I. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a firm/tight grip
▪
The streets were crowded and she kept a tight grip on her bag.
a sharp/tight bend (= a curve that changes direction suddenly )
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That road sign means you are approaching a sharp bend.
a sharp/tight curve (= one that turns suddenly in another direction )
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There's a tight curve in the road up ahead.
a tight budget (= small and limited )
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Most young people have to live within a tight budget.
a tight constraint (= a strict limit )
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They were operating within tight financial constraints.
a tight deadline (= one that is difficult because it does not allow much time to do something )
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As a journalist, you have to be able to work to tight deadlines.
a tight smile written (= when you are not really happy or friendly )
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As he stepped past Carson he gave a quick, tight smile of acknowledgement.
a tight/firm hold
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Rose had a tight hold of her hand.
a tight/sharp corner (= very curved and difficult to drive around )
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Go slowly because there’s a sharp corner up ahead.
close/tight
▪
Most people were predicting a close race.
get...out of a tight spot
▪
I hope you can help get me out of a tight spot .
Hold on tight
▪
Hold on tight !
puts...in...tight spot
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This puts the chairman in a very tight spot .
tight curls (= curves that are very close together )
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Her dark hair was arranged in tight curls.
tight fit
▪
I managed to get everything into the suitcase, but it was a tight fit .
tight schedule (= including a lot of things that must be done in a short time )
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I’m going to be working to a very tight schedule .
tight
▪
The knot in my shoelaces is really tight.
tightly/tight shut
▪
He went on sobbing, his eyes tight shut.
tight/rigid controls (= strict controls )
▪
the introduction of tighter controls on immigration
tight/strict (= good security, so that something is very safe )
▪
The event passed off peacefully, amid tight security.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
too
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Make sure that stockings or tights as well as shoes are not too tight .
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The head twists out as if the skin is wearing an old fashioned collar that's too tight for comfort.
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Buying a size larger just because the shoes feel too tight only means a narrow shoe that slips off!
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Jean-Paul glanced down at his own suit, which was too tight for him, and damned uncomfortable.
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We wedged it in place firmly, but not too tight against the lintel, leaving room for adjustment.
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Always wear the right clothing for the activity you choose - clothing worn too tight can hinder circulation.
up
▪
You can lace up tight for the next couple of weeks and try to act normal.
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He curled up tight and slept better than he had done all year.
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You were rolled up tight as a mummy in canvas, then water was poured on it.
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But he kept his mouth buttoned up tight .
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Pike took off the peaked cap and tucked it inside his overall which he then zipped up tight to the neck.
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Or paper bags tied up tight at the neck.
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When fate marks you down for immortality you'd just better bite the bullet and lace your boots up tight .
■ NOUN
ball
▪
She curled up in a tight ball as though to stop herself from breaking apart.
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Frankie climbed into bed, curled himself into a tight ball and pulled the covers up over his head.
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I crawl into my sleeping bag and curl up in a tight ball .
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She could feel that the muscles in her stomach were clenched into a tight ball .
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The Princesse crumpled the telegram into a tight ball .
budget
▪
The government would end price controls and subsidies to industry, and impose tight budgets and curbs on welfare spending.
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And, Tom was working on a tight budget .
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We had a really tight budget and we feared the cost of turning it into a home was way beyond our means.
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Some may experience considerable pressure to meet technical or scientific goals within a short time or within a tight budget .
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Working on a tight budget , we opted for more on-board memory at the expense of a large capacity harddisk.
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The panel wanted to make the new drugs accessible to poor Texans but was faced with a tight budget .
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The competition set a fairly tight budget so Julia decided to mix second-hand clothes with new ones.
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But because of the general economic climate, you may still feel as though you must manage on a tight budget .
control
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At no time did the abbey relinquish to these groups any of its tight control over economic life.
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Firecracker reacted to the tight control on his whereabouts by trying to elude his protectors.
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But Ickes, through his tight control over time and money, is doing his bit too.
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Margret Rey, who kept tight control over the vast franchise, died just before Christmas at the age of 90.
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And keep a tight control of your budget.
