I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a thin mouth (= with thin lips )
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a woman with a sharp nose and a thin mouth
a thin slice
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Serve it with thin slices of bread and butter.
disappear into thin air (= completely )
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The money he made has disappeared into thin air.
fine/thin
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Use a piece of fine wire to clear the obstruction.
joke wears thin
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The film begins well but the joke wears thin after about ten minutes.
large/thin/slight etc frame
sb's patience is wearing thin (= they are becoming angry )
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People's patience is wearing thin as the queues for visas get longer.
stuck by...through thick and thin
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Jean has stuck by her husband through thick and thin .
stuck together through thick and thin
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Then, families stuck together through thick and thin .
the air is thin (= there is less oxygen because you are in a high place )
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People cannot live up there because the air is too thin and there is not enough oxygen to breathe.
thin build
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He had the thin build of a long-distance runner.
thin layer
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The moon was shining through a thin layer of cloud.
thin veneer
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A thin veneer of politeness hid Lady Bride’s growing anger.
thin
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The ice is too thin to skate on.
thin (= not deep )
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The thin soil is easily washed away.
thin/bony shoulders
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She put her arm around the girl’s thin shoulders.
thin/light cotton
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a thin cotton dress
thin/narrow
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Tears rolled down her thin face.
thinning (= becoming thinner because you are losing your hair )
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His dark hair was thinning on top.
vanished into thin air (= suddenly disappeared in a very mysterious way )
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She seemed to have just vanished into thin air .
worn thin
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His jeans have worn thin at the knees.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
too
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But there were hollows in her cheeks and she was too thin for beauty.
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According to the Duchess of Windsor, one can never be too rich or too thin .
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Moscow's real forces on the ground were too thin and too preoccupied with the Civil War.
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If too thin , add a bit more flour.
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Prices were too high in the Aberdeen area and, once again, people too thin on the ground on the West Coast.
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The resources were too thin and the natives were too resistant.
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Examine under the phase microscope and if it is too thin , spin down again and remove some of the fixative.
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The pasta was rolled a little too thin .
very
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That does not say much for the top chasers of the day, which are very thin on the ground.
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Over six feet tall, he weighed 120 pounds and was a very thin man.
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It is built up in very thin washes.
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At sixteen, I was still very thin , unattractive, and underdeveloped.
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In his dark-brown suit, he looked tall and very thin , and he wore a brown toupee and small rim1ess glasses.
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She was short - not much more than five feet tall - and very thin , like most of the people here.
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When I was in high school, I was always very thin .
■ NOUN
air
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The beginner normally learns combination techniques by performing them against thin air .
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One thing Galarraga should consider before he makes the move: The thin air in Denver has been good to him.
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The interior was gloomy; tobacco smoke hung motionless in the thin air .
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He was nestling within thin air and cinders.
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You can tell these mysterious trails were not made yesterday, because of the way they seem to disappear into thin air .
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He found rhymes irresistible, and produced them out of thin air , just for the fun of it.
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Too late she remembered about the steep bank behind her and stepped into thin air .
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Radio is an underrated medium because everything we do evaporates into thin air .
cotton
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The very thin cotton called voile is excellent when pleated.
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They keep their legs slightly apart so as not ro bruise the boils under their too short dresses and thin cotton underpants.
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The thin cotton pyjamas could not conceal his aroused state.
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I prefer to make my own, using thin cotton string.
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His touch seemed to burn her through the thin cotton of her white blouse.
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The thin cotton of his pyjamas did nothing to cushion the discomfort of the wicker scraping his bony body.
face
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I'd forgotten what a thin face Dad had got - how old he was.
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In the back seat a thin face stared ahead.
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It was a thin face , but clear and alert.
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By contrast, the eyes showed light in her thin face .
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All he saw was his thin face , a soft down forming on his forehead, his sunken, fearful eyes.
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His thin face was yellowish-white and his whole body seemed somehow diminished.
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Of indeterminate age, he had moist grey eyes set in a pale, thin face .
ice
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And that's fairly thin ice on which to skate one's credibility!
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The ground is frozen, thin ice covers the puddles between the furrows of the empty gray field.
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It had been granted grudgingly and she knew she was on thin ice as far as her superiors were concerned.
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Bush had the look of thin ice .
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He was on thin ice before.
