I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a (big) box office draw (= a successful actor who many people will pay to see )
a big breakfast
▪
Most people don’t eat a big breakfast nowadays.
a big brother (= older brother - used especially by or to children )
▪
Jake was my big brother and I admired him.
a big day (= a day when something important is arranged to take place )
▪
Just before the big day the team was training 6 days a week.
a big decision (= an important decision )
▪
Marriage is a big decision.
a big demand
▪
There’s always a big demand for photographs of celebrities.
a big eater (= someone who usually eats large meals )
▪
I'm not a very big eater.
a big expansion
▪
Last year saw a big expansion at the company.
a big explosion
▪
There has been a big explosion in the centre of Paris.
a big favour
▪
I’ve got a big favour to ask of you.
a big fight
▪
They ended up having a big fight in the pub.
a big gamble
▪
It's a big gamble for any presenter to leave such a successful show.
a big hassle
▪
I find putting on make-up a big hassle.
a big headline (= a headline that a lot of people are interested in )
▪
Celebrity divorces have made big headlines.
a big heart (= a kind and generous character )
▪
She may be only small, but she has a big heart.
a big improvement
▪
The situation today is a big improvement on the 1980s.
a big laugh
▪
There was a big laugh from the crowd.
a big lead
▪
The Bruins had a big lead at half-time.
a big liar spoken (= someone who tells big lies )
▪
You're such a big liar!
a big lie
▪
The lawyer said it was a ‘big lie’ that Jones had not received the message.
a big match (= an important match )
▪
Are you going to watch the big match on TV?
a big movement
▪
He made a big sweeping movement with his arm.
a big mystery
▪
If they are right, they have solved one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy.
a big part
▪
She felt the studio hadn’t given her enough big parts.
a big secret (= an important secret or one that very few people know )
▪
The event was supposed to be a big secret, but everyone knew about it.
a big sister (= an older sister )
▪
She misses her big sister dreadfully.
a big sky (= a sky that looks large )
▪
Montana is still a land of big skies.
a big star (= a very famous and successful star )
▪
He has worked with some of the world’s biggest stars.
a big storm
▪
The tree had come down on the day of the big storm.
a big story (= a report about something important )
▪
He had promised the newspaper a big story on a major celebrity.
a big wedding (= with a lot of guests )
▪
They couldn’t afford a big wedding.
a big welcome
▪
They had planned a big welcome for Martin.
a big win (= an important win, or one that you win by a large amount )
▪
This is one of the biggest wins I’ve had.
a big/bad defeat ( also a heavy defeat British English ) (= by a large amount )
▪
The polls were forecasting a heavy defeat for the President.
a big/broad/wide smile (= when you are very happy )
▪
She had a big smile on her face.
a big/great effort
▪
The government has made a big effort to tackle the problem of poverty.
a big/great influence
▪
The goalkeeper’s injury had a big influence on the match.
a big/great mistake
▪
Buying this car was a big mistake.
a big/great shock
▪
It was a great shock to find out he had been lying.
a big/great surprise
▪
The results were a big surprise.
a big/great thrill
▪
It was a great thrill for me to beat Federer.
a big/great/huge risk
▪
There is a great risk that the wound will become infected.
a big/great/major disadvantage
▪
This method has one major disadvantage: its cost.
a big/great/massive/huge advantage
▪
It’s a great advantage to be able to speak some Spanish.
a big/great/splendid occasion
▪
The big occasion for country people was the Agricultural Fair.
a big/huge bill
▪
Turn off the lights or we’ll get a huge electricity bill.
a big/huge etc grin
▪
He walked towards me with a big grin.
a big/huge panic
▪
There was a big panic about the virus last year.
a big/huge profit
▪
Drug companies make huge profits.
a big/huge/enormous appetite
▪
By the time Ron was 16 he had an enormous appetite.
a big/huge/major success
▪
The government claimed the policy was a major success.
a big/huge/massive argument
▪
There was a big argument about whether we should move to a new house.
a big/huge/massive fan
▪
Elizabeth is a massive fan of Elton John.
a big/large budget
▪
The club does not have a large budget for new players.
a big/large demonstration
▪
Opponents of the new law are planning a big demonstration next week.
a big/large exhibition
▪
This is the largest exhibition of its kind that we have ever seen in London.
a big/large meal
▪
We don’t have a big meal at lunchtime, usually just sandwiches.
a big/large reduction
▪
You may have to take a big reduction in salary.
a big/large/generous tip
▪
The service was great and we left a large tip.
a big/large/huge crowd
▪
A big crowd is expected tomorrow for the final match.
a big/large/major city
▪
They have stores in Houston, Dallas, and other big cities.
a big/large/wide gap
▪
There’s a big gap between the two test scores.
a big/large/wide/small mouth
▪
He had a big nose and a big mouth.
▪
Billy’s wide mouth stretched into a grin.
a big/little kiss
▪
She put her arms around him and gave him a big kiss.
a big/long scar
▪
For the patients, keyhole surgery means no big scar.
a big/major attraction
▪
The ducks and geese are a big attraction to children.
a big/major breakthrough
▪
Einstein believed he was on the verge of a big breakthrough.
a big/major event (= important )
▪
Getting married is a major event in anyone’s life.
a big/major fire
▪
A big fire was raging at the fuel depot.
a big/major scandal
▪
The president was forced to resign following a major scandal.
a big/major shift
▪
There has recently been a big shift in the way people are accessing information.
a big/major/huge difference
▪
I think you’ll notice a big difference.
a big/major/huge/tremendous challenge
▪
Building the tunnel presented a major challenge to engineers.
a big/major/large chain
▪
It is one of Europe’s biggest clothing chains.
a big/major/massive/huge investment
▪
Developing a new computer system is always a big investment for any organisation.
a big/major/serious/heavy blow
▪
The earthquake was a serious blow to the area’s tourism industry.
a big/serious/severe setback
▪
This is a serious setback to the company.
a big/severe embarrassment
▪
This failure was a severe embarrassment to the government.
a big/small celebration
▪
We’re having a small celebration for Dad’s birthday.
a big/small discount
▪
If you spend over £50, you get a big discount.
a big/small party
▪
I don’t really like going to big parties.
a big/smash/number 1 etc hit
▪
the Beatles’ greatest hits
▪
Which band had a hit with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’?
a good deal bigger/better etc
▪
He was a good deal older than her.
a huge/great/big sigh
▪
She heaved a great sigh.
a key/major/big issue (= very important )
▪
For me, the big issue is cost.
a large/big company
▪
She has a senior position in a large manufacturing company.
a large/big firm
▪
He is managing director of a large firm.
a large/big margin
▪
By a large margin, the book sold more copies than any other this year.
a large/big slice
▪
He was eating a large slice of chocolate cake.
