I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a brush fire (= a very large fire in an area of grass )
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There were frequent brush fires during the hot dry summers.
as daft as a brush (= extremely silly )
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She’s as daft as a brush .
brush off/wash off/clean off the dirt
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Wash the dirt off those boots before you come in.
brush your teeth ( also clean your teeth British English )
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I brush my teeth twice a day.
brush/comb your hair
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He cleaned his teeth and brushed his hair.
brushed aside
▪
He brushed aside criticisms of his performance.
clothes brush
scrubbing brush
shaving brush
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
broad
▪
In any case, the way forward has been mapped with only the broadest of brushes .
daft
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All the pick-ups you've mentioned are daft as a brush .
dampened
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Cut out long thin strips for trimming around the top edge of the boat and fix on with a dampened paint brush .
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Secure the head to the body with a dampened brush . 7 Shape the remaining white icing into hands and feet.
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Secure the feet with a dampened brush to the front of the cake.
fine
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Winsor &038; Newton Gold no4 short flat fine hog brush .
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The pollen of one flower is transferred to another by means of a fine brush .
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Any visible glue line can be disguised with enamel, applied with a fine camel-hair brush .
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Grasses are applied in fine , light lines using a fine brush loaded with acrylic paint.
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This is established with a fine brush .
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Brightly paint the towel using blue and green food colourings and a fine paint brush .
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Try using a fine sable rigger brush which will make very precise lines, although this does require patience!
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Use a fine artist's brush to touch in sports of bare metal, scratches and chips with a metal primer.
scrub
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We follow a number of faint tracks that disappear on the flat and run into barriers of scrub brush and trees.
scrubbing
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She used the soap, but not the scrubbing brush .
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I can't quite picture Veronica down on her knees with a scrubbing brush .
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Another is a yogi on the scrubbing brush .
shaving
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She picked up the ivory-handled shaving brush which rested next to them, and felt the softness of its bristles against her face.
small
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A small revolving brush on the front was sweeping dust into a slot.
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The California Department of Forestry said the crash sparked a small brush fire that was quickly extinguished.
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Then smudge downwards towards the lashes, using a cotton bud or a small brush .
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Better to remove the sprayer and use a cotton swab or small artist brush .
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An irrelevant monoclonal antibody, J13, to human small intestinal brush border membranes served as a negative control.
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Lightly sand scratches and chips with fine wet-and-dry paper, and remove all traces of rust with small wire brush .
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When the vaporised lead cooled, it was collected by small boys with brushes and shovels.
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A stiff yard broom and a small stiff hand brush will remove most of the debris.
soft
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Use a soft bristle brush to loosen the grime and if possible a sprayer to wash it all off.
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The colour was thinned with water to the consistency of cream and applied with soft synthetic haired brushes .
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Imagine dusting each bud with a soft brush and malathion dust!
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Even a soft body brush can feel uncomfortable if the bristles are stuck into the skin.
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Clean dentures with a soft brush and soap and water after every meal and leave them in water overnight.
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Loosen dust and debris from the motherboard and expansion cards with a soft bristle brush .
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Brush away surplus after application, using a big, soft powder brush .
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We could brush the horse with a soft brush: it will do both of us good!
stiff
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Scrub away any residue with water and a stiff brush .
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The vacuum cleaner was welcomed at first because it meant no longer having to do the stairs with a stiff brush .
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Churn or utility brush: A short handled, stiff bristled brush shaped for use in awkward areas and for general cleaning.
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A stiff yard broom and a small stiff hand brush will remove most of the debris.
■ NOUN
border
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An irrelevant monoclonal antibody, J13, to human small intestinal brush border membranes served as a negative control.
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More recent investigations with rat jejunal brush border membrane vesicles, however, have found evidence only for passive transport.
bristle
▪
Use a soft bristle brush to loosen the grime and if possible a sprayer to wash it all off.
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Loosen dust and debris from the motherboard and expansion cards with a soft bristle brush .
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Use a good quality bristle brush - find one in your local health food shop.
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Wet hair tends to stretch and break and is very vulnerable so never use a bristle brush on hair when wet.
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Accumulations of dust can be removed with a small vacuum cleaner after loosening with a dry, soft bristle brush .
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I find that bristle brushes are the best.
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After removal, accentuate with the help of a round bristle brush .
fire
▪
It is more likely, however, that it represents a short period of dry climate when there were frequent brush fires .