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Now, plainly, tighter controls on vehicles entering the City are essential.
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The tight control on public sector pay is crucial and underlines the fact that the Government intends to practise what it preaches.
corner
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However, the cover is very easily removed if you need to get into a tight corner .
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The drivers roared round tight corners and skilfully navigated a twisty, bendy and muddy course.
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They get the argument out of a tight corner , and make for a less fatalistic scenario.
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However, employers could find themselves in a tight corner if they attempted to increase employee contributions or reduce benefits.
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The plate can be moved from side to side and backwards for tight corners .
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The moment he emerged on to a flat stretch of road after negotiating a particularly tight corner the explanation was obvious.
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It was a typical women's downhill course: relatively low-speed, but extremely technical with tight corners .
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And now here was I in a tight corner and was I going to use violence?
deadline
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A strong background in quantitative analysis, careful attention to detail and an ability to work to tight deadlines are essential skills.
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Thus he is confident of meeting the very tight deadlines for the Virgin order.
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He interpreted Henry's wishes to the craftsmen and saw that tight deadlines were met.
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Recruitment always operates to tight deadlines , such as catching the last post.
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But working to scale from a cartoon drawing and meeting a tight deadline posed problems for the sculpture's designer.
end
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Raiders owner Al Davis then switched Williams to tight end during training camp.
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Rookie tight end Rickey Dudley has to be more involved with the passing game.
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They throw to the tight end same way we do.
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After finally agreeing to report to the Green Bay Packers, the tight end found himself a forgotten man.
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Bucs tight end Jackie Harris sustained a groin pull and sat out the second half.
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You could be a tight end , maybe a linebacker.
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I made the move to tight end to help the team, and now I just want to contribute.
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Johnson started the winning drive with a 16-yard completion to tight end Andrew Glover.
fit
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After turning the Disc you have a tighter fit , but not necessarily a better one.
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It was going to be a tight fit .
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This tighter fit enables caffeine to plug the receptor, thus preventing adenosine from binding.
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He got up as quickly as the tight fit of the table in the breakfast nook would allow.
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We arrive in Paris, and make a tight fit into a tiny chambre de bonne in the Fifteenth Arrondissement.
grip
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The humans had grown their winter coats, and the high buildings trembled in the tight grip of their stress equations.
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Apple, however, kept a tight grip on its technology and suffered the consequences.
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The best way for the government to achieve this is to keep a tight grip on the tigerish tendencies of the economy.
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The tight grip of the Gascon nobility on the Church served their dynastic interests well.
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He got the ends of the belt around his hands and wound them into a good, tight grip .
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In Pomerania this reaction took the form of an even tighter grip on the feudal peasantry and serfs of the great estates.
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Outside in her car she kept a tight grip on herself, refusing to let her humiliation reduce her to tears.
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Anybody who thought that Bath's tight grip on the Pilkington Cup was over had better think again.
hold
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She would be keeping a tight hold on her feelings from now on.
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We got up, he pushed me roughly towards the door, keeping a tight hold of me.
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He had a tight hold on the audience, totally in command of his band.
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Philip gripped tight hold of Caspar's collar.
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The tight hold was maintained by Thatcher's government.
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For Winnie herself, it required the tightest hold , the fumes of the stuff, to keep her wits about her.
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Keep tight hold and continue while there's time.
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It should not be imagined that the tiny Party élite at either of these provincial levels could maintain a tight hold .
knot
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Ice-cold, shocked, her stomach a tight knot of abject terror, Polly gazed wildly around her.
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He loosened the tight knot round his throat.
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She sat there, eyes glowing, twisting her handkerchief into a tight knot .
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She hurriedly tidied her hair, pulling it back until it hurt and securing the tight knot with pins.
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There was a tight knot of anger in her stomach.
money
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The combination of tight money and high debt is causing more than token distress.
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The parallels with the years since 1988, also characterized by strong deflationary pressure and tight money , are apparent.
rein
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Non-executive directors would keep executives on a tight rein .
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Apart from anything else, it would be necessary to keep Hilary Todd on a tight rein .
