BREAK


Meaning of BREAK in English

I. verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a blaze breaks out ( also a blaze starts )

The blaze broke out on the third floor of the building.

a boy’s voice breaks (= becomes deep as he becomes a man )

His voice had only recently broken.

a break from routine (= a change )

I needed a break from routine.

a break with the past (= when something is done in a completely different way to how it was done in the past )

These policies are a break with the past.

a broken heart (= feeling very sad because of a problem in love )

I wonder how many broken hearts Carlo was responsible for.

a broken home (= a family in which the parents have separated )

Many of the youngsters came from broken homes.

a broken nose (= one that is not straight because the bone has been broken by a hit or fall )

a boxer with a broken nose

a broken promise (= one that has not been kept )

There have been too many broken promises.

a car breaks down (= stops working because something is wrong with it )

On the way home on the motorway the car broke down.

a clash breaks out

Armed clashes broke out on Tuesday between the military and the rebels.

a coalition collapses/breaks up

Austria's ruling government coalition collapsed.

a coffee break (= a break from work to have some coffee )

Shall we stop for a coffee break?

a crowd disperses/breaks up (= goes away in different directions )

Seeing there would be no more entertainment, the crowd began to disperse.

a disturbance breaks out (= starts )

A disturbance broke out between local youths and a group of sailors.

a failed/broken marriage

After two failed marriages, she was not willing to risk marrying again.

a fight breaks out/erupts (= suddenly starts )

A fight broke out and one man was struck on the head.

a fire breaks out (= it starts suddenly )

A fire broke out in the engine room.

a lunch break (= a time when you stop working to eat lunch )

We took a half hour lunch break.

a marriage breaks down/up (= ends because of disagreements )

Liz’s marriage broke up after only eight months.

a party breaks up (= it ends and people go home )

The party broke up a little after midnight.

a quarrel breaks out (= starts to happen )

A fresh quarrel broke out between the players.

a rebellion breaks out (= starts )

While he was away, a rebellion broke out in Aquitaine.

a revolt breaks out (= starts )

In 1821 revolts broke out in Moldavia and Wallachia.

a riot begins/breaks out/erupts

Riots broke out last month following the verdict.

a scandal breaks (= becomes known )

When the scandal broke in 1990, it forced the resignation of the bank's chairman.

a storm breaks (= suddenly starts, after clouds have been increasing )

The storm broke at five o'clock.

a story breaks (= it is reported for the first time )

I still remember the shock when that story broke.

a system breaks down/fails

An alarm sounds a warning before the system breaks down.

a system fails/breaks down

If your immune system breaks down, you will be vulnerable to infections.

a weekend break British English (= a holiday that lasts a weekend )

She was looking forward to her weekend break in Paris.

an agreement breaks down (= it stops working )

an argument breaks out (= it starts )

The men were drunk and an argument soon broke out.

break a bone

I hope you haven't broken a bone.

break a code

European steel producers were judged to be breaking the code.

break a connection (= stop it existing )

We must break the connection between money and politics.

break a contract (= do something that your contract does not allow )

She broke her contract and left the job after only six months.

break a cycle (= stop a bad cycle happening )

If people can get jobs, they can break the cycle of poverty and debt.

break a nail (= to accidentally damage a nail on one of your fingers )

Oh, no, I've broken a nail.

break a promise (= not do what you promised to do )

Once again, the government has broken its promises.

break a routine (= do something different )

Bella didn’t break her routine for anyone.

break a rule ( also violate a rule formal ) (= not obey it )

He had clearly broken the official rules.

Any one who violates this rule will be severely punished.

break a spell (= end the effect of some magic )

No one knew how to break the spell.

break a story (= report on it for the first time )

The Daily Mail was the paper which broke the story.

break a strike (= force workers to end it )

Attempts to break the strike failed.

break a vow (= fail to do as you promised )

She accused him of breaking his marriage vows.

break an embargo (= trade with a country illegally when there is an embargo )

It has been almost impossible to stop countries breaking the embargo.

break camp (= take down your tents ready to move to a new place )

In the morning it was time to break camp.

break down and weep (= start crying )

As she watched his plane taxi away, she broke down and wept.

break down in tears (= suddenly start crying )

I broke down in tears when I read the letter.

break for lunch (= stop doing something in order to eat lunch )

Why don't we break for lunch about 1 o'clock?

break free of/slip its moorings

The great ship slipped her moorings and slid out into the Atlantic.

break free

Women are struggling to break free from tradition.

break new ground (= introduce new and exciting ideas )

His latest movie looks set to break new ground .

break (off) an alliance (= end it )

The Athenians broke off the alliance with Sparta and made alliances with Argos and Thessaly.

break off negotiations (= stop them )

The two companies have broken off negotiations on the deal.

break off relations

After the incident, Croatia broke off all relations with Serbia.

break off your engagement (= suddenly end it )

Were you surprised when Toni broke off your engagement?

break regulations

The penalties for breaking the regulations were severe.

break sb’s concentration (= stop someone concentrating )

The telephone rang and broke my concentration.

break sb’s heart (= make someone feel very sad )

It broke my heart to see him so sick.

break the deadlock

a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock

break the law (= do something illegal )

Is the company breaking the law?

break the mould (= do things in a completely new way )

The program broke the mould of the traditional TV chat show.

break the news (to sb) (= tell someone some bad news )

Two policemen came to the door to break the news about her husband.

break the skin (= make a hole in it )

Luckily the skin wasn't broken.

break the sound barrier (= travel faster than the speed of sound )

break the stalemate

an attempt to break the stalemate

break up a demonstration (= prevent it from continuing )

Police moved in to break up the demonstration.

break with tradition (= not follow a tradition )

Why not break with tradition and study at Leeds, say, or London, instead of Oxford?

break your glasses

I broke my glasses when I accidentally sat on them.

break your journey (= make a short stop on a journey )

We broke our journey to have a picnic.

break/beat a record (= do better or be greater than an existing record )

He broke the world record twice.

break/crack a code (= discover how to understand a code )

The Enigma machine was used to crack the enemy codes.

break/cut/tear sth in half (= into two equal pieces )

He tore the paper in half.

break/destroy a bond

He didn’t want to do anything to break the bond between them.

break...fall (= prevent himself from falling too quickly and hurting himself )

He stretched out his hands to break his fall .

break...fast (= end )

Gandhi drank some orange juice to break his three-week fast .

break/get loose (= escape )

A 34-year-old inmate broke loose from the sheriff’s office yesterday.

breaking and entering

breaking point (= a time when someone or something can no longer deal with something )

Our resources are stretched to breaking point.

break/kick a habit (= stop doing something that is bad for you )

I’ve smoked for years, but I really want to kick the habit.

break/loosen the stranglehold of sb (= stop someone having complete control )

break/pull/struggle free

She broke free from her attacker.

break/shatter the silence (= end the silence )

The sound of a car engine broke the silence.

break/smash to bits

The vase fell and smashed to bits on the concrete floor.

break/split into a grin

The old man’s face broke into a grin.

break/tear down barriers

Most companies have broken down the old barriers of status among the workers.

break/twist/sprain your ankle

Janet slipped on the stairs and twisted her ankle.

break/violate a taboo

He is willing to break the taboo about discussing the effects of large-scale immigration.

break/violate an agreement

The UN accused the country's leaders of breaking international agreements.

break/violate sanctions (= send something to another country when this is not allowed )

Several companies broke trade sanctions by continuing to export weapons to the country.

broke into a gallop (= begin to go very fast )

The horses broke into a gallop .

broke into a run

He was still following me, and in a panic I broke into a run .

broke into a trot (= started running slowly )

She broke into a trot and hurried on ahead of us.

broken glass

She cleaned up the broken glass with a dustpan and brush.

broken

The doctor thought that I had a broken bone in my wrist.

