I. preposition
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bill is passed by parliament (= it is made into a law )
▪
The bill was passed by Parliament last May.
a month passes/goes by
▪
Seven months went by before he returned.
a relation by marriage
▪
She’s a relation by marriage because she married my cousin.
a relative by marriage
▪
How many women would be willing to care for distant relatives by marriage?
an offence punishable by/with sth
▪
Possession of the drug is an offence punishable by up to one year’s imprisonment.
as the days/weeks/years go by
▪
As the weeks went by, I became more and more worried.
as time goes by
▪
Things will get easier as time goes by .
be bound by a vow (= to have promised seriously to do something )
▪
She told him she was bound by a vow not to tell any other person.
be bound by an agreement (= have to obey the conditions of an official agreement )
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India is bound by the agreements signed under the World Trade Organisation.
be bound by an oath (= have sworn an oath )
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These chiefs were bound to him by oaths of loyalty.
be bound by rules (= have to obey them )
▪
Solicitors are bound by strict rules that regulate their professional conduct.
be consumed with/racked with/overwhelmed by guilt (= feel very guilty )
▪
Later he was horrified that he had hit her, and was racked by guilt.
be covered by a scheme (= be able to benefit from a scheme )
▪
All employees are covered by the new bonus scheme.
be covered by insurance (= be included in an insurance policy )
▪
Flood damage isn't covered by the insurance.
be cut off by the tide (= become trapped as the sea rises )
▪
Two anglers had to be rescued after getting cut off by the tide.
be destroyed by fire/a bomb/earthquake etc
▪
The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.
be dogged by controversy (= cause controversy in a way that is a problem )
▪
Even before it was introduced, the system was dogged by controversy.
be dogged by misfortune (= have a lot of bad luck over a period of time )
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The project seemed dogged by misfortune.
be far from clear/be by no means clear (= be very unclear )
▪
The directions she gave me were far from clear.
be funded by a grant
▪
The expansion of the computer department was funded by a government grant.
be funded by donations (= receive the money that is needed from donations )
▪
We are a charity entirely funded by voluntary donations.
be gripped by fear (= be very afraid )
▪
We were gripped by fear as the boat was tossed around by the waves.
be haunted by the memory of sth (= be unable to forget something unhappy )
▪
He is haunted by memories of his unhappy childhood.
be hit by a recession (= be badly affected by it )
▪
Rural areas have been hardest hit by the recession.
be paid by the hour/day/week
▪
I was working on a building site, being paid by the hour.
be powered by electricity
▪
In an emergency, the hospital can be powered by electricity from a generator.
be surrounded by controversy
▪
The circumstances of her death were surrounded by controversy.
bleached by the sun
▪
The wood had been bleached by the sun .
born/delivered etc by caesarean
▪
Both her children were born by caesarean section.
bound (by sth) to do sth
▪
The Foundation is bound by the treaty to help any nation that requests aid.
by a long way/shot informal ( also by a long chalk British English ) (= used when something is much better, quicker, cheaper etc )
▪
It was his best performance this year, by a long way.
by a strange quirk of fate
▪
Years later, by a strange quirk of fate , she found herself sitting next to him on a plane.
by a vote of...to
▪
The motion was passed by a vote of 215 to 84.
by British/African etc standards
▪
Class sizes are small by British standards.
by common consent (= with everyone’s agreement )
▪
Joe was chosen as captain by common consent .
by far the best
▪
One girl stood out as by far the best singer.
by far the worst (= much worse than any other )
▪
Last year was by far the worst for road accidents.
by inches
▪
The bus missed us by inches .
by its very nature
▪
Capitalist society is by its very nature unstable.
by kind permission of sb formal (= used for thanking someone for allowing something )
▪
This photograph is reproduced by kind permission of Country Living.
by modern standards/today’s standards
▪
The technology was crude by modern standards.
by our standards (= judging by what we are used to )
▪
The equipment was very old-fashioned by our standards.
by prior arrangement
▪
Visitors can tour the burial tombs by prior arrangement.
by the looks of it (= that is how it seems )
▪
The neighbours are back from holiday by the looks of it .
by the simple expedient of
▪
Moore escaped by the simple expedient of lying down in a clump of grass.
By the time...rolled around
▪
By the time Wednesday rolled around , I still hadn’t finished.
(by/from) force of habit (= used about a habit that is difficult to change )
▪
I still walk by his house each day - force of habit, I suppose.
by...own admission
▪
Reese, by his own admission , lacks the necessary experience.
by/through peaceful means
▪
We must redistribute power in this country by peaceful means.
by...votes to
▪
The proposal was rejected by 19 votes to 7.
call sb by their first/full etc name (= use that name when you speak to them )
▪
Everyone called him by his first name.
changed...name by deed poll
▪
Steve changed his name by deed poll to Elvis Presley-Smith.
chosen by lot
▪
In Athens at that time, judges were chosen by lot .
close by
▪
Her father lives quite close by .
come by car/train/bus etc
▪
Will you be coming by train?
comply with/abide by/observe a rule formal (= obey it )
▪
All members must comply with the rules of the organization.
▪
There is little that one country can do if another fails to abide by the rules.
▪
We expect you to observe the general rules of conduct as set out below.
count by twos/fives etc
▪
It’s quicker to count by tens saying 10, 20, 30 ... .
decrease/fall by half (= become 50% less )
▪
Share prices fell by half.
defeat sb by sth
▪
We were defeated by 3 goals to 2.
divide one number by another
▪
You can’t divide a prime number by any other number, except 1.
go by bus/train/car etc
▪
It’ll be quicker to go by train.
go by the name of ... (= be called something by people, often when that is not your real name )
▪
As he had long red hair, he went by the name of Red.
go by/travel by train
▪
We decided to go by train.
go by/travel by train
▪
We decided to go by train.
go down by 10%/250/$900 etc
▪
Spending has gone down by 2%.
go somewhere by bike
▪
I usually go to work by bike.
go up by 10%/250/£900 etc
▪
Unemployment in the country has gone up by a million.
go/come/arrive by taxi
▪
I went back home by taxi.
go/travel by bus
▪
I usually go to work by bus.
go/travel by car
▪
I try to use public transport instead of going by car.
go/travel by coach
▪
We spent three days travelling by coach across France.
greet sb by name (= use someone’s name when you see them )
▪
The waiter greeted him by name.
had gone by the book (= had obeyed all the rules )
▪
There was no doubt that the referee had gone by the book .
hard by
▪
in a house hard by the city gate
hard to come by
▪
Jobs were hard to come by .
hard to come by (= difficult to find or get )
▪
Permanent jobs are hard to come by .
hardly a day/week/month etc goes by without/when (= used to say that something happens almost every day, week etc )
▪
Hardly a month goes by without another factory closing down.
hardly a day/week/month etc goes by
▪
Hardly a week goes by without some food scare being reported in the media.
If by any chance
▪
If by any chance you can’t manage dinner tonight, perhaps we can at least have a drink together.
If...are anything to go by
▪
If his past plays are anything to go by , this should be a play worth watching.
in days/times/years etc gone by (= in the past )
▪
These herbs would have been grown for medicinal purposes in days gone by.
in years gone by (= in the past )
▪
The old fort defended the island in years gone by.
increase/rise by half (= become 50% more )
▪
The number of passengers using the service has increased by half.
judge by appearances (= make judgements based on the way sb/sth looks )
▪
You shouldn’t judge by appearances.
judging by sb’s reactions
▪
Judging by the audience’s reactions, the show will be a great success.
know sb by name (= know their name )
▪
The headteacher knew all the children by name.
know...by sight (= I often see her but have not really spoken to her )
▪
I only know her by sight .
laid down by statute (= established by law )
▪
Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute .
lead by example (= show people what they should do by doing it yourself )
▪
The captain of the team should lead by example.
lead by ten points/two goals etc
▪
Nadal was leading by two sets.
learning...by rote
▪
In old-fashioned schools, much learning was by rote .
lose by a large/small etc margin
▪
He lost by only a narrow margin.
lose (sth) by 1 goal/10 votes/20 points etc
▪
The government lost by one vote.