a main/biggest/greatest enemy
▪
Terrorism is our country’s main enemy.
a major/big role
▪
It was his first major role.
a major/big/great worry
▪
Traffic congestion is not yet a major worry in the area.
a major/big/large customer (= who is important and buys a lot )
▪
America is a big customer for Japanese goods.
a shade too big/hot/fast etc
▪
Matt’s clothes were just a shade too big for me.
a wide/large/big selection
▪
The museum shop offers a wide selection of items.
an important/big question
▪
The book raises important questions about nationality and the role of a citizen.
an important/major/big step
▪
The move is seen as a major step forward for UK firms.
be bigger/smaller/worse etc than you had imagined
▪
The job interview proved to be much worse than I had imagined it would be.
big band
▪
Tommy Dorsey’s big band
big bang theory
big boy (= an older boy )
▪
Come on, Timmy, act like a big boy now.
big bucks
▪
Her parents spent big bucks on her wedding.
big business
▪
Dieting has become big business.
big cat
big cats (= lions, tigers etc )
▪
All 36 species of big cat are vulnerable or endangered.
big cheese
big deal
▪
It’s just a game. If you lose, big deal.
big dipper
big game
▪
a big game hunter
big government
▪
big government welfare policies
big gun
▪
one of the party’s big guns
big hitter
▪
one of the big hitters of the Conservative Party
Big Man on Campus
big money informal (= a very large amount of money )
▪
Basketball players make big money.
big money
▪
Carter won big money in Vegas last year.
big muscles
▪
He's developed big arm muscles.
big name
▪
Poor attendance at the concert was put down to the lack of big names.
big noise
big screen
▪
She was last seen on the big screen in the comedy ‘Jawbreaker’.
big shot
▪
His father’s a big shot and he thinks he is, too.
big spenders (= people who spend a lot of money )
▪
The new casino hopes to attract big spenders .
big ticket
▪
big ticket items such as cars or jewelry
big time
▪
Morris messed up big time.
big time
▪
The 46-year-old author has finally hit the big time .
big toe
big toe (= the largest of your toes )
big top
big wheel
big words (= words that sound very important or serious )
▪
It scares me, when you use big words like that.
big
▪
African elephants' ears are bigger than those of Indian elephants.
big
▪
She looked at me with those big brown eyes.
big
▪
See that guy over there, the one with the big nose?
big/enormous etc ego
▪
Richard has the biggest ego thinks he is very clever and important of anyone I’ve ever met.
big/great dreams (= a wish to achieve great things )
▪
She was a little girl with big dreams.
big/great trouble
▪
High interest rates spell big trouble for homeowners.
big/great
▪
Winning this competition could have a big impact on my life.
▪
His impact was greater than that of the Beatles.
big/high
▪
They both need to work full-time because their mortage is so big.
big/large
▪
The company has announced a big increase in its profits for last year.
big/large
▪
The debts got bigger and bigger.
big/large
▪
I was hungry so I asked for a large portion of french fries.
big/large
▪
This is the biggest earthquake ever recorded in this area.
big/large
▪
There has been a big rise in violent crime.
big/major
▪
Going to a new school is a big change for children.
big/major
▪
The teachers’ strike had a big effect on many schools.
big/major/main etc polluter
▪
a list of Canada’s worst polluters
big/major/serious
▪
The school’s biggest problem is a shortage of cash.
big/mega bucks (= a lot of money )
▪
Using celebrities in advertising is guaranteed to pull in big bucks.
big/powerful
▪
The newer model has a more powerful engine.
big/small
▪
He had small neat feet.
big/spacious
▪
It was a big flat with eight or nine rooms.
gave...a big build-up
▪
The presenter gave her a big build-up .
great/big/high
▪
The rewards for those who invested at the right time are high.
▪
Some athletes took drugs because the rewards were great and they thought they could get away with it.
heaps better/bigger etc (= much better, bigger etc )
high/large/big
▪
The school fees are extremely high.
hit the big time
▪
The 46-year-old author has finally hit the big time .
It’s no big deal
▪
It’s no big deal . Everybody forgets things sometimes.
large/big
▪
Novaya Zemlja is a large island in the Russian Arctic.
long/big
▪
Already a long queue had formed outside the concert hall
▪
There was a big queue.
made it big (= was extremely successful )
▪
He came to the US and not only made it but made it big .
major/definite/big etc plus
▪
Some knowledge of Spanish is a definite plus in this job.
much too big/old etc
▪
He was driving much too fast.
nice big/new/long etc
▪
a nice long holiday
▪
a nice new car
sb's biggest competitor (= sb's main competitor, especially in business )
▪
The company's biggest competitor is in financial trouble.
sb's main/biggest concern
▪
My main concern is my children.
sb’s biggest regret
▪
Her biggest regret was not having children.
sb’s main/biggest worry
▪
My biggest worry is that I might make a fool of myself.
small/big
▪
I grew up in a small town in Iowa.
▪
The nearest big town is 20 miles away.
the big news informal (= an important piece of news )
▪
The big news is that Polly and Richard are going to get married.
the big race (= an important race )
▪
There are only three days to go until the big race.
the big screen (= films )
▪
This is the first time the play has been adapted for the big screen .
the biggest challenge of sth
▪
This could be the biggest challenge of his career.
the biggest/highest etc on record
▪
Last summer was one of the hottest on record.
the biggest/largest consumer of sth
▪
The US is the world’s biggest oil consumer.
the greatest/biggest threat
▪
The greatest threat to our planet is global warming.
the main/biggest/greatest etc obstacle
▪
The biggest obstacle to women's equality was social expectations of male and female roles.
twice as high/big/large etc (as sth)
▪
Interest rates are twice as high as those of our competitors.
walloping great/big
▪
a walloping great house
way heavier/smarter/bigger etc (= much heavier etc )
▪
The tickets were way more expensive than I thought.
What’s the big deal?
▪
What’s the big deal? It’s only a birthday, not the end of the world.
yet more/bigger/higher etc
▪
He got a call from the factory, telling of yet more problems.
▪
Inflation had risen to a yet higher level.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
▪
A project almost as big as the Channel Tunnel is now under way to bring cable television to every house in Britain.
▪
Our skating stars are as big as football stars.
▪
A pile as big as this!
▪
But LeRoy, he got one half again as big .
▪
It had more of the great blocky writing, some of the letters nearly as big as a nome's head.
▪
With careful pinpointing, manufacturers can have as big an impact with fewer coupons, he says.
▪
And there is a warren here, but not as big a one as we should like.
▪
That was about as big as it got.
even
▪
For the yellow menace.was even bigger and more terrible than they knew.
▪
Its volunteer staff of 750, 000 is even bigger than the Manpower workforce.
▪
Maria went to the University of Krakow Business School and ended up making an even bigger pile of money.