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Notices warning of the dangers of thin ice were put up in the last few days when the lake froze over.
line
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Thick or thin lines of paint or a sprayed effect can be obtained.
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The parade continued on Fifth Avenue, but only a thin line of onlookers remained to watch.
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There was a thin line of light at the bottom edge.
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Ellen could visualize the puckers of thin lines forming between her wide-spaced eyes.
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The middle of the road was a thin line that disappeared.
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I want them to understand there can be a thin line between work and play.
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And there was in practice a very thin line between peaceful protest and the other variety.
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His lips were compressed into a thin line as he awaited some explanation.
lip
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Paler, shiny colours help thin lips look more full.
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His dark skin glistens, his slanted eyes above his high cheekbones are cruel, his thin lips are determined.
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She has a narrow face, deep-set eyes, sharp nose and thin lips .
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His spare middle-aged frame is topped by a large head with sallow cheeks, thin lips , and receding chin.
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They were humanoids: short, Caucasian but hairless, with thin lips and bulging black eyes.
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An emaciated fellow with jet black hair, thin lips and large brooding eyes caught the friar's eye.
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She looked up from her Tarot cards as Topaz approached, her thin lips tightening.
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Her thin lip curled in a rare smile - one might say she had been pursuing her own studies.
sheet
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The thin sheet of paper inside was a receipt.
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Even a thin sheet of card, or a foot of air, will absorb a good proportion.
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The minute particles in the rock have been flattened with the result that the slate splits easily into thin sheets .
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Surround meat with thin sheets of fat and tie into A place before roasting.
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There were mattresses but no blankets, only thin sheets .
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He was curious to investigate what would happen if he passed the Alphas through an exceptionally thin sheet of material.
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Dacron Thermoline: solid structure polyester fibre bonded into a thin sheet .
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These are sold in very thin sheets that can be cut to the desired size, filled, sealed and boiled.
skin
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McCaffrey is also notorious for his thin skin , which may explain why he has studiously avoided public debate.
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The present land surface is a thin skin on top of a thick record of the past preserved in the rocks.
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As they get older they tend to have very thin skin and can bruise from the slightest injury.
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There was water at the bottom covered by a thin skin of ice and he splashed into it face first.
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Clean thin skin , with shallow eyes. 3.
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With no work to do, the hangers-on become feeble, with thin skins and mouths reduced to tubes.
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They can not breed without water, and their thin skins must be kept moist or they will dehydrate and die.
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If only I had a duck's back instead of wafer thin skin .
slice
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Again, all will contain some cream, but a thin slice should do little harm.
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Layer into a bowl, alternating with thin slices of onion and a little salt and pepper.
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A roster for crusts had to be started as these contained more bread than the average thin slice .
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Cut the mushrooms into thin slices .
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Carve thin slices vertically, then repeat.
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Narbutas looked closely at the corners, where two thin slices of granite met.
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A spokeswoman from Asda suggested a thin slice of creamy Wensleydale cheese to turn mince pies into a gourmet treat.
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Further trimming can be carried out on smaller diamond saws, which are capable of producing thin slices .
veneer
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Above that is a thin veneer of hard cases, who continue offending into their twenties.
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Under this thin veneer of modesty lies a monster of greed.
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By this he means acquiring a thin veneer of knowledge to mask his corruption.
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I was afraid alcohol would eat through the thin veneer of self-control.
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A thin veneer of cork is bonded of a painted backing shows through in places to create a two-colour finish.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be (skating) on thin ice
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Legally, the company is on very thin ice with its actions.
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You're skating on thin ice , showing up late for work every day.
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He was on thin ice before.
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It had been granted grudgingly and she knew she was on thin ice as far as her superiors were concerned.
be skating on thin ice
be spread (too) thin/thinly
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Perhaps the managerial talent that was responsible for the steady growth is spread too thin.
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Some one must lose, even if the losses are spread thinly.
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The ointment should be spread thinly on the bruised areas.
have (a) thin/thick skin
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Some people have thick skins , others have thin ones and are more easily hurt.
spread yourself too thin
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BHart said the organization, though well-intentioned, might be spreading itself too thin.
sth is wearing thin
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The joke about prudence is wearing thin.
through thick and thin
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I'm so grateful to Barb- she's supported me through thick and thin.
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The old pull of party allegiance, support for your party through thick and thin, is fading.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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"What do you want?" gasped Helen in a thin , frightened voice.
