I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a hand gesture/signal (= a movement of your hand to show what you mean )
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He made a rude hand gesture at the other driver.
a signal honour formal (= a great honour )
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He received the signal honour of becoming an Honorary Fellow of the college.
busy signal
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I keep getting a busy signal .
distress signal
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We picked up a distress signal 6 km away.
engaged tone/signal (= the sound you hear when the phone is engaged )
give a wave/movement/signal
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He gave a wave of his hand.
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Don’t move until I give the signal.
signal a change (= be a sign of a change )
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Does this move signal a change in US foreign policy?
signal box
smoke signal
time signal
turn signal
weak...signal
▪
a weak radio signal
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
busy
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No busy signals , paper jams, or failed attempts.
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The busy signal , he saw now, had not been arbitrary.
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Again, the Brapid busy signal that meant no connection.
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All three dialed up without encountering any busy signals when tested Thursday morning.
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And here the Shamir government is busy sending negative signals .
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Many of its 8 million members get busy signals when they try to connect.
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He thought I was home, but all he got was a busy signal .
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But most people found only busy signals , as structural damage and call volume overwhelmed local phone systems.
clear
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However, they still had no luck as, here again, there was no clear signal .
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Even when women find the man unappealing, they do not send clear rejection signals to begin with, the researchers found.
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But his arrest is not a clear signal that the opposite is true.
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It is not enough to acknowledge the importance of collective entrepreneurship; clear and consistent signals must reinforce the new story.
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The peer group gives out clear signals to its members both about style and about fundamental values and perspectives.
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It is clear that this signal is the same in all higher vertebrates; what has changed in evolution is the response.
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The presence of Mars in Scorpio is as clear a signal as you could wish for.
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The above discussion suggests that, when needed, clear signals of information status can be employed in written language.
digital
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MPEG-2 sets the standard for the compression of digital signals , the most complicated and expensive element of any digital broadcasting system.
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Time Division Multiple Access converts conversations into digital signals and assigns each one specific time slots.
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These are then traced on a touch-sensitive drawing board to make digital data signals which are dumped in the computer memory.
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With digital signals , though, the problem is almost nonexistent.
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Sending such digital signals lends itself well to using light along optical fibres rather than electrical signals along copper wires.
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It enables your loudspeakers to produce music by converting the digital signal to an analog waveform.
electrical
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This unit converts light pulses into electrical signals and vice-versa.
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The traffic of ions into and out of neurons underlies their capacity to generate and transmit electrical signals .
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We conclude that the systemic response is caused by an electrical signal propagating through the plant.
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Images could be converted from light or other radiation to an analog electrical signal .
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In these, messages are carried as flashes of light rather than electrical signals so there is no possibility of interference.
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Radio antennas receive radio waves and change them into electrical signals which are then turned into sound by the speakers.
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However, we will from time to time assume that we are discussing electronic computers, implemented by the routing and gating of electrical signals .
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No electrical signal , whether down a wire or through the ether, appears able to travel faster than light.
strong
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The speech sent a strong signal confirming foreign policy is far down on his list of priorities.
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They want to engineer products that put out a strong signal with minimal interference.
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The stronger signal observed with the antisense probe indicates transcription.
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Choosing Cheney also sends a strong signal about George W's confidence.
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Last week, Francis sent out the strongest possible signal that he won't settle for second best at Sheffield Wednesday.
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That would be a fairly strong buy signal .
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The result was a group of cells with extra ion channels capable of producing stronger electrical signals .
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Intermodulation A consequence of some forms of harmonic distortion is that a strong signal modules a weak one.
weak
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Also its signals would contain a lot less noise, particularly important in measuring and handling very weak signals.
■ NOUN
box
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Approaching the signal box he mounted the steps, the hand-rail creaking as he used it for support.
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A class D9 No. 6028 departs southwards, seen from the signal box .
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With the modernisation of the railway system, Brooke End signal box was abandoned, its structure left to stand forlorn.
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He walked along Platform 2 and noticed smoke coming from the signal box .
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Between the years 1902-1902, there was actually a signal box situated well inside the Woodhead tunnel.
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A typical branch line country station complete with signal box has been created.
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Terror gripped the two men as they ran as fast as they could away from the ghostly train towards Elsham signal box .