▪
The Communist candidate lost by a whisker a very small amount .
mean sth by a remark
▪
What did you mean by that remark?
moment to moment/moment by moment (= used for emphasizing that something changes quickly )
▪
The colours of the sunset changed moment to moment.
multiply one number by another
▪
What happens if you multiply a postive number by a negative number?
navigate by the stars
▪
Early explorers used to navigate by the stars .
not by a long way/shot informal ( also not by a long chalk British English ) (= not at all or not nearly )
▪
He had not told Rory everything, not by a long shot.
obtaining money by deception
▪
He was convicted of obtaining money by deception .
pay by card
▪
Is it all right if I pay by card?
pay (by) cash
▪
They won’t take credit cards, so you have to pay cash.
pay by cheque
▪
You can pay by cheque or credit card.
pay by cheque
▪
I filled up with petrol and then paid by cheque.
pay by credit card
▪
The hotel does not charge more if you pay by credit card.
pay...by...instalments
▪
They’re letting me pay for the washing machine by monthly instalments .
pay/charge by the hour (= pay or charge someone according to the number of hours it takes to do something )
▪
You can pay by the hour to hire a boat.
piece by piece (= one part at a time )
▪
The fireplace was carefully dismantled piece by piece .
play by the rules (= do what is expected and agreed )
▪
The system works well enough — as long as everyone plays by the rules.
play it by ear
▪
We’ll see what the weather’s like and play it by ear .
possessed by the devil
▪
She was convinced he was possessed by the devil .
protected by copyright
▪
The database will be protected by copyright .
purely by chance
▪
It happened purely by chance .
reduce/cut sth by half (= make something 50% smaller or 50% less )
▪
The company has reduced the number of staff by half.
rule by decree (= make all the important decisions himself )
▪
He announced that henceforth he would rule by decree .
send sth by post
▪
They sent me the contract by post.
send sth by post/sea/air etc
▪
Monday is the last day to send cards by post to arrive by Christmas.
stand idly by
▪
I cannot stand idly by and let him take the blame.
sth is by no means certain (= not definite )
▪
Victory was by no means certain for Smith.
sth is damaged/destroyed by fire
▪
The school was badly damaged by fire.
stick by a decision/promise etc
▪
He has stuck by his radical plans for economic reform.
stick to/go by the rules informal (= obey them )
▪
We all have to stick to the rules.
struck by lightning
▪
The temple burned down after it was struck by lightning last year.
struck by...bolt of lightning
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There’s not much left of his house after it was struck by a bolt of lightning .
stuck by...through thick and thin
▪
Jean has stuck by her husband through thick and thin .
take sb by the arm (= lead someone somewhere holding their arm )
▪
‘It’s this way’ he said, taking me by the arm.
take sb by the hand (= hold someone’s hand in order to take them somewhere )
▪
She took the boy by the hand and led him across the street.
Take...step by step
▪
Take each lesson step by step .
that’s fine by me/that’s fine with me etc spoken (= used when saying that you do not mind about something )
▪
If Scott wanted to keep his life secret, that was fine by her.
time passes/goes by
▪
As time passed, she thought less and less about her family back home.
travel by train/car/air etc
▪
Emily hated travelling by train.
trial by jury (= a trial with a jury )
▪
Defendants have a right to trial by jury.
trivial by comparison
▪
Her feelings for Simon seemed trivial by comparison .
typified by
▪
non-violent protest, typified by Gandhi
undercharge sb by £1/$2 etc
▪
They undercharged me by about $2.
was...touched by (= doubt affected him )
▪
He was often touched by doubt .
what is meant by
▪
The report fails to define what is meant by the term ‘key issues’.
(whether) by fair means or foul (= using unfair methods if necessary )
▪
They were determined to achieve victory, by fair means or foul.
win by 10 points/ten metres etc
▪
We won by 23 points.
win by a large/small etc margin
▪
The party won by a huge margin.
win/lose by 5/10 etc points
▪
We only lost by two points.
won by a landslide
▪
The SNP candidate won by a landslide .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(all) by herself
▪
She raised her daughter by herself .
▪
She was sitting at a table by herself .
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By herself she could jump over fences and ditches better than her brothers.
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Ellie McGlynn was there, standing by herself on the front porch.
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He sidled into her mind, usually when she was by herself but not always; he wasn't shy.
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It was so tragic that the girl should be going through all this by herself .
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Minna had gone away quietly all by herself , probably to meet Zbigniew Shapira at a Danzig hotel.
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She wanted to be by herself , where there were no lights.
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She was too weak to get out of bed by herself , but she might be calling Lester to help her.
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She wouldn't have to deal with Anna by herself .
(all) by himself
▪
Don's traveling by himself .
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He's standing up by himself already.
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But on the campaign trail, Coles sometimes seems like a boxer in the ring by himself .
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He walked slowly, all by himself .
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He was to be placed with another inmate the next day, but wound up in a cell by himself .
▪
I think Sadlowski by himself could have kept it that simple.
▪
Once Hopkinson arrived late for breakfast to find the Colonel by himself reading a newspaper.
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Sir Henry agreed to help in this way, and to go by himself to the Stapletons that evening.
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The day he stood alone, by himself , without holding on, he roared out his triumph.
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When the officers retired, Hashim used to jump down and play squash by himself .
(all) by itself
▪
The door's not going to close by itself .
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Will the dog be safe left in the car by itself ?
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About twice as many, for depression by itself .
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But then, I think the Nagumo Force can handle this operation all by itself .
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It's in there by itself .
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Let the fatuous sun shine by itself and let's head for the moon.
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Perhaps now he could see why the drawing was in a space by itself .
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The growth in members is meaningless all by itself .
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The threat of lawsuits by itself is a major factor in driving up health care costs.
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To begin with, by itself it doesn't produce anything.
(all) by myself
▪
Actually, I kind of wanted to be by myself tonight.
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I ate a whole gallon of ice cream by myself .
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All 41 tests were witnessed by myself or other members of the Requalification group and results compared against identified criteria.
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All the instructors are carefully selected by myself and they offer a very special service.
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And I have done it by myself .
▪
But I can't reach the window by myself .
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I go to the movies by myself one autumn evening.
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I was out driving around by myself .
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The next night, when I found it by myself , I bonded.
(all) by ourselves
▪
This year we wanted to take a vacation by ourselves .
▪
We built the wall all by ourselves .
▪
And when the blur does clear, we imagine that we have made it do so all by ourselves .
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Kip and I would have been helpless, by ourselves , in the situation, and Martinez probably intuited it.
▪
Our car was half full, and we were assigned to a row by ourselves .
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The walls of our imprisonment were there before we appeared on the scene, but they are ever rebuilt by ourselves .
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These services will be provided either directly by ourselves or by independently contracted suppliers.
▪
This information will be considered by ourselves at the key features review and due diligence stages.
▪
We believe we should resolve our issues by ourselves ....
▪
We can manage very well by ourselves .
(all) by themselves
▪
I'm hoping these spots will go away by themselves .
▪
They are both old enough to go to the pool by themselves .
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But parents are... waiting for kids to be able to go to the movies and the mall by themselves .
▪
But reasons of identification and self-definition can not by themselves establish the legitimacy of an authority.
▪
He sounded matter-of-fact, as if nine-year-old kids commonly hung out by themselves in his lobby.
▪
If anything is worth while in life at all, some things must be good in and by themselves .
▪
It may not have occurred to them that they could do the same when viewing video by themselves .
▪
Two pairs of dates by themselves tell the story.
▪
Women can be happy by themselves .
▪
Women may not be free to walk by themselves along the streets.