Luckily the bone wasn't broken.

broken/fractured

He was taken to hospital with a broken arm.

burst/break into song (= start singing )

The crowd spontaneously burst into song.

career break

change/break the habits of a lifetime (= stop doing the things you have done for many years )

It is hard to change the habits of a lifetime, but you must eat more healthily or you will have a heart attack.

coffee break

come/break out in a rash (= get a rash )

My mother comes out in a rash if she eats seafood.

comfort break

I think it's time for a comfort break.

dawn broke (= the first light of the day appeared )

When dawn broke , we were still 50 miles from Calcutta.

deserve a rest/break/holiday etc

Once the students have done their exams they deserve a break.

disperse/break up a crowd (= make a crowd go away in different directions )

A few warning shots were fired in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

Easter holiday/weekend/break

We spent the Easter holidays in Wales.

end/break off a relationship

She was very upset when I ended the relationship.

exceed/break the speed limit

Fighting broke out

Fighting broke out in the crowds.

get hurt/broken/stolen etc

You might get hurt if you stand there.

Mind the camera doesn’t get broken.

My dad got killed in a car crash.

glass breaks

This type of glass doesn’t break easily.

lunch break

negotiations break down (= stop because of disagreement )

The negotiations broke down over a dispute about working conditions.

pandemonium broke out

When the verdict was read pandemonium broke out in the courtroom.

panic breaks out (= starts among a group of people )

Suddenly, everything went dark and panic broke out.

relieve/break the monotony

He suggested a card game to relieve the monotony of the journey.

sb breaks into a smile/sb’s face breaks into a smile (= they suddenly smile )

Anna’s face broke into a smile at the prospect of a guest.

sb breaks into a smile/sb’s face breaks into a smile (= they suddenly smile )

Anna’s face broke into a smile at the prospect of a guest.

sb's nerve breaks (= someone loses the courage to do something or continue something )

The police hoped his nerve would break and he'd give himself away.

sb's nerves are stretched (to breaking point) (= they feel very nervous or worried )

Her nerves were stretched almost to breaking point as she waited.

sb’s voice breaks/cracks (= becomes higher or unsteady because they are upset )

Her voice broke and she was unable to continue.

Scuffles broke out

Scuffles broke out between rival supporters during the match.

set/break/beat a world record

He set a new world record for the marathon.

split up/break up with your girlfriend (= stop having a romantic relationship )

spring break

station break

stop a fight/break up a fight

The police were called in to break up a fight outside a nightclub.

talks break down/collapse (= stop because of disagreement )

Talks broke down today between the Russian and Japanese delegations.

tax break

tax breaks for small businesses

tea break

the weather breaks (= stops being good )

We got almost all the harvest in before the weather broke.

violate/break an oath (= do something you promised not to do )

I do not expect you to violate your oath.

violence erupts/breaks out/flares (= suddenly starts )

Violence erupted during the demonstration.

war breaks out (= it starts )

They married just before war broke out.

waves break (= fall onto the land or a boat )

We could hear the waves breaking on the shore.

welcome break

The weekend was a welcome break from the pressures of work.

without breaking stride

Collins dealt with the reporters’ questions without breaking stride .

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

away

During my first attack I experienced some very inaccurate return fire which ceased just before I broke away .

LiLc Luther, they wanted to reform the church, but they were ready to 251 break away if they needed to.

The Derby defender was signing autographs outside the ground when he suddenly broke away and roared off home.

While being walked around the hospital grounds, he broke away and jumped in front of a speeding car.

John never forgave Lawrence for breaking away and going into competition with him.

Then one jet broke away from the rest.

When Ma died, he had always planned to break away completely, give up this life and build a new one.

He knew how difficult she would find breaking away from the life she had been living.

down

It never breaks down , doesn't need a battery, and there is no additional expense once you own it.

Our hand torches for the night watch began to break down .

Table 2 shows for Lothian how the target breaks down by age group and what progress has been made to date.

As the service ended, several attendees broke down in tears, including 19-year-old rapper Mase.

All the known laws of science would break down at such a point.

Last year, we were broken down and beat up.

This can be broadly broken down for descriptive purposes as a program staff of 11, and a support staff of 4.

At constituency level as well, relations between the party and its traditional supporters were breaking down .

even

The hunters were not even breaking even, yet the hunt continued despite the falling catches.

The Jayhawks won the tip, scored a layin with 11 seconds gone and went up 11-2 before even breaking a sweat.

Therefore, if the firms involved are to break even , how should they do it?

As the fiscal year ended, the company was just breaking even .

Erteco, for example, broke even for the first time only last year.

Port executives say that maritime operations should break even by 1999 or 2000.

Even La Scala, where an opening-night stall seat goes for £500, rarely comes close to breaking even.

He even broke down one horse in an effort to understand the gallop which had constantly eluded him.

in

But after the initial blisters and a bit of breaking in , I've been fairly impressed with these boots.

You know that if it breaks in , the terrible will arrive.

The burglars broke in shortly before 1am yesterday.

Grissom, the hero of Game 2, broke in , planted himself, and looked up.

Surely they wouldn't go so far as to break in ?

A number of traditional powers are struggling and there is a class of the nouveaux riches who are ready to break in .

Only the bravest would break in , light fires on the tile floors.

It is as stiff as many a leather boot, yet required but half an hour's breaking in .

off

And from time to time the engagement is broken off .

Trondur reached under the edge of the raft, and broke off a small cluster of barnacles.

The piece of membrane where all of this action takes place breaks off and is swallowed up by the cell.

I broke off a twig and tossed it down.

Up to this stage it will have been fairly easy for them to break off their activities should the occasion demand it.

She added that when Gentry refused to acknowledge the loan publicly, she resigned as his treasurer and broke off their engagement.

From time to time he broke off his labours to return to the great court to look out for Tutilo returning.

out

If such conformity had not existed, artists would not have felt such desire to break out from it.

There were about 500 construction workers renovating the tower when the fire broke out .

An argument broke out in the crowded pub after some drink was knocked over and Mr Brown tried to defuse the situation.

A white Democrat challenged him; a fight broke out and the Democrat was killed and Tolbert was wounded.

Needless to say, frequent arguments broke out as to whose turn it was to ride or pull.

If we decide to call all horses zebras, the animals do not break out in stripes.

In addition, a quarrel had broken out between Minna and Rena Kulass.

through

The movies had broken through to a vast new public and everything was on a different scale.

Glass tinkled; she felt the impact afterward, the firm, cool glass, breaking through .

Now a new breed of Who seems to be breaking through .

But the Mets couldn't break through .

Only when he broke through into sight of the track and the buildings did the realisation hit him.

In the news business, where each day is a quick-march through breaking stories and unremitting deadlines, mistakes are inevitable.

The underground revolution was coming up to the surface, although it was nowhere near breaking through .

The ice is thick and he is a good deal less enthusiastic when the tip breaks through .

up

Soon afterwards, the gathering broke up and the guests took their leave.

Other comets have also been seen to break up .

Provincial guillotines and scaffolds were dismantled and those not exhibited in museums were broken up and scrapped.

The Paris summit, meanwhile, broke up at the opening meeting when Eisenhower refused to apologize for the U-2 flight.

My new companions break up the cigarettes, and make tea with the herb.

If she experiences too many challenges at one step, then break up that step into even smaller chunks.

I mean, there were shoving matches that Security had to break up .