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There is a signal box at each end, East and West also the Breakdown Vans, ready when they are wanted.
distress
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Failing all this, raising and lowering your outstretched arms at your side is an accepted international distress signal .
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Even if the means could be found, there were reasons why they might never attempt to beam a distress signal into space.
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On a given distress signal from him, or from anyone close to him, I was to post them off.
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They act like linguistic distress signals .
radio
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This is a star's radio signal .
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It is a manner of speech now increasingly rare in the world, faded and ever weakening like a lost radio signal .
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Twenty minutes after the first radio signal , Lawton finished his pre-flight checks.
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The equipment compresses the radio signal into digital form, then adds buffers to make up for any sound lost in transmission.
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But if so, we might have expected to he contacted by them, or at least to detect their radio signals .
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There is a seven-second delay between transmission of the radio signal and when it can be heard on computer.
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Most of the time, though, he processed requests to collect radio signals from targeted coordinates.
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Alec monitored a variety of radio signals , but rarely responded himself.
smoke
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As humans we can transmit messages to each other by speaking, writing, morse code, semaphore and smoke signals .
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In addition he or she could see smoke signals sent from island to island.
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Mercurial changes in painted light were due to fog, not smoke signals .
warning
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An answer that the Under-Secretary gave me on 15 October 1990 suggested that a fair number of warning signals would be available.
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The advice to drivers is to slow down and take heed of the warning signals .
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That was the cue for Spartak to post the warning signals with a series of slick attacks.
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This type of warning signal is today known as Batesian Mimicry.
■ VERB
convert
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Here the pulses are converted into signals that provide the directional information, just as with a conventional switch type joys tick.
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Time Division Multiple Access converts conversations into digital signals and assigns each one specific time slots.
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The digital images held in the memory banks are converted to television signals which are displayed on the monitor.
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It enables your loudspeakers to produce music by converting the digital signal to an analog waveform.
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To cross this gap, an action potential must be converted from an electrical signal to a chemical signal.
generate
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According to the inventor, the ear generates a reference signal which mixes with incoming sounds to produce a composite signal.
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The traffic of ions into and out of neurons underlies their capacity to generate and transmit electrical signals .
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However, these two stores may interact with each other to generate calcium signals .
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Molecules read the result of the reactions and generate output signals .
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A part of the computer generates special electronic signals which cause the characters to be displayed on the screen.
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There is indeed direct evidence that mechanical stress can generate intracellular signals that regulate gene expression.
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This also generates a bias signal required by the delay line chip.
give
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Finally, cells give out and receive signals from neighbouring cells.
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From within he was given a vague signal that this was the time to stand up and away.
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He hadn't seen Goebbels give any signal , but when he looked up the orderly was waiting to escort him away.
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They set about loosening the ropes just enough for them to be able to reach the knot once Graham gave the signal .
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Part of the problem is that the church over the centuries has given mixed signals about the family.
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Nodding, Seton gave the awaited signal to fire.
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No sooner were the colleges given the signal to diversify than limits were placed on diversification.
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The thing reportedly couldn't find its critical paths and gave off false signals that everything was hunky-dory when it wasn't.
pick
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To pick up the reflected signals , the cellphone has to be held steady for a few seconds, says Lubecke.
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Our remote sensing device has picked up a signal which is now displayed on a screen in front of us.
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Astronomers need much longer observation times and a constant altitude to pick up faint signals or observe rare events.
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At that point, the plane should pick up a signal coming from the first of two ground-based beacons.
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Once you have picked up a signal you concentrate in that area until the signal is received at the greatest possible volume.
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This time he seems to be picking up the signals of some approaching hostility towards him.
produce
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The sequence generator produces the phase control signals and is triggered by step command pulses from a constant frequency clock.
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According to the inventor, the ear generates a reference signal which mixes with incoming sounds to produce a composite signal.
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The individual that produces the most clear-cut signal is most likely to have the most offspring.
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The preamp produces the buffered signal necessary for a flat-response direct input.
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A further problem can be the microphone performance - different microphones can produce different acoustic signals which need to be standardised.
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These migrating sheets of cells produce a signal which induces a nervous system in the overlying sheet.
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The result was a group of cells with extra ion channels capable of producing stronger electrical signals .
provide
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Of course, eventually the samples reach the last capacitor in the chain, where they provide the output signal before being discarded.