(all) by yourself
(by) courtesy of sb
▪
But this was the end of extra leave by courtesy of Major Ansell.
▪
Even more tips are likely to come in courtesy of the tabloid media.
▪
Her hair is now streaked with expensive frosting courtesy of e Christofe, Beverly Hills stylist to the superstars.
▪
I also owed Maggie the courtesy of letting her know I didn't need her to do my legwork any longer.
▪
Reproduced courtesy of the Wykeham Galleries Procedure I stand at an easel to paint.
▪
The hon. Gentleman does not have to worry about the normal courtesy of staying to listen to the next speaker.
▪
We enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for the courtesy of your reply.
(by) courtesy of sth
▪
But this was the end of extra leave by courtesy of Major Ansell.
▪
Even more tips are likely to come in courtesy of the tabloid media.
▪
Her hair is now streaked with expensive frosting courtesy of e Christofe, Beverly Hills stylist to the superstars.
▪
I also owed Maggie the courtesy of letting her know I didn't need her to do my legwork any longer.
▪
Reproduced courtesy of the Wykeham Galleries Procedure I stand at an easel to paint.
▪
The hon. Gentleman does not have to worry about the normal courtesy of staying to listen to the next speaker.
▪
We enclose a stamped, addressed envelope for the courtesy of your reply.
baptism of/by fire
▪
An as-yet-unproven system called J-STARS, getting its baptism of fire in the Gulf, illustrates the point.
▪
Beige popsters take a vicarious pride in the slow baptism of fire that their chosen genre and its protagonists underwent.
▪
Diana admits that she wasn't easy to handle during that baptism of fire.
▪
It had been a baptism by fire, but she had come through.
▪
It is almost impossible to see where events will lead but you are going through a baptism of fire.
▪
My baptism of fire had been with Leon Brittan who was Chief Secretary until the 1983 general election.
▪
This was our baptism of fire and we learned many lessons.
be actuated by sth
▪
Gandhi was actuated by the belief that it was possible to achieve independence through nonviolence.
be at sb's side/stay by sb's side/not leave sb's side
be bitten by the showbiz/travel/flying etc bug
be bound (by sth)
▪
It has a tourist potential which is bound to revive as the election images of intimidation fade.
▪
The whole compound was bound together with honey and raisins.
▪
There was bound to be some tension when he teamed with Marlon Brando for Guys and Dolls in 1955.
▪
They were bound for the very place where Odysseus had landed.
▪
Two weeks later, he appeared in superior court for a preliminary hearing, and he was bound over for trial.
▪
We are bound by the Insurance Ombudsmans decision, but you are not.
▪
Work inhibition is so frustrating to parents and teachers that they are bound to feel like exploding.
be bound (together) by sth
▪
The two groups were bound together by their hatred of the factory in which they worked.
▪
Decisions and actions are bound by precedent. 3.
▪
Furthermore, the nature of political authority in representative democracies means that governments are bound by doctrines of accountability.
▪
He was bound by golden handcuffs to the Salomon Brothers mortgage trading depart-ment.
▪
If the parties do not wish to be bound by time limits there should be none in the lease.
▪
The Martins too are bound by the same federal law and could be prosecuted.
▪
The political order is bound by values.
▪
The Revenue will not subsequently be bound by any information or statements given, whether expressly or implicitly in relation to the claim.
▪
They were bound by it so long as it was not in conflict with their statutory duty.
be bounded by sth
▪
The U.S. is bounded in the north by Canada and in the south by Mexico.
▪
And at the same time their influence must be bounded by other, dominant ISAs.
▪
Like a family, we are bounded by history, duty, love and mandatory interaction.
▪
Our knowledge is bounded by our ideas, and extends only so far as they are ideas of real essences.
▪
The Apollonian Gasket, attributed to Apollonius of Perga, is bounded by three large circles tangent two by two.
▪
The courtyard was bounded by a range of cloisters two storeys high.
▪
When the young worker's social world was bounded by his village such considerations did not matter.
▪
Where I live at present is bounded by two rivers and is quite close to the sea.
▪
World history was bounded by these two events.
be burdened with/by sth
▪
Alas! the centuries are fraught with pain, and man is burdened by fear and woe.
▪
Apple is burdened with higher development costs than its competition; yet it has had to cut prices to compete.
▪
In the county gaols of Gloucester and Dorchester it was only debtors who were burdened with fees.
▪
James Madison, who was burdened with the War of 1812, was branded as both a warmonger and a coward.
▪
Malthus was burdened by a fatalism induced by fears of population growth and resource shortages.
▪
Poor Griet is burdened by more than having to scrub the Vermeer family smalls in this fictional biography of a painting.
▪
Surgeons should not be burdened with the responsibility of assessing their own degree of risk.
▪
The colliery is struggling to fulfil its contracts and is burdened by £1.7 million in debts.
be capped by sth
▪
And it fears spending could soon be capped by the Government.
▪
Saturday night was capped by a ranger program, goodies and campfire stories.
▪
The festivities were capped by an emotional presentation of a set of Bohemian cut glass from the staff to Bernard and Laura.
▪
The five-run flurry was capped by Steve Finley, who hit a three-run homer.
▪
The jute tips were capped by an ethereal green mist, through which a dozen or so fist-sized stars peeked.
▪
They were capped by flat discs and had a smooth surface without any semblance of an aero dynamic profile.
be carried along (by sth)
▪
Corpses were carried along, standing upright.
▪
He wasn't, so he didn't go right down, but was carried along under water.
▪
I let myself be carried along by the crowd.
▪
She was carried along the railway line to the station from where an ambulance took her to Colchester General Hospital.
be conspicuous by your/its absence
▪
If I have any qualification, it is that contemporary work is conspicuous by its absence.
be cursed with/by sth
▪
He is cursed with this evaluative frame of mind.
▪
He is cursed with this understanding.
▪
I learned he had the same goofy sense of humor I was cursed with.
▪
Instead, he might be cursed with one who would rob him blind and charge him three-times the wages for the privilege.
▪
Lydia Glasher writes that the wearer of these diamonds will be cursed by the wrong she did.
▪
She loses her wings and dies, leaving him to be cursed by Madge.
▪
These poor chaps were searching desperately for a project which would not be cursed with the ephemeral vulgarity of their usual tasks.
be devoured by sth
▪
Howard was devoured by hatred for his co-workers.
▪
Every Underground movement that goes overground is devoured by banality.
▪
The boats were lowered but the harpooner on the boat nearest him was devoured by the Great White Whale.
▪
This continent bore a very advanced civilization, but was devoured by the ocean in some unspecified catastrophe.
be eaten up with/by jealousy/anger/curiosity etc
be equalled (only) by sth
▪
Holding's 28 wickets were equalled by Andy Roberts.
▪
Indeed, in many respects, Ireland was equalled only by Byzantium.
▪
She seemed in no hurry to have them come, for her patience was equalled by her confidence.
▪
She was a woman without vision or curiosity; her distaste for books was equalled only by her dislike of people.
▪
The pleasures of driving our GTi are equalled only by the irritations.
▪
The savagery which he showed towards his opponents was equalled only by that of the discipline that he imposed upon his supporters.
▪
This amount is equalled by naturally forming sulphur that originates mainly from volcanoes and huge clusters of marine bacteria.
be fronted by/with sth
▪
How can a show that searches for talent be fronted by a bloke who hasn't got any?
▪
Like most Roman churches, the building is of brick and is fronted by a porch and open narthex.
▪
The façade is fronted by a narthex which is supported on Norman columns and capitals.
▪
The house was fronted by a flat Italianate lily pond.
be hoist with/by your own petard
be inundated (with/by sth)
▪
He said his organization is inundated with calls of sympathy.
▪
Most likely this person is inundated with reading material at work and at home.
▪
One-third of the world's human population lives on land that is liable to be inundated if the seas rise.
▪
She might have guessed that as soon as she tried for a little peace and quiet the whole place would be inundated with callers.
