I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a cliff top
▪
There was a lovely view from the cliff top.
a mountain top
▪
Until the end of June you may find snow on the mountain tops.
a top award/a major award
▪
The restaurant has won several top awards.
▪
Their design won a major award at a Paris exhibition.
a top brand
▪
Kids want to have Nike and Reebok and other top brands.
a top coach (= a very good one )
▪
He’s one of America’s top coaches.
a top designer (= a very good and famous fashion designer )
▪
She always wore clothes by top designers.
a top/maximum speed (= the highest possible )
▪
The car has a top speed of 132 mph.
at the top of your voice (= in a very loud voice )
▪
She shouted ‘Help!’ at the top of her voice.
at the top of...voice (= very loudly )
▪
He could hear Pete yelling at the top of his voice .
at the top/bottom of a list
▪
Her name was at the top of the list of students.
at the top/bottom/end etc (of sth)
▪
At the top of the stairs, she paused.
be (at the) top of the agenda
▪
Energy efficiency is top of the agenda.
be (at the) top/bottom of the league (= be the best or the worst team in a group )
big top
crop top
high/top/low/middle-ranking
▪
a top-ranking tennis player
made it to the top
▪
So far, relatively few women have made it to the top in the business world.
muffin top
▪
This exercise will help get rid of muffin top.
on the top of a pile
▪
He balanced the plate on the top of a pile of books.
reach/be at the top of your profession
▪
He was a very highly respected man, at the top of his profession.
sb’s rise to the top
▪
His rise to the top of the Labour Party was effortless.
screw top
search sth from top to bottom (= search all the rooms in a building )
▪
They searched the house from top to bottom.
senior/top executive
▪
top executives on high salaries
senior/top management
▪
It is difficult to retain top management.
▪
a member of the senior management team
shout of the top of your voice (= shout as loudly as possible )
▪
'Watch out!' he shouted at the top of his voice.
take...to the top
▪
Even if you have the talent to take you to the top , there’s no guarantee you’ll get there.
tank top
the bottom/top of a ladder
▪
She sighed with relief when she reached the bottom of the ladder.
the lead/top story (= the most important story in a newspaper or news programme )
▪
The floods were the lead story on the news that evening.
the top edge
▪
I gripped the top edge of the door and pulled myself up.
the top grade
▪
Ted got the top grade in his A-level maths exam.
the top of a hill
▪
The view from the top of the hill was beautiful.
the top of a mountain ( also the summit of a mountain formal )
▪
We climbed to the top of the mountain.
the top of a scale
▪
At the top of the scale come the predators.
the top of the page
▪
Write your name at the top of the page.
the top prize
▪
The film won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
the top/bottom button
▪
He was wearing a white shirt with the top button undone.
the top/bottom corner
▪
The ball flew straight into the top corner of the net.
the top/bottom half
▪
He graduated in the top half of his law school class.
the top/bottom/middle drawer
▪
He opened the bottom drawer and got out a T-shirt.
the top/head of the stairs
▪
I left my briefcase at the top of the stairs.
the top/main/number one priority
▪
Controlling spending is his top priority.
the upper/top surface
▪
The upper surface of the leaf is dull green.
top a list (= be the first thing in a list )
▪
The novel topped the best-seller list.
top brass
▪
The top brass are coming in from Washington to see how we do things here.
top dog
▪
He always wanted to be the one in control, the top dog.
top dollar
▪
Computer customers are willing to pay top dollar for fast repair.
top gear British English (= the highest gear )
▪
Hamilton slipped effortlessly into top gear.
top gear
▪
The car will cruise at 80 mph in top gear.
top hat
top quality
▪
Our chef uses only top quality ingredients.
top round
top sth with cheese (= put cheese on top of something )
▪
Top the potatoes with grated cheese.
top table
top the charts/be top of the charts
▪
‘Without You’ topped the British charts for five weeks.
top the charts/be top of the charts
▪
‘Without You’ topped the British charts for five weeks.
top whack
▪
These agencies charge top whack for tickets.
top/bottom etc set
▪
Adam’s in the top set for maths.
top/bottom right-hand corner
▪
the bottom right-hand corner of the page
top/bottom/next etc shelf
▪
Put it back on the top shelf.
top/leading/highest scorer
▪
He was Palace’s top scorer.
tube top
upper/lower/top/bottom lip
▪
His bottom lip was swollen.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
executive
▪
The harshest critics would say that while top executives tried to manage the acquisitions, they forgot to run their companies.