■ NOUN

ankle

They stuffed a sock into her mouth, pushed her inside and kicked her to the floor breaking her ankle and wrist.

Joe Wolf returns after missing the last part of the season with a broken ankle .

He knows when he does he's going to break his ankle .

In Calgary, his role is one of their top enforcers, with Sandy McCarthy sidelined by a broken ankle .

A flight attendant was thrown to the floor, breaking her ankle .

Metz augured in right behind him, breaking an ankle .

Twelve days after changing his spikes, J.. Mark Jennings slipped at a different club and broke his ankle .

arm

A long screech was followed by a thud as a matronly passenger tumbled forward, breaking her arm .

Next to Billy was little Paul Lazzaro with a broken arm . he was fizzing with rabies.

She had one or two accidents in the field herself, and once broke her arm .

My husband suffered a broken arm and severe head injuries.

The next day a father broke his son's arm .

Scabbards, broken arms , artillery horses, wrecks of gun carriages, and bloody garments strewed the scene.

The midfield player broke an arm during the midweek draw with Arsenal and will be in plaster for six weeks.

They race with broken arms and broken legs.

back

Once the land round it was worked, but no one these days would break his back over soil so rocky and barren.

His two interceptions Sunday broke the back of the Pittsburgh Steelers as Dallas won the duel in the desert, 27-17.

Then Halfon broke his back in a construction accident.

But he suffered two fractured vertebrae in his neck and a broken lower back in a crash during practice two weeks ago.

Their thunderous charges have broken the back of many an invading army.

It is going to break my back , both of us know it, and there is no choice.

That was the straw which broke the camel's back and in the following 16 minutes United's game fell apart.

Like the steeplechase where Vronsky breaks his mare's back with reckless riding, you can only wait for the pistol shot.

bank

Middleton had denied breaking into the bank on 6 December last year while acting with others, with intent to steal.

Should Johnson return to the Dolphins, he will break the bank .

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

Don't worry about breaking the bank either.

The move follows reports that a new mechanised suction dredge is breaking up river banks , blocking rivers and killing fish.

Last year, Courtney broke the bank with seven out of eight predictions panning out.

I had no choice under the circumstances, and the fees won't exactly break the bank .

I would like to gather everyone somewhere warm and appealing to all ages and not break the bank in doing so.

barrier

The Dolphin Centre has maintained its usual popularity with attendances again breaking the one million barrier .

We will reinforce the rights of the individual in the world of work, and break down artificial barriers to advancement.

But once hard drives broke the 100-megabyte barrier , that was no longer feasible.

Up to half a dozen may break the barrier .

The very language of this passage breaks all the barriers of a finite and static world.

To break down such barriers , Bow Valley last year decided to re-engineer the way in which it processed and distributed information.

Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947.

bone

Rex broke two bones in his leg.

I was afraid of doing something wrong and ending up at the bottom in a mess of twisted metal and broken bones .

He watches her face and he smiles the way he smiled when I broke my bones .

On June 15, he broke a bone in his left leg when he fouled a ball off of his shin.

And slid down, unable to brake himself, breaking one bone then another.

Helps older adults maintain balance and coordination, which prevents falling, broken bones and other injuries. 2.

But the Eagles will be without midfielder Gareth Southgate, who has broken a bone in his right foot.

Murray was much worse: both legs broken and bone protruding through his pelt.

code

They can be fined if they break the code .

Mathematicians of the finest calibre were essential for what then seemed the almost impossible task of breaking a code with astronomical permutations.

Mathematicians scribble equations on blackboards and program supercomputers to make the billions of calculations needed to break a tough code .

It broke a code of silence.

The Rabari are not so much hypocritical in their attitudes to breaking the Hindu code of vegetarianism as low-key.

To break this is to break the code , so it is rarely given.

In her acceptance she broke the code of propriety, went beyond the established manners in a light encounter.

contract

Farmers say supermarkets put them under pressure to sell at rock bottom prices-and regularly break contracts .

But these solicitors often break the law, and that's grounds for you to break the contract .

And I am also not some one to break contracts .

Now the masses are beginning to feel that the state has broken the social contract .

Many Whigs took the line that James had been deposed because he had broken his original contract with the people.

Last week, the district board postponed a decision on whether to break the contract .

Companies are not regarded as individuals under the Act and are therefore unable to break contracts once signed.

How can a teacher break a contract ?

cycle

If this is the case a two-day fast on fruit juice and water will break the cycle .

Rosie was determined to break out of the cycle of poverty that had trapped so many migrant workers.

Yet breaking the endless cycle of global poverty that powers these wars is achievable, Mr Annan says.

Only by sharing parenting, she wrote, could we break the cycle .

For many teachers a business secondment breaks their personal career cycle of school, university to school.

Therapists also teach couples new ways of speaking and listening, to break the blame cycle .

Whitelegg said that any less severe measures would fail to break the cycle of dependence on road transport and consequent congestion.

Going into mid-1993, the company had yet to break this cycle .

deadlock

Then, at last, Guido broke the deadlock .

House, Senate also try to break deadlocks on other issues.

Perhaps here was the key to break the deadlock , the key to the throne of the Wyrmberg.

Marco Van Basten grabbed his fourth goal of the season, 12 minutes after Daniele Massaro had broken the deadlock .

But birthday boy Wright was waiting to break the deadlock with the goal he had been seeking all night.

But Mr Razali is the first envoy to successfully break the deadlock .

Such an intervention could help break the current deadlock between Livingstone and the Government, which is heading for the courts.

Senior officials will meet again in October in an attempt to break the deadlock .

engagement

But she broke off the engagement when he went home to do military service.

Buckling under the pressure, I broke off the engagement and did not return to the United States that fall.

Eileen breaks off her engagement , but Alan then resumes his relationship with the younger Beth, played by Julia Foster.

Fifteen years after the broken engagement , her attraction to Eddie was muddled neither by youth nor by the threat of matrimony.

In a fit of jealousy, Koons broke off their engagement .

They returned fire before breaking off the engagement .

But, without warning, she broke off her engagement .

Margarett Sargent had broken a year-long engagement , and nothing she had done since had retrieved her reputation.

fall

Half blinded by the foam, Christine scrambled for something to grab on to to break her fall .

It is down, straight down, into the rank and file, and there is nothing to break the fall .

The crucifix had been broken by its fall .

Not break , fall or cry each time a hateful picture drifted in front of her face.

When you fall forward, fully conscious or not, you put out your hands to break your fall.

As it breaks , the axeman falls and chops the conveyor creature in half.

It merely broke his fall and carted him a couple of miles up the road.

I watched her put an arm out to break her fall .

fight

Further fights broke out around the pub, and windows were smashed.

But it was in the evenings that the worst fights broke out.

A fight broke out within minutes, and lasted for several hours.

A white Democrat challenged him; a fight broke out and the Democrat was killed and Tolbert was wounded.

Here and there the anti-Fascists were grouped together and running fights broke out with the Blackshirts.

When the soldiers blocked university students from entering campuses the next morning, name-calling and fights broke out.

The soldiers then turned their attention to the police and a free fight broke out.

The fights in Seattle were broken up with pepper spray when as many as 4,000 people crowded into the streets.

fire

Ferry blaze FIRE broke out yesterday on a cross-Channel ferry sailing from Dieppe to Newhaven.

It means you could be trapped in the flat if fire breaks out.

There were about 500 construction workers renovating the tower when the fire broke out.

A fire broke out in her ammunition hold and the crew were taken off by an attendant destroyer.

A few years ago a terrible fire broke out in the nearby town of Dumka.

The trick is preventing the fire in the midriff breaking out into a public conflagration.