▪
The troll again asked his question and learned that an even bigger goat would soon cross his bridge.
▪
In 1987 an even bigger slice of the budget was apportioned to training, in recognition of its importance.
▪
Ike and New Hope were building an even bigger church next door to the old new one.
▪
But now even bigger and more drastic changes are on the horizon.
▪
Brokers said they see an even bigger trading year for 1996 as foreign investment rises.
much
▪
It was red in colour and had much bigger wheels than the ordinary farm cart.
▪
But changes in product-liability laws, a much bigger undertaking, remain stalled.
▪
So much bigger than anything I have ever undertaken, he wrote.
▪
The way he sees it, each town is like a neighborhood in a much bigger community.
▪
The most successful, Susan Faludi's Backlash, achieved a much bigger multiple, selling 40,000 copies.
▪
And they knew about much bigger people who had started out like this.
▪
But Brandt's were a much bigger concern than Benn's and were aggressively expanding their share of the world market.
▪
None the less, they hold on because they expect much bigger earnings in the future to eventually fuel dividend payments.
so
▪
She'd never ridden so big a horse as Sultan. and it gave her a great thrill.
▪
I yearn for the days before I grew so big .
▪
He makes a sandwich so big even he can't force it in his mouth.
▪
But it was eerie in the sense that the trees were so big and dense and it was so dark.
▪
I his park s blummin huge - I never knew it was so big .
▪
We are are so big , and move along with such momentum, that we are able to live through everything.
▪
It's all so big and confusing - all them streets and cars and places.
▪
They had served a cake, so big you could walk inside it, shaped like an igloo.
too
▪
But they are both just too big for everyday use.
▪
The envelope was too big for the bag, so everyone could see it.
▪
I was given her clothes, which were too big and made the soldiers laugh.
▪
For the grand narrative of History was always too big for its boots.
▪
Got too big for his body, they say.
▪
No, he wasn't beautiful - his skin was burnt a little pink and his elbows and feet were too big .
▪
It was too big for her.
very
▪
Rex breathed a very big sigh of relief.
▪
It is a big thing, a very big sacrifice on their part.
▪
Part of her had the feeling that she was making a very big mistake.
▪
He is very big and creates great opportunities.
▪
A very big one licked me with its tongue.
▪
There are some that are building very big things.
▪
Uberwald is a very big place.
▪
Yet there is a very big disjunction here.
■ NOUN
band
▪
When they did get good they'd be one of the biggest bands in the world, the Fish predicted.
▪
As in the stuff they make big band horn sections out of.
▪
Moving one of the world's biggest bands around on a tour of this size is a massive operation.
▪
The big bands ran into other economic barriers as well.
▪
The evening will include a Bucks Fizz welcome, dinner, live big band , disco and cabaret.
▪
Henderson had recorded with a big band before -- three tunes, in fact, in 1992.
▪
Weller s big band took over for the final hour.
▪
She returned to New York in 1983, forming a new big band by Tabackin.
brother
▪
I say bigger brother , but the 880 is only really comparable with the 990 for resolution and performance.
▪
Stewart was deeply moved to be back in the compelling presence of his big brother after five years.
▪
Vincente caddied for him for a while but it was an awkward role for a big brother .
▪
When I told my big brother about the whole thing, he said I was bloody stupid.
▪
Spider was a big brother , a mentor, a guidance counselor that put the whole world in his hands.
▪
He was my big brother and now he's dead.
▪
Ginny, her dad was abusive, and her big brother used to beat her up.
buck
▪
Maybe it's the nations healthy suspicion of flash gestures and big bucks .
▪
And it provides lists of San Francisco Bay area residents who have handed big bucks to candidates.
▪
The pair are said to dislike each other intensely - only the lure of the big bucks they make keeps them together.
▪
The big bucks have not changed her life much either, Brandt avers.
▪
Brokers hope that corporations will spring for the big bucks necessary to secure one of these behemoths.
▪
Want great graphics without spending big bucks on software?
▪
Become a student and get paid the big bucks .
▪
At the same time, employees see their CEOs raking in the big bucks .
business
▪
With 40,000 hip replacements a year, making joints is big business , now mostly done by multi-nationals companies.
▪
The reason I support him is he speaks from his heart, not from big business .
▪
It is rare for any big business to take initiatives like that on its own.
▪
Direct mail order sale of food products by food manufacturers and specialty shops has become big business .
▪
Negotiation is at the heart of all big business deals and even the little ones too.
▪
President Kim took the wrong course in favor of big business , ignoring the needs of the majority of the people.
▪
Well, never forget that if big businesses are suffering, small ones are too.
▪
In the social hierarchy, these lords of big business were the equivalent of the daimyos of the past with their clans.
city
▪
In Eliot's own life such an idea seems to have been associated particularly with artistic movements of the big cities .
▪
Whenever I play the big cities now, the anticipation of coming home to the land is overwhelming.
▪
Indeed the earliest suburban development preceded railway expansion by a decade or so in the big cities .
▪
Ah, say, fly over a big city at night!
▪
He: from the big city gentleman, to the rugged biker, to the fictions of Havana.
▪
Most big city newspapers, bought up by chains, were operated from out of town as bottom-line corporate businesses.
▪
The village child needs to be aware of the noise and movement of the big city .
▪
Indeed, some young cities offer lifestyles superior to those of traditional big cities.
day
▪
Beaverbrooks recommend you choose your wedding ring about three months before the big day so that you have no last minute worries.
▪
But Jones had his biggest day since 1993 Sunday.
▪
The big day was February 4, and Chapman headed north with his team on the previous Thursday.
▪
Bob Dole, the indisputable Republican front-runner, had an even bigger day .
▪
Concentrate instead on getting everything ready for the big day .
▪
The swans started to build their nest several weeks ago and everyone at the factory had been eagerly awaiting the big day .
▪
Last year Demi, who co-starred in Ghost, hired an amusement park for 37-year-old Bruce's big day .
deal
▪
But it's not a big deal .
▪
Any single one might not have been such a big deal .
▪
I told him about Bad Money - another short, no big deal .
▪
It would be no big deal .
▪
Finding people was no big deal to him. ` That's easy.
▪
But Vassar taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to do without making a big deal out of it.
▪
He d been thieving again, of course, but it was no big deal really.
▪
We had a big deal as to whether or not we should steal some.
difference
▪
But there is one big difference - excluding supervisors, it is manned by people who don't want to be there.
▪
A small thing, but it makes a big difference ..
▪
One big difference from the normal formation was that there were five defenders playing, not the usual four.
▪
The biggest difference is in the size of the companies traded.
▪
One big difference is that there are no missionary organisations involved in health care.
▪
Such programs can make a big difference for the students they serve.
