to be on the receiving end?

▪

You didn't have to be a client or a famous face to be on the receiving end.

be straining at the leash

be/feel at home

▪

As it was with Kip, Martinez seemed to be at home with himself.

▪

But it is here, at this Hillcrest hospital, where he feels at home .

▪

Edwin was the only one in the family who felt at home in Los Angeles and remained there.

▪

The g was less, and that made me feel at home .

▪

This immediate social environment is merely that in which he feels at home .

▪

With the politics of action too, I feel at home .

▪

Would she ever feel at home in this relentless, pitiless city?

be/go/keep on at sb

▪

A strike has been going on at the mine for over three months and the nine who died were all non-union men.

▪

But what's going on at No. 4 and No. 8 are free rides, nothing less.

▪

Funny stuff going on at the Olympics.

▪

He had a bad leg and they kept on at him to hurry up.

▪

I must say I was not totally happy about her going on at Yeo Davis, with me in the government.

▪

Something must be going on at school.

▪

There was some spitting going on at the end of the game.

▪

You used to go on at me about getting out.

be/lie at the bottom of sth

▪

His girlfriend had been woken by the noise, and had found him lying at the bottom of the stairs.

▪

Holman lay at the bottom of the open grave where he'd been roughly dumped.

▪

Knowing that self-interest lay at the bottom of his proposal did not prevent my being grateful.

▪

Mind you're not found lying at the bottom of the steps with a broken neck like Amy Robsart.

▪

The female's sperm storage tubules are sausage-shaped and sperm lie at the bottom of the tube.

▪

The rest, including your own clothes, now lie at the bottom of some deep, evil-smelling swamp.

▪

To deliver water from these depths the pumping machine has to be at the bottom of the well.

▪

Your name will be at the bottom of the letter-why write it twice?

beat sb at their own game

burn the candle at both ends

▪

Back in the twenties, the Millay sisters were known in New York society for burning the candle at both ends.

buy sth at the cost/expense/price of sth

charity begins at home

▪

After all, charity begins at home.

▪

Despite the profit-making prospects in this it has been treated with utter contempt on the grounds that charity begins at home.

cheap at the price/at any price

clutch at sb's heart

cock a snook at sb/sth

▪

The federal parliament also cocked a snook at the United Nations administration in Kosovo.

▪

Tom Keating spent a lifetime cocking a snook at the art world.

do sth at your peril

▪

These are grave environmental warnings, which we ignore at our peril .

▪

He spoke with the sort of quietly threatening tone that you ignored at your peril .

▪

Into this potent politicization of what remained, at heart, a medical mystery, scientists ventured at their peril .

▪

Kings neglected the sea at their peril .

▪

Mess with us at your peril .

▪

More than a million fled abroad, often at their peril .

▪

Some people say that lurking in its depths is a fish so dangerous that oarsmen venture out at their peril .

▪

Those who cross him do so at their peril .

▪

Yet it is also one of the most popular programs, and politicians have made changes to it at their peril .

draw the line (at sth)

▪

I don't mind a little mess, but I draw the line at wearing work boots in the house.

▪

But the problem will not be where to draw the line but how to draw it.

▪

I draw the line at Ppesetas and Ppfennigs.

▪

I also needed to draw the line at what I considered appropriate to discuss publicly.

▪

I fell in with those who drew the line at violence.

▪

Mr Clinton drew the line at around $ 52 billion.

▪

Once again, it is left to the courts to draw the line according to their overall judgment of the facts.

▪

The key is knowing where to draw the line before persistence leads to annoyance.

fire questions at sb

▪

The Professor had finished, and Ace and Daak were firing questions at her.

▪

The young man took the seat behind the cold metal desk and began to fire questions at me.

flash a smile/glance/look etc (at sb)

▪

But spirited Patsy flashed a look of encouragement at him.

▪

Zak flashed a glance at the crew, saw me and gave me a thumbs-up sign.

flick a glance/look at sb/sth

▪

Baptiste flicked a look at Léonie.

▪

She flicked a glance at her watch.

fling yourself at sb

▪

And I do not give you permission to fling yourself at her feet, grab her hands and weep into her palms.

▪

As I flung myself at it, pounding footsteps were behind me.

▪

He flung himself at her, springing the top button of his jeans and jerking them down as he did so.

▪

McCoist flung himself at the ball and beat Lukic with a wonderful diving header.

▪

She flung herself at the gunman, who was then felled by police fire.