▪
She would be inundated with calls.
▪
The southwestern United States and California are inundated with illegals.
▪
We are inundated with relatives we encourage it and we make it a special time.
be nettled (by sth)
be overtaken by events
be riveted on/to/by sth
▪
All eyes were riveted on him, and anyone who had seating space sat down quietly.
▪
Armchair travellers will be riveted to their seats while the more adventurous will get itchy feet.
▪
Her eyes were riveted to the screen with the troubled innocence of a child.
▪
His eyes were riveted to the overhead screen while the heel of his right foot tapped nervously on the floor.
▪
His vision was riveted to one vanishing point on a particular horizon, and that was the story of avant-garde art.
▪
My eyes are riveted to that glorious old banner...
▪
Of course the country may be riveted by the latest video release or the latest Nintendo game.
be sanctioned by sth
▪
The social hierarchy was determined by birth and sanctioned by religion.
▪
The right of some one to exercise power is sanctioned by the organisation's rules.
be seized with/by terror/desire etc
be surrounded by sb/sth
▪
At work, I'm surrounded by people who don't know what they're doing.
▪
But the brain is surrounded by the skull, and all that escaped blood takes up space, squeezing the brain.
▪
For at school, the young man would be surrounded by men much like him-self.
▪
Groups of Federals are surrounded by ConfederatesConfederates surrounded by Federals.
▪
He is surrounded by an electronic keyboard, a rack of music equipment, a recording microphone and a personal computer.
▪
Le Sport is surrounded by tropical gardens on a secluded bay of golden sand.
▪
The burial place was surrounded by the crypt and above it, in the church, was the high altar.
▪
The Volvo, whose windows wind down to reveal plush red curtains, is surrounded by stepladders.
▪
They claimed that when they were surrounded by the gang they acted in self defence.
be taken aback (by sth)
▪
He was taken aback by the new demands of the job.
▪
I was taken aback , but deep down I wasn't totally surprised.
▪
Intel was taken aback by the intensity of public anger.
▪
Jonadab was taken aback , not being a man given to overt affection.
▪
She was taken aback to realise just how far her reservations about seeing him had disappeared.
▪
The authorities were taken aback , and took the unprecedented step of cordoning off the painting.
▪
The man spun round so swiftly that George was taken aback and tripped, falling on to the soft mud.
be taken with/by sth
▪
Even at the early hour I was taken with her freshness, her blond, tousled hair, her milk-warm voluptuous body.
▪
Great care was taken with his education, but teaching him what he did not wish to learn was a dangerous business.
▪
People in Bohemia had been so full of self-confidence that they were taken by surprise.
▪
Such action might be taken by all group members or by some members who formally or informally represent the entire group.
▪
The boy sustained a fractured left arm and was taken by ambulance to San Jose Medical Center.
▪
The initiative was taken by Bafuor Osei Akoto, a prosperous, go-ahead cocoa farmer of Kumasi.
▪
The pretty presenter was taken by ambulance to London's Charing Cross Hospital at 6 am with terrible stomach pains.
▪
This series of photographs was taken by a security camera at the Leeds Building Society.
be tied to/by sth
▪
A concrete thinker is tied to particular data; a formal thinker operates hypothetically.
▪
Derivatives are contracts whose values are tied to the price of some other asset such as a stock or a bond.
▪
I've far less trust than her so I'd not let myself be tied by or to anyone.
▪
She was tied to a sacrificial altar.
▪
Suddenly Donald was tied to his chair with the flex from the lamp, the plug still attached.
▪
The banks, in turn, claimed that their hands were tied by federal regulators who discouraged them from lending.
▪
This mammoth battle vividly demonstrated how inextricably railways are tied to politics.
▪
When he woke up again, he was tied to the bed in the hospital back in prison.
be too clever by half
▪
Phil's good at thinking up excuses for his behaviour - he's too clever by half.
be topped by sth
▪
His spare middle-aged frame is topped by a large head with sallow cheeks, thin lips, and receding chin.
▪
It is topped by a cone.
▪
It is topped by a wind-blown crust that almost holds our weight as we descend.
▪
The High Altar is topped by a copper St Nicholas surrounded by putti.
▪
The light purple flanks of the fish are topped by a golden streak dappled with red and purple.
▪
We were topped by ballerinas dressed as bumblebees.
be undisturbed by sth
▪
Looking down from the balcony on to the terrace, she observed that the cat was undisturbed by the gulls.
be/feel hard done by
▪
Having played in the previous winning Eisenhower Trophy team with distinction I think he can feel hard done by.
▪
The idea of a passenger going without pudding and then leaving the aircraft feeling hard done by troubles them.
▪
Thomas felt hard done by, contested the will and lost.
▪
To any readers who feel hard done by or annoyed please accept my sincere apologies.
▪
You've every right to feel hard done by, so don't start thinking that you're being selfish.
bit by bit
▪
Bit by bit, our apartment started to look like a home.
▪
But then, slowly, bit by bit, year by year, I began to change my mind.
▪
In therapy, we chip away at this, bit by bit.
▪
Make a small cut and then try to pull the gall to pieces bit by bit.
▪
So bit by bit you're being written into the programme and fed into the computer.
▪
The experiment faltered bit by bit.
▪
The information only came out bit by bit since she's still not easy in her mind about talking to us.
▪
Thus, bit by bit, the child learns to string together more complicated sequences.
▪
You can shop meal by meal, or bit by bit.
by George!
by God
▪
By God , that's good money!
by Jove!
by a factor of five/ten etc
▪
Other watches of the time sped up or slowed down by a factor of ten seconds for every one-degree change in temperature.
▪
So look at your friends, see what they are a little vain about and then multiply by a factor of ten.
by a long way
▪
And before they went there I thought they would, by a long way .
▪
He plays both but his preference, and by a long way , is for gaelic football.
▪
In the home market, it led the field by a long way , with 4,337,487 units sold.
▪
It is by a long way his preferred title when he refers to himself.
▪
It is, by a long way , the greatest test yet of whether he is up to the job.
▪
Moreover, the pretty paper kites in the clear blue skies still outnumber the documentary versions by a long way .
▪
The expense allowances they received often failed, sometimes by a long way , to cover the costs they had to meet.
by a mile
▪
And yet Simeon flunked virtually every exam, often by a mile .
▪
At the rate he was going we were going to miss it by a mile .
▪
But the service is not yet good enough by a mile .
▪
I hope you pay heed, you're still my favourite tome by miles ... for now.
▪
It's the best by miles .
▪
Some writers have suggested that this will replace browsing, but they miss the point by a mile .
▪
They're the favourites by a mile .
▪
Whoever planted that tree beat Mr Buddy by a mile .
by a neck
▪
Our horse won by a neck .
▪
Although tying up, she battled on well to hold off Flying Speed by a neck .
▪
But things have now improved and sales in comparable shops are currently ahead of last year, if only by a neck .
▪
The springing swan-bows, neck by neck, would slide homing into the sand-flats like silk.
by a nose
▪
There was more drama to follow in the actual race, where Shemaka held on by a nose from Baya.
by accident
▪
Fleming discovered penicillin almost by accident .
▪
He brought over some of my mail that was delivered to his house by accident .
▪
Lombardi heard about their plan quite by accident .
▪
The fire started by accident .
▪
The trigger of the gun is locked so that it cannot be fired by accident .
▪
We ended up by accident on the wrong train and had to ride all the way to Montreal.
by air
▪
It's actually less expensive to go by air to San Francisco.
by all means!
by and large
▪
Also, he worked, by and large , in second-rank bands.
▪
And by and large , they do a fine job.
▪
But as valuable as animals are, they have a serious drawback: by and large , they hate alcohol.
▪
But the truth was that, by and large , the research university focuses its collective intelligence on other matters.
▪
Hodgkin, by and large , just looks as if he's strayed in here and is making lots of noise.
