I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a black comedy (= about serious subjects, especially death )
▪
There are several murders in this black comedy set in Florida.
a black mark
▪
There were black marks all over the floor.
a black mood British English (= very angry or sad )
▪
His earlier black mood seemed to have gone.
a black/grey cloud
▪
Black clouds usually mean rain.
a dark/black shadow
▪
She saw the dark shadow of a man in the doorway.
a white/black/red etc patch
▪
The bird has a large black patch on each side of its neck.
as black as pitch (= very dark )
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The night was as black as pitch .
be black with dirt (= be very dirty )
▪
Jack came in from the garden, his hands black with dirt.
black and blue
▪
If you do that again, I’ll beat you black and blue.
black and white
▪
black and white photos
black art
black belt
▪
Sandy’s a black belt in judo.
black box
black comedy
Black Death, the
black economy
black eye
▪
Jack looked like someone had given him a black eye .
black gold
black hole
▪
I’m worried that the project could become a financial black hole.
black humour
black ice (= a layer of thin ice on a road that is very difficult to see )
▪
Black ice on the roads is making driving conditions very dangerous.
black ice
▪
Driving conditions are dangerous, with black ice in many areas.
black magic (= intended to harm people )
▪
The candles had been used for black magic.
black magic
black market
▪
There was a thriving black market in foreign currency.
black marketeer
Black Muslim
black pepper
black pudding
black sheep
▪
Amy’s always been the black sheep of the family .
black widow
black
▪
his long black hair
black (= without milk )
▪
He went up to the counter and ordered a black coffee.
black (= without milk )
▪
I ordered black tea and toast.
black/blue/white/grey smoke
▪
Black smoke poured out of the engine.
black/brown etc
▪
Her shoes and handbag were brown.
black/dark comedy (= about subjects that are usually sad or serious, especially death )
▪
The plot contains plenty of black comedy.
black/dark humour (= jokes, funny stories etc about the unpleasant parts of life )
▪
The tone of the film is light but there are moments of black humour.
dark/black
▪
Fireworks burst up into the dark sky.
dark/brown/black
▪
a girl with beautiful dark skin
dye sth black/blue/blonde etc
▪
Priscilla’s hair was dyed jet black.
given...black eye
▪
Jack looked like someone had given him a black eye .
golden/dark/black etc curls
▪
a little boy with a tangle of blond curls
jet black literary (= completely black )
▪
She had shiny jet black hair, and skin as white as snow.
on the black market
▪
Many foods were only available on the black market .
prejudice against women/black people etc
▪
There is still a lot of prejudice against women in positions of authority.
the black economy especially BrE (= business activity in which people buy and sell goods illegally, without paying tax )
▪
Illegal immigrants have to seek work in the black economy.
the black sheep of the family
▪
Amy’s always been the black sheep of the family .
the black/white population (= black or white people who live in a place )
▪
Unemployment is greater among the black population.
the black/white/Asian etc community
▪
The city has a large Asian community.
wear black/white/red etc
▪
Usually I wear black, grey, or brown.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
bean
▪
Heat a wok or heavy-based pan, add the black bean sauce and heat gently.
▪
Combine salsa with spices and black beans .
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Specialities include black bean soup, seafood crepes, chicken enchilada and filet mignon.
▪
Enchiladas verdes con pollo with black beans and rice.
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Hardly surprising then, that there's rather more to our Chicken in Blackbean Sauce than just chicken and black beans .
▪
The chicken version is filled with corn, black beans , peppers, onions, melted cheese and of course, chicken.
▪
Huge tubs hold bubbling black beans -- no lard, no lie.
▪
Place chicken on top of pasta, then ladle black beans on top.
box
▪
They're still looking for his black box .
▪
This plant also builds complex black boxes .
▪
It was a small black box , rather like the Thing, mounted on little treads.
▪
New investigative techniques have opened up the black box of the brain and have begun to shed light on its inner workings.
▪
Claire jams the black box into her shoulder bag.
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Just about everybody else I know of who watched it owns one of those black boxes .
▪
A long black box passed at their feet.
coffee
▪
I no longer drank black coffee nor smoked, so I could only chew my almonds and sip my herb tea.
▪
That morning he stretched his back and sipped black coffee and enjoyed the sudden, urgent peristalsis of a much younger man.
▪
Amy leaned forward and put her mug on the black coffee table. ` She's right, you know.
▪
She served us each a small cup of thick black coffee and poured one for herself.
▪
Whereas traditional politicians offer visitors green tea, the Reform of Heisei serves black coffee .
▪
Crusty white bread, aromatic black coffee with thick sweet cream and buttery cheese had accompanied them.
▪
I hollered for fortified wines and drank quarts of tongue-frazzling black coffee .
comedy
▪
And then there is black comedy .
▪
Even black comedies should be taken seriously by their makers.
▪
I thought it was a campy black comedy .
▪
This haunting black comedy touches and menaces in equal parts.
▪
Alternatively the violation can be inverted; like a black comedy , or the assertion of a stark revenge or retribution.
▪
This was on-the-edge black comedy that dispelled any vestige of condescension that might have been felt towards the performers.
community
▪
It seems that reasonable cars and the black community , at least in the eyes of the police, do not go together.