▪
Altitude, too, makes a big difference to how quickly you can burn.
▪
That was the big difference between the days before and after I fell sick.
fan
▪
Not so, says Dallas running back Emmitt Smith, one of Williams' biggest fans .
▪
He's not a big fan of the Trevor Horn kitchen-sink ethos.
▪
Uncle Tu was a big fan of your teacher.
▪
The big fan above the door hums.
▪
Amanda Holden is a big fan , apparently.
▪
He is a big fan of reggae music and the late Bob Marley, a follower of the Rastafarian religion.
fish
▪
Carp are no different from any other big fish .
▪
So far, the products have landed some big fish .
▪
Entire gangs have been arrested, and some very big fish have been netted.
▪
When a herring meets its end, it is usually in the mouth of a bigger fish or a in a net.
▪
The big fish , seeing the little one there, glides into the basket to gobble him up.
▪
On a recent afternoon, he lobbed a variety of plastic lures toward the big fish .
▪
They say you can catch really big fish .
▪
The possibility of a big fish was too much for him.
game
▪
Try saying big glass as you would say big game and then as you would say big deal.
▪
I love to play in big games .
▪
So far, all manager Roy Walker will say is that the big man will be in the big game panel.
▪
He was supposedly making arrangements to bring his suit and his hair back to Los Angeles for this big game .
▪
They reckon it's no bad thing to be going from one big game to another.
▪
Others, like Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza, bought the seats so he could take his family to the big game .
▪
I had brought a rifle with me to Abyssinia. determined to achieve my dream of hunting big game .
▪
The Towel stills makes appearances, especially for big games .
government
▪
Most substantially, Rockefeller is attacked as an apostle of big government .
▪
The national-greatness conservatives, as represented by Kristol and Brooks, make their peace with big government .
▪
Clinton has an undeniable economic vision: bigger government .
▪
All the political rhetoric about big government protecting the weak and the poor is coming into question as well.
▪
The feistier sort of Republican is as hostile to big government by indirect means as to the direct variety.
▪
Democrats are addicted to big government , big spending and big taxes.
gun
▪
All the big guns are through to the semi-finals as expected.
▪
The side with the most men and the biggest guns will inevitably wear down its opponent.
▪
Lincoln brought in the big guns of William Temple to get bishop and rector to release the curate before the time.
▪
They leaned into their big guns , shoulders twitching.
▪
In part two: Showdown: Soccer's big guns prepare for a shootout.
▪
There was a tank with a big gun on it.
▪
The big guy with the big gun strafed the place.
▪
In 1996, they were the big guns who stormed through Atlanta with more devastating firepower than Sherman's troops.
hit
▪
Matalan, the out-of-town discount retailer, took the biggest hit .
▪
The splashy novelty number was a big hit .
▪
And a fielder caught his big hit on the boundary, denying his team a win.
▪
I went with the mugs and they're a big hit .
▪
Mason's gusher was not a big hit in Bondgate either.
▪
The Miatas are a big hit , retailing for between $ 35, 000 and $ 55, 000.
▪
A regional footnote - the lumberjack-style Timberland boot was a big hit in the Eighties.
▪
No, seriously, they watched to hear some of the biggest names in pop music perform their biggest hits .
house
▪
He went to an auction of a big house in Cambridge and bought a lot of cheap carpets.
▪
He owned one of the biggest houses in the best neighborhood, traveled all around the world, had a summer home.
▪
We were looking for a big house in Southampton.
▪
The big house was just that.
▪
A year passed and then a big house in Oxford Street came along.
▪
They really believed everyone was rich and lived in big houses with winding staircases.
▪
It was a lovely big house with a big garden out the back.
▪
The Stabler family, comfortably well off with their big house and servants, could have helped her if she had asked.
job
▪
Oscar Orbos has done well as Mrs Aquino's aide, but at 40 may be too young for the big job .
▪
No one would deny that there's a big job to be done retrieving the credibility of science.
▪
Our advance party had done a big job .
▪
Prodi has also given big jobs to two ex-prime ministers, both former central bankers.
▪
It's a big job , but I guess somebody had to do it.
▪
Yes, he wants to complete one big job before he dies.
man
▪
Yet bigger men than them have learned to their cost that no one can behave like that.
▪
But the three veteran big men could be attractive to other teams precisely because their deals are up.
▪
The big man has got bigger, and the small man smaller.
▪
And the big man always pays the largest price for failure.
▪
He drove like a man who enjoys driving; a big man at the wheel of a big car.
▪
In addition to excelling academically, Mr Packard was a football star and big man around campus.
mistake
▪
Then on the last night I made my big mistake , and hit that bad business I told you about.
▪
That, in retrospect, was a big mistake .
▪
Spending even this short amount of time with him had been a big mistake .
▪
His big mistake was to brag to one of the fat traders how he had done it.
▪
I want to underline the biggest mistake which I believe bands make when they are starting out.
▪
You might be right, dear, that I made a big mistake ?
▪
A ball of fire he might be, but he'd made one big mistake !
money
▪
Soon even bigger money began to flow-and not just to leading banks in Britain and the United States.
▪
You look like big money now.
▪
Despite the big money transfer of Colin Caulderwood.
▪
The proposed test program is inadequate to ensure the necessary reliability before we begin to spend big money on national missile defense.
▪
Pundits expect the really big money for 3-D displays to be in video-games and television advertising.
▪
Sometimes, it costs big money .
▪
But if the blockade continues it's going to start costing big money .
▪
And that could be very big money .
name
▪
All the big names in the industry have tried it.
▪
Miller disagrees with recent stories that the Senior tour has hit a dead period, its biggest names slipping into the doldrums.
▪
More financial support would help improve her chances against the big names .
▪
The big name in Mission still thrives.
▪
The Lisburn event traditionally draws big names , as a glance through the previous winners list confirms.
▪
She is part of the small but growing number of public relations experts who represent big names in religion.
▪
And as soon as any of the old big names are fit, they're guaranteed a place in the team.
▪
The biggest name is left tackle Lomas Brown, who came from Detroit.
part
▪
Cleanse your whole body Advocates believe that crystals can even play a big part in your daily beauty routine.
▪
With a grilled steak or lamb, a big part of the decision involves where the food is eaten.
▪
But the mind plays a big part in this game.
▪
Residential building, a big part of the Southeast economy, continued to lose steam in the quarter.
▪
Venue personality So, when you're picking the venue, remember that atmosphere will play a big part in your success.
▪
Traffic played a big part out there.
▪
Hunting was a big part of her life, of course, and I have mixed feelings about that subject.
▪
Politics has been a big part of it.
picture
▪
They specialize in the big picture and are no good at details.
▪
They see the details but miss the big picture .
▪
Wood engravings were generally small, because the box tree is small and its end-grain can not accommodate a big picture .