▪
Society seems bitter turmoil, by and large .
▪
The reproducible arts of photography and printmaking still remain, by and large , categorised as lesser arts.
▪
You know, opposites of each other by and large .
by any chance
▪
Would you, by any chance , know where a pay phone is?
▪
Are they, as Private Eye might say, by any chance related?
▪
But before you call anyone, find out if by any chance he has a telephone number in Marshfield.
▪
Can anyone out there tell me what frequency Radio 5 broadcasts on ... by any chance on shortwave?
▪
Do you feel, by any chance , awful?
▪
Does my right hon. Friend by any chance recollect the average inflation rate under the last Labour Government?
▪
I wanted to ask her if she was, by any chance , called Veronica, but I didn't dare.
▪
Is Mr Sands awake by any chance ?
▪
Is there a connection between Jack Benny and Charles Manson, by any chance ?
by any stretch (of the imagination)
▪
Raising children isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination.
▪
All good things but not wildly expensive, not by any stretch of the imagination.
▪
I am very puzzled as to how either of these two items can be cash flows by any stretch of the imagination.
▪
It could not by any stretch of the imagination be anything else.
▪
Management is typically the reason people walk out, but it is not 100 percent by any stretch of the imagination.
▪
Not that Tiptoe could be called a child, by any stretch of the imagination.
▪
That is not ` good news' by any stretch of the imagination!
▪
The program isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination.
by appointment to the Queen
by choice
▪
She is childless by choice .
by default
▪
The dollar is benefiting by default from the weakness of the yen.
by definition
▪
Graffiti, no matter how well painted, is vandalism by definition .
by degrees
▪
By degrees , little children grow less dependent on their parents.
▪
Improvement will come by degrees .
▪
The storm intensified by degrees until the rain was pouring down.
▪
Consciousness could not have arisen by degrees .
▪
For since all natural change proceeds by degrees , something changes and something remains.
▪
Huy forced himself into a sitting position by degrees and brought the empty jar of fig liquor into vision.
▪
Let her learn about it by degrees .
▪
Not all at once, but by degrees , Dada made a conquest of this stallion of modern technology.
▪
The downpour did not intensify by degrees but simply gushed forth with biblical fury, vertical and windless.
▪
This is the model on which the National Curriculum is to be created and by degrees imposed on the primary schools.
by dint of (doing) sth
▪
A peculiar light seemed shed over everything, by dint of it being that house and no other!
▪
And though his grades each week never varied much from 9 and 10, it was only by dint of hard work.
by extension
▪
Women lawyers, and by extension all professional women, looked for ways to balance family and work.
by fair means or foul
by far/far and away
▪
Coolness is by far and away the most important feature of a car these days.
by gum!
by hand
▪
The letter had been delivered by hand , and was addressed to Mrs Zippie Isaacs.
▪
The rug was made by hand .
▪
They delivered their wedding invitations by hand .
by heart
by hook or by crook
▪
The police are going to get these guys, by hook or by crook.
▪
If she set her mind on something, then she had to acquire it, by hook or by crook.
by leaps and bounds/in leaps and bounds
by lot
by marriage
▪
John's my cousin by marriage .
by means of sth
▪
Critics were silenced by means of torture and unfair trials.
▪
Funds for economic development were provided by means of sterling bond issues in the London capital market.
▪
Initially this will be done by means of markers or cones and we will explain the new arrangements to the children.
▪
Let us briefly consider how you might analyze this claim by means of the scientific method.
▪
Maximilian was killed by means of a carbonic acid injection.
▪
Or gas before he backed himself into a corner and tried to escape by means of the faro table.
▪
Other ethnographic techniques Ethnographic research is not carried out only by means of participant observation and unstructured interviewing.
▪
Word of the Barrio barred owl spread among birders by means of an efficient and long established telephone grapevine.
by mistake
▪
Gary wandered into the wrong hotel room by mistake .
▪
I deleted a whole afternoon's work on the computer by mistake .
▪
I opened this by mistake , Paula, but I think it's for you - sorry.
▪
Jodie opened the letter by mistake
▪
Michelle must have picked up my keys by mistake .
by no means/not by any means
▪
It's difficult, but by no means impossible.
▪
It's not clear by any means where the money is going to come from to fund this project.
▪
It is by no means certain that you'll get your money back.
by numbers
▪
Certain things, such as electric charge, bank balances, or dates are quantified by numbers of this kind.
▪
Healthy living by numbers A low cholesterol level means reduced risk of heart disease, say doctors.
▪
It had happened before, she must just plot the next square like painting by numbers .
▪
The numerous shades were indicated by numbers .
▪
These consist of a capital letter followed by numbers .
▪
We were just cueing the sections by numbers , which is how they do it in New Orleans.
▪
Weeks later, she was still painting by numbers .
by proxy
by return (of post)
▪
Any sent will be copied and sent back by return of post.
▪
But Smith bailed them out by returning seven punts for a school-record 150 yards.
▪
Companies are classified by returns , and all companies with an equivalent return have the same business risk.
▪
Earlier this year, the Dole campaign alienated many Log Cabin members by returning a campaign contribution from the gay organization.
▪
He was given 25 years but tried to negotiate a cut in his sentence by returning half of the stolen gold.
▪
I end it by returning to those encounters.
▪
Please answer by return of mail.
▪
Professor Sano writes back by return mail.
by rights
▪
He's worked the land all his life, so by rights it's his.
▪
But, by rights , the smaller one shouldn't exist.
▪
He ought by rights to have died of shame at 30, or of drink at 50.
▪
He was a man whom, by rights , she ought not even to like.
▪
It was by rights his, he said.
▪
It winds down into winter, and yet by rights it should be barely midsummer.
▪
Of course by rights this should fall to Edward, but for reasons best known to himself it seems he's said nothing.
▪
So banks hang on to business that they should by rights lose, but find it hard to win new good-quality business.
by sb's own account
▪
But, by his own account , he agreed he would speak to the Shah if they too would do so.
▪
Do the math: Some 2, 250 shows by his own account .
▪
This was the type of man he was looking for and, by his own account , not infrequently found.
▪
When he was young and full of the new learning of Oxford and Cambridge he appears arrogant even by his own account .
by the book
▪
Rules are not to be broken - Barb does everything by the book .
▪
Hopefully when I get a new tank set up, I will have more success in numbers by going by the book .
▪
In the three years covered by the book he loses his virginity, his father and, briefly, his mind.
▪
Instead of managing by the book , this is strictly managing by the storybook.
▪
Mr and Mrs X and their children live in the house in the corner by the books .
▪
Nothing has gone by the book in this case.
▪
The decision to go ahead was made, by the book , Vaughan says.
▪
They play it by the book - their book not mine.
▪
Throughout Defense, people buy by the book .
by the hour/from hour to hour
by the minute
▪
Medical technology changes almost by the minute .
▪
By late Friday evening, the campsite was already half full with more campers arriving by the minute .
▪
Extra police had been brought in, but the Bridgeport mob grew by the minute .
▪
I became angrier by the minute , but I could not convey to them why I was so upset.
▪
I could feel my attitude souring by the minute .
▪
It was getting darker by the minute .
▪
Its innovation and principal selling point was that it bills by the second rather than by the minute .
▪
More were arriving by the minute , but were not coming up the track.
▪
Now it's getting more violent by the minute .
by the same token
▪
I want to win, but by the same token, I don't want to hurt Sam's confidence.
▪
And, by the same token, the world will come to be filled with the links in this causal chain.
▪
But by the same token it is most likely that in their own interests they would scrutinize the work of contemporary photographers.
▪
But by the same token, it can be understood more or less differently.
▪
Conversely, by the same token, no statement is immune to revision.
▪
It would forfeit, by the same token, any claim to be recognised as law.
▪
Space-time is therefore an extremely stiff medium, and by the same token small-amplitude waves carry large energies.