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When I met with Burke in his office last week, he was stamping out the latest political brush fire .
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By this point, I am doing a meltdown that makes Three Mile Island look like a brush fire .
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The California Department of Forestry said the crash sparked a small brush fire that was quickly extinguished.
hair
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Polly was standing in the middle of the floor, her hair brush raised above her head.
paint
▪
Using a paint brush paint blue eyes and whiskers on to the rabbit's face and pink ears and a nose.
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The rain began to fall, big sloppy drops as if some one were shaking out a paint brush .
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Classical painters developed the use of animal hair, and the paint brush , as we know it, was born.
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Then sprinkle on water and re-trowel in come loose-use an emulsion paint brush .
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Finally, draw a moistened paint brush along the junctions of cove and backgrounds.
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Whichever substance you use, put it on in as concentrated a form as you can using a large paint brush .
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Additionally, paint brushes can be cleaned in water.
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Cut out long thin strips for trimming around the top edge of the boat and fix on with a dampened paint brush .
stroke
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Her brush strokes mimic the uncertainty.
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Every brush stroke told a story.
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From the corner of my eye, I saw my frightened cousins obediently practicing their first brush strokes .
wire
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If the flashing looks sound but is obviously porous, clean the surface thoroughly with a wire brush .
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Keep a wire brush handy for this purpose and rub down the grill after finishing your cooking.
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Action with a scraper and wire brush , using manual labour, would give the desired result.
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Lightly sand scratches and chips with fine wet-and-dry paper, and remove all traces of rust with small wire brush .
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We would imagine that the wire brush is very handy for cleaning up old iron and steel.
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The inside of the fitting should be brushed out with a special wire brush and rubbed with wire wool.
■ VERB
apply
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Organic paints are often applied with a brush after the pot has been fired.
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Apparently, sophistication and ennui can be easily applied with a brush .
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Choose matt lipsticks for staying power; apply with a brush , working colour from outer to inner lip.
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The felt is nailed to the block and sizing is applied with a brush to give the hat some stiffness.
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Special fabric paint is applied using a stencil brush and then the design is fixed permanently by pressing with an iron.
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It is applied with a brush , sponge or pad, left for a few minutes, and then rinsed off.
clean
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Less than half an hour later she cleaned the brush in white spirit and pressed the lid of the tin noiselessly down.
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As the man got up:, the barber cleaned him with a brush .
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She carefully cleaned her brushes and put away the paints, then realised she was very hungry.
feel
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The boy could feel Izzie's body brush past him as she crawled into a corner.
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Of feeling the brush with power, and the greed of pushing defeat on to another child.
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She could feel the warm brush of his breath and smell the maleness of him.
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Thinly washed colour was applied, then blended with the brush and pushed around until it felt right.
pick
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She picked up a brush and began to attack her hair.
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Tom picked up a brush and moistened it in the turpentine cup.
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Léonie picked up the brush and got going on her cousin's hair.
put
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When Leo put the brush and pan into her arms, she blinked up at him, startled out of her thoughts.
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I think she smiled thinly, said little, and later put the brush in a drawer.
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I have put away my brushes for ever, he said.
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I put the brush on the side and carry on smoothing her hair with just my hands.
tar
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By 1952 he was becoming all the more determined that the United States should not be tarred with the colonial brush .
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I was tarred with the same brush , to a certain extent.
use
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Always make sure you clean your teeth properly, using a small-headed brush and only a pea-sized blob of toothpaste.
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I brush my hair 100 strokes at a skirted dressing table, using a silver-backed brush.
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If varnishing a floor, use a 6in brush or even a roller.
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Paul Collins uses various brushes , portable easels and aluminum frames to keep his canvas stretched.
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The dust is diabolical - at one stage you could be fired for using a sweeping brush and not a vacuum.
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Glaze the tarts lightly with the reduced syrup, using a pastry brush , and bake 10 minutes.
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I never find myself, fatigue in the voice, reminding Flaubert to hang up the bathmat or use the lavatory brush .
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Whichever substance you use , put it on in as concentrated a form as you can using a large paint brush .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be/get tarred with the same brush
sweep/brush sth under the carpet
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Refuse to sweep difficulties under the carpet but sort things out even when it is painful.
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We knew that it wouldn't just go away if we swept it under the carpet.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a brush fire
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I'll just give my hair a quick brush .