▪
My plea is for balance and for concentration on the big picture .
▪
That is the closing point; the biggest picture in the exhibition will be the finale.
▪
In the big picture , the Rams were nothing more than a speed bump on the road toward the Super Bowl.
▪
We need to seize the big picture .
▪
Doing so shifts the big picture from industry conquering nature to industry cooperating with nature.
play
▪
Free safety Merton Hanks will look for more big plays in the second half of the season.
▪
That was a pretty big play .
▪
Consequently, our club got a big play from any and all officer personnel on the base camp.
▪
Except for one breakdown, San Diego refused to give up big plays , the Raiders' trademark so far.
▪
He kept telling Johnson he was going to make big plays and score the winning shot.
▪
He has made big plays at very important times.
▪
And they made enough big plays on their own Sunday night.
problem
▪
Nina ... Her safety, now with Klingfeld's agents in New York, was the biggest problem of all.
▪
But for others, it persists and becomes a big problem .
▪
The big problem is to link up the route from the north.
▪
Their biggest problem was having to drag around these old, puffy-looking, blue-collar bodies.
▪
Two other big problems facing the organisers are crowd and traffic control.
▪
Both need to refocus the political debate from their respective ethics problems to the big problems facing the country.
▪
Knitters often tell me that their biggest problem is time.
▪
His biggest problem is the seemingly resolute determination of Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes to hang in.
race
▪
Plus latest news on the big race , updated racecards, latest riding arrangements, non-runners and betting news.
▪
Republicans won all the big races last week.
▪
It was there that he rode Evichstar in the Lincoln Handicap in 1990 - and notched his first big race victory.
▪
And the Grand National, first run on Feb. 26, 1839, is the biggest race of all.
▪
The Upsons have sent out over 150 winners from their home and are not overawed by the big race .
▪
The World Championships was my first time in a big race , and I ran too far.
▪
She's the sort of filly who deserves a big race win for she has been knocking on the door all season.
screen
▪
The real Erik died more than 1,000 years ago, but he was recently resurrected on the big screen by Terry Jones.
▪
The only thing less suited to the big screen would be a movie set in a bomb shelter.
▪
At the advanced age of 71, Charles Bronson's wizened features are returning to the big screen .
▪
Louis to put up on the big screens .
▪
People sit silently, faced forward toward a big screen .
▪
Andrew himself is no stranger to the big screen and has featured in several commercials.
▪
Last fall the only playwright to make it on to the big screen was Shakespeare.
step
▪
That is a big step forward, because parents will then be able to use examination results to challenge schools to improve.
▪
The Halifax's strategic approach is most clearly shown in two big steps it did not take.
▪
This manager said he had made a big step .
▪
The 9% buyer's premium is a big step in the right direction.
▪
I had to take many big steps to stay with him, and still fell behind.
▪
This was going to be a big step .
▪
It was the first and biggest step in changing the council from a legislative body to a rubber stamp for his administration.
thing
▪
That's the big thing about Butch.
▪
Perhaps the biggest thing going was the harp played by JoAnn Turovsky, sounding positively, well, huge.
▪
It is visible in big things and small.
▪
He said welfare reform would be the next big thing .
▪
The big thing I see students gaining is commitment.
▪
His big thing though was his piano theory.
▪
But Weinke, as his numbers prove, has done all of the big things for the Seminoles.
time
▪
And she has a habit: smoking, big time , as in two packs a day.
▪
There have been many cases in which encryption has thwarted us big time .
▪
Don King is looking for a return to the big time with Tucker, who will be a tough opponent.
▪
The rich, including corporations, are involved big time in helping the poor.
▪
We were both pretty excited about visiting Saigon, country boys coming in to see the big time .
▪
So what's it like for young David to be in the big time .
▪
His program comes off as being big time .
trouble
▪
And I shall be in big trouble if I return alone.
▪
Down by as much as 25 percent in polls, in power for 18 years, the Conservatives are in big trouble .
▪
Despite that, many in the industry reckon Daimler's biggest troubles may still be ahead.
▪
Although he was in big trouble three of the five innings he pitched, Kamieniecki kept putting zeroes on the board.
▪
Landed herself in big trouble in the Bay, but managed to get out of it.
▪
Payroll taxes get you into trouble , and withheld payroll taxes get you into big trouble.
▪
The club was in big trouble then, on the playing front and financially.
▪
If the dam broke, the village would be in big big trouble .
way
▪
National, Rickenbacker, Gibson and a hundred other manufacturers all went for lap-steel production in a big way .
▪
Once considered an ethnic food, bagels have gone mainstream in a big way .
▪
With the breakdown of the administration, crime syndicates have come up in a big way .
▪
But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
▪
Glascoed has been steadily gearing up its operations in bigger ways , too.
▪
Way back, something went bad in a big way.
▪
Many based on tried and trusted therapies heal the mind as well as the body and are back in fashion in a big way .
▪
If I commit something in a big way and it turns out wrong, it will hurt my career....
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
Mr Big
a big ask
a big fish in a little/small pond
a big hand
▪
Both policies got a big hand .
▪
When Tilbey had finished his presentation, Brown got up and asked the thirteen students to give him a big hand .
a big head
▪
He described the assailant as a tall man with a big head and bushy hair.
a/the big wheel
▪
Ahead of them, they could see the Big Wheel turning against a sky streaked with red and grey.
▪
Back down the beach, the Big Wheel was turning and there were even queues waiting to get on.
▪
Because this was the contraption's trial run, it was to be driven manually by turning the big wheel .
▪
He was a big wheel in Bucharest Securitate, Mr Manescu.
▪
He was sitting in the little hut where you bought your tickets to get on to the Big Wheel .
▪
The boys then allegedly put the infant on another bed and fled with the Big Wheel , police said.
▪
They came to steal a Big Wheel tricycle.
▪
You will also catch a glimpse of the Big Wheel in the famous Peter fairground.
and it's a big if
as important/clear/big etc as anything
▪
Ecumenically it is as important as anything .
big mouth
▪
And to have a big mouth to project.
▪
But I kept my big mouth shut.
▪
Director Jafar Panahi clearly loves children for what they are, big mouths and all.
▪
I generally think of sushi as bite-sized, but at Sushi-Cho you need a big mouth to eat your sushi without embarrassment.
▪
If Britain is a body then Essex is the botty and Barnsley's the great big mouth .
▪
The final proof, or perhaps the first, is the chub's big mouth and thick white rubbery lips.
▪
To her sisters, she is simply a big mouth .
big shot
▪
a meeting of insurance-industry big shots
▪
Among Western Conference big shots , only San Antonio seems trouble-free right now.
▪
And they used to race some of the big shots in New Bedford.
▪
He will be a big shot one day, she thinks.
