verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a confident/optimistic/relaxed etc mood
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At the beginning of the negotiations, he was in a confident mood.
a relaxed/friendly/informal atmosphere
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Helen's flat has a very relaxed atmosphere.
a relaxing/leisurely drink (= that you drink in a slow relaxed way )
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The hotel terrace is an ideal place to enjoy a relaxing drink.
in a good/positive/relaxed etc frame of mind
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She returned from lunch in a happier frame of mind.
loosen/relax your grip (= hold something less tightly )
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Lee loosened his grip on the dog’s collar.
loosen/relax your hold
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Laughing, he loosened his hold until she could pull her arms free.
pleasant/relaxing/friendly etc ambience
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The restaurant’s new owners have created a welcoming ambience.
relax regulations (= make them less strict )
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He has voted in favor of relaxing environmental regulations.
relax the rules (= make them less strict )
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Britain relaxed its immigration rules.
relax your muscles (= make them feel less tight )
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A hot bath will help relax sore muscles.
relax/ease restrictions (= make them less strict )
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There are restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens.
relaxed
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On Bali, there is a healthier, more relaxed attitude to life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
again
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Her hands curled slowly into fists, the nails scoring the soft palms until she winced, and let them relax again .
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As soon as they sit down and relax again , this irresistible urge returns.
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Lift your legs slightly against the force of gravity, holding them for at least ten seconds, then let them relax again .
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She stirred, a slight frown creasing her forehead, but her face relaxed again , and became peaceful.
more
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For this interview, talking just for the hell of it, he was immeasurably more relaxed .
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People are more relaxed , more volatile.
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This allowed the senior referees to relax more with their refereeing and the games flowed accordingly.
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As a focus group later revealed, the more relaxed tone won the readers' interest.
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Arid as I became more relaxed our love life returned to how it was before the children came along.
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The weekends will include work but at a more relaxed pace.
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But suits are more relaxed , often in bright colours and, again, no longer compulsory.
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In the process of teaching me, she became more relaxed , and smiled.
very
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They were very relaxed about it.
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It seemed to Verence that he was lying in a nice warm bath, which was very relaxing and comfortable.
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Female speaker It's very relaxing .
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He's very relaxed , she thought.
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They were both sitting, this time, though the man's austerity had relaxed very little further than that.
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They were very relaxed and Skip conveys the feeling that they were treating it more as a cruise than a race.
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It's very relaxing to walk across the grass and get away from cars and buildings.
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Moving on through the evening-they are very relaxed , as they eat dinner.
■ NOUN
atmosphere
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During the evening paseo the atmosphere is more relaxed , but still quite formal.
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The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed .
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I found the atmosphere relaxed and very refreshing.
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The atmosphere was relaxed with little pressure for performance.
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These will be simpler for the candidate to answer and will therefore help to keep the atmosphere relaxed .
attitude
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It may be that a relaxed and cheerful attitude to socializing is the real protective against heart disease.
body
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It is often startling how people's faces soften and their bodies relax after crying.
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As her mouth fell innocently open and her body relaxed , Ludovico Castelfranco examined her closely.
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He was asleep but his body had not yet relaxed .
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Robyn lay, eyes closed, and concentrated on keeping her mind blank and her body relaxed .
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His body had now completely relaxed after his frantic efforts with Molly a few minutes before.
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Gazzer felt his tired body relax as the heat unknotted tense and aching muscles.
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The hand on her knee withdrew and Lucenzo's body relaxed .
control
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As a result, some countries are now slightly relaxing their most stringent controls .
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His son, Chiang Chingkuo, further relaxed control .
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It will help keep you relaxed and in control of the meeting.
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Several new relaxations were announced, and the intention to continue relaxing controls as circumstances permitted was reaffirmed.
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Some publishers maintain traditionally stringent standards, but others, in a competitive market, are relaxed about quality control .
face
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With slow wrinkling his stiff face relaxed now and then into a feminine tender smile.
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Mchboob looked disappointed; his whole face relaxed into regret.
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He nodded a kind, concerned face that relaxed into a shy smile; he too was enjoying our cultural connection.
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His lean bony sun-tanned face was relaxed , concealing his high degree of alertness.
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I turned around to face front, and relaxed .
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The muscles in his face were relaxed , and there was a slight Buddha smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
grip
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Never for one moment does this shimmering, simmering emotional desert storm of a film relax its grip on your senses.