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I tend to keep a tight rein at first, and gradually relax as I get to know them.
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Her only chance of survival, she felt, was to keep a tight rein over her feelings and words.
restriction
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Mr Stoiber has been in the forefront of those calling for tighter restrictions on asylum-seekers and ordinary immigrants.
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The rest will be open to exploration companies under tight restrictions .
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But under a voluntary agreement, the parent retains parental responsibility, and tight restrictions should only apply in extreme circumstances.
schedule
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It was an alarmingly tight schedule .
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More than two-thirds were businessmen who travel on tight schedules and pay high fares.
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Visiting a school in Doncaster in December 1989, Charles was on another very tight schedule , again with BitC.
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The scrutiny process as a tight schedule and is in four parts: investigation; action plan; implementation; implementation report.
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Construction only began in mid-October and recent heavy rains have hampered the already tight schedule .
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Renwick fell silent, too, calculating the tight schedule ahead.
security
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The promoters are promising tight security to prevent ravers leaving the site.
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He was also starting to rebel against the tight security .
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The confusions of war, the tight security covering the country, made communication difficult.
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As I look back on it, the whole episode showed the need for tighter security screening.
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Amid tight security , Francis Mullen and his younger brother James appeared before Liverpool city magistrates.
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Statewide, $ 13 million was appropriated for tighter security at existing prisons.
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Critics include the panel charged with reviewing how tighter security measures might affect freedoms and civil rights.
ship
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There was no discipline problem there, to speak of, because the principal and teachers ran such a tight ship .
smile
▪
I just smiled a tight smile.
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John permitted himself a tight smile as he darted through the Strand's morning traffic.
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The blonde struck a pose and fixed a tight smile on her immaculately made-up face.
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She gives him a tight smile and wrinkles her nose.
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As he stepped past Carson he gave a quick, tight smile of acknowledgement.
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Only Jennifer White Dove replied to his greeting, with a tight smile .
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There was a tight smile on her lips.
spot
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I think also that three other Hearthwares shall come, in case we need to fight our way out of some tight spot .
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He had been in many tight spots during his life, and guarding a warehouse did not trouble him unduly.
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Eight extra bullets in a tight spot could mean the difference between life and death.
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BThis is one of the tight spots of the restaurant business.
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Drawbacks are the introduction of a bit more slop in the system and the potential for reduced access in tight spots .
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Or a mite more forgiving in a tight spot ?
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You're in a tight spot .
squeeze
▪
Pausing just before stepping out into view, she absorbed the scene with a tight squeeze inside her heart.
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Despite the tight squeeze , the office has graced Borrego Springs with a personal touch over the decades.
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Voice over Once inside, it was clear just what a tight squeeze it would be.
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It was a tight squeeze and she tore her jacket.
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If you do it would be a tight squeeze for you all in Tom's house.
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There were only ninety of them, but it was a tight squeeze .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a (tight) squeeze
▪
It'll be a tight squeeze , but you can ride in the back seat.
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Democratic plans for Medicare rely mostly on putting a squeeze on health care providers, such as hospitals and doctors.
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Descend steeply from Hor Point to a stile, then ascend to a squeeze gap.
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His hand came out and took hold of her ankle, gave it a squeeze and a shake.
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In summary, Warwickshire's batting is usually adequate as long as the bowlers are able to put a squeeze on the opposition.
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Pausing just before stepping out into view, she absorbed the scene with a tight squeeze inside her heart.
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She reached out a hand, gave mine a squeeze .
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She slipped her hand into his, and he gave it a squeeze before he released it.
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Whereas the bulk of industry faced higher costs and a squeeze on profits, the oil majors had a profit bonanza.
keep a tight rein on sb/sth
sit tight
▪
Just sit tight - I'll be there in ten minutes.
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You sit tight while I go and get some help.
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You might want to sit tight a few months and see what happens to the stock market.
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But Solomon sat tight in his rain barrel, and after the cossacks had left empty-handed, he made his escape.
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He might just sit tight inside the castle.
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Or the rabbits sit tight underground as they become cornered by the ferrets.