▪
I gave my opinion but, of course, it was a big shot so early in the game.
▪
Malone, however, choked when it came to making his two biggest shots of the game.
▪
This is a matter between the big shots .
▪
You see, all the artists wanted to be big shots .
big-bottomed/round-bottomed etc
big/light/fussy etc eater
▪
During the time she was living with the Abramses, Katelyn was happy and a big eater , Carter said.
▪
While never a big eater , he did tend to snack it through the day and night.
big/top gun
▪
All the big guns are through to the semi-finals as expected.
▪
He won't be the last big gun brought out in the battle for Stockton South.
▪
In Houston, many of the big gun shops have opted to police themselves.
▪
In part two: Showdown: Soccer's big guns prepare for a shootout.
▪
Lincoln brought in the big guns of William Temple to get bishop and rector to release the curate before the time.
▪
There was a tank with a big gun on it.
▪
They leaned into their big guns , shoulders twitching.
black-bellied/fat-bellied/big-bellied etc
dirty great/dirty big
easily the best/biggest etc
▪
Aluminium benching is easily the best, as it virtually lasts for ever and is easily cleaned.
▪
He's easily the best military brain in the country.
▪
It's easily the best Fermanagh side I've played on.
▪
It gave easily the best value.
▪
Johnny Hero played the between set music - again proving that he hosts easily the best disco in town.
▪
Natural gas forms easily the biggest world reserve of methane-rich fuel.
▪
The greens were easily the best part of the dish.
▪
The pension is easily the biggest single cash benefit.
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪
But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪
He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪
I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪
It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪
Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪
There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪
This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪
What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
half as much/big etc
▪
A TU154 weighs a third more and consumes half as much fuel again as its Western equivalent, the Boeing 727.
▪
Even allowing for O'Donovan doing half as much business, this would mean 3000 tonnes of toxic waste leaving Ireland a year.
▪
He will not worry about the quality if he does half as much on Saturday.
▪
The fly therefore produces half as much sperm as normal.
▪
The safety mattress also produced only half as much carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
▪
These kids only have half as much cerebral cortex as is normal.
▪
They looked like equine stock, but they were half as big again as any horse that Rostov had ever encountered.
half as much/big etc again
▪
But cars are about half as much again as in Britain.
▪
But Catherine, 31, and 56-year-old Fatal Attraction star Michael spent more than half as much again.
▪
In school we are spending nearly half as much again, in real terms per pupil, as in 1979.
▪
Social Progress Health spending is half as much again as it was in 1979, after taking account of inflation.
▪
The Government is spending over half as much again more than Labour did when they were last in power.
▪
The line shot out, half as much again.
▪
They looked like equine stock, but they were half as big again as any horse that Rostov had ever encountered.
▪
This is half as much again as last year.
have eyes bigger than your belly
have other/bigger fish to fry
▪
I can't deal with this now - I've got other fish to fry.
hit the big time
▪
But his interest in the farm grew, even after he hit the big time.
▪
I know he talked to her about what it was like before Jett hit the big time.
▪
Sandier hits the big time as the loveable three killer sharks to increase their brain mass.
▪
Still, even session men can hit the big time.
in a big/small way
▪
Way back, something went bad in a big way.
▪
Actors are getting paid more than their worth all over Hollywood right now, and in a big way .
▪
But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
▪
But I think we blew it in a big way .
▪
Colorado has taken to the sport in a big way .
▪
His ambulance service has taken off in a big way .
▪
I began to prepare in a small way to enjoy the Christmas in Bedford.
▪
This is something he has carried in a big way into his later professional life.
just as good/bad/big etc
▪
And you men and half of Terminus as well are just as bad.
▪
At home it was just as bad.
▪
I would say the top teams are just as good, but the lesser teams have caught up a little bit.
▪
It was just as good a place as any to get away from Julius for a while.
▪
Now Allan Ahlberg has written two more stories about the same skeletons, and they're just as good.
▪
Or something else, just as bad, could happen.
▪
People accuse the whites of being prejudiced, but blacks can be just as bad.
▪
Virginia says sending them to a sister training program it has established at nearby Mary Baldwin College is just as good.
make a big deal of/out of/about sth
▪
But Vassar taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to do without making a big deal out of it.
make a big thing of/about/out of sth
▪
It was Arbor Day, and their teacher, Miss Ellis, made a big thing out of it.
me and my big mouth/you and your big mouth etc
next biggest/most common etc
not so big/good/bad etc
▪
But so happen, one little boy not so good.
▪
But it's not so bad down here.
▪
Compared to how I feel, how I look is not so bad.
▪
It is not so good at knowing how to do it.
▪
My tongue not so good anyway.
▪
She began to think that perhaps village life was not so bad.
▪
Some years it was bad, other years not so bad.
▪
When he was hot, he was hot, but for me the whole thing was not so good.
plenty big/fast/warm etc enough
the Big Dipper
▪
Gedanken wondered whether anyone ever fell off the Big Dipper.
▪
He made another friend, which was the Big Dipper.
▪
I can find the Big Dipper, but the North Star can be elusive.
▪
I put the stretcher under my arm and walked off toward the Big Dipper, in the direction of the tent.
▪
That's what you spotted on the Big Dipper.
▪
The black silhouettes of the maples showed against the sky near the Big Dipper, almost overhead.
the best/biggest etc ... of all time
▪
And seeing as it was my brainchild, would you not say it was possibly the best commercial of all time ?
▪
Surely the biggest robbery of all time was the $ 900m that the Dome stole from lottery funds?
▪
That's the biggest understatement of all time !
▪
You could call that round the biggest fluke of all time ....
the best/biggest etc ... this side of sth
the big bang theory
the big enchilada
▪
The big enchilada is the U.S. Supreme Court, and we're going to go there and win.
▪
We're aiming our products at the big enchilada - the home computer market.
the big screen
▪
Filmmakers are hoping to bring several of Sandlin's works to the big screen.
▪
Her play was adapted for the big screen.
▪
Andrew himself is no stranger to the big screen and has featured in several commercials.
▪
Arnold Schwarzenegger, man of action and few words on the big screen.
▪
Rosheen watched as Postine came into view on the big screen, her massive frame picked out in infra-red against the night.
▪
The only thing less suited to the big screen would be a movie set in a bomb shelter.
▪
We watched it on the big screen.
the big time
▪
He played in clubs for years before making it to the big time.
the biggest/tallest/most expensive etc ... on earth
the biggest/worst etc (sth) yet
▪
And the worst was yet to come.
▪
Her third night here and it had been the worst one yet .
▪
No, the worst ... Yet is she listening now?
▪
That was the worst task yet , as Psyche saw when she approached the waterfall.
▪
The decision opens the biggest policy rift yet between Holyrood and Westminster.