▪

Tabitha flung herself at the hard bunk with an angry sigh.

▪

They flung themselves at sailors in a bid for immortality.

flutter your eyelashes (at sb)

▪

I began to flutter my eyelashes in a rather exaggerated way.

froth at the mouth

▪

Access problems and the odd bolt on Lakeland mountain crags have had activists frothing at the mouth.

▪

He died at a friend's flat in Rock Ferry after going into convulsions and frothing at the mouth.

▪

He then started frothing at the mouth and had a fit.

▪

Hoomey thought he could easily start frothing at the mouth, the way his colour had drained.

▪

Mortally wounded, frothing at the mouth, grinding his teeth in pain, he chose the floor instead.

▪

Then, last June, she keeled over frothing at the mouth while out partying with pals in a London club.

▪

With a strangled, gargling shriek, Carradine fell over, frothing at the mouth, arms waving.

gaze at/contemplate your navel

go in (at) one ear and out (at) the other

▪

It goes in one ear and out the other.

go off at a tangent

▪

As for going off at tangents , my dear, I do it myself, hormone balance not withstanding.

▪

Loretta's mind went off at a tangent .

go off at the deep end

hark at him/her/you!

have a bash (at sth)

▪

Maybe nothing at all, but for the love of a good woman he was at least prepared to have a bash .

▪

The women all have bashed in noses and black eyes and the men have scars.

▪

There's something to have a bash at while you're relaxing over the Christmas hols!

have a whack at sth

have sb/sth at your feet

▪

I have lain at his feet .

have sth at your/their etc fingertips

have the world at your feet

have/take a gander at sth

▪

Take a gander at this letter I just got from Janet.

▪

Ye take a gander at the engines.

have/take a squint at sth

hold sth at arm's length

hurl abuse/insults/accusations etc (at sb)

▪

She heard the boys hurling abuse at her, shouting to her to stop, but she shut her ears to them.

▪

There is not much to be achieved by hurling insults.

▪

When I first met her she had been hurling abuse at her daughters-in-law who took no notice whatsoever.

hurl yourself at/against etc sb/sth

▪

And yet people still hurl themselves at this fence.

▪

For an instant, Jimmy wondered whether he should hurl himself at the plate-glass windows.

▪

I hurl myself at the soldier.

▪

Shopkeeper Nasser Ali, 25, hurled himself at Conroy, who emptied his magazine of all six shots.

▪

The control room door slammed shut behind Atrimonides as he ran on to the gallery and hurled himself at Christine.

▪

The warriors hurled themselves at the heads or horns of their animals to make them lie down.

▪

The wind was gusting through the branches of the old oak tree outside and hurling itself against his window.

ill at ease

▪

Dave always looks ill at ease in a suit.

▪

Rehnquist sometimes can appear ill at ease in public.

▪

And all of this is inevitable, for Utopians are ill at ease at the sharp end of politics.

▪

By the way, most women are very ill at ease when you call them out from the jury pool.

▪

He is extremely ill at ease .

▪

He looked about him, for once strangely ill at ease , disconcerted to learn that she had ridden off ahead of him.

▪

If people are already ill at ease in unfamiliar surroundings the order of service becomes another pressure.

▪

Nevertheless, their formality sits ill at ease with Esau's spontaneous show of love.

▪

The thought of confinement can make me ill at ease .

▪

They looked ill at ease in the same camera frame.

ill at ease

▪

And all of this is inevitable, for Utopians are ill at ease at the sharp end of politics.

▪

By the way, most women are very ill at ease when you call them out from the jury pool.

▪

He is extremely ill at ease.

▪

He looked about him, for once strangely ill at ease, disconcerted to learn that she had ridden off ahead of him.

▪

If people are already ill at ease in unfamiliar surroundings the order of service becomes another pressure.

▪

Nevertheless, their formality sits ill at ease with Esau's spontaneous show of love.

▪

The thought of confinement can make me ill at ease.

▪

They looked ill at ease in the same camera frame.

in no time (at all)/in next to no time

in/at the pit of your stomach

▪

He was developing a peculiar feeling in the pit of his stomach; a feeling beyond sickness, beyond shock.

▪

I felt a twinge in the pit of my stomach.

▪

Now suddenly she could feel the pleasure such imaginings had aroused uncurling in a warm spiral in the pit of her stomach.

▪

She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the tremor that began somewhere in the pit of her stomach.

▪

She watched as he crossed the meadow and felt the familiar jolt in the pit of her stomach as he came near.