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a thin blue line
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a thin slice of bread
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a wire as thin as a human hair
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For these crepes you will need a fairly thin batter, so do not add too much flour.
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He's tall and thin and wears glasses.
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His hair's getting thin on top.
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How do you get your sugar cookies so thin , Dagmar?
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I'm afraid the evidence is really too thin as it stands. We need to investigate further.
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I was disappointed with your history essay, it seemed a little thin in terms of content.
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I wish my legs were thinner.
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In her pocket was a thin leather wallet containing six ten dollar bills.
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It was a chilly night, and he had only a thin blanket for warmth.
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Larry was tall and thin with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.
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Martin wore a thin cotton shirt under his sweater.
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My curtains are too thin to keep the sun out.
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She looked pale, thin , and unhealthy.
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That's a pretty thin excuse - he could have gotten there if he'd really wanted to.
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The air is so thin up here I can hardly breathe.
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The lake was covered with a thin layer of ice.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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At sixteen, I was still very thin , unattractive, and underdeveloped.
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Both of them noticed with shock how alarmingly thin she was, frail to the point of vanishing.
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Her thick brown cotton stockings were bunched around her thin ankles, her legs were blue.
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If this showed their somewhat thin knowledge of my country, the compliment was returned.
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In fact, one of the features that sets the goat-antelopes apart from their relatives is the relatively thin and fragile skull.
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It is a cage, suspended from the ceiling by the thinnest of threads.
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The layers of paint are built up by the application of a thin wash, staining the primed canvas.
II. adverb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Core and slice apples very, very thin .
III. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
down
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What would have thinned down-his wallet, his waistline, his ego?
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Convinced that Carla can be his if he thins down , Sherman gulps the hamster serum and becomes gorgeously, Spandexy thin.
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Industry magazines have thinned down so much with the collapse of internet advertising that they can now be stapled rather than bound.
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Prime with two to three coats of eggshell, thinning down the first one with white spirit to avoid ridges.
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Some paint must be thinned down , some comes ready.
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For a soft effect, thin down an oil-based paint with spirits, and then apply your colour with a brush.
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Flanging, by nature, has the effect of thinning down a signal, especially if used on an extreme setting.
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Paste colour provides a rich intense shade without thinning down the fondant and marzipan as with liquids.
out
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Aftercare Spring cabbage can be thinned out at the end of winter to their final spacings.
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So cutting out unnecessary layers and thinning out the staffs are normally useful things to do.
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Towards the north these turn into pine forests and eventually thin out to form the grassy plains of Kislev.
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Parked on his trunk, Mitchell finished reading the Miami HemId; both the crowd and his optimism began to thin out .
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The car remained crowded as far as Holborn and then the passengers thinned out .
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When they thinned out he headed for the cherry blossoms, then magnolia, chinaberry, pecan, walnut and prickly pear.
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Above Twenty-third Street the buildings began to thin out .
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Past Kingston the thruway traffic thinned out .
■ NOUN
hair
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Mike, whose own hair is visibly thinning despite careful combing, took the sight of Harvey in a hand towel badly.
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His hair was thinning and combed straight back from his face.
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Over the years his hair had thinned , his figure grown more corpulent, his face redder and shinier.
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His hair was thinning on top but he had a small ponytail at the back.
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Body seems in fair condition, own hair , not thinning .
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This can worsen after the menopause, when the face becomes hairier, while other body hair thins .
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Checked shirt, windcheater with a black zip, brown hair , thinning slightly.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be (skating) on thin ice
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Legally, the company is on very thin ice with its actions.
▪
You're skating on thin ice , showing up late for work every day.
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He was on thin ice before.
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It had been granted grudgingly and she knew she was on thin ice as far as her superiors were concerned.
have (a) thin/thick skin
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Some people have thick skins , others have thin ones and are more easily hurt.
through thick and thin
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I'm so grateful to Barb- she's supported me through thick and thin.
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The old pull of party allegiance, support for your party through thick and thin, is fading.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Add a little oil to thin the mixture.
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The small group of protesters thinned out by midnight.
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They went through the fields to thin the sugar beets.
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Zhao's hair has thinned and turned gray.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Fermanagh the Carboniferous sediments thin northwards against the land mass from which they were derived.
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Generally there are too many bodies on stage and it may be your job to thin them out.
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With luck, the press might have thinned out.