The round had not landed before small-arms fire broke out all around the perimeter.

glass

Fedorov and his men had knocked him down, broken his glasses and kicked him in the ribs.

Rotting food, excrement, broken glass had to be painstakingly cleaned up later.

The broken glass , the light-leavened panes.

When it did not open, I broke the glass angrily and stretched out my hand towards the branch.

Of Williams's car there was no sign except the broken red glass of a shattered taillight.

In that case they would have had to break the glass .

Everything is fine until he breaks his glasses .

ground

To break totally new ground is to abandon the conventional rules.

As soon as the funding is in place, perhaps this spring, the Perriseaus plan to break ground .

Here was a country striving for the noblest ideals, breaking new ground ... Straight up!

Obviously, none of this breaks new ground .

Although overdue, two elements of the bill can properly claim to be breaking new ground .

The troupe also continues to break ground with the trapeze, and choreographer Anne Bunker taps that talent with Expanded View.

In seeing development in terms of sub-regional areas the plan breaks new ground .

Instead, they are buoyed by positive illusions that they can break new ground or succeed where others have failed.

habit

In that context, will he break the habit of a lifetime and answer two questions straight?

Overcoming Overeating may be a powerful way for some women to break a long habit of compulsive eating.

So trying to break the habit actually increases the compulsion to smoke or to eat too much!

I tried to break the habit , but must have failed.

Patients who wore them were almost twice as likely to break the habit as those who wore a dummy patch.

It is hard to break the old habits .

To break the habit , try leaving sugar out of drinks for that magic two weeks.

It provides momentary comfort, but does little to break a troublesome habit or cure a nagging infection.

heart

Was your heart really broke , then, when your betrothed was killed at Waterloo?

Had my own heart broken by one inquisitive straight lady, way back in my desperate youth.

Her heart broke and her soul flew to heaven.

To her annoyance - and her dismay - Ashley felt her heart break into its usual erratic beat behind her ribs.

If their own heart is breaking it should not be allowed to show.

I know so many hearts are broken .

hell

If her brothers even suspected that she had been with a boy, all hell would break loose.

Talk about all hell breaking loose.

They establish a colony on Ragol but this perfect planet soon unleashes a few surprises and all hell breaks loose.

Ammo dumps were being detonated by incoming mortars and rockets, and all hell was breaking loose.

A sparrow hawk appeared - and all hell broke loose!

But then all hell broke loose, geologically speaking, as increasing numbers of sources for the rock were discovered.

And if she had ... If she had, all hell would have broken loose.

What actually happened was that I was as drunk as anybody in the barracks the night all hell broke loose.

ice

Humour Humour can be an excellent behaviour for easing tensions and breaking the ice between people.

This gambit nevertheless breaks the ice , and they begin by discussing the merits of various brands of scotch.

That always seems to happen when you break the ice .

In the winter, she rose early to break the ice in the washing bowls.

We broke the ice which held our relations in a paralysing grip.

I have to break the ice with a long pole before I can lower a bucket into water.

She helps break the ice when I am interviewing.

To break the ice , the dorm leader asked us to tell the group what our favorite home-cooked meal was.

law

Neither man gave evidence but their counsels argued neither had believed they were breaking the law .

This question resulted in almost one-third saying that they themselves might break the law .

If they come to me confidentially and they're breaking the law , it will go back.

In the name of the freedom to inform, we might break the law .

We have to think of possible test factors which are related to both income and preparedness to break the law .

And take for his reward the lands of the folk he decides have broken the law ?

That's none of my business so long as I don't have to break any laws .

leg

He's broken his leg , that's all.

Dempster breaks a leg in a fall from his gig, having driven drunkenly, and is brought home delirious.

No, Mr Winters, I won't break his bloody legs when I see him.

But your partner has just broken a leg and is recovering at home.

He was going like a winner when he came to the third from home, fell and broke a leg .

They race with broken arms and broken legs .

marriage

A former Post Office engineer returned to the South after his marriage broke up.

Fond as he is of his inactive comforts, he regrets all marriages as breaking up happy families.

I was worried that she might shut me out and that our marriage might break up.

Divorce has become socially more acceptable, so more marriages break up.

He had married a Glasgow girl, probably in 1934, and the marriage broke up in 1939.

But consider this, she says: Six out of 10 marriages that break up involve children.

Is marriage broken by death, leaving the surviving partner free to marry again?

When the marriage broke down the husband asked the wife to leave the matrimonial home.

mould

The church planter must break the mould of self-sufficiency and dare to rely on his or her team.

He was not out to break the mould , just to collect better data.

Above left: Lauren Hutton broke the model mould .

But here and there, societies rouse themselves to break the mould .

A narrow élite among the wealthier landowners and bureaucrats was developing tastes and interests which broke the Orthodox mould .

For a brief moment in the late 1980s and early 1990s ecstasy broke this mould .

The new head of school who's breaking the mould .

There is a heavy price to be paid for breaking the mould .

neck

This was where Jackson's enemies needed to break the neck of his campaign.

Another rammed a barrier wall and broke its neck .

Eventually, Lennie's strength becomes too much for him, and he breaks a woman's neck accidentally.

The star of nearly 400 Western movies lay dead of a broken neck .

Then 4 seasons ago, he broke his neck in a club game.

His horse threw him, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.

He fell from a window and broke his neck , out there in the courtyard.

I thought I was going to break my neck before I ever hit the ground.

news

None wanted to be the one to break the news .

I broke the news to some people.

Rashbrook broke the news as delicately as he could.

They want interactivity and breaking news .

Then she realised that Louise would have already broken the news to the bridge party.

Janet Canterbury was in Washington that week, and Ellie called both of us into her office to break the news personally.

Murphy waited until we were in the Polo Lounge to break the bad news .

nose

He broke Sonny's nose and closed his left eye.

Once, she fell and broke her nose and chin.

McClelland punched Mr Woodhouse twice in the face breaking his nose .

When he fell after being hit with the staff, he broke his nose on the ground.

It wasn't so much the threat of Dennis breaking his nose that had changed his mind.

More Sanders: He broke his nose against Green Bay when his helmet was shoved down.

He cut me above the eye and broke my nose which had been broken before.

Newsweek puts Geraldo on the cover with his broken nose so that Newsweek can sell more magazines.

piece

Except in the extreme and anomalous calm of the Sargasso Sea, big floating seaweeds would simply be broken to pieces .

Maxentius had Catherine tied to a wheel, which immediately broke into pieces .

At this point, Plagemann breaks up the pieces with a potato masher.

With remarkable poise, he quickly put the two broken pieces in one hand and made an attempt to paddle canoe-style.

She broke off a piece of baguette, spread it with butter and jam, stuffed it into her mouth.

Leaving a glowing trail over one thousand kilometers long, it broke into several large pieces as it progressed.

However, early on, as he introduced the superposition principle, Dirac would break in half a piece of chalk.

We buy our wild rice in broken pieces , which cuts the expense in half.

promise

Then, when he learnt that Felix had lost all his money, he broke his promise .

Maurice breaks his promises so consistently that he begins to seem a professional liar.

He must now break his promise to California.

Usually the sins confessed were minor in nature: a broken promise , a plagiarized term paper.

Maybe they just broke too many promises ?

Day broke with every promise of a fine day.

By the end of his reign, he had broken all his promises .

Boyd, broke yet another pre-election promise by picking up another county car.

record

They were arrested only days after breaking a world record by riding across a glacier in the Himalayas.

Dolan almost broke his own world record .

He was busy trying to break all records in the charity business.

Male speaker I don't mind if Aldridge breaks Tranmere's scoring record as long as we score more.