▪

When that first cup of coffee was finished, a ball of fear nestled in the pit of my stomach.

in/at the vanguard (of sth)

▪

Poland put itself at the vanguard of Eastern Europe's democratic revolution.

▪

California leads the nation in shifting to managed care, with San Diego County in the vanguard .

▪

For it is the non-elite institutions that are in the vanguard of recruiting non-standard students.

▪

Kerry was on his older bike, riding between Ronny Taskin and Alistair in the vanguard of a flock of other boys.

▪

The crowd began to advance upon the threesome, and Omally was in the vanguard .

▪

The prototype was in the vanguard of technical development.

▪

These preferences, of course, placed the Wiener Werkstatte squarely in the vanguard of Modernism.

▪

They were in the vanguard of the religious revolutionaries.

install yourself in/at etc

▪

Geoffrey, Joe and I installed ourselves in the aft cabin.

▪

The Madeirans were worried, in particular, in case a post-revolutionary Communist dictatorship should install itself in Lisbon.

▪

Tom suggested they go straight to his house, but Mr Greenleaf wanted to install himself in a hotel first.

jump/be thrown in at the deep end

keep at it

keep sb at sth

keep/hold sb at arm's length

▪

Economic policies kept the Soviet Union and Japan at arm's length during the Cold War.

keep/hold sth at bay

▪

Sandbags kept the floodwaters at bay .

▪

The government hopes to keep inflation at bay .

▪

All in all, the eatery is a breakfast bargain, with enough different components to keep boredom at bay .

▪

Another technique for keeping performance anxiety at bay is the group sing-along.

▪

Brown has kept the tumult at bay .

▪

Concentrating on Emma would help to keep her worries at bay for a little while.

▪

He was gritting his teeth against the pain, keeping it at bay while he studied the stump, the severed hand.

▪

My voice holds them at bay .

▪

She holds the adventurers at bay by holding the scroll over a candle flame and threatening to destroy it.

▪

Two green glazed lions guarded the gates to keep evil spirits at bay .

last thing (at night)

▪

Take a couple of these pills last thing at night to help you get to sleep.

▪

I agree with that last thing.

▪

It was the last thing he wanted to do.

▪

The last thing he said to me last night: I still want that money.

▪

The last thing Republicans need is a nominee who runs from the Republican House, who is defensive about their agenda.

▪

The last thing she felt, apart from the pain, was surprise.

▪

The last thing that I want to do is stray out of order.

▪

The last thing you need is confusion over that.

▪

Working is the last thing on their minds.

last thing at night

▪

Lock the doors and turn off the lights last thing at night .

▪

The soldiers are supposed to polish their shoes last thing at night .

▪

Empty ashtrays last thing at night , and don't smoke in bed.

▪

It's the first thing I look at when I wake up, the last thing at night .

▪

It was after dark; the last thing at night .

▪

Of course, only in moderate quantities, and generally to be taken last thing at night .

▪

The only times my father could be found in his room were first thing in the morning and last thing at night .

▪

The rosary last thing at night .

▪

This can be carried out last thing at night , once the puppy has been outside to relieve itself.

▪

Why not set a few moments aside first thing in the morning and last thing at night ?

lay sth at the door of sb/sth

leap at the chance/opportunity

▪

It would be naive to believe that there aren't lots of people who would leap at the opportunity.

▪

Some may leap at the chance.

learn/be taught sth at your mother's knee

level criticism/charges/accusations etc at/against sb

▪

Even Mrs Thatcher levelled criticism at the lack of compartment privacy, but the policy against compartments was now firmly established.

lie at the heart/centre/root of sth

▪

As we shall find, this distinction lies at the root of Anselm's movements in his last years as archbishop.

▪

Basic compassion, not just for the old but for the younger generation too, lies at the heart of this idea.

▪

That is the issue which lies at the heart of Mr. Thorpe's case.

▪

That question appears to lie at the heart of the highly publicized battle raging between Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Inc.

▪

That view lies at the root of a government drive against the racist right.

▪

The creation of a modernised democracy therefore lies at the heart of all our proposals.

▪

They overlook the human ability to negate, which lies at the root of thinking.

▪

We found that two key resource uses and two basic technologies lay at the root of lunar industry.

light at the end of the tunnel

▪

After a year of declining profits, there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

▪

After all the problems we've had we're finally beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

▪

For Jane there is some light at the end of the tunnel, but many anorexia sufferers continue to suffer in silence.

like a bull at a gate

▪

They may fight like a lion or go at something like a bull at a gate.

look askance (at sb/sth)

▪

It often looked askance at the mainland.