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When the insect is ready to mature, juvenile hormone secretion must stop and allatostatin provides the signal .
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This anticipates the inadequacy in the feedback control, and provides a supplementary signal .
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Along the way she provides cues and signals to help the child with the next step.
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Any ferret can carry the transmitting device that provides the signal to be picked up by the hand-held locator.
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And are auditors particularly well qualified to provide such a signal ?
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The aim is to have prices reflect all available information and so provide reliable signals upon which investment decisions can be based.
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This Important feature enables a waveform detection system to do much more than provide signals confirming step completion in high speed systems.
receive
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We all send and receive visual signals when we talk to each other.
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The radio suddenly stops receiving the electromagnetic signals it turns into sound.
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I certainly received that signal and pressed onwards to the Alps.
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He radioed the airport control tower to confirm that they could receive his transponder signal .
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Finally, cells give out and receive signals from neighbouring cells.
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These, under the Steward and Moray, were not to attempt ingress until they received a signal from the front party.
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Using recording electrodes connected to transmitters, they received the signals in a receiving truck parked in the subjects' driveways.
respond
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The other monkeys might have been responding to a visual signal or they may have seen the leopard themselves.
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In general, during his first year in office, Carter was distressed by Soviet failure to respond to his signals .
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The evidence from the case studies demonstrates that managers did not respond to market signals in simplistic ways.
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If the vehicle is friendly, it automatically responds with a signal to the shooter.
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He is responding to market signals .
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Braggarts can help themselves by working on responding to signals that other people use, looking and listening.
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But the cell must already have an internal system which can respond to such signals and again the signal is being selective.
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The cells in the progress zone all multiply and can respond to positional signals .
send
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Desire licked like a flame at her senses, sending dangerous signals to her brain.
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We all send and receive visual signals when we talk to each other.
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They test their models by sending signals back through the electrodes and observing changes in behavior.
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It has sent signals that the Tories never would.
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Ah, but we need to use it to send a signal .
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Maybe the reason scientists have yet to receive signals from extraterrestrial intelligence is because there isn't any extraterrestrial intelligence sending signals.
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They gave the wrong impression, sent the wrong signal .
transmit
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He flipped the radio switches on again and transmitted his call signal to the base at Alma-Ata.
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They continuously transmit coded signals and time data that receivers use to compute latitude and longitude.
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Filter synthesis 12.1 Introduction An ideal filter would perfectly transmit signals at all desired frequencies and completely reject them at all other frequencies.
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The traffic of ions into and out of neurons underlies their capacity to generate and transmit electrical signals .
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It transmits a signal of continuous dashes in morse.
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A laser transmitted faint light signals to an electronic detector.
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It transmits a signal of continuous dots and dashes and activates an Amer light, flashing the same signal.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
send (sb) a message/signal
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A cellular phone is really a mobile radio system that sends a signal out over public airwaves.
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And sometimes they send e-mail messages to Walsh and Pulver, updating the information on the size of their share-holdings.
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And they coincided with the bulges in the geoid, which sent a clear message to geophysicists.
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But finding a way to send a message faster than light struck me as more straight forward.
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For the 11 countries inside the euro, it sends a positive signal to the financial markets.
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Provided you both have Net access, it's as quick, easy and cheap as sending a message across the street.
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Turned out she wanted to know if Uncle Adam had been sending any radio messages.
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Would I care to send in a message?
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Don't start yet - wait until I give the signal .
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During mating season, female butterflies respond to subtle signals from the males.
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Stock brokers use roughly 300 hand signals on the trading floor.
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The soldiers were waiting for the signal to start firing.
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The telephone changes sound waves into electrical signals.
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We just sat there, waiting for the signal to turn green.
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When I nod my head, that's the signal for you to start playing the music.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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As humans we can transmit messages to each other by speaking, writing, morse code, semaphore and smoke signals.
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It can fine-tune the signal the receptors pass on, and it can change the number of receptors.
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Moma Parsheen had sent the exterminatus signal just over a week earlier.
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That was the signal for us to leave.
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The signals just get louder and louder.
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The biggest surprise was the sudden reappearance of the radio signals.
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This ability to adjust signals is a mechanism for learning.