▪
Some companies prefer that their top executives have specialized backgrounds and hire individuals who are managers in other organizations.
▪
For top executives , the discount can be as high as 30 percent or 40 percent.
▪
A strong commitment from top executives .
▪
He was giving a talk at a career-development seminar to top executives from his then-employer, who were evaluating his career potential.
▪
Chief executive officers and other top executives often become members of the board of directors of one or more firms.
▪
Money put into pay packages of top executives is not money spent on new capital equipment.
▪
But the soaring incomes of top executives are not the major issue in the great productivity slowdown.
floor
▪
Elizabeth had only been on the top floor once, at Rufus's invitation, to see his bedroom.
▪
Take the apartment, up on the top floor of a smelly tenement on Prospect Avenue.
▪
The display is housed on the top floor of the museum.
▪
I knew that the top floor was vacant.
▪
You have a house, and nobody lives on the top floor .
▪
The party residence was on the top floor of a private house on Tinton.
▪
He and his family lived in a three-story house near the Old Market, and they sublet the top floor to Langford.
▪
It began as a rough-hewn two-room house whose top floor could be reached only by an outdoor staircase.
level
▪
The top level of a drive is called the Root.
▪
Were the top level bamboos awash by the time we got to Miyako?
▪
At the top level the games are very well handled.
▪
Perched at the top level is one large unit.
▪
Scores of less famous graduates ascended to the top levels of the financial and corporate worlds.
▪
Women are generally educated, hut excluded from the top levels of decision making and power.
▪
Co-workers have always been predominantly female, he promoted women to top levels from the get-go.
▪
Do we have enough high-powered talent below the top level ?
management
▪
In this interpretation, information specialists were functionaries who merely implemented the decisions of top management .
▪
Observations about behavior in the top management group lend insight into their power relationships.
▪
The privately-owned company also shook up its top management .
▪
At the other extreme, you might distinguish only among top management , middle management, and the front lines.
▪
Here you begin to know more about who and what carries clout beyond the top management .
▪
Your task force should determine how best to include top management in the process.
▪
In shaping your strategy, do not assume that top management commitment and buy-in are enough.
▪
The fourth characteristic is that some of the feedback should come in the form of intangible but meaningful attention from top management .
priority
▪
His top priority is survival, not the mandate for sweeping change his followers won in recent parliamentary elections.
▪
Disability aside, one of her top priorities is to be a role model and mentor to aspiring radiologists.
▪
The real lesson is that dieting should be taken seriously, for the health of the individual remains the top priority .
▪
The President had given top priority to achieving a nuclear test-ban treaty and was despondent when he could not get it.
▪
Slobodan Milosevic's top priority is a safer world for Slobodan Milosevic.
▪
President Clinton has deemed education the top priority of his second term, and his budget reflects it.
▪
We need to establish Food Force as a matter of top priority .
▪
To keep campaign pledges to make education his top priority , Clinton wants two new middle-class tax breaks for college tuition.
speed
▪
When you let the bike stretch its legs and try to hit its top speed it really goes!
▪
Gilfil gallops twenty miles at top speed , his hopes renewed, but he finds her listless and unseeing.
▪
Ultimate top speed will be limited by the lack of fairing.
▪
He gunned the Budgie, and headed past the truck at top speed .
▪
We are going along at top speed , because we are using all ours up just as fast as we can.
▪
Well, the top speed will then be twenty meters per second.
▪
Nevertheless, in compliance with the Combined Fleet order, the Force promptly headed toward the enemy at top speed .
▪
The man she suspected of stealing her purse was running at top speed along the subway platform and up the stairs.
table
▪
This was adequate for secondary surfaces but the primary surface of the table top had to be treated very differently.
▪
That table top was screaming with reflected light from a two-hundred-watt bulb overhead.
▪
They don't actually remove pollutants; they cause the particles to settle on walls, floors, table tops and fabrics.
▪
Green was frowning, turning a pencil end for end, over and over, on the table top .
▪
Turn out on to a lightly floured table top and knead thoroughly until smooth.
▪
Fitgerald said the process can also be used on counter tops and table top as well as in store display windows.
▪
There were four groupings on the table top .
▪
He presented these treasures plainly; without even a bowl of potpourri on a table top .
■ VERB
blow
▪
Whether the Ipswich directors who watched him blow his top with the unwitting journalist believe that is debatable.
▪
Lit came on the east stage and blew the top off Woodstock.