▪
The boat lunges forward and yet almost by the same token lunges back again.
▪
The inducement to give is greater, but by the same token there is a cost to the Exchequer in lost revenue.
by the score
▪
But he admitted that he himself granted them by the score .
▪
Labor and trade union officials were arrested by the score .
▪
Of course, Doyle's success brought imitators by the score , all writing then in the short story form.
▪
The barrage ignited waves of pandemonium, as parents by the scores rushed to the school, which has 700 pupils.
▪
Wally's friends would come in here by the scores , at any odd hour of the day or night.
by the scruff of the neck
▪
It just caught me by the scruff of the neck and practically hammered my guts out.
▪
One had hold of the other by the scruff of the neck and had fetched blood.
▪
Three were dragged back on to the train and taken by the scruff of the neck from station to police car.
▪
Your eyes narrow against the claws gripping you by the scruff of the neck until you let your hook of anger go.
by the skin of your teeth
▪
Jeff just got into college by the skin of his teeth.
▪
The business is surviving, but only by the skin of its teeth.
▪
The car broke down on the way to the airport and they just caught the plane by the skin of their teeth.
by the way
▪
Oh, by the way , Vicky called while you were out.
▪
And it's Jonathan, by the way .
▪
By the way , we are ruling out places like South Bend, Ind..
▪
Davis is a man, by the way , not a monster.
▪
Fast, by the way , is the operative word.
▪
His narrating hero and anchorman, Nicholas Jenkins, is constantly being mildly surprised by the way things and people turn out.
▪
Ni-cads, by the way , should not be left in a discharged state for very long periods.
▪
You can tell that by the way they muck schedules about.
by turns
▪
She had been by turns confused, angry, and finally jealous.
▪
And her listener feels both protective and irritated by turns .
▪
Bedford is by turns hilarious and ironic in the best sense: compassionate and yet clear-eyed.
▪
Beneath her external calm, she raged and felt frightened by turns .
▪
For the conductors, the process is by turns exciting and exhausting, agonizing and enlightening.
▪
I felt myself growing shy and scared by turns .
▪
She is both ingenuous and sophisticated by turns .
▪
The script is terrible, the acting by turns melodramatic and wooden, the direction confused.
▪
Yes, so catlike, owlish, aggressive and passive, hostile and amicable by turns .
by virtue of sth
▪
I am Claire's aunt by virtue of marriage.
▪
And never once did I find myself the center of collective stares, simply by virtue of being a gaijin.
▪
But is it true that we learn just by virtue of being busy and having lots of experiences?
▪
Catholicism, however gripped the masses by virtue of its incense, its ritual, all quite arbitrary, compulsion without purpose.
▪
Madeira was transformed into an offshore centre by virtue of legislation enacted in 1986.
▪
Prominent individuals were often prominent by virtue of the groups of which they were leaders.
by way of sth
▪
"She asked for it," Kyle said by way of explanation.
▪
Bacteria communicate with each other by way of chemical messages.
▪
We flew to Europe by way of Iceland.
▪
But much more is needed by way of investigation.
▪
He sows seeds of confusion by way of a million opinions on every subject within its covers.
▪
Myrtle, an aunt new to the Mundays by way of wedding Manny Munday on his deathbed.
▪
Patagonia does not offer a huge deal by way of urban amenities, and for many of us this is its beauty.
▪
The net result of war making by way of symbols is to widen the actual gap between luxury and poverty.
▪
The youth was later dealt with by way of a reprimand.
▪
Their appearance in the grand parade was only by way of an introduction.
▪
These contain suppressors by way of engram command, ally computations and painful emotion.
by/from all accounts
▪
By all accounts , Garcia was an excellent manager.
▪
Astor was a shy, austere and, by all accounts , unlovable man.
▪
But Alice was the only one of the Pritchetts who had, from all accounts , risen above her station in life.
▪
Caligula was degenerate but, by all accounts , did not deign to hide the fact.
▪
Elephants, by all accounts , were pretty strong too.
▪
Now there's Dan Crawley in hospital with the pneumonia, and poor Jenny is penniless by all accounts .
▪
Shaughnessy was a heroic figure-a brilliant writer and by all accounts a splendid teacher and leader.
▪
She was calculating and ambitious, and by all accounts at least a competent journalist.
▪
The original building was, by all accounts , demolished when St. John's railway station was constructed on its present site.
by/from the sound of it/things
▪
Ana was trapped here, though, by the sound of it.
▪
And all this provided by Summerchild, from the sound of it.
▪
But by the sound of it your brothers are a hale and hearty pair.
▪
But then Summerchild didn't know himself to start with, by the sound of it.
▪
He heard Lee shooting them down, then him whistling. From the sound of it he was still around.
▪
In the other boat, the priest had started gabbling in Latin - the Dies Irae, by the sound of it.
▪
Something hissed - steam escaping, from the sound of it.
▪
You've had a hard day, and by the sound of it not an easy life.
by/in leaps and bounds
▪
As the 1860s drew to a close, Kansas effectively put its violent heritage behind; change accelerated by leaps and bounds.
▪
Existing industries expanded in leaps and bounds.
▪
He has come on in leaps and bounds this season.
▪
In fact, vegetarianism is growing by leaps and bounds, particularly among the health-conscious.
▪
Meanwhile, California was now using up its entire entitlement and still growing by leaps and bounds.
▪
Meanwhile, Charles was recovering in leaps and bounds.
▪
Since Richard left for California last fall, my bank account has grown by leaps and bounds.
▪
The women's confidence increased by leaps and bounds.
by/since when
▪
Chances are you will find corn syrup listed as a sweetener. Since when do we put corn in strawberry jam?
▪
Each form finishes with a summary of the work to be undertaken, by whom and by when .
▪
However, the next owner dismantled the walls in 1685, since when it has remained in a state of decay.
▪
Many did not obey, but most were close by when the storm hit.
▪
Me: No kidding, since when ?
▪
Not three weeks on the Island had gone by when Mami called.
▪
The winter of Keynesian discontent probably occurred in the early 1980s, since when there have been signs of a marked rally.
▪
What was the matter with her? Since when had fitzAlan needed encouragement to show anger?
by/through force of circumstance(s)
▪
Like all Trolls they will eat anything and through force of circumstance they tend to eat a lot of rocks.
▪
Some sectors, moreover, lagged behind completely, by force of circumstances or on account of reluctance to abandon traditional ways.
▪
Ware was a strict Palladian by upbringing but a stylistic schizoid by force of circumstances.
by/through the agency of sb
▪
Any extra equipment or special materials he required could be obtained through the agency of the headquarters' staff.
▪
Dubos started from the assumption that all organic matter added to the soil eventually undergoes decomposition through the agency of micro-organisms.
▪
Finally, an active regional policy was introduced through the agency of the Board of Trade.
▪
It is then enforced and upheld by the agencies of the state.
▪
It operates through the agencies of the different control systems such as the autonomic nervous system, hormonal system, immune system etc.
▪
Thrift has nearly killed her on several occasions, through the agency of old sausages, slow-punctured tyres, rusty blades.
by/through trial and error
▪
They learned to farm the land through trial and error.
▪
Each individual achieves his own style by trial and error.
▪
He learned everything just by trial and error.
▪
I did the tutorial that came with the package deal and learned a lot through trial and error.
▪
In any case, they were confident these minor bugs could be worked out through trial and error.
▪
It pointed out that: Everything seems to be done by trial and error.
▪
Science progresses by trial and error.
▪
Some had to learn by trial and error.
▪
These are things we learn by trial and error.
by/through/out of force of habit
catch sb by surprise, catch sb off guard, catch sb napping/unawares
▪
My pregnancy caught us by surprise, but we're happy about it.
▪
The public's reaction obviously caught the governor off guard.
cheek by jowl (with sb/sth)
▪
The farmers live cheek by jowl with the pits that are shutting down.