▪

No, it was not Jenny who made him look askance at the legacy.

▪

Sometimes they would look askance at what I had thrown on.

▪

The tradition that you came from often looked askance at constitutions, regarding them as mere pieces of paper.

▪

Yet this restatement of his views won him political support from Liberals who looked askance at this quasi-nationalization programme.

look at sb/sth

look at that!

▪

Wow, look at that! It's huge!

look daggers at sb

▪

The lady behind the counter looked daggers at me.

▪

Their relationship is not free and easy but at least Red is no longer looking daggers at her.

look daggers at sb

▪

Their relationship is not free and easy but at least Red is no longer looking daggers at her.

look down your nose at sb/sth

▪

I can go in a shirt and jeans and no one looks down his nose at me.

▪

Besides, I didn't fancy going to the Chapel and having all the family looking down their noses at me.

▪

But I was not one to look down my nose at shabbiness.

▪

Don't look down their noses at you.

▪

Never had any man so looked down his nose at her.

▪

No more will I look down my nose at whining, spineless malcontents.

▪

Normally she looked down her nose at men and then ignored them unless they needed the sharp edge of her tongue.

▪

One who doesn't look down her nose at anybody.

▪

We looked down our noses at this pair of student hicks.

make a grab for/at sth

▪

He made a grab for the knife.

▪

He made a grab for Isaac, but wasn't quick enough.

▪

She dodged around him and ran into the road as he made a grab for her.

▪

The realization felt as if the world had made a grab at him.

▪

Then Rose made a grab for Evelyn's hair and started banging her head against the floor with both hands.

make a pass at sb

▪

And the examiner was arrested only after he made passes at a military policeman's wife.

▪

Had he made a pass at her?

▪

He made a pass at me once.

▪

It seemed odd that he loathed her with such intensity and yet had made a pass at her.

▪

Men who made passes at her were not rude ruffians but agents of evil river spirits.

▪

Nigel told Eleanor that he despised her for making a pass at him.

▪

Some said he'd made a pass at Stella, others said he'd made a pass at Dempster.

▪

The last thing she had wanted was for Luke to make a pass at her.

make eyes at sb/give sb the eye

make sb feel at home

▪

He had done his best to make Harvey feel at home .

▪

It is our duty to make them feel at home here.

▪

Or some chum of Matt's put it there to make him feel at home .

▪

The g was less, and that made me feel at home .

▪

Tourists too can expect a right Royal welcome, for the traditional friendliness of the islanders makes everyone feel at home .

make sheep's eyes at sb

make yourself at home

▪

Make yourselves at home . Would you like a cup of coffee?

▪

Cynthia, he thought, did not have much trouble making herself at home .

▪

Here, sit down and make yourself at home .

▪

Nothing like making yourself at home .

▪

Perspective 6: People make themselves at home throughout the solar system.

▪

She had to make herself at home , somehow.

▪

She pulled off her hat, she made herself at home .

▪

They float right through the glass and make themselves at home .

▪

Two weeks later a young married couple were the new tenants filling the house, making themselves at home .

not at all

▪

I do not like his attitude at all.

▪

No, no, no, that's wrong. That's not what I meant at all.

▪

She's not at all happy about the situation.

▪

The changes were not at all surprising.

▪

But better in the nick of time than not at all.

▪

Everything is preserved perfectly or not at all.

▪

For example, the abstract either comes first or not at all.

▪

He's not at all well.

▪

I see her again, very straight, dressed in light colors, not at all showy.

▪

She pushes down her dress but is not at all embarrassed.

▪

Their steady, reliable earnings growth attracts investors primarily when the economy is growing slowly or not at all.

not at any price

▪

Sorry, the car's not for sale at any price .

▪

Greens are right to take positions in government, but not at any price .

not much to look at

▪

Edward's not much to look at, but he has a great personality.

not to be sneezed at

▪

A lot of them were here, because a free meal is not to be sneezed at.

▪

An additional payoff not to be sneezed at is that lecturers, forced to integrate, begin to rethink their subject!

▪

In the days of rock bottom underground pay, 20 was not to be sneezed at.

on/at the periphery (of sth)

▪

He had never met Hindley Foster, some one who seemed very much on the periphery of their lives.

▪

Ken's friendships and the way he established them continued to surprise those who were on the periphery of his activities.