This fall, education officials say, enrollment will break that record when it tops 51. 7 million.

Eventually, human champions will stop breaking records too.

Stiles had 13 points in the first half, then quickly broke the record as the second half got under way.

rule

Do you therefore automatically break this legal rule ?

Very slowly, I realize I can break the rules I hate.

Lord Irvine, head of the judiciary, insisted that he had broken no rules nor undermined the integrity of his office.

Nuccio claims he broke no law or rule by sharing sensitive intelligence data with a member of Congress.

If I break the rule , correcting the pattern is more complicated.

Expiatory punishment is strong punishment administered to children by parents or other adult authorities for breaking rules .

Officials kept ministers in the dark and broke rules by agreeing to pay developers and consultants in advance.

Yet Sister Mary had singled Miranda out as special though she broke the rules .

silence

The only sound to break the silence of the night was the soft mutter of my engine.

Protestant voices now and then broke the silence .

She would have to think of something to say in a minute to break the silence .

A footstep broke the silence and approached to within ten paces of Blackburn and waited.

They climbed the eighty steps to the house, Anne breaking the silence only to return the greetings of people they passed.

When a proposal or statement is followed by a period of silence , the person who breaks the silence loses - wrong!

Then one of them would break the silence .

spell

No more than usual, was the answer, but at last it was enough to break the spell .

Mrs Fanning had broken the spell of the wild and beautiful dancers.

The tiny sound of distress broke the spell and spurred Grant into action.

I feared my own words might break the spell of normalcy.

I, for one, would not break that spell , nor flaunt the laws that he has made.

The kiss of the prince breaks the spell of narcissism and awakens a womanhood which up to then has remained undeveloped.

He smiled at her and, in offering her reassurance, broke the spell that held them.

And again, louder, as if breaking a spell or casting one: Olppajin-saram.

tax

It was used to justify the introduction of the poll tax and to justify breaking up metropolitan counties.

In Bush's Texas the governor fought for property tax breaks while denying children basic healthcare.

He has proposed a new tax credit that reinforces the traditional use of special tax breaks to affect social policy.

But the float careered on and crashed into the 58-year-old tax official, breaking his leg.

The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly last month to repeal the tax break only after it had become public.

Now that names no longer get the tax breaks that were long the market's main attraction, it is an outdated nonsense.

Expanded IRAs for this higher-income group will give costly tax breaks to people who are already saving for retirement.

tear

The night war was declared Mrs Burrows broke down in tears .

I waited for Janir to break into tears .

Bacher broke into tears as he painted a damning picture of global match-fixing.

Charles Emanuel broke down in tears .

The princess breaks down in tears during a visit to Merseyside.

As the service ended, several attendees broke down in tears , including 19-year-old rapper Mase.

Marcos's widow Imelda broke down in tears but her daughters Imee and Irene maintained their composure.

Just two weeks later Nader Nadirpur broke down in tears .

tradition

So, breaking with tradition , are several of the national missions.

For that reason, Apple broke tradition and did not include a programming language along with the machine.

Not that he broke with all tradition .

Unexpectedly, one of the House conferees decided that this action left her free to break with tradition as well.

To cross them was to break tradition , to sever one's links and become an outsider.

In 1940 Roosevelt broke with tradition and stood for a third term of office.

The Taft administration failed to break tradition on the issues critical to the black man.

voice

They were shattered by the sudden incursion of a resounding bass voice which broke into song.

In the midst of her burning words her voice broke .

M.D. playing female parts at school - until my voice broke .

Well, what can one-Her voice broke off, and her hands cupped her ears.

war

The war , which broke out in August 1998, involves a number of foreign countries and several rebel groups.

What happens if a major war breaks out?

When war broke out he had to endure four months' internment as an enemy alien.

The full implications of this convergence between state socialism and nationalism only became apparent after war broke out in 1914.

The day I arrived in Texas, the war broke out.

Dad being a Territorial soldier, he was called up immediately war broke out in 1914.

Marvin should be one minute into telling the President that war was about to break out in the Persian Gulf.

window

Heathcliff swore horribly at me and broke one of the windows .

He became aware that she was breaking away from the window .

Those broken windows were miraculously replaced in sunny May in anticipation of a visit from the first lady of the country.

She had laid the hammer there, after she had tried to break the tower window .

Rather than betray the others, Stockdale broke a window and slashed his wrists with a jagged shard of glass.

The single-storey kindergarten held 50 children in two rooms with broken windows and rotting wooden floors.

About eighty were injured, and most of the property damage was limited to broken windows and overturned cars.

■ VERB

try

Have you ever tried to break one of those things?

I tried to break the habit, but must have failed.

When he saw a gang trying to break into a car in Gateshead he and a neighbour chased the youths.

He was, in fact, trying to break the terrible news gently to his father.

He never tries to break punters.

There were too many things trying to break into his thoughts.

We are trying to break the speech patterns of these children, trying to get them to speak properly.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a broken heart

According to legend, anyone who ever fired the weapon died of a broken heart or cardiac arrest.

Harald died three months later, I believe of a broken heart.

He has to find a way to heal a broken heart and help hold his family together.

It was part sadness, like a broken heart.

It was the universal panacea for a broken heart.

Sindham dies and then Ana dies of a broken heart.

The system caused many a broken heart over the generations.

This was after David had split up with Hermione and was nursing a broken heart.

a clean break

Why argue about the terms of the divorce when both of you just want a clean break?

And this year the association has tried to make a clean break from the past.

Gossip has it that his wife had recently left him and he wanted to make a clean break.

He made almost a clean break with the game, except for some local television work.

He says it indicates a clean break with a stupid and superstitious past.

In such cases a clean break at 16+ removed many existing constraints and frustrations.

It was best to make a clean break.

Men may suffer just as much when a relationship fails, but they seem able to make a cleaner break.

The adoption of an economy based on farming did not effect a clean break.

all hell broke loose

Debbie told him to shut up, he slapped her, and then all hell broke loose.

When a fan jumped onto the stage, all hell broke loose.

A sparrow hawk appeared - and all hell broke loose!

And then, all hell broke loose.

But then all hell broke loose, geologically speaking, as increasing numbers of sources for the rock were discovered.

Journalists woke him up in his bed with the news and, as I suspected, all hell broke loose.

Not at all bad considering that all hell broke loose in September and the City was rocked by events outside its control.

She started to strip off, all hell broke loose and he bolted while plain-clothes officers moved in to stage a cover-up.

What actually happened was that I was as drunk as anybody in the barracks the night all hell broke loose.

When the story was leaked to the press, all hell broke loose.

break (your) stride

Stunned, the woman broke stride and spun around.

Wonderful girl; didn't even seem to break stride .

break even

Thankfully, we broke even in our first year in business.

The company made a small loss last year but this year has managed to break even .

We'll be just breaking even if we can get an average audience of 300.

Even La Scala, where an opening-night stall seat goes for £500, rarely comes close to breaking even.

I just figured I could come close to breaking even .

If we can break even - as I think we will - it will be a qualified success.

The company is aiming to break even at the pretax level in the year ending March 31.

The hunters were not even breaking even, yet the hunt continued despite the falling catches.

Thus the market is now a money-loser: it needs 47,000 contracts a day to break even , but manages barely 30,000.

When you add fund expenses, you have to earn more than 2 % a year just to break even .

With these advantages, the mission actually breaks even on the first flight.

break faith with sb/sth

Officials have denied reports that the U.S. had broken faith with the island's government.

break into a sweat/break out in a sweat

Even on a cold day, the old man could break into a sweat if he got beyond a full minute.