▪
The guests, packed cheek by jowl, parted as he entered, and suddenly she knew the reason for the party.
come by (sth)
come by sth
day by day
▪
Day by day Jeffrey began to feel better.
▪
But expectations seemed to diminish day by day over the last week.
▪
Candidates became steadily more visible day by day throughout the campaign, however.
▪
He can sense the options as they come and go, day by day.
▪
Marion and I are living day by day.
▪
She gets weaker day by day.
▪
That generates an attitude of formal control, instead of the day by day probing and checking that should be practised.
▪
This bid changes day by day.
▪
Y., the investigation is moving forward the same way: day by day.
death by misadventure
▪
A second inquest in February 1987, returned a verdict of death by misadventure .
▪
A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded.
▪
At the end of a four-hour hearing, the inquest jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure .
▪
The coroner's jury brought in death by misadventure , on advice by the coroner.
▪
The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure .
do sth by the seat of your pants
do well by sb
▪
He's left home, but he still does well by his kids.
▪
Economic constraints or limitations can be overcome given a sufficiently high motivation to do well by the individual entrepreneur.
do well by sb
▪
Economic constraints or limitations can be overcome given a sufficiently high motivation to do well by the individual entrepreneur.
don't judge a book by its cover
fall by the wayside
▪
A lot of marriages fall by the wayside because couples cannot talk to each other.
▪
Congress has let many important issues fall by the wayside this session.
▪
But better singers fell by the wayside.
▪
How many more fell by the wayside in the process?
▪
In any event, the idea that Lazarsfeld had discovered a ubiquitous method of social research has to fall by the wayside.
▪
Inevitably some fall by the wayside, but his success rate is surprisingly high considering the breadth of the repertoire he tackles.
▪
Many of her colleagues had fallen by the wayside.
▪
The gas tax rollback, initiated because gasoline prices spiked this spring, has since fallen by the wayside.
▪
They were told a lot of wounded men had fallen by the wayside.
fast by sth
▪
We stood on a rock, fast by the river.
fly by the seat of your pants
go by sth
go by sth
go by the board
▪
And because the domestic style was unsuited to amplified discourse, the domestic rules of politeness also went by the board .
▪
Health, education, transport and other welfare spending goes by the board .
▪
Meanwhile, there are other niceties that have simply gone by the board in certain aspects of management life.
▪
Moral standards go by the board in an atmosphere that seems generated purely for the above purposes.
▪
Scientific batsmanship goes by the board .
▪
Their principles have gone by the board .
▪
We had 100 people in the retail home delivery, but that was going by the boards by then.
▪
We used to play golf, but went by the board when he moved.
go by the rulebook
hang by a thread
▪
Ed was just hanging by a thread.
▪
His job is hanging by a thread, as it is.
▪
Hopes of a title hat-trick hang by a thread, but all is not quite lost.
▪
Liputin's teeth are by no means the only things that hang by a thread.
have/get sb by the short and curlies
in/by fits and starts
▪
Electoral reform is moving ahead in fits and starts.
▪
Although change often unfolds in fits and starts, organisations can learn to improve.
▪
But civilization was approaching in fits and starts.
▪
But his proposals for electoral reform, now moving ahead in fits and starts, contain no such provision.
▪
He spoke in fits and starts.
▪
It has continued in fits and starts ever since.
▪
The conversation is awkward, moving in fits and starts.
▪
This means the machine tends to go forward in fits and starts, sometimes quite quickly but at other times embarrassingly slowly.
inch by inch
▪
The old buses moved inch by inch toward the pyramids.
▪
But inch by inch they were being driven back.
▪
He was holding Maidstone's hat in both hands, turning it, feeding the brim inch by inch through his fingers.
▪
It crept towards her mouth, inch by inch.
▪
Lying on your tummy, raise your head and shoulders, curving the spine, inch by inch.
▪
She swallowed and closed her eyes, edging herself forward inch by inch.
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Then he climbed inch by inch up to Rainer.
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Today detectives undertook an inch by inch search of the area.
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Twenty times this monstrous frozen barrier slowly built up, inch by inch, and oozed south.
judging by/from sth
▪
I'd say she's pretty rich, judging from her clothes.
lead by example
▪
Harman leads by example, putting his time in on the production line.
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It is best to lead by example and with support.
▪
Longfellows captain Billy McKibben led by example as his team got home 7-2 against the Strikers.
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Skipper Alan Kernaghan led by example at the heart of defence and Andy Peake did an excellent job against his former team.
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That is surely leading by example!
▪
They are the people who lead by example.
▪
They never preached about it, but just led by example.
▪
Top management will be seen to lead by example.
lead sb by the nose
▪
He let her lead him by the nose.
like magic/as if by magic
little by little
▪
Little by little I became more fluent in German.
▪
Bingo broke me in and taught me the ropes, and little by little I became his boy.
▪
But little by little he would piece it all together.
▪
But time went on, and little by little I realized that this was not going to happen.
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I run my fingers over this invisible object, and little by little curiosity gets the better of me.
▪
Then little by little words are exchanged.
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Then, little by little, step by step, their dreams grow with the size of their business.
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These things, therefore, became little by little private property.
▪
This proved difficult and Josef Vissarionovich had to be blown up little by little over a period of two weeks.
live by your wits
▪
The city's homeless live completely by their wits.
▪
Days when there were no news sensations the newsboys lived by their wits.
▪
Freddie lived by his wits and he was involved with many shady characters.
month by month
▪
Unemployment figures are rising month by month.
▪
Because you produced it on loose pages I could exhibit it month by month as you organised it.
▪
Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month.
▪
The hon. Gentleman has no evidence for asserting that standards have dropped month by month.
▪
The market is changing not year by year, but month by month.
never let a day/week/year etc go by without doing sth
not by any manner of means
▪
You know, it isn't all sweetness and light here, not by any manner of means.
not do sth by halves
▪
I'm sure it will be a fantastic wedding. Eva never does anything by halves .
▪
He comes from a family that does not do things by halves .
on/by your lonesome
▪
Are you by your lonesome this weekend?
one by one
▪
One by one, worshipers walked to the front of the church.
▪
At once Lord Boddy did the same, and one by one, as they listened and nodded, everyone else followed suit.
▪
He examined them one by one.
▪
Little puffs of dust rose up as he opened them, one by one.
▪
Paul, Minnesota, and one by one three of the younger brothers who also became lawyers joined George there.
▪
She ticks them off, one by one, on her long slender fingers.
▪
The problems were then studied one by one in order of urgency.
▪
They were all taken away by the Red Guards, broken one by one in the street.
▪
We hold one another, then we return, one by one, each person saying a private good-bye.
pale in/by comparison
▪
But even these concerns pale by comparison with the fears that people have about traffic safety.
▪
But that pales in comparison to what he brings to this city.
▪
But the nine goals paled in comparison to the 16-plus average the stars have produced over the past seven games.
▪
Everything pales in comparison to a creation of this awesome magnitude.
▪
The number fired and to be fired at Burlington Northern pales in comparison with the number to be let go at AT&.
▪
The two disputes he mentioned pale in comparison with others looming on the horizon.
▪
They also prevail in an era where travel abuses pale in comparison to those of earlier years.
pass by (sb/sth)
▪
Also, the House rejected a measure, passed by the Senate Tuesday, to reopen closed government offices.
▪
But the positive interest of an agent is some guarantee that your work is not passing by unnoticed.
▪
I want to call out bravely, the way little children in the countryside used to exclaim when we passed by.
▪
It had clearly passed by the inhabitants of this quiet corner of Picardy.
▪
It isn't something you could pass by and not notice.
▪
Longest Night had passed by without incident, and Chater had not returned until mid-January.
▪
That day at the office seemed to pass by in an even more dreamlike fashion than usual.