▪

Moss moved on the broken trees at the periphery of the golf grass.

▪

Now she was standing at the periphery of the crowd, wondering whether Cantor would even open the envelope she was clutching.

▪

That's always a very easy thing to do on the periphery .

▪

They may stay on the periphery watching the recess-time basketball games and jump-rope competitions from the sidelines of the playground.

our man in/at sth

▪

He slaughtered our men in forty minutes.

▪

Soon, reports our man in the black wellies, all he had left were four golden orfe and a koi.

▪

Still there was no demoralization of our men in line.

pip sb at the post

point the/a finger at sb

▪

After much speculation we all started to point the finger at Dawn.

▪

Each time there is a suicide bomb or attack we should point a finger at ourselves?

▪

It needed to point a finger at Simpson, the manufacturer.

▪

Now the computer's resources are to be used to help point the finger at the possible killer of James Bulger.

▪

The recreationists point the finger at developers.

▪

There shall not need anyone but myself to point the finger at me.

▪

To minimise his sentence, Boesky pointed the finger at people he had dealt with.

▪

Why did no one point a finger at a man for yielding to his desires?

poke fun at sb

▪

A whole category of jokes has been created to poke fun at Microsoft and its operating system, Windows 95.

▪

Again and again these feminist lexicographers refuse and indeed poke fun at the authoritative pronouncements of mainstream lexicography.

▪

At the moment he cheerily condemns protesters or pokes fun at the Tories.

▪

He carries on conversations with the fans, jokes with refs, and pokes fun at his own players.

▪

I was even afraid lest any-one poke fun at me.

▪

In fact, one of his most endearing qualities was his ability to puncture his own pomposity and poke fun at himself.

▪

It's time you scrapped your overwritten early loves and learned to poke fun at the real thing.

▪

Newspapers started to defy the strict censorship imposed during the coup and to poke fun at Mr Serrano.

put two fingers up at sb

put/set sb's mind at rest

▪

But let me set your mind at rest .

▪

But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest .

▪

He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.

▪

He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest .

▪

He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.

▪

I wish I could put their minds at rest .

▪

It puts my mind at rest .

▪

Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest .

run off at the mouth

▪

Boyd seems to enjoy running off at the mouth to the press.

▪

That never used to be a fault of his, running off at the mouth.

▪

To what smug labors and running off at the mouth!

sb puts his pants on one leg at a time

sb's time in/at/as sth

set/put sb's mind at rest

▪

Just to put your mind at ease, we will get a second opinion from a cardiac specialist.

▪

The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug would have on me.

▪

But let me set your mind at rest.

▪

But she'd like to see him, to try and set her mind at rest.

▪

He's been very kind to me and Lily, as regards putting our minds at rest about Stella.

▪

He's unlikely to know how you feel, and until he does, he can't put your mind at rest.

▪

He must set their minds at rest about the Freddie affair, because they knew of Freddie.

▪

I wish I could put their minds at rest.

▪

It puts my mind at rest.

▪

Quite often, all that is required is a friendly chat to put your mind at rest.

shake your fist (at sb)

▪

Asshe shook his fist, and advanced threateningly.

▪

Better to leave your audience wailing in the dark, shaking their fists, some crying How?, others why?

▪

Eighteen years and 110 Tests later he bowed out, with Nemesis unable to resist shaking her fist at him.

▪

Follow me round muttering and shaking their fists.

▪

In the midst of all this I let go of one handful of weed to shake my fist at him.

▪

It made him laugh to see her standing there, shaking her fist at the departing van.

▪

She shook her fist as she had at the old man in the lobby.

▪

Then he spoke roughly once more, shoved the teeth deeper into his pocket and shook his fist at her.

shoot questions at sb

▪

The prosecutor shot a series of rapid questions at Hendrickson.

sick at heart

▪

All the cruelty and injustice made her sick at heart.

▪

But Aeschylus too was sick at heart.

▪

He struggles against it, he rejects it, he grows sick at heart.

▪

I was alone, dry of mouth, sick at heart.

▪

She turned away, feeling sick at heart, even though she knew she should be glad.

▪

They were sick at heart, weak in the bones.

sing/shout at the top of your voice

spend the night (at sth)

▪

At best, the staff may be invited to spend the night, but all facilities must be tested.

▪

Jones received medical attention on the canvas and spent the night in hospital for observation.

▪

Perhaps they're going to spend the night on the mountain.

▪

She had taken it for granted that they would spend the night in Denver.

▪

Wan na spend the night at my house?