He broke into a sweat , began to tremble, and then asked if we could leave.

He was very weak and his body trembled and broke into sweats whenever he tried to sleep.

I began to break into a sweat .

I noted the Handbook clearly stated that you were not to expect the police to break into a sweat over your losses.

break ranks

31 Republicans in the Assembly broke ranks to vote with Democrats.

Surprisingly, nine of the 31 Republicans in the Assembly broke ranks to vote with the Democrats.

As she approached, one of them broke ranks and went to stand over Edward, apparently addressing him.

But I broke ranks with him.

Moderate Assembly Republicans broke ranks with conservative members to defeat a GOP-sponsored bill that would have returned corporal punishment to the classroom.

Only then, in the shock of the open air at last, did we break ranks and go our separate ways.

The older sisters played too, although one broke ranks to play volleyball in her junior college days.

The pairs of glassy eyes no longer corresponded, in death they broke ranks , each distended eye gone its own way.

The party has broken ranks , with five of its nine presidential hopefuls calling for a review of the revisions.

This effort to head off support for the more costly Democratic bill failed to prevent 13 Republican senators breaking ranks .

break sweat

break the mould

The new party promised to break the mould of British politics.

All have broken the mould of the usual career path in engineering.

But here and there, societies rouse themselves to break the mould .

He was not out to break the mould , just to collect better data.

Papen wanted to capitalize on the situation by breaking the mould of the Constitution and ruling by force against right and left.

The church planter must break the mould of self-sufficiency and dare to rely on his or her team.

The new head of school who's breaking the mould .

There is a heavy price to be paid for breaking the mould .

They have broken the mould of the old structuralist and determinist urban sociology.

break the spell

Only a kiss could break the spell .

And if she took Johnny into the cottage, might this in some way break the spell and spoil the magic?

He smiled at her and, in offering her reassurance, broke the spell that held them.

I feared my own words might break the spell of normalcy.

Mrs Fanning had broken the spell of the wild and beautiful dancers.

No more than usual, was the answer, but at last it was enough to break the spell .

Stepping off a chair with a rope around his neck and hanging there for a minute had broken the spell .

The kiss of the prince breaks the spell of narcissism and awakens a womanhood which up to then has remained undeveloped.

The tiny sound of distress broke the spell and spurred Grant into action.

broken English/French etc

broken home

He was the product of a broken home and therefore a single-parent child.

Helen knew plenty about broken homes, because she came from one.

J., the product of a broken home.

Over 28 years I've had two broken marriages and broken homes, family and friends.

The majority of offenders do not come from disturbed or broken homes, and many broken homes do not produce delinquents.

They came from broken homes and were desperate to help struggling mums.

Vitro knows all about being dirt poor in the rural South and growing up in a broken home.

broken marriage

a broken marriage

And I've seen too much unhappiness caused by broken marriages.

Cathy was a too-real story about inner-city squalor, broken marriages, homelessness and a shot-to-hell welfare system.

Childless men, especially those with a broken marriage, were more likely to be ambitious, highly educated professionals.

Like Kathy, she had found great spiritual consolation at Holy Trinity in the wake of a broken marriage.

That and alcoholism and broken marriages.

The Isle of Skye promises to be a good spot to escape the rigors of work and a broken marriage.

The two broken marriages and then the obvious fact that he didn't think much of her.

This new reality helped engender a more sensitive ecclesial approach to the plight of Catholics in broken marriages.

commercial break

During a commercial break, we met another lovely and somebody who plays defensive back engaged in witty banter.

In the past, to the horror of soccer purists, broadcasters have cut away from live action for commercial breaks.

It should be surprising but liberating: and undermine the other ads in the commercial break.

Nothing must clash with a commercial break or run into the news.

They were shown in the commercial break of the 10 p.m.

go broke

A lot of small businesses went broke during the recession.

And once you have so many farmers going broke , the ripple effect starts.

Bethlehem went broke a year later, but a reissue set appeared 20 years later.

He could also go broke - last year, farm incomes fell by 25 percent.

Mr Menem applied such nonsense in the state of La Rioja, where he is governor; it has gone broke .

Ninety-nine out of a hundred wildcatters went broke or crazy or both and abandoned their last asteroid with the equipment in situ.

Project the numbers forward and government simply goes broke .

They are delightful students, but we take them because we'd go broke if we didn't.

Two retiring Republican senators warned their fellow lawmakers Tuesday that they need to fix the Social Security system before it goes broke .

go for broke

Jacobsen went for broke on the last nine holes and won the tournament.

In games, I usually go for broke . 12.

So he felt free to go for broke .

So, Major may be going for broke by breaking with precedent.

This is not a show you can skimp on, and thankfully director Damian Cruden goes for broke .

if it ain't broke, don't fix it

keep/break the Sabbath

By healing the man is he keeping the Sabbath Holy or profaning it?.

One of the 10 commandments is to keep the Sabbath Holy.

So the idea of keeping the Sabbath day holy was born.

The people of Lewis keep the Sabbath and their honour.

potty break

sb's waters break

the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

Careful, those glasses break easily.

Do not use this product if the seal has been broken.

Farmers are anxious for the cold weather to break .

He once broke a window of his grandfather's greenhouse with a football.

Her voice breaks as she talks about her missing children.

How did you manage to break the microwave?

I'll let you break next game.

I broke my leg last time I went skiing.

I broke one of her platters once, and I swear she's never forgiven me.

I don't know what she did, but she managed to break the sewing machine.

I think I was about 14 when my voice broke.

I think the switch is broken.

If you break it you'll have to pay for it out of your allowance.

It just broke. I didn't even touch it!

It was such bad luck - it was our first time skiing and Nicola broke her leg.

Leave that clock alone - you'll break it!

My watchband has broken.

One of the kids put some rocks in the blender and broke it.

She dropped a plate and it broke.

She fell off her bike and broke her glasses.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

Britain stood for political ideals that must prevail if western civilization were not to break down.

From time to time he broke off his labours to return to the great court to look out for Tutilo returning.

His nose was broken in two places by a player he had sent off for violent play.

I saw him thrown into the shattered windshield, bounced around inside the Volvo, his face slashed and his bones broken.

I was trying to ease the wagon down a short slope when it broke loose and almost broke my leg.

Only once did Norwich break their stranglehold, midway through the first-half, when John Polston moved up to rattle a post.

II. noun

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

big

She was a working class woman on her own, looking for that big break .

This may have been my biggest break of all.

But their hard, streetwise experience gave their big break .

It was supposed to be my big break , do you remember?

All from a guy whose big break was being named the Suns' first general manager at 28.

clean

In such cases a clean break at 16+ removed many existing constraints and frustrations.

It was best to make a clean break .

Men may suffer just as much when a relationship fails, but they seem able to make a cleaner break .

So she would be ruthless about making a clean and immediate break .

He says it indicates a clean break with a stupid and superstitious past.

Gossip has it that his wife had recently left him and he wanted to make a clean break .

The adoption of an economy based on farming did not effect a clean break .

And this year the association has tried to make a clean break from the past.

commercial

In the past, to the horror of soccer purists, broadcasters have cut away from live action for commercial breaks .

During a commercial break , we met another lovely and somebody who plays defensive back engaged in witty banter.

They were shown in the commercial break of the 10 p.m.

complete

However, the changes were not a complete break with the past.

He wants a complete break from golf.

They cynically target the newly redundant and suggest a complete break with their old firm.

More than most, you know how to make a complete break with the past.

However, there was no complete break with Britain.

long

Voice over Brian Horton takes a squad of fifteen ... Mike Ford returns to the team after a long break through injury.