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I felt the brush of her sleeve as she walked past.
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Use a wire brush to remove the rust.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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By 1952 he was becoming all the more determined that the United States should not be tarred with the colonial brush .
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He cut brush and cleared fields of heavy stones.
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It's recommended that these are used in conjunction with brushes to keep them from clogging.
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Paint on your lip shape with a matching pink lip pencil, or use a brush with pink lipstick.
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Suddenly a barrier of logs and brush blocked his path.
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Titanium white colour from Brera, Maimeri; no8 Bristlewhite brushes.
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When I met with Burke in his office last week, he was stamping out the latest political brush fire.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
aside
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Emanuel Shinwell's rhetoric, and the arguments which Crosland himself had developed in his writing, could not be brushed aside .
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He related how the fathers repeatedly brushed aside his request to be released.
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Corbett courteously thanked his hosts and, gently brushing aside their invitations, insisted on leaving at once.
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Holmes brushed aside an offer to wait, and we descended a set of echoing stone stairs.
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And when a problem can not be brushed aside , then a scapegoat must be found.
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All the assurances that the treaty would not inaugurate an arms race or cost the United States anything were brushed aside .
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She was brushing aside her own contribution, saying it was one thing to be seen but another to do something positive.
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But he brushed aside charges that government overspending, corruption and its seizure of farms are to blame.
away
▪
He emerged, shaken and slightly puzzled, long hair filled with leaves which he brushed away .
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This means, in the two preview episodes, brushing away canons of ethics like cobwebs.
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He frowned, screwed up his mouth and brushed away the letter.
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It is easy enough to imagine brushing away a meter or so of dry dust covering an ice deposit.
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Biting hard on her lower lip, Isabel brushed away a traitorous tear.
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Her body was unusually still and a fly had settled on her cheek, which she did not try to brush away .
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After comforting the little girl and brushing away her tears, Laura had taken the children upstairs to the nursery.
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Odysseus knew him too and brushed away a tear.
back
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Sleek city style is waved and brushed back into a soft full shape for casual dressing.
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Her dark hair is brushed back in a short, stylish cut.
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He was thick-set, with thinning hair brushed back , a magnificent walrus moustache and several missing teeth.
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She brushed back her hair, which had fallen over her eyes.
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She couldn't speak, could not even think while his thumb was brushing back and forth across her mouth like that.
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She rose suddenly and brushed back the tears, crying would get her nowhere.
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Her hair was snow-white and brushed back into a neat bun.
gently
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Placing his hand on the top of Joe's thigh, he gently brushed his knuckles against the man's groin.
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Corbett courteously thanked his hosts and, gently brushing aside their invitations, insisted on leaving at once.
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When completely dry, gently brush the surface to align the fibres.
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One of its paws gently brushed Lowell's neck, a feather-light touch, the claws neatly encased in fur.
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The prod is not to be confused with the caress which gently brushes a surface.
lightly
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Lightly brush with one tablespoon of melted butter, bake for 5-8 minutes until just soft.
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Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and the water thoroughly together, and lightly brush the mixture on the dough.
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He moved to touch her arms and she lightly brushed his lips with hers.
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Put cookies on prepared sheets. Brush lightly with buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining cup coconut and powdered sugar.
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He shifted his weight so that his body brushed lightly against hers.
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Up again, under his chin, now lightly brushing his mouth.
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To finish the roses, lightly brush green colouring around edge of each petal.
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Lightly brush the surface with water.
off
▪
Unshielded babies clinging to teats would soon be brushed off .
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They brush off Elijah and board the ship, but they see no sign of the mysterious figures they saw boarding earlier.
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But Hughes is hoping to brush off the knock in time to face League champions Leeds on Sunday.
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Sprinkle on talcum powder, cornmeal or cornstarch; leave for two days; brush off .
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The mortar should be dry enough to brush off the paving without staining the slabs.
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He did not want to run the risk of being brushed off .
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New Zealands should be brushed off , hosed down and dried before you put them away for the summer.
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And it should be even easier to brush off the next three opponents.
up
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For the province's future Olympic hopefuls have been brushing up on skills both on and off the sports fields.
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Walking through a crowded school hallway or playground is daunting because it means brushing up against so many bodies.
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Did I make any deals, brush up any publishing contacts?
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Public libraries frequently have computers that people can use to brush up on their skills.