▪
The two have returned from a disastrous holiday in Greecebut the worst is yet to come.
the sooner the better/the bigger the better etc
think big
▪
By investing over $1.2 million, Levin and his partner are thinking big.
▪
A big man physically, he thought big.
▪
Do you need to think big or to pay a lot of attention to detail?
▪
He pressed on, thinking big, planning the largest electric furnace in the world.
▪
I always encouraged Alvin to think big.
▪
In an era of government downsizing, Texas is thinking big.
▪
It arose in the context of the thinking of people whose job it is to think big.
▪
Maybe he thinks big bad Deane will help if things get too rough!
▪
To trade in a heavyweight world market Britain must think big.
what's the big idea?
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Which is your car?" "The big red one next to the wall."
▪
a big difference in price
▪
a big tree
▪
Germany is much bigger than Britain.
▪
Graduation Day is one of those big occasions when everyone wants a souvenir photograph.
▪
He lives in a big house in upstate New York.
▪
I've never been a big jazz fan.
▪
I hear you're getting married - when's the big day?
▪
If you think I'm coming with you, you're making a big mistake.
▪
It's a simple repair that can prevent a big problem later.
▪
It's going to be a big adjustment for the kids whenever we move.
▪
one of the biggest companies in the insurance business
▪
She's a cute baby with a big smile.
▪
She struggled up the hill, carrying the baby and her big black bag.
▪
The city has a big problem with drugs.
▪
The game works better if you have a bigger group.
▪
The nearest big town is twenty miles away.
▪
The wind got louder and the waves grew bigger and bigger.
▪
There will be some big changes in the way we work.
▪
These jeans are too big .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
But this face was bigger; swollen and bigger still than the horror in the car.
▪
From these particular big systems I have appropriated unifying principles for all large vivisystems.
▪
If the warren system is a big one it may require two guns to do the killing.
▪
In fact, despite the dismal fundamentals, some of the biggest petroleum producers will record double-digit percentage increases in spending.
▪
This rotative engine soon became greatly in demand and had a big effect on the mechanisation of factories.
▪
To attract bigger audiences was not just a bonus, it was part of the whole logic of the industry.
II. verb
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
Mr Big
a big ask
a big fish in a little/small pond
a big hand
▪
Both policies got a big hand .
▪
When Tilbey had finished his presentation, Brown got up and asked the thirteen students to give him a big hand .
a big head
▪
He described the assailant as a tall man with a big head and bushy hair.
a/the big wheel
▪
Ahead of them, they could see the Big Wheel turning against a sky streaked with red and grey.
▪
Back down the beach, the Big Wheel was turning and there were even queues waiting to get on.
▪
Because this was the contraption's trial run, it was to be driven manually by turning the big wheel .
▪
He was a big wheel in Bucharest Securitate, Mr Manescu.
▪
He was sitting in the little hut where you bought your tickets to get on to the Big Wheel .
▪
The boys then allegedly put the infant on another bed and fled with the Big Wheel , police said.
▪
They came to steal a Big Wheel tricycle.
▪
You will also catch a glimpse of the Big Wheel in the famous Peter fairground.
and it's a big if
as important/clear/big etc as anything
▪
Ecumenically it is as important as anything .
big mouth
▪
And to have a big mouth to project.
▪
But I kept my big mouth shut.
▪
Director Jafar Panahi clearly loves children for what they are, big mouths and all.
▪
I generally think of sushi as bite-sized, but at Sushi-Cho you need a big mouth to eat your sushi without embarrassment.
▪
If Britain is a body then Essex is the botty and Barnsley's the great big mouth .
▪
The final proof, or perhaps the first, is the chub's big mouth and thick white rubbery lips.
▪
To her sisters, she is simply a big mouth .
big shot
▪
a meeting of insurance-industry big shots
▪
Among Western Conference big shots , only San Antonio seems trouble-free right now.
▪
And they used to race some of the big shots in New Bedford.
▪
He will be a big shot one day, she thinks.
▪
I gave my opinion but, of course, it was a big shot so early in the game.
▪
Malone, however, choked when it came to making his two biggest shots of the game.
▪
This is a matter between the big shots .
▪
You see, all the artists wanted to be big shots .
big-bottomed/round-bottomed etc
big/light/fussy etc eater
▪
During the time she was living with the Abramses, Katelyn was happy and a big eater , Carter said.
▪
While never a big eater , he did tend to snack it through the day and night.
big/top gun
▪
All the big guns are through to the semi-finals as expected.
▪
He won't be the last big gun brought out in the battle for Stockton South.
▪
In Houston, many of the big gun shops have opted to police themselves.
▪
In part two: Showdown: Soccer's big guns prepare for a shootout.
▪
Lincoln brought in the big guns of William Temple to get bishop and rector to release the curate before the time.
▪
There was a tank with a big gun on it.
▪
They leaned into their big guns , shoulders twitching.
black-bellied/fat-bellied/big-bellied etc
dirty great/dirty big
easily the best/biggest etc
▪
Aluminium benching is easily the best, as it virtually lasts for ever and is easily cleaned.
▪
He's easily the best military brain in the country.
▪
It's easily the best Fermanagh side I've played on.
▪
It gave easily the best value.
▪
Johnny Hero played the between set music - again proving that he hosts easily the best disco in town.
▪
Natural gas forms easily the biggest world reserve of methane-rich fuel.
▪
The greens were easily the best part of the dish.
▪
The pension is easily the biggest single cash benefit.
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪
But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪
He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪
I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪
It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪
Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪
There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪
This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪
What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
great big
▪
A great big eel, one day, swam past and touched her.
▪
And great big chunks of the current Libertarian Party movement contain a horde of former left-wing nuts who are now Libertarian nuts.
▪
I like the man who's playing this great big shiny thing like a fog horn.
▪
I mean, look at what Hendrix had for pedals - just a Fuzz Face and a great big stack of Marshalls.
▪
In the silence that followed, Baby Suggs, holy, offered up to them her great big heart.
▪
It was that little noise and a great big hug that let me know that you were very proud of me.
▪
My mouth watered as I looked at those great big berries.
▪
Well now, one surely would have thought that for such little things those great big waves might have seemed threatening.
half as much/big etc
▪
A TU154 weighs a third more and consumes half as much fuel again as its Western equivalent, the Boeing 727.
▪
Even allowing for O'Donovan doing half as much business, this would mean 3000 tonnes of toxic waste leaving Ireland a year.
▪
He will not worry about the quality if he does half as much on Saturday.
▪
The fly therefore produces half as much sperm as normal.
▪
The safety mattress also produced only half as much carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
▪
These kids only have half as much cerebral cortex as is normal.
▪
They looked like equine stock, but they were half as big again as any horse that Rostov had ever encountered.
half as much/big etc again
▪
But cars are about half as much again as in Britain.