▪

When Hakuhinkan finally said it would have some this morning, she and Tanaka spent the night on the sidewalk.

▪

Yet I also felt very fearful: I was a cosmos that had nowhere to spend the night.

stab at (doing) sth

▪

A few years earlier, the Sellers shops had taken some early stabs at the problem.

▪

But the extreme suffering of women and their children stabbed at my heart.

▪

But there was an interesting sequel, which gave him his first, insightful, small stab at directing.

▪

But this last little stab at optimism soon comes to naught.

▪

He stabbed at it with his talons and beak.

▪

I knew the day and the month and made a stab at the year.

▪

Of course, she thought with a stab at realism, all this could apply to anyone.

▪

There have been several other attempts with the Department of Defense that took a stab at a new vehicle.

stand to/at attention

▪

As soon as you saw that you were about to be struck, you stood at attention and waited for the blows.

▪

As they approached, Schellenberg pulled Devlin to one side and stood at attention .

▪

He stood at attention before me and the rest of my men.

▪

It stands to attention , striking the air with a knowing finger.

▪

The guide should have made us all stand to attention and salute.

▪

When a teacher entered or left a room, we stood at attention until given permission to do otherwise.

▪

You stand at attention until assigned.

sth is not to be sniffed at

▪

The price, however, is not to be sniffed at: £17.50!

stick at nothing

take a (long) hard look at sth/sb

▪

After the inevitable posture of being affronted, I took a hard look at what I was doing.

▪

Blairites could take a harder look at a rhetorical vocabulary in which every single item was anticipated by totalitarianism.

▪

In practice, many doctors are too busy to take a long hard look at every patient.

▪

Instead, they take a hard look at a difficult moral and political dilemma and find no easy answers.

▪

Or you can take a hard look at the feminist agenda.

▪

Some one needs to take a long hard look at what has happened to tennis in Ulster over the last 20 years.

▪

The latter allows both parties a chance to stand back from the daily routine and take a harder look at overall performance.

take a pop at sb

take a pot shot at sb/sth

▪

There is a small but vocal minority that likes to take pot shots at the United Nations.

▪

It would be easy, even tempting, to take a pot shot at us.

take aim at sb/sth

▪

The environmental agency is taking aim at a popular but dangerous chemical used by farmers.

▪

Duval is the one taking aim at the history books, four or more in a row.

▪

In each of these Leapor takes aim at that object of Scriblerian mockery, the beau.

▪

Segev also takes aim at some myths.

▪

She took aim at the sniper, but his roof collapsed under him, dropping him into the fire.

▪

The second enemy took aim at point-blank range.

▪

This one takes aim at criminals who use guns.

▪

When Sanders moved into the lineup, quarterbacks took aim at the other side.

take offence (at sth)

▪

Corbett loved the brilliant logic delivered so tongue-in-cheek that only those who wished to take offence would be affronted.

▪

It is music for the coach trade, at which only the most high-minded purist is likely to take offence .

▪

Lane did not take offence at his boss's comment, nor did he slow down.

▪

No one will take offence and you might secure win: win.

▪

Poor Mrs Sugden considered we were being very superior, and took offence .

▪

The driver would have known it was his first time, didn't take offence at the yelling.

▪

There was little point in taking offence , and no time to do so in any case.

▪

Would Bonaventure return or take offence at not being fed by him and disappear for ever into the stinking alleyways?

take sth at face value

▪

The newspapers have taken this propaganda at face value, without questioning it.

▪

And he no longer took things at face value.

▪

Because Kate, for all her faults real and imagined, was the only person ever to take him at face value.

▪

But now, a hundred years on, certain factions persist in taking it at face value.

take umbrage (at sth)

▪

Maynard angrily took umbrage at Campbell's remarks.

▪

Ever a stickler for protocol, he and his wife took umbrage at the democratic etiquette of President Thomas Jefferson's administration.

▪

He got on very well with the patients, and made them laugh without taking umbrage when they laughed at him.

▪

If they take umbrage , then they were never a proper friend in the first place.

▪

She took umbrage at his remarks, but made no attempt to get her figure back.

▪

The Republicans, naturally, take umbrage at predictions about what they might do.

tear sb's heart (out)/tear at sb's heart

the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo

the population/public/society/world etc at large

▪

Equally important is how a baby communicates back to caregivers and the world at large .

▪

How then did this concept originate, and why has it received such currency among specialists and the public at large ?

▪

However, in spite of that, the availability both here and in Britain should be known to the public at large .