▪
They are trying to slight the black community .
▪
It is said that there is now a comic for everyone and indeed the gay and black communities have thriving titles.
▪
But we knew there was a market in the black community for Richard.
▪
The case has again focused attention on tension between Miami's police force and the city's black community .
▪
And prophylactic drug use soared, particularly in the black community .
▪
The first step was to research the needs and attitudes of the black community by contacting community groups that represent them.
▪
Such patterns have helped fuel questions in the black community about whether the vote was fair on Election Day.
dress
▪
I settled on one of my favourites-a simple black dress .
▪
She was singing on a stage in back of the bar and was wearing a black dress .
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Biddy, in her neat little black dress , was busy serving food.
▪
She is wearing a black dress and pearls, and a stole is strewn on the front seat.
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Rose was wearing a dull black cardigan over a black dress .
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The women wore severe black dresses or full-length black kimono.
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The streets flowed with rivers of women dressed in their plain black dresses, all on their way to work.
eye
▪
Several congressmen went home with black eyes and serious neck injuries.
▪
I saw the whites of his black eyes as he rolled them up at me.
▪
A pair of sharp black eyes looked her up and down out of the most wasted features Miss Kyte had ever seen.
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He came home one day with a black eye .
▪
Fernando Serra's black eyes narrowed angrily at her and then settled on the waiter.
▪
She cringed from the stare of those wide, black eyes that demanded nothing of her except that she not see him.
▪
It also has a black eye stripe and one at the rear.
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Her somnolent black eyes and tenderly pursed pink lips intrude upon the eggshell delicacy of her face with the most delicate affection.
mark
▪
The former Shah's advocacy of a collective security pact was a further black mark against the Gulf scheme.
▪
Still, you could almost see the black mark being registered against the name of the man who had asked the question.
▪
A mini-breakdown was less of a black mark than a criminal record if he should ever choose to emigrate.
▪
They reduced his manuscript to a patchwork of black marks .
▪
Irina had put a black mark against him with Rakovsky.
▪
But there is one black mark .
▪
Why is not immediately obvious but sufficiently worrying to put a black mark against the program.
▪
You get a black mark next to your name that may show up in your next evaluation.
market
▪
For the first time the black market has been upstaged-and, ironically, brought into the official fold.
▪
They have blamed high taxes for the growth of a black market in cigarettes.
▪
Apart from drugs, detectives believe money is laundered from a variety of black market deals involving arms and high technology.
▪
In doing so it creates a black market , which radically inflates profits for producers and traffickers.
▪
Another consequence of the artificially stimulated excess demand for food was the creation of black markets .
▪
Take the black market for foreign luxury cars, Chan said.
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Here items in short supply are sold at inflated prices - but still generally lower than on the black market .
▪
The black market for hot art now ranks third behind drug smuggling and the trade in illicit guns.
pepper
▪
Scatter the freshly chopped herbs over the tomatoes and lightly season with salt and black pepper . 3.
▪
Sprinkle with the cheese, black pepper and bread crumbs.
▪
At the last moment, add the lemon juice and black pepper to the bacon.
▪
Add coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper .
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Tuck wings behind back and lightly season quail inside and out with salt and black pepper .
▪
Season with salt and ground black pepper . 6 Spoon into large ovenproof dish.
▪
Add mushrooms, onions, walnuts, salt, black pepper and thyme.
tie
▪
Hal was thin, his long black tie didn't help him look any plumper but he didn't want to.
▪
Mr Alsop generally wore a velvet smoking jacket to dinner; the young men wore black tie .
▪
Dressed in a smart, grey suit and black tie , the former Beatle looked very happy.
▪
If the invitation says black tie optional, take the option.
▪
Connon, rather pale but perfectly composed, wearing a dark suit and a black tie , stood in the open doorway.
▪
He wore a navy-blue suit, white shirt and black tie .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(a case of) the pot calling the kettle black
▪
It was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
black-bellied/fat-bellied/big-bellied etc
black/elegant etc (little) number
the black/Jewish/middle-class etc vote
▪
Another astute electoral move helped to win 70% of the black vote for Kennedy.
▪
Ashcroft also addressed concerns raised about allegations of voter intimidation and other problems in Florida that may have depressed the black vote .
▪
Christie Whitman got 25 percent of the black vote in New Jersey.
▪
George Allen received 22 percent of the black vote .
▪
One of the keys to the Republican victory was the black vote .
▪
Q: Can the Democratic Party afford to take the black vote for granted?
▪
The drop in the black vote was estimated to be more than one hundred thousand.
the black/female/Russian etc experience
▪
It must recognize the validity of the black experience in a white-dominated world.
▪
The male experience is seen as a universal experience, while the female experience is put in a different pigeonhole.
▪
The powers that be were not interested in continuing that serious focus on the black experience .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a black -hearted villain
▪
a shiny black car
▪
contemporary Black music
▪
Denise gave me a black look.
▪
Do you take your coffee black ?
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Most of the people in my neighborhood are black .
▪
My hands were black from working on the car.
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The letters were white on a black background.