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Weeping with merriment, gleeful through and through, she never relaxed her grip .
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When he tries to say something I relax my grip .
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He relaxed his grip on the mug, rolled his sleeves down, pushed his chair back.
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Try these drive-time tips to ease your commute: Keep a relaxed grip on the steering wheel.
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The pilots cautiously relaxed their grip and let their muscles slacken.
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But attitudes of this kind took time to gain the upper hand: the past relaxed its grip only slowly.
mind
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Simply going for a walk can relax the mind and refresh the spirit - and it will make you fitter too.
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Once you have learned to relax your mind in this way, your mental ability will be increased.
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Some activity that will relax your mind is important too, especially just before bed.
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She relaxed and her mind ran free.
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Massage benefits A massage will help to relax your mind and body, and give your skin a thorough moisturising treatment.
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However, it is important to look first at how to relax your mind .
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All she wanted was to relax and clear her mind for the ordeal.
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Anna Charsky, native of Leningrad, relaxed her mind and was soon asleep again.
muscle
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Once the danger is passed you shake as your muscles relax .
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In addition, body temperature begins to drop and muscles begin to relax .
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Then the tiniest of smiles came to her lips, the muscles about her eyes relaxing slightly as she saw.
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The sedative effects of alcohol cause the throat muscle to relax too much and also interfere with the involuntary awakening mechanisms.
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His jaw ached and he realised that he was grinding his teeth, so he released the muscles and tried to relax .
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Open the fist and allow your muscles to relax .
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As the tense muscles begin to relax , sometimes pent-up emotions are also freed.
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I felt him unwind beside me, his arms and legs twitching as his muscles relaxed .
regulation
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The turbo itself muffles the bike's noise enough to make it road-legal under relaxed U.S. noise regulations .
rule
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However, the board will not relax the rule requiring any product called tequila to contain 51 % agave.
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Postponement, says Kohl, is unacceptable, but so is relaxing the rules of entry.
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Last September the Government relaxed rules on foreign workers coming to Britain to combat skills shortages.
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The judicial antipathy to relaxing the rule has been far from uniform.
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The following month the government relaxed its rules on censorship.
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Mr. Lester submitted that the time has come to relax the rule to the extent which I have mentioned.
time
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He says he will have time enough to relax and carouse when he's had a smash hit with his first novel.
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This should be a time to relax , time off from the work of marriage.
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Cycle backwards 30 times , then relax by cuddling your knees.
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And as the time passes and people relax , you find them all aware that they need help.
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Moreover, evenings were about the only time parents could relax together.
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That means, in addition to daily support, they also get time off to relax together-alone.
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I had a hard time relaxing during the West Coast shutdown.
■ VERB
allow
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Haydn's Nelson Mass allowed the choir to relax and enjoy singing.
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Open the fist and allow your muscles to relax .
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There is nothing to hook your fingers over and allow you to relax , so keep cool and keep going.
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It is the attitude, the sense of entitlement that allows for relaxing maternal management.
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She allowed her fingers to relax as his continued to twine with hers.
appear
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Dole appeared relaxed and confident during the two campaign appearances on Sunday, bantering with crowds with ease.
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A good kungfu man never stands rigidly; his posture has to appear natural and relaxed .
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During remarks Thursday, Lucid appeared fit and relaxed .
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She, like the 1930s girls, also appears in a relatively relaxed , candid pose.
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Bird was poised on the court and he appeared relaxed as he went through the filming.
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But Tuesday night she appeared soft, relaxed and regal, even in a businesslike black pants suit.
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The 50-year-old incumbent and the 72-year-old challenger appeared equally relaxed , forceful and well rehearsed.
begin
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As the days went by, however, and no further incident was reported, he began to relax .
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In addition, body temperature begins to drop and muscles begin to relax .
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By doing this your muscles will gradually begin to relax and feelings of calm and heaviness will develop naturally.
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Within the solid walls of temple compounds in Kyoto or Nara, Charles began to relax .
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Gradually, during the decade, they began to relax it soas to admit more and more controversial confessions.
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The cockpit crew, including Joe who had never been in a gale before in his life, began to relax .
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As the tense muscles begin to relax , sometimes pent-up emotions are also freed.
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But just as she begins to relax a little more, the rhythm of the game changes.
feel
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He felt completely lazy and relaxed .
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One might think this would make us feel more relaxed about life.
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She felt relaxed , rather warm inside.
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Imagine a place that you love, where you feel relaxed and joyful.