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When the insect is ready to mature, juvenile hormone secretion must stop and allatostatin provides the signal .
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
also
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Women get together and discuss the lack of hot water and other domestic issues which also signals their awareness of sexism.
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The Reagan New Federalism also signalled an increased dependence of urban areas on state government.
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It would, says Peter Allen, also signal a message of hope for local people.
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Flat or falling prices for key commodities also signal price stability, and slower growth.
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The Chancellor also signalled he did not favour an early cut in interest rates.
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He also signalled that he hoped to have talks with Zulu leaders, including Buthelezi, in the near future.
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In an Inland Revenue consultation paper, Mr Brown also signalled a willingness to disregard student loans when calculating tax credit levels.
■ NOUN
arrival
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Some cultures permit a reciprocal hug to signal welcome on arrival , and again on departure to signal appreciation of the visit.
beginning
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Bells were rung at either end of a conversation to signal the beginning and end of the call.
change
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In 1844 he signalled a change of direction by appointing Mikhail Vorontsov to the new post of Caucasian Viceroy.
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But in rapidly heating or cooling markets, new-home prices can signal a change in overall price trends.
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It is not yet clear whether this signals a more general change in the government's approach to the funding of education.
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They signal moments of change and transition.
end
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The emergence of a Five Nations cup, a handsome piece of silverware has signalled the end of an era.
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The peace is broken by the bell that signals the end of the day.
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However, 1985 signalled the end of the post-war trend of decline in working hours in Britain.
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He continued to box until 1910 when a deteriorating eye condition signalled the end of his active career.
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Postmodernism does not signal the end of politics or the creation of forms which are emptied of political content.
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The more so at Augusta, the arrival of which each year seems to signal the happy end of winter hibernation.
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It was always possible that Will Sin's death might have signalled the end for the band.
intention
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Better Schools signalled the government's intention to offer a further statement on the organisation and content of the 5-16 curriculum.
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The property claim signals prosecutors' intention to dismantle what they consider an organized crime syndicate.
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Ford signalled his intention to treat legislators as allies rather than adversaries.
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It signals his intention not to become a pen-pusher but to spend time trackside as he has always done.
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These markings are found on many of the cat family and are used for signalling their intentions and mood to others.
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The Department of Health has signalled its intention to review the formula in the light of 1991 census data, again using small area analysis.
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These pledges signal such an intention .
return
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The subsequent phase between 1934 and 1939 signalled the return of the party from the political wilderness of sectarian isolationism.
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The Lima standoff seems to signal a return to overt political action by Tupac Amaru.
shift
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But it would signal a policy shift by the central bank that could crimp the economy severely later on.
start
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This signalled the start of the victory celebrations as Randalstown swamped the Victorians circle.
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I love the sweet bell that ends the round, and hate its sour, doomsday note when it signals the start .
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They use intonational cues to signal the start of a new paragraph.
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In fact, it is the greed that serves to signal the start of his entrepreneurship.
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An eerie blast on a horn signalled the start of the ceremony and the crowd became silent.
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Then when ready, they push a button to signal the start of their 40 shots that make up the first round.
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The inquiry found he twice failed to signal a false start .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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A sailor began signalling with two flags.
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An official signalled that it was time for the race to begin.
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Graham finished his drink and signalled to the waiter.
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He'd been signaling his desire to leave for over a year.
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Slowly he inched around the corner, signalling for the others to follow.
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The display will flash "L," signaling the user to change the batteries.
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The driver in front of us was signaling left, but he didn't turn off.
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The melting of the ice on the lake signals the start of spring.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Again and again Cheryl signalled the message, hoping desperately that Angela would read it.
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But he admits that his self-control snapped sufficiently for him to signal the score, 3-1 to West Ham.
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But three recent cases are piquing our interest, and analysts say they may signal new and more venal form of corruption.
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For the hopeful, increased use of leave signals social progress, greater sharing by fathers.
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Most of the processing would be done remotely, signalling to the lens via a radio link.
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The fires burned through the night, signalling across the forest that the era of the rajathuk was at an end.
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The threshold is achieved on both input processing elements, so both elements fire and pass signals on to the middle layer.
III. adjective
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Headlight controls are on the turn signal stalk, wiper controls on another stalk to the right of the steering wheel.
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They may act as signal warning for developments in other fields.