▪
The wind was blowing over the top of Jinny's head, fluttering the loose, short hairs round her forehead.
▪
By blowing over the top of the paper, you made the air above the slow moving air strip move faster.
▪
It was unusual for Hauser to blow his top .
▪
Then suddenly he blew his top while walking down the street one day.
▪
It had me rolling on the floor to see Schmeichel blowing his top at the scum defence.
▪
Then Nature blows her top , just to remind us.
rank
▪
But one point must be noted: Elton John and John Major ranked top of many respondents' lists.
▪
No Oregon State player ranks in the top 10 in the conference in any offensive category.
▪
Post-abortion medical complications rank as the top reason for women's admission to hospital.
▪
Five Pac-10 schools ranked among the top ten in the nation during the 1993-94 season.
▪
Verio earned the number one spot among a ranking of the top 25 Web hosting companies.
▪
Sorting through the nominees, this is how I rank the top moments in Kings history and why: 1.
▪
It may not have been the most lucrative land scam in United States history, but it ranked somewhere near the top .
▪
The state ranked fifth in the top five fastest growing states in the nation in terms of job growth.
reach
▪
The alleys were steep and there were steps at intervals but there was a sense of achievement in reaching the top .
▪
Some people will tell you to reach for the top .
▪
As the action reaches the tops of the ramps, the check clears the wrestplank.
▪
I reached in my top drawer for the telephone book and hauled it out.
▪
She heard Rodo's voice again as they reached the top .
▪
Time to reach the top , and time to enjoy the way there.
▪
When he reached the top , a thunderous cheer went up.
rise
▪
These curious drum-shaped clay objects characteristically have two perforations on one side and two or three stalks rising from the top .
▪
All have risen to the top because leaders are made, and made by themselves.
▪
The wax melted, and rose to the top .
▪
Dole rose to the top of the Republican Party by unusual means: He repeatedly failed to win national office.
▪
I followed the road as it rose up towards the top of the wolds.
▪
Spaced evenly from the bottom up, concentric rings of black crow feathers rise to the top of the cairn.
▪
Spread the top level and bake for 30-40 mins or until well risen and the top is golden brown.
▪
It sort of migrated upward, like cream rising to the top .
shout
▪
Cheryl's three words were hardly finished before Angela was racing back to the farmhouse shouting at the top of her voice.
▪
These newcomers trotted through the streets-nobody seemed to walk anymore-waving papers, shouting at the top of their lungs.
▪
Was he still rushing up and down stairs shouting at the top of his voice in case anyone had missed his presence?
▪
He was too far away to hear, even if she shouted at the top of her voice.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
at the top/bottom of the heap
be/feel on top of the world
▪
In the spring of 1995, Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world .
big/top gun
▪
All the big guns are through to the semi-finals as expected.
▪
He won't be the last big gun brought out in the battle for Stockton South.
▪
In Houston, many of the big gun shops have opted to police themselves.
▪
In part two: Showdown: Soccer's big guns prepare for a shootout.
▪
Lincoln brought in the big guns of William Temple to get bishop and rector to release the curate before the time.
▪
There was a tank with a big gun on it.
▪
They leaned into their big guns , shoulders twitching.
blow your top/stack/cool
▪
My father blew his top when I told him I was quitting medical school.
▪
I used to get so angry on the set that one day I just blew my top and hit John Huston.
▪
It had me rolling on the floor to see Schmeichel blowing his top at the scum defence.
▪
It was unusual for Hauser to blow his top.
▪
Striker Slaven blew his top after being axed from the side which grabbed a draw at Bristol City in midweek.
▪
Then Nature blows her top, just to remind us.
▪
Then suddenly he blew his top while walking down the street one day.
▪
Tristan last blew its stack in 1961, forcing a complete evacuation.
▪
Whether the Ipswich directors who watched him blow his top with the unwitting journalist believe that is debatable.
from the chairman/president/top etc downwards
▪
As the system empties, open all the radiator air vents, working from the top downwards until the system is empty.
full/top marks for effort/trying/persistence etc
▪
You had to give Anthony top marks for persistence, she thought to herself.
▪
You had to give the woman full marks for persistence.
give sb top/star billing
good/top/poor etc performer
▪
Almost all the poor performers were to be found in the economically-disadvantaged regions.
▪
Both Cisco and Stratacom are among the top performers on Wall Street.
▪
But these top performers are aware of the requirements for effective training as well as its limitations.