When the longer breaks were implemented, the change was met with an enthusiastic response from both workers and observers.

Then there was a long break as the cameras were set up for the dramatic shot over Sir Rupert Cartland's shoulder.

And then a long loud scream breaks from me.

Of those surveyed, 58.6% preferred to take one or two long breaks as opposed to several short weekend breaks.

Then Chris Holmes broke a period of Basingstoke pressure with a long break from the 22.

lucky

He wouldn't be getting much sleep over the next few days unless they got a very lucky break .

Key events included radical job changes and serious problems, as well as lucky breaks .

Ace thought that was another suspiciously lucky break , but she had no complaints.

Outside Nordhausen he had a lucky break .

It might be a lucky break .

short

In summer Venice is crammed with tourists and the heat is often stifling, but autumn is perfect for a short break .

It was also top for short breaks and business trips.

Our trip was arranged by Rainbow Holidays, Britain's second biggest short break company.

We were always at our desks by nine, taking short breaks only for meals and often working late into the night.

You can even leave your complete holiday arrangements to us: anything from a short break to a fortnight's package.

Looking pink and refreshed after a short break , Mr Smith strode into the pokey committee rooms to a rabble-rousing welcome.

welcome

It gave them a welcome break from the mania of the Olympics and seemed to put everything in its proper perspective.

They promptly shot it for dinner, a welcome break from dehydrated rations.

It was a welcome break from comedy, but it wasn't noticed enough for there to be a great many similar offers.

At Great Bedwyn we stop for welcome break and cheer the first of the singles through.

That would be a most welcome break .

As an early morning reviver, or a welcome mid-morning break what could be better than a cup of your favourite coffee?

For some, the visit is a welcome break from medical treatment they're receiving for radiation sickness.

■ NOUN

career

It is vital that the education system should attract back women who have taken a career break to raise a family.

His next big career break came about almost by accident.

We already encourage job-shares, part-time working and career breaks and we are introducing home working.

Employers who do not offer career breaks and childcare facilities may find themselves passed over in favour of employers who do.

It has been written to meet the needs of those returning to work after a career break .

christmas

Everything was A-Okay until the Christmas break .

coffee

Called to attend at 10.15 in the morning, we started in the time-honoured way of civilization with a coffee break .

To save paraffin we stopped having a mid-morning coffee break .

Fast chargers and coffee break chargers reduce this to 15 minutes or a top up charge for 5 minutes.

And now she deserved a coffee break .

It appears to be an ideal resting place for lunch or a midmorning coffee break .

During the coffee break that follows, you will have the chance to chat with these two experts.

No attempt has been made to choose worthwhile bars that can be visited for a coffee break enroute.

easter

Some took holidays, others extended their Easter break .

Thomas Cook is to launch a £1m campaign to encourage late bookers to travel over the Easter break .

A Forte spokesperson says the launch of the Heritage campaign is timed to coincide with the Easter break .

Adam was nineteen and in his first year at university, though at that time at home for the Easter break .

lunch

Zaza and Fiona were discussing their plans to visit Top Shop in their lunch break .

I timed it so I caught Stu on his lunch break .

Then we had a lunch break during which time the Head went round and awarded marks for the cleanest class.

After all, the 27-year-old farm worker fully intended to return to work when his 30-minute lunch break was over.

Here our raftbuilders had gambled over cards during their lunch breaks or left their bicycles while they were at work.

I rang Joy and Alan, who came immediately and stayed, apart from a quick lunch break , all day.

Although the street theater seems a bit touristy, the audience consists mostly of locals on their lunch breaks .

spring

Instead, his cheerleading coach said, he chose to spend his spring break on a cruise ship.

For a while the conditions are so propitious that by spring break I have a rough draft of my book.

summer

Graham axed David Rocastle two seasons ago, accusing him of being overweight after the summer break .

The company offers college students a chance to learn management of a company and earn money during their summer breaks .

Mr Broadhurst had returned from his summer break .

More than half would rather have a shorter summer break and more holidays at other times.

Meanwhile, Lelong's tribute to Miró continues until the summer break .

tax

At the same time, incentives including tax breaks were offered for innovative import-substitution industries.

Things could improve as the effects of a tax break for defense manufacturers become evident.

Second, relying on tax breaks destroys any hope of stability.

The cost would be offset in part from repeal of corporate tax breaks .

It also benefits from big tax breaks provided by the city and state governments.

Many will offer low-interest loans, tax breaks or whatever else it takes to close a deal.

tea

When the tea break comes everybody rushes to the model, holding their cups over the plan.

During the tea break , I was able to chat with the doctor for a few minutes.

At tea breaks and lunchtime I never saw him eat more than a bar of chocolate or a biscuit.

Try to make coffee or tea breaks and all meal times a social occasion.

We have no official tea break but sometimes one of us goes out and gets tea for the others.

Only at the end of the tea break did it reappear again without a guard.

And you even get a tea break without a floating plastic fly in the cup or a plate of rubber biscuits.

It was during the tea break that Meredith began to feel agitated again.

tie

In the tie break , Miss Cross offered more consistency and ran away with it, 7-3.

weekend

Special weekend breaks are on offer at many hotels.

A two night self-drive weekend break from their Winter-Inn programme staying at Les Trois Mousquetaires costs £181 per person high season.

Birmingham is a great city for a weekend break .

For at Craigendarroch we have more to offer you than a luxurious weekend break .

When they returned to finish the work after a weekend break , they found parts of the posts missing and broken.

Remember not to contact Sunday newspaper journalists on Monday - they will be having their weekend break !

I left for my weekend break after those first five days wanting to hug everyone I met.

■ VERB

deserve

Don't you deserve a break from the stress and the strife?

And now she deserved a coffee break .

Brilliant Stefan deserves a break I like to read all the reader's letters in the magazine.

get

It's the only time I can get a break from my family.

You want your club to be in position to take advantage if you get a break .

However, some items make useful additions to any holiday suitcase and will make sure you get the trouble-free break you deserve.

I feel exhausted all the time from the sheer hard physical work and never getting a proper break .

give

It gave them a welcome break from the mania of the Olympics and seemed to put everything in its proper perspective.

We need to give breaks to those companies offering higher wages, insurance and career benefits.

Letters poured into the Denver fund group thanking it for giving smaller investors a break .

He'd informed Aunt Edie that to give her a break , he and Patsy would get the tea later on.

need

We all needed a break from the tension.

Whenever a man or woman or child needs a break , another removes an instrument from its case and fills the chair.

Probably, she had been studying the figures with too much intensity, and now she needed a break .

take

Journal in double triumph Roy Castle takes a break from record-breaking and relaxes with a good read.

This is not the time to take a break .

Then they did their bit for the tourism industry - by taking a break in Dorset and Hampshire.

Why not take an extra break at no extra cost - courtesy of Shell and air Miles?

When people take shorter breaks there is less build-up and excitement before and after the holiday, resulting in less disruption.

The company takes a break Dec. 7.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a broken heart

According to legend, anyone who ever fired the weapon died of a broken heart or cardiac arrest.

Harald died three months later, I believe of a broken heart.

He has to find a way to heal a broken heart and help hold his family together.

It was part sadness, like a broken heart.

It was the universal panacea for a broken heart.

Sindham dies and then Ana dies of a broken heart.

The system caused many a broken heart over the generations.

This was after David had split up with Hermione and was nursing a broken heart.

a clean break

Why argue about the terms of the divorce when both of you just want a clean break?

And this year the association has tried to make a clean break from the past.

Gossip has it that his wife had recently left him and he wanted to make a clean break.