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I felt so warm and relaxed and lazy.
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They make me feel comfortable and relaxed .
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Braitman and Ehrenzweig like having it where they live, and feel its cooperative, relaxed ambience is very San Francisco.
help
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In either case, a good meal helps to relax the body and spirit and wind up the day.
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Harold thinks it would help him relax in the evening and not hit the hard stuff so hard.
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By lessening your own tension you help to relax others in your sphere; relaxation and tension are infectious.
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Organizers made it a point to include music and poetry to help relax the atmosphere and lure more students.
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It helps me relax after a hard day's rapping about controversial political and social issues.
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But they will tell you that that first drag helps them relax .
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It helps to relax you and provides a beat to keep the momentum going.
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Which kinds of sounds help him relax and which are upsetting?
learn
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Once you have learned to relax your mind in this way, your mental ability will be increased.
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We learn to relax the muscles in our throat, jaws, even in our shoulders and back.
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He must learn to relax more, not be racked by the tortured tenseness that had afflicted him for the past weeks.
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Yoga or meditation may also be helpful in learning to relax .
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There is one ailment where learning to relax is of special importance, and that is asthma.
let
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She screwed her face tight and then let go and relaxed the muscles.
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This lets the gluten relax and then the dough should be more compliant.
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Her hands curled slowly into fists, the nails scoring the soft palms until she winced, and let them relax again.
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Leese had never let the Huey relax , so to speak.
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The candle will light my cigarette, though. Let us relax , then.
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The pressure is painful. Let us relax for the moment.
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Just stop tensing and let the muscles relax with gravity.
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Lift your legs slightly against the force of gravity, holding them for at least ten seconds, then let them relax again.
seem
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He still felt ill, but the hysterics seemed to have relaxed him a bit.
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She seemed relaxed , supportive, and responsive to his signals.
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He regarded her for a moment and then seemed abruptly to relax .
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To that end, the players seem relaxed enough about it.
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Rose turned right, and seemed to relax a little.
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I carry Jack in a cardboard box and he seems relaxed as we have a quiet conversation in the dark.
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Yet she seems as relaxed as Lochlin.
sit
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Price from £345.92 Left: From Nova's Imperial range, a comfortable wheeled lounger to sit and relax in.
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They were, however, likely to stop, sit down and relax at 4 p. m. with tea and pastry.
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The Sheikh Osman sat on, relaxed now.
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Finally, he decides to unbuckle his belt, loosen his pants, sit back and relax .
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I could then sit and relax and listen to the other violinists.
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As soon as they sit down and relax again, this irresistible urge returns.
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On this occasion, however, I sat back and relaxed as the parents erupted.
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We sat and relaxed for an hour, or two.
start
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At last they can start to relax .
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For the first time, she started to relax and take in her surroundings.
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Then, just as the sentry was starting to relax , Mayne cocked his Colt.45 automatic.
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He worked hard before a tournament and then just before starting he'd relax .
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He only started to relax when he was out on the stone-chip drive and walking away from the house.
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You will probably find that once the interview is under way you will start to relax .
try
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It is always helpful to try to relax the group prior to commencement, perhaps with a cup of tea.
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So there was nothing else to do then but head for the Vareyoc Café and try to relax .
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He was trying to relax Peter.
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You have to try to relax , which some people find very difficult or even impossible.
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She tries to relax her body.
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Look at a particular point on the wall in front of you and try to relax .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Drink this. It will help you relax .
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For heaven's sake Keith, will you just sit down and relax for five minutes!
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Hey, relax , you're going to be all right.
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Just sit back and relax , and enjoy the music.
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Just wait! In two weeks' time I'll be relaxing on a beach in Greece.
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Local residents are protesting against plans to relax laws controlling pub opening hours.
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Meditation relaxes you and makes you feel more healthy.
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Take a deep breath, and relax .
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The drink relaxed him so much he fell asleep.
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The government proposes to relax the rules on bringing pets into the country.
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They had a lovely weekend, relaxing and lying by the pool.
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Trained staff will look after your children, so that you can relax and enjoy yourself.
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What Robin needed was a good drink to relax her.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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At the sound of her voice, something in me relaxed.
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In the evening the aim is to relax the body.
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Postponement, says Kohl, is unacceptable, but so is relaxing the rules of entry.
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The cockpit crew, including Joe who had never been in a gale before in his life, began to relax .
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We sat and relaxed for an hour, or two.