▪

I came and looked around and felt this campus is no different than the society at large .

▪

In some societies the boy-preferring habit seems to have spread from elites to the society at large .

▪

The rise of the Internet has taken that idea from offices to the world at large .

▪

They chattered on among themselves, oblivious to the world at large , lovingly cared for in this cozy place.

the pot of gold (at the end of the rainbow)

throw a question/remark etc (at sb)

▪

One day, as she was scolding me, I suddenly threw a question at her.

▪

Sally arranged herself on his other side and they walked him away, throwing questions at him.

▪

These disparities throw a question mark over the accuracy of social costs data.

throw money at sth

▪

Combs said he did not see a man throwing money at him, an incident that the prosecution says sparked the clash.

▪

Even so, Clinton is not exactly throwing money at the illiteracy problem.

▪

Labour would throw money at industry.

throw the book at sb

▪

Judge Smith threw the book at Flynn, fining him $1.6 million and giving him six years in prison.

▪

From the beginning, he seemed determined to throw the book at her.

▪

In short, they threw the book at him.

throw yourself at sb

▪

Could you believe how Diana threw herself at Eric?

▪

Ace threw herself at the speeder controls, stamping on the throttle override while wrenching the steering column forward.

▪

Alyson throws herself at all angles on the big couch.

▪

By holding back, pretending concern, he'd made her practically throw herself at him.

▪

I throw myself at this Azadi and we wrestle like children in the mud.

▪

Moravcik sent over another delicious corner, which Stilian Petrov threw himself at to score.

▪

She's throwing herself at that man, making a complete fool of herself.

▪

She had no urge whatever to throw herself at Mitch.

▪

You put him in a situation where women are throwing themselves at him.

throw yourself at/on/into/down etc

▪

At this stage, the urge to do something was unfocused, but it was extraordinary how people threw themselves into it.

▪

Grief-stricken, he threw himself on her..

▪

He kicked it in, threw himself on the floor and rolled under the bed.

▪

I threw myself down on the bed and sobbed bitterly.

▪

I threw myself into organising the funeral, picking out the music I wanted played.

▪

Like Billy McFadzean who in 1916 threw himself on two bombs to save his comrades in the trenches of the Somme.

▪

They threw themselves down on the street or took shelter behind cars and in doorways.

▪

You put him in a situation where women are throwing themselves at him.

thumb your nose at sb/sth

▪

This is yet another example of Republicans thumbing their nose at the poor.

▪

Faubus had again thumbed his nose at the judiciary by refusing to appear.

▪

Judges who thumb their noses at presidents are thought to be good for democracy.

▪

So long as he had the support of Sir Rufus Stone, he could thumb his nose at Cotton.

▪

The protestors were denigrating the primary symbol of the ordained ministry, they claimed, and thumbing their noses at the Church.

▪

Voters have thumbed their noses at it.

▪

Voters here have always been drawn to against-the-grain outsiders who make a career of thumbing their noses at party traditionalists.

tilt at windmills

▪

Manning admits he was tilting at windmills in trying to change the nation's prison system.

▪

But Woodhead's art was to tilt at windmills.

▪

Commitment and dedication remained, but tilting at windmills had to stop.

▪

For the past 12 years the Government have behaved like latter day Don Quixotes tilting at windmills and all the other renewables.

▪

I felt that just by being there I was tilting at windmills.

▪

While the Hague event may seem to be an exercise in tilting at windmills, the opposite may also be true.

tip the scales at sth

▪

At today's weigh-in, he tipped the scales at just over 15 stone.

▪

I went to see Hoppy for a checkup and I tip the scales at exactly eighty-six pounds.

▪

Reports claimed that the elfin figured star's weight plunged terrifyingly until she tipped the scales at a mere five stones.

▪

Sid Kelly, who minds the net for table-topping Eccleshall, is believed to tip the scales at around 20 stones.

▪

Tall and stately, fairly bursting from her corset, she sometimes tipped the scales at over 200 pounds.

try your hand at (doing) sth

▪

A visit to West Dorset also offers a perfect opportunity to try your hand at windsurfing.

▪

If you have the urge to try your hand at a grant, do so!

▪

Isaac Mizrahi tried his hand at the corset, and in the process turned out some fabulous evening dresses.

▪

It's time to try my hand at the settled life.

▪

Just like Walsh, too, Robinson first tried his hand at broadcasting.

▪

Many who are in the process of acquiring these technical skills may wish to try their hand at grantsmanship.