▪
Tony was in a black mood.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Bonnie Raitt in illusion lace with black beading.
▪
Books portraying black men in a positive light are simply not part of the growth industry.
▪
How can we support black individuals who feel powerless and isolated?
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If I remember, he was a dark young fellow, black hair and a squint in his right eye.
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Mary's uncle had black hair with some white in it, and high, crooked shoulders.
▪
Singed shrubbery rose from pastures that appeared like black velvet.
II. noun
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(a case of) the pot calling the kettle black
▪
It was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
black and white
▪
"Is the film 'Casablanca' in colour?'' "No, it's in black and white.''
▪
Black and white TV sets are now very cheap to buy.
▪
an exhibition of black and white photos
▪
A small black and white quarter horse was nibbling grass among the trees.
▪
Co. are responding in stark black and white.
▪
More than 350 colour and black and white photos, and illustrations.
▪
Razor bills are black and white with deep, square bills.
▪
That perception of inferiority in turn means that some sort of caste barrier is erected between black and white.
▪
The black and white feeds in a narrow range of tree species and when none is fruiting it eats leaves.
▪
There are now genuine friendships among black and white leaders and there has been progress.
▪
This allows real-life 3-D objects to be digitised in both black and white and colour.
black/elegant etc (little) number
in black and white
▪
The rules are there in black and white for everyone to see.
the black/Jewish/middle-class etc vote
▪
Another astute electoral move helped to win 70% of the black vote for Kennedy.
▪
Ashcroft also addressed concerns raised about allegations of voter intimidation and other problems in Florida that may have depressed the black vote .
▪
Christie Whitman got 25 percent of the black vote in New Jersey.
▪
George Allen received 22 percent of the black vote .
▪
One of the keys to the Republican victory was the black vote .
▪
Q: Can the Democratic Party afford to take the black vote for granted?
▪
The drop in the black vote was estimated to be more than one hundred thousand.
the black/female/Russian etc experience
▪
It must recognize the validity of the black experience in a white-dominated world.
▪
The male experience is seen as a universal experience, while the female experience is put in a different pigeonhole.
▪
The powers that be were not interested in continuing that serious focus on the black experience .
token woman/black etc
▪
We shouldn't accept the analysis of the token woman.
▪
You have to be both token woman and superwoman to come anywhere near a shortlist that disenfranchises most of the male population.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Black is his favorite color.
▪
Put some more black around your eyes.
▪
The laws were used to discriminate against blacks.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
I remember this time after school there was a fight between blacks and whites.
▪
In the end, four whites and seventeen blacks were hanged; thirteen blacks were burned-at the stake.
▪
It sees them as little more than rural ghettoes designed by previous hated white regimes to keep blacks and whites apart.
▪
Minimalist in beige, black and cement with big arrangements of fresh flowers.&.
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Most blacks were illiterate; even those who were educated were oppressed.
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So soul, with the uncompromising Aretha as its star, was enjoyed and purchased by whites and blacks.
▪
The president's unilateral reforms will achieve little if he does not talk to blacks.
III. verb
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(a case of) the pot calling the kettle black
▪
It was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black.
black and white
▪
"Is the film 'Casablanca' in colour?'' "No, it's in black and white.''
▪
Black and white TV sets are now very cheap to buy.
▪
an exhibition of black and white photos
▪
A small black and white quarter horse was nibbling grass among the trees.
▪
Co. are responding in stark black and white.
▪
More than 350 colour and black and white photos, and illustrations.
▪
Razor bills are black and white with deep, square bills.
▪
That perception of inferiority in turn means that some sort of caste barrier is erected between black and white.
▪
The black and white feeds in a narrow range of tree species and when none is fruiting it eats leaves.
▪
There are now genuine friendships among black and white leaders and there has been progress.
▪
This allows real-life 3-D objects to be digitised in both black and white and colour.
black-bellied/fat-bellied/big-bellied etc
black/elegant etc (little) number
in black and white
▪
The rules are there in black and white for everyone to see.
the black/Jewish/middle-class etc vote
▪
Another astute electoral move helped to win 70% of the black vote for Kennedy.
▪
Ashcroft also addressed concerns raised about allegations of voter intimidation and other problems in Florida that may have depressed the black vote .
▪
Christie Whitman got 25 percent of the black vote in New Jersey.
▪
George Allen received 22 percent of the black vote .
▪
One of the keys to the Republican victory was the black vote .
▪
Q: Can the Democratic Party afford to take the black vote for granted?
▪
The drop in the black vote was estimated to be more than one hundred thousand.
the black/female/Russian etc experience
▪
It must recognize the validity of the black experience in a white-dominated world.
▪
The male experience is seen as a universal experience, while the female experience is put in a different pigeonhole.
▪
The powers that be were not interested in continuing that serious focus on the black experience .
token woman/black etc
▪
We shouldn't accept the analysis of the token woman.
▪
You have to be both token woman and superwoman to come anywhere near a shortlist that disenfranchises most of the male population.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Her head was dashed on the rock below and she blacked out.
▪
Soon after that I blacked out.
▪
The face relaxed and slid from view, the brick wall clouded and the screen blacked.