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I have already said how little I knew about cancer, and I now began to brush up on it.
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Start at your feet and use long sweeping movements and even pressure, from knees to thighs. then brush up towards armpit.
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The guide can be used an introduction to the hobby or as a means to brush up skills.
■ NOUN
carpet
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She had not heard the door as it softly brushed the carpet .
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Because both sides of the political divide are benefiting from the traffic, the issue is brushed under the carpet .
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Two uniformed men were on their hands and knees, brushing at the carpet with their fingers.
cheek
▪
When he brushed his cheek against hers or supported her waist in multiple pirouettes the sensual heat was unmissable.
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The great thick braid of spun metal hung over her shoulder, and brushed his cheek as she leaned over him.
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A spider the size of her thumbnail dropped past her in the gloom, its legs brushing her cheek .
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Death had brushed Dustin's cheek twice, threatening to take him first by fire and secondly by a bomb.
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The rough tweed of his jacket brushed her cheek and she caught the scent of soap and his aftershave.
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A rough chin brushing his cheek .
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Michele's lips brushed first one cheek then the other, his tongue-tip gathering the twin tears.
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No sigh of wind brushed David's cheek in the silence.
crumb
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He had brushed the crumbs from his desk top into his wastebasket.
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The historian brushed crumbs from the tablecloth.
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Balor had unbuttoned his jerkin and brushed the crumbs from his front and was preparing to take a snooze.
dust
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She brushed dust off the toe.
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She stopped for a moment to brush the dust from her hands and clothes and set off back to the house.
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He brushed a speck of dust from his sleeve as he waited for the silence he required.
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He brushed dust from his sleeve and headed towards the flight of stone steps that led up to the embankment.
face
▪
She cleaned her face , brushed her hair.
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I washed my face and brushed my teeth.
finger
▪
Run your fingers through your partner's hair several times, allowing your fingers to brush the scalp. 3.
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Jack's fingers brushed against her skin as her shirt fell open and he felt her shiver gently at his touch.
foot
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Maura pulled her to her feet and began to brush down Margaret's uniform, which was covered in grey dust.
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Instinctively he waved it from his face before getting to his feet and brushing it from the lapels of his overcoat.
hair
▪
Thick, immaculately cut ash-blonde hair brushed the padded silk shoulders of a black and white striped Roland Klein suit.
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Thick, long silver-gray hair , brushed straight back, covered his well-shaped head.
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He was thick-set, with thinning hair brushed back, a magnificent walrus moustache and several missing teeth.
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Undaunted, he began nibbling her earlobe, as fine strands of hair brushed his face.
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The hairs on his forearm brushed hers, he sat so close.
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Fourth Aunt knelt silently, her hair brushing the ground.
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Her face was washed and her hair brushed .
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Her dark hair is brushed back in a short, stylish cut.
hand
▪
Her hands brushed the keys, her head began to nod, then her body to tremble.
▪
She leans over his shoulder to follow the music; her hand brushes his arm when she turns a page.
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Two weeks ago we were given hand brushes to dust the machines in front of us.
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As she raised a trembling hand to brush them away she heard him swearing softly under his breath.
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As she reached up to pat his leg, the side of her hand brushed mine where I held him.
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Then hold the ear up over the head with one hand and carefully brush the hair down.
▪
Her hands brush unexpected surfaces, she steps across unfamiliar thresholds.
head
▪
I lift the long curls from my head and brush some life back into my flattened hair.
▪
He patted my head , brushing his fingers across my ear, and I jerked away.
▪
I really liked it, the way she moved my head and brushed her fingers through my hair.
▪
Turning his head , he brushed his lips against her brow in silent question.
lip
▪
She squirmed, but only until his lips brushed hers.
▪
Our lips brushed , but our tongues did not mingle.
▪
A moment later her arms were twining round his neck as his lips brushed hers as soft as gossamer.
▪
Biting hard on her lower lip , Isabel brushed away a traitorous tear.
▪
Michele's lips brushed first one cheek then the other, his tongue-tip gathering the twin tears.
mouth
▪
He frowned, screwed up his mouth and brushed away the letter.
▪
His mouth plundered hers, brushing her lips, forcing entry with his tongue, demanding, demanding all the while.