▪

More than once, more than a dozen times I have been tempted to try my hand at another profession.

▪

Plenty of Christians have tried their hand at putting their beliefs into prose or poetry, usually with calamitous aesthetic results.

try your hand at sth

▪

Diane has always wanted to try her hand at acting.

▪

But he decided to try his hand at writing books and was enormously successful.

▪

Guinness tried his hand at the new Porter with rather more success than his fellow Dublin brewers.

▪

If you have the urge to try your hand at a grant, do so!

▪

Isaac Mizrahi tried his hand at the corset, and in the process turned out some fabulous evening dresses.

▪

It's time to try my hand at the settled life.

▪

Many who are in the process of acquiring these technical skills may wish to try their hand at grantsmanship.

▪

Plenty of Christians have tried their hand at putting their beliefs into prose or poetry, usually with calamitous aesthetic results.

▪

Sons wanted to try its hand at selling iced tea.

tug at sb's heart/heartstrings

▪

The sight of the puppies in the cages tugged at the women's hearts.

▪

Charity had felt something tug at her heart the moment she had first seen this cove.

tug/tear/pull at sb's heartstrings

▪

It pulls at the heartstrings of every agent out there to see a young lady or anyone jeopardized by these conditions.

▪

That night the little creature did not stop crying and its pitiful little squeak tore at Aggie's heartstrings .

turn your nose up (at sth)

▪

Many professors turn their noses up at television.

▪

Time and again he had to turn his nose up into the arch of the drain to keep from drowning.

two can play at that game

weak at the knees

▪

A quick bit of mental arithmetic was enough to make Chrissy weak at the knees.

▪

Instead, here she was, going weak at the knees like an adolescent schoolgirl.

▪

Now we know the real meaning of going weak at the knees.

▪

Or we would shower in our bathroom, whose tiles and design would make Martha Stewart weak at the knees.

▪

Pain and nausea swept over him in waves that left him hot and sticky and weak at the knees.

▪

The idea makes me feel weak at the knees.

what sb is driving at

▪

She didn't mention "sexual harassment," but I knew what she was driving at.

▪

Many candidates don't recognize what the question is driving at.

what's that when it's at home?

while I'm/you're etc at/about it

will/would stop at nothing (to do sth)

▪

Clearly, Franco would stop at nothing to retain his hegemonic position.

▪

Detectives are hunting three masked raiders who they believe will stop at nothing.

▪

Luke Calder was a coolly calculating, ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get where or what he wanted.

▪

Robert Sheldrake is an unscrupulous man who will stop at nothing to get this practice.

with/at a stroke of the pen

▪

With a stroke of the pen, the two leaders have cut the number of nuclear weapons in half.

with/at the touch of a button/key

▪

A customer uses her remote control to shop different channels with the touch of a button.

▪

An oil dispensing massage head dispenses oil at the touch of a button to give a smooth, drag free massage.

▪

At the touch of a button a huge gate opens and I am confined in a small area between fences.

▪

At the touch of a button they can still be made to disappear.

▪

Jet start operates for 30 seconds at the touch of a button.

▪

Letters, words or whole lines can be deleted and new texts inserted at the touch of a button.

▪

Up to ten needles can be operated separately by computer programme producing endless designs and colourways at the touch of a button.

▪

You can add categories and recipes at the touch of a button.

you only have to read/look at/listen to etc sth

young at heart

▪

Arthur's 96, but he's still young at heart.

▪

It's ideal for children aged over five and adults who are young at heart.

▪

Obtain a fifty five Plymouth for the young at heart.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

▪

"Where were you last night?" "We were at a play."

▪

A lot of people get very lonely at Christmas.

▪

Andy, I'm surprised at you!

▪

Cliff works at night.

▪

Frank joined the navy at the beginning of the war.

▪

Gas is selling at about $1.35 a gallon.

▪

He starts work at 10, and finishes at 6:30.

▪

How's Kevin doing at his new job?

▪

I'll meet you at the station at 6.30.

▪

I get the shopping done when the kids are at school.

▪

I have a hospital appointment at 9.00 am.

▪

I saw your mother at the supermarket.

▪

I threw the ball at Joe and hit him on the back of the neck.

▪

Joe's at the dentist.

▪

Look at that!

▪

Meet me at my house.

▪

Nick looked back and grinned at her.

▪

Nobody laughed at his jokes.

▪

Pete is at Jane's right now.

▪

Stop shouting at me!