▪
But Catherine, 31, and 56-year-old Fatal Attraction star Michael spent more than half as much again.
▪
In school we are spending nearly half as much again, in real terms per pupil, as in 1979.
▪
Social Progress Health spending is half as much again as it was in 1979, after taking account of inflation.
▪
The Government is spending over half as much again more than Labour did when they were last in power.
▪
The line shot out, half as much again.
▪
They looked like equine stock, but they were half as big again as any horse that Rostov had ever encountered.
▪
This is half as much again as last year.
have eyes bigger than your belly
have other/bigger fish to fry
▪
I can't deal with this now - I've got other fish to fry.
in a big/small way
▪
Way back, something went bad in a big way.
▪
Actors are getting paid more than their worth all over Hollywood right now, and in a big way .
▪
But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
▪
But I think we blew it in a big way .
▪
Colorado has taken to the sport in a big way .
▪
His ambulance service has taken off in a big way .
▪
I began to prepare in a small way to enjoy the Christmas in Bedford.
▪
This is something he has carried in a big way into his later professional life.
just as good/bad/big etc
▪
And you men and half of Terminus as well are just as bad.
▪
At home it was just as bad.
▪
I would say the top teams are just as good, but the lesser teams have caught up a little bit.
▪
It was just as good a place as any to get away from Julius for a while.
▪
Now Allan Ahlberg has written two more stories about the same skeletons, and they're just as good.
▪
Or something else, just as bad, could happen.
▪
People accuse the whites of being prejudiced, but blacks can be just as bad.
▪
Virginia says sending them to a sister training program it has established at nearby Mary Baldwin College is just as good.
low-budget/big-budget
make a big deal of/out of/about sth
▪
But Vassar taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to do without making a big deal out of it.
make a big thing of/about/out of sth
▪
It was Arbor Day, and their teacher, Miss Ellis, made a big thing out of it.
me and my big mouth/you and your big mouth etc
next biggest/most common etc
not so big/good/bad etc
▪
But so happen, one little boy not so good.
▪
But it's not so bad down here.
▪
Compared to how I feel, how I look is not so bad.
▪
It is not so good at knowing how to do it.
▪
My tongue not so good anyway.
▪
She began to think that perhaps village life was not so bad.
▪
Some years it was bad, other years not so bad.
▪
When he was hot, he was hot, but for me the whole thing was not so good.
plenty big/fast/warm etc enough
the (big) wide world
▪
Filipe is not alone in the wider world, where 13m children are displaced within their own countries.
▪
Hardly anybody in the big wide world has heard of us, let alone been influenced by our lives.
▪
He knows little about economics or the wider world.
▪
In other words we want to help local enthusiasts to keep in touch with what is happening in the wider world of railways.
▪
Many children of leading ministers took advantage of the wider world their fathers' success had opened for them.
▪
We could certainly be a stronger presence in the wider world.
▪
Wealth and power go hand in hand, at home too, as well as in the big wide world.
the Big Dipper
▪
Gedanken wondered whether anyone ever fell off the Big Dipper.
▪
He made another friend, which was the Big Dipper.
▪
I can find the Big Dipper, but the North Star can be elusive.
▪
I put the stretcher under my arm and walked off toward the Big Dipper, in the direction of the tent.
▪
That's what you spotted on the Big Dipper.
▪
The black silhouettes of the maples showed against the sky near the Big Dipper, almost overhead.
the best/biggest etc ... of all time
▪
And seeing as it was my brainchild, would you not say it was possibly the best commercial of all time ?
▪
Surely the biggest robbery of all time was the $ 900m that the Dome stole from lottery funds?
▪
That's the biggest understatement of all time !
▪
You could call that round the biggest fluke of all time ....
the best/biggest etc ... this side of sth
the best/biggest/fastest etc possible
▪
Any successful entrepreneurial venture starts with making sure that the entrepreneur is in the best possible mental and physical health.
▪
But the psychologist was never confident that he had obtained the best possible scores from Nelson.
▪
For a moment, I imagined the best possible to the worst possible reply.
▪
Obviously, the purpose is to ensure that the best possible pensions arrangements are reached.
▪
That way it will have the best possible start in life.
▪
The additional value farmers receive is the best possible free advice on both inputs and marketing.
▪
The horrifying news sent the Ciprianos on a nationwide search to find the best possible treatment for their daughter.
▪
This at once enhances the contribution which the court or parents can make towards reaching the best possible decision in all the circumstances.
the big bang theory
the big enchilada
▪
The big enchilada is the U.S. Supreme Court, and we're going to go there and win.
▪
We're aiming our products at the big enchilada - the home computer market.
the big screen
▪
Filmmakers are hoping to bring several of Sandlin's works to the big screen.
▪
Her play was adapted for the big screen.
▪
Andrew himself is no stranger to the big screen and has featured in several commercials.
▪
Arnold Schwarzenegger, man of action and few words on the big screen.
▪
Rosheen watched as Postine came into view on the big screen, her massive frame picked out in infra-red against the night.
▪
The only thing less suited to the big screen would be a movie set in a bomb shelter.
▪
We watched it on the big screen.
the big time
▪
He played in clubs for years before making it to the big time.
the biggest/best/nicest etc sth going
▪
A few hundred metres off-shore we congregate so that Tor can explain the best way of going ashore.
▪
Are the best bargains going to petrol buyers?
▪
But in those years, they were always the team with the best record going into the playoffs.
▪
Its got to be the best ticket office going .
▪
Perhaps the biggest thing going was the harp played by JoAnn Turovsky, sounding positively, well, huge.
▪
There was a wide range of scores with the best individual score going to George McCallum of Douglas Reyburn with 37 points.
▪
This, so I was led to believe, was the best it was going to get.
▪
What is the best way of going forward? - Ideas from within I hear you say!
the biggest/tallest/most expensive etc ... on earth
the biggest/worst etc (sth) yet
▪
And the worst was yet to come.
▪
Her third night here and it had been the worst one yet .
▪
No, the worst ... Yet is she listening now?
▪
That was the worst task yet , as Psyche saw when she approached the waterfall.
▪
The decision opens the biggest policy rift yet between Holyrood and Westminster.
▪
The two have returned from a disastrous holiday in Greecebut the worst is yet to come.
the single biggest/greatest etc
▪
Drug overdoses have become the single biggest killer among the city's young people.
▪
For the single greatest cultural movement of the twentieth century is the rise and global hegemony of black music.
▪
It represented the single biggest step towards the creation of the international air agreements of today.
▪
It was the single greatest revelation of his religious life.
▪
The survey showed that consumer concern about the economy was the single biggest factor affecting the building business in 1993.
▪
This is the single biggest thing we could do to reduce costs.
the sooner the better/the bigger the better etc
what's the big idea?