▪
She kept her head down, let her mouth brush the fibres of the carpet, caked with mud and dust.
question
▪
That helped his hangover, too, but he couldn't so easily brush off the questions about Katherine.
shoulder
▪
Thick, immaculately cut ash-blonde hair brushed the padded silk shoulders of a black and white striped Roland Klein suit.
▪
I could stand beside her as she fixed dinner, but if I brushed her shoulder she edged apart.
▪
They jangled when she moved and brushed her creamy shoulders each time she turned her head.
▪
The bobbed hair had grown and was brushing her shoulders .
tear
▪
She absently brushed the tears from her cheeks and sniffed.
▪
Odysseus knew him too and brushed away a tear .
▪
Biting hard on her lower lip, Isabel brushed away a traitorous tear .
▪
After comforting the little girl and brushing away her tears , Laura had taken the children upstairs to the nursery.
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She brushed away the tear that she'd been totally unaware was slowly trickling down her face.
▪
She rose suddenly and brushed back the tears , crying would get her nowhere.
▪
Luce put the diary down and brushed away her tears .
tooth
▪
Slowly brush two teeth at a time, using small circular movements.
▪
Even little boy Isopo brushes his teeth .
▪
However deep the trouble, dinner, like brushing your teeth , had to happen.
▪
When the vomiting stopped, he brushed his teeth .
▪
She brushes her teeth with fluoride, but spits to deter the Evil Eye.
▪
We managed to insert it into the schools: conflict resolution becomes as ordinary as brushing your teeth .
▪
After brushing her teeth Polly struggled into the tracksuit she had brought along to double as a bathrobe.
▪
Eat a clove of garlic in the bathroom in the guise of brushing your teeth .
■ VERB
begin
▪
He began brushing again. ` Huh!
▪
I began brushing my hair, but when it came time to braid it up, I rebelled.
▪
I have already said how little I knew about cancer, and I now began to brush up on it.
▪
I began brushing it off, but as quickly as I did so, it settled again.
▪
Maura pulled her to her feet and began to brush down Margaret's uniform, which was covered in grey dust.
let
▪
She would let me brush her hair some days.
▪
Just let me brush your hair back and put on this Alice band.
▪
She kept her head down, let her mouth brush the fibres of the carpet, caked with mud and dust.
▪
She lets me brush her hair sometimes.
reach
▪
Huy looked at her, reaching over to brush a last detail of natron away from her face.
▪
From a decade of cobwebs and dyed glass she felt old leaf-like hands reach out and brush her.
stand
▪
I stand up and brush my coat down.
▪
I stood up and brushed myself off.
▪
The man with the kidney lips folded his knife and stood up and brushed the whittle shavings out of his lap.
▪
Jinju stood up, brushed the dirt off her backside with her bundle, and slowly headed home.
try
▪
However, if cracks do appear, you should try brushing a mixture of peat or compost and coarse sand into them.
▪
Her body was unusually still and a fly had settled on her cheek, which she did not try to brush away.
▪
Kruger tried to brush the dart from his robe.
▪
When anyone tried to brush her hair, give her a bath, or change her diaper, it hurt.
▪
A good guide is to try to brush your ear with your shoulder as it throws the rig.
wash
▪
Her face was washed and her hair brushed .
▪
I washed my face and brushed my teeth.
▪
It has an open textured paste when ripe and is usually washed or brushed with brine.
▪
She washed quickly and brushed her teeth, then returned to Nathan's cabin.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Brush the dough with melted butter.
▪
As she passed, her bare arm brushed against his arm, sending a shiver down his spine.
▪
Have you brushed your teeth yet?
▪
I brushed the crumbs off the sofa.
▪
I felt something brush against the back of my head.
▪
It's time for you kids to go brush your teeth.
▪
The car brushed the bush at the end of the driveway.
▪
The car brushed the hedges on both sides of the narrow lane.
▪
Use small strokes to brush on the paint.
▪
You should brush your jacket -- it's covered in dust.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Bernard brushed his hands together then walked back to the door.
▪
Conference-goers, though, brushed aside the news as a blip on the political radar screen.
▪
Even Marshall had brushed aside all suggestions of having a few minutes to spare to give Harbury something exclusive.
▪
I brushed his back surreptitiously as I walked past.
▪
She stopped when something soft and fluttery brushed her face.
▪
The warm evening air brushed her face and tugged at her hair as the car sped south.
▪
When it was cut into ravioli, I decided, I would brush each one very lightly with egg white.