▪
Three, in one form or another, are still in the budget bill passed by Congress and vetoed by President Clinton.
pass sb by
▪
He ended up a bitter old man who felt that life had somehow passed him by.
▪
Seize opportunities while you can -- don't let them pass you by.
▪
Sometimes I feel that all the best things in life are passing me by.
play sth by ear
▪
As he has no political party that can provide him with practical support, he is forced to play it by ear .
▪
At 2, he played the piano by ear .
▪
But the government is having to play it by ear .
▪
He heard jazz records at home when very young and played piano by ear .
▪
So each played it by ear , with resulting policy shifts that often appeared to be not only sudden but incomprehensible.
▪
Well, she would play it by ear .
play sth by ear
▪
As he has no political party that can provide him with practical support, he is forced to play it by ear.
▪
At 2, he played the piano by ear.
▪
But the government is having to play it by ear.
▪
He heard jazz records at home when very young and played piano by ear.
▪
So each played it by ear, with resulting policy shifts that often appeared to be not only sudden but incomprehensible.
▪
Well, she would play it by ear.
pull/haul yourself up by your bootstraps
run that by me again
set great/considerable etc store by sth
▪
Being thus disappointed, I now set great store by what the first night might bring.
▪
Bourbon producers set great store by the soft local water which passes through limestone on its way to the distilleries.
▪
Britain had previously set great store by the Lisbon economic summit two years ago, but progress has subsequently been slow.
▪
He had worked for the same engineering firm for thirty years and he had always set great store by the company pension.
▪
It apparently sets great store by creating business and completing assignments relatively quickly.
▪
Organizations which set great store by behavioural conformity often develop patterns of operation which can appear ridiculous in their manifestations.
▪
The ancient Israelites set great store by proper burial.
side by side
▪
Doctors and scientists are working side by side to find a cure for AIDS.
▪
In Egypt, fundamentalism and feminism have long existed side by side.
▪
It was a strange situation with Washington, Pretoria and Peking fighting side by side.
▪
Sabina and Mel sat side by side in the back seat.
▪
Soldiers worked side by side with civilians to rebuild the city.
▪
They lay side by side on the couch until Sonia fell asleep.
▪
We walked along slowly side by side.
▪
But teachers in the classroom argue that both methods have to be used side by side.
▪
Have each group take turns gluing their items side by side on the graph.
▪
Media mavens contend that the visual comparison of the two men side by side is half the battle.
▪
On entering the office I saw that Donald had placed two hard chairs side by side facing his desk.
▪
The two boys grew up side by side and became close friends.
▪
The two ideas of him, the low and the high, persisted side by side for a long time.
▪
They lay side by side, doing their relaxation exercises - deep breathing and total muscular relaxation from the feet up.
▪
They sat side by side in the double passenger seat, watching me as I approached.
smitten with/by sth
stand by sb
stand by sth
stand or fall by/on sth
▪
But the argument must stand or fall on its merits.
▪
For the government, acceptance of central planning did not stand or fall on the issue of nationalisation.
▪
It seems that this is a case that will stand or fall on its own particular facts.
▪
Mr Karimov knows that he will stand or fall on his ability to stave off economic collapse.
▪
The school has an outstanding and deserved reputation, which will stand or fall by the testimony of its pupils.
▪
The storyline was always going to stand or fall by the performance of Tim Guinee as Lazar.
▪
The success of the new News at Ten will stand or fall on his relationship with the seven million plus viewers.
▪
Their case would stand or fall on her reliability.
suicide by cop
swing by (sth)
take sb/sth by surprise
▪
But still Hsu Fu was not satisfied or took us by surprise .
▪
But the vehemence and anger of this response take her by surprise .
▪
He rolled towards Lily, taking her by surprise .
▪
His deep voice took Romanov by surprise .
▪
Inspector Montgomery's sudden termination of the interview had taken her by surprise initially, but now she understood his strategy.
▪
Midlife never took me by surprise .
▪
Such cheery jobless numbers have taken everybody by surprise .
▪
The thought that had been waiting to be revealed, waiting to take him by surprise .
take somewhere by storm
take the bull by the horns
▪
Helena decided to take the bull by the horns and organize the show herself.
▪
We decided to take the bull by the horns and go to court, instead of paying the fine.
take/catch sb by surprise
▪
He caught me by surprise and I sounded foolish.
▪
He rolled towards Lily, taking her by surprise .
▪
His deep voice took Romanov by surprise .
▪
In consequence, untold numbers of sailors died when their destinations suddenly loomed out of the sea and took them by surprise .
▪
Inspector Montgomery's sudden termination of the interview had taken her by surprise initially, but now she understood his strategy.
▪
The hug takes him by surprise .
▪
The thought that had been waiting to be revealed, waiting to take him by surprise .
▪
Welch and I had a rather heated exchange about the appropriateness of his editorial interference, which had caught me by surprise .
too clever/rich/good etc by half
▪
The arithmetic can not be faulted - and may well be judged too clever by half .
unaccompanied by sth
watch the world go by
▪
In this little village you can still sit in the town café and watch the world go by.
▪
Anonymous, watching the world go by for a moment.
▪
Did Victorine have a favorite cafe from which she watched the world go by?
▪
It's very pleasant to linger in a pavement cafe here and just watch the world go by.
▪
Or simply relax and watch the world go by.
▪
Plenty have terraces from which to watch the world go by accompanied by a hot waffle or a glass of beer.
▪
The George Street precinct is a great place to pause, enjoy the frequent street entertainment and watch the world go by.
▪
This is not a place to stand and stare, or to sit and watch the world go by.
▪
When we were lads Walton's doorway was where we always used to stand and watch the world go by.
win/lose by a whisker
▪
Davidson won the election by a whisker .
▪
He finished second in the 1988 Superstars, losing by a whisker in the final event.
▪
In a race that was ultimately won by a whisker , the Powell effect may even have made the difference for Bush.
without so much as a by your leave
year by year
▪
Year by year, things are getting worse.
▪
Because so much has been put into making such fine volumes, they have tended to increase in value year by year.
▪
But though I refused to age, the students and the other teachers grew younger year by year.
▪
Instead of claiming it year by year, you just fill in a form when you apply for your mortgage.
▪
The car-less core has been expanded year by year, as more neighborhoods have wanted it.
▪
The issues involved in a healthy environment grow year by year.
▪
The pay-back is more evident year by year, as increasingly the focus is on speciality films.
▪
Their living conditions are getting worse year by year, politicians are corrupt, often are not held accountable.
▪
Yet year by year, the day of reckoning grows closer, and nothing is being done.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Hamlet" was written by Shakespeare.
▪
By 9.00, most of the guests had arrived.
▪
By God, we actually did it!
▪
By law, cars cannot pass a school bus while it is stopped.
▪
Ann has two children by her ex-husband.
▪
Colette is French by birth.
▪
Doris came in by the back door.
▪
Everyone is worried by the rise in violent crime.
▪
He walked by me without saying hello.
▪
I'll be home by 6.30, I promise.
▪
I'll be home by 9:30.
▪
I go by John's place on my way to work; I can pick him up.
▪
I picked the pot up by the handle.
▪
I saw him standing by the window.
▪
I was overcharged by $3.
▪
It's fine by me if you want to go.
▪
Jim was bitten by a dog.
▪
Most restaurant workers are paid by the hour.
▪
Please try to have this done by Friday.
▪
Profits were $6 million, but by their standards this is low.
II. adverb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
I lay on the grass and watched the clouds floating by .
▪
One or two cars went by , but nobody stopped.
▪
One woman reported seeing a man go by on a motorcycle.
▪
Three hours went by before we heard any news.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A high school couple walked by , talking ofJesus.
▪
As Ahab and the crew pass it by from day to day they ponder its meaning.
▪
As we talk, Dolph Lundgren waddles by .
▪
The weedy water slid by between him and the shoals and ledges.
▪
There are lots of spots close together around the city centre, then many more close by in a car.