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She is loath to encourage folks to sit tight.
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Then city officials sat tight and hoped it would pay off.
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Through the summer runup in technology stock prices, executives at the on-line service provider sat tight.
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When an intruder approaches, the parents fly off and the chicks sit tight nomatterhow close it comes.
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You could head back to the Cities, just sit tight.
sleep tight
▪
Good night, kids. Sleep tight!
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I don't sleep tight so that's all right.
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With promises of endless ice cream when he awoke, Mama kissed her little son and bade him goodnight, sleep tight.
tight spot
▪
BThis is one of the tight spots of the restaurant business.
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Drawbacks are the introduction of a bit more slop in the system and the potential for reduced access in tight spots .
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Eight extra bullets in a tight spot could mean the difference between life and death.
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He had been in many tight spots during his life, and guarding a warehouse did not trouble him unduly.
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I think also that three other Hearthwares shall come, in case we need to fight our way out of some tight spot .
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Or a mite more forgiving in a tight spot ?
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You're in a tight spot .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Seat belt tight ? Good, this could be a rough ride."
▪
a tight deadline
▪
a tight skirt
▪
Cover with a tight lid and refrigerate.
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Her mother gave a tight , forced smile.
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I've never been very good at reversing into tight parking spaces.
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I don't wear my black dress very much. It's very tight around the waist.
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I never wear tight clothes - I just don't feel comfortable in them.
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If the straps aren't tight enough, the saddle can slip.
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If your shirt collar's too tight , undo your top button.
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Ken hasn't always been so tight with money.
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Laws controlling the emission of greenhouse gases are not nearly tight enough.
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Make sure the lid is tight enough so that it won't leak.
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Money has been really tight because we had major car problems.
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My chest was tight with tension.
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My schedule is very tight right now, but I'll try to fit you in.
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Security at the conference was extremely tight .
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The planes approached in a tight grouping.
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The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of cigarettes.
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The treaty would place tight limits on weapons testing.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
How else, they assume, but tight coordination and control to deal with so many moving parts?
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I just smiled a tight smile.
▪
Mr Stoiber has been in the forefront of those calling for tighter restrictions on asylum-seekers and ordinary immigrants.
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She curled up in a tight ball as though to stop herself from breaking apart.
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The humans had grown their winter coats, and the high buildings trembled in the tight grip of their stress equations.
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Though unwelcome, this decline was predicted and planned for - and spending was therefore rightly under tight constraint in 1992.
II. adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
hold
▪
I dozed off and on, as my mother held tight to the rope around my waist.
shut
▪
She lay with her eyes tight shut and her mind held to a determined blank.
▪
The doors leading into the halls of real political and economic power and influence were still shut tight against us.
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He was sitting on the floor among the cracker wrappings and the crumbs, his shoulders shaking, his eyes tight shut .
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Lily froze underneath him, her eyes tight shut .
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They were shut tight , without a crack to see through.
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She screwed her eyes tight shut , trying to forget the images of last night.
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And still, the public schools are shut tight .
sit
▪
Then city officials sat tight and hoped it would pay off.
▪
But Solomon sat tight in his rain barrel, and after the cossacks had left empty-handed, he made his escape.
▪
But unless you see some serious fanfare, sit tight .
▪
She is loath to encourage folks to sit tight .
▪
Sit tight , and hope that when they dry out the vinyl skin will tighten up again.
▪
You could head back to the Cities, just sit tight .
▪
Through the summer runup in technology stock prices, executives at the on-line service provider sat tight .
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But if he could only sit tight , nothing at all would happen.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Her eyes were shut tight as she screamed.
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Sylvia handed me a large parcel, tightly wrapped in brown paper.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Betty's hand was tight across her mouth now and she turned swiftly away and went back into the scullery.
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Pack it tight , add basketball footage as dramatic as it is trite, and throw it into the Hollywood Plot Machine.
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She lay with her eyes tight shut and her mind held to a determined blank.
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She made his costume, cutting down a white linen shirt and fitting it tight up round the neck.
▪
Through the summer runup in technology stock prices, executives at the on-line service provider sat tight .