He made almost a clean break with the game, except for some local television work.

He says it indicates a clean break with a stupid and superstitious past.

In such cases a clean break at 16+ removed many existing constraints and frustrations.

It was best to make a clean break.

Men may suffer just as much when a relationship fails, but they seem able to make a cleaner break.

The adoption of an economy based on farming did not effect a clean break.

all hell broke loose

Debbie told him to shut up, he slapped her, and then all hell broke loose.

When a fan jumped onto the stage, all hell broke loose.

A sparrow hawk appeared - and all hell broke loose!

And then, all hell broke loose.

But then all hell broke loose, geologically speaking, as increasing numbers of sources for the rock were discovered.

Journalists woke him up in his bed with the news and, as I suspected, all hell broke loose.

Not at all bad considering that all hell broke loose in September and the City was rocked by events outside its control.

She started to strip off, all hell broke loose and he bolted while plain-clothes officers moved in to stage a cover-up.

What actually happened was that I was as drunk as anybody in the barracks the night all hell broke loose.

When the story was leaked to the press, all hell broke loose.

break (your) stride

Stunned, the woman broke stride and spun around.

Wonderful girl; didn't even seem to break stride .

break even

Thankfully, we broke even in our first year in business.

The company made a small loss last year but this year has managed to break even .

We'll be just breaking even if we can get an average audience of 300.

Even La Scala, where an opening-night stall seat goes for £500, rarely comes close to breaking even.

I just figured I could come close to breaking even .

If we can break even - as I think we will - it will be a qualified success.

The company is aiming to break even at the pretax level in the year ending March 31.

The hunters were not even breaking even, yet the hunt continued despite the falling catches.

Thus the market is now a money-loser: it needs 47,000 contracts a day to break even , but manages barely 30,000.

When you add fund expenses, you have to earn more than 2 % a year just to break even .

With these advantages, the mission actually breaks even on the first flight.

break faith with sb/sth

Officials have denied reports that the U.S. had broken faith with the island's government.

break into a sweat/break out in a sweat

Even on a cold day, the old man could break into a sweat if he got beyond a full minute.

He broke into a sweat , began to tremble, and then asked if we could leave.

He was very weak and his body trembled and broke into sweats whenever he tried to sleep.

I began to break into a sweat .

I noted the Handbook clearly stated that you were not to expect the police to break into a sweat over your losses.

break ranks

31 Republicans in the Assembly broke ranks to vote with Democrats.

Surprisingly, nine of the 31 Republicans in the Assembly broke ranks to vote with the Democrats.

As she approached, one of them broke ranks and went to stand over Edward, apparently addressing him.

But I broke ranks with him.

Moderate Assembly Republicans broke ranks with conservative members to defeat a GOP-sponsored bill that would have returned corporal punishment to the classroom.

Only then, in the shock of the open air at last, did we break ranks and go our separate ways.

The older sisters played too, although one broke ranks to play volleyball in her junior college days.

The pairs of glassy eyes no longer corresponded, in death they broke ranks , each distended eye gone its own way.

The party has broken ranks , with five of its nine presidential hopefuls calling for a review of the revisions.

This effort to head off support for the more costly Democratic bill failed to prevent 13 Republican senators breaking ranks .

break sweat

broken English/French etc

broken home

He was the product of a broken home and therefore a single-parent child.

Helen knew plenty about broken homes, because she came from one.

J., the product of a broken home.

Over 28 years I've had two broken marriages and broken homes, family and friends.

The majority of offenders do not come from disturbed or broken homes, and many broken homes do not produce delinquents.

They came from broken homes and were desperate to help struggling mums.

Vitro knows all about being dirt poor in the rural South and growing up in a broken home.

broken marriage

a broken marriage

And I've seen too much unhappiness caused by broken marriages.

Cathy was a too-real story about inner-city squalor, broken marriages, homelessness and a shot-to-hell welfare system.

Childless men, especially those with a broken marriage, were more likely to be ambitious, highly educated professionals.

Like Kathy, she had found great spiritual consolation at Holy Trinity in the wake of a broken marriage.

That and alcoholism and broken marriages.

The Isle of Skye promises to be a good spot to escape the rigors of work and a broken marriage.

The two broken marriages and then the obvious fact that he didn't think much of her.

This new reality helped engender a more sensitive ecclesial approach to the plight of Catholics in broken marriages.

commercial break

During a commercial break, we met another lovely and somebody who plays defensive back engaged in witty banter.

In the past, to the horror of soccer purists, broadcasters have cut away from live action for commercial breaks.

It should be surprising but liberating: and undermine the other ads in the commercial break.

Nothing must clash with a commercial break or run into the news.

They were shown in the commercial break of the 10 p.m.

go broke

A lot of small businesses went broke during the recession.

And once you have so many farmers going broke , the ripple effect starts.

Bethlehem went broke a year later, but a reissue set appeared 20 years later.

He could also go broke - last year, farm incomes fell by 25 percent.

Mr Menem applied such nonsense in the state of La Rioja, where he is governor; it has gone broke .

Ninety-nine out of a hundred wildcatters went broke or crazy or both and abandoned their last asteroid with the equipment in situ.

Project the numbers forward and government simply goes broke .

They are delightful students, but we take them because we'd go broke if we didn't.

Two retiring Republican senators warned their fellow lawmakers Tuesday that they need to fix the Social Security system before it goes broke .

go for broke

Jacobsen went for broke on the last nine holes and won the tournament.

In games, I usually go for broke . 12.

So he felt free to go for broke .

So, Major may be going for broke by breaking with precedent.

This is not a show you can skimp on, and thankfully director Damian Cruden goes for broke .

have sth stolen/broken/taken etc

if it ain't broke, don't fix it

make or break

A scholarly opinion can make or break a picture, as in the case of a Saraceni which we sold in 1989.

He also said the board has the power to make or break a project.

It could make or break with vibration or thermal expansion as the machine warmed up.

It was make or break for us.

Not only does it influence whether or not you fork out the requisite 65p, it can make or break a band.

Royal watchers say the 47-year-old prince recognizes it is make or break time for him personally.

Though generally they are only out by one grade, that can be make or break for some.

Whether for dress or athletics, the fit of the shoe can also make or break a pair of feet.

potty break

sb's waters break

the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

After finishing school, Craig felt he needed a break from studying.

Can you take a break next month?

Come and see me at break , Tom.

Could you come and see me during afternoon break ?

Daytona Beach is preparing for the thousands of college students who will arrive for spring break .

Gary wants to work in television. He's just waiting for a break .

Gonzales needs a break of serve to even the match up.

Harry had worked for eight hours without a break .

I'll phone you in my lunch break .

I spoke to him briefly during a break in rehearsals.

Nimoy's big break in television came in the mid-'60s, when he won the role of Spock on "Star Trek."

OK, let's run through it again straight after the break .

Seeing that advertisement in the paper was a lucky break for me.

She's had a two-year break from competitive running, but now she's staging a comeback.

She returned to her job after a six-month break .

The break has not healed correctly.

The children have a fifteen-minute break at 11 o'clock.

The students get a few days' break in February.

There was a break of two years between his last book and this one.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

But when one came it was on the break , Tovalieri getting Bari's third.

During those breaks tea was brewed over Bunsen burners, and he sat back and answered questions.

Some agencies are particularly keen to attract nurses who have had a break in practice and provide reorientation for new staff.

Some new networks can heal themselves when a break occurs, without any involvement from a repairman.

Superior Court Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki abruptly called for an early lunch break .

There had been barely a break in their conversation as they hopped the rocks.

Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary.      Дополнительный английский словарь Longman DOCE5.