▪
Deals are also being offered to companies as alternative incentive perks to top performers .
▪
He chose an all-or-nothing strategy to put himself in the top performers in the Great Grain Challenge.
▪
It took me seven months to really understand that I have an individual who is a good performer .
▪
Strasser pointed to the construction, cable, chemical, tire and engineering industries as the likely best performers this year.
▪
The poorer performers tend to die; the better ones, to reproduce.
move/get into top gear
▪
Accelerate smartly so that you can get into top gear as quickly as possible.
▪
It was ready to move into top gear at very short notice.
▪
Meanwhile Pistol Packer was getting into top gear on the stands side, and Caro and Arlequino were not done with.
shoot to number one/to the top of the charts etc
the top of the pile
▪
A new professionalism has gripped Maranello and falling from the top of the pile is not an option.
▪
He turned the paper over and put it back on the top of the pile .
▪
I shall begin this evening at the top of the pile and plunge straight through to the bottom.
▪
Koontz continues to challenge Stephen King at the top of the pile .
▪
Returning to the top of the pile , she began to read the Sunday Times story.
▪
She drew it out and placed it on the top of the pile .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
a dressing-table with a glass top
▪
Boyd nervously tapped his pencil on the table top .
▪
Cut the pineapples lengthwise, without removing the tops.
▪
Put the top back on the bottle when you're finished.
▪
The top of the mountain is covered with snow.
▪
The top of the piano was covered with a lace cloth.
▪
The tops of the trees swayed in the breeze.
▪
The elevator will take you all the way to the top .
▪
The skirt comes with a matching top .
▪
There's a wonderful view from the top of the tower.
▪
This jewellery box would be worth a lot of money if the top wasn't chipped.
▪
We got the Christmas tree home by tying it to the top of the car.
▪
When you paint, you should start at the top and work your way down.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
It's a long, but not hard, way to the top .
▪
She looked at him over the top of her cup.
▪
There are two styles to choose from: the traditional apex, shown here, and the flat pergola top .
II. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
brass
▪
More recently, this was made into a luxury hotel for the top brass of the Communist world.
▪
I thought it was military to allow the top brass at home a more direct control.
▪
Have you told the top brass yet?
▪
Would this be because she had something to hide, he wondered, or was she inhibited by her clerical top brass .
▪
It was now necessary to give Klepner visibility in front of Cocello and the top brass .
▪
The only way you kept the top brass in line, reminded them who was the boss.
▪
He saw the top brass one after the other and noted down his reactions and observations.
▪
Yesterday we escorted the couple from their Paris hideaway and handed them over to Forces top brass in Colchester, Essex.
class
▪
At 14 he is already one of the top class two boccia players.
▪
Zoe Nesbitt was a top class rider who dreamed of becoming an equestrian star.
▪
Their top class operation was recognised recently with first place in northern region's quarterly audit checks.
▪
Stewart rates Gascoigne and Beardsley as the top class acts of the hundreds he appeared with at club level.
▪
Catalogue number is; it comes in a booklet style case with top class notes and design.
▪
I think that a horse has to be a minimum of 7/8 bred now to become a top class event horse.
▪
There's also a superb tennis centre where top class coaches can help you to club championship winning form.
▪
Their approach play to goal was top class , but the ball just wouldn't land in the net.
corner
▪
Then midfielder John Collins hit an unstoppable 20-yarder into a top corner .
▪
Falconer's header from a Hendrie cross was going towards the top corner until Schmeichel flung himself across goal.
▪
Chamfer the top corners and nail on with 1-1/2in ovals, punched in and filled.
▪
Paul Bodin's strike high into the top corner gave Swindon a 3-0 lead.
▪
Cross stile, to find stile in top corner .
▪
Stephen had the last word with a shot which flew inches past the top corner .
▪
Angle irons were fitted in the top corners of the windows and diagonal truss rods in the bulkheads.
▪
Slorne was huddled silently in the top corner of her cage looking at the sky.
drawer
▪
She opened the top drawer of her desk.
▪
Climbing off his mattress Gimmelmann went to the top drawer of his dresser and took out a file.
▪
He pulled open the top drawer beneath.
▪
The key was in the top drawer , neatly labelled.
▪
McWilliams' two wins in the Superbike races were both top drawer performances.
▪
My next book was due to have been a literary novel but that's been put back in the top drawer .
▪
She tried the door again, then pulled open the top drawer in Shergold's desk.
▪
Right hand puts down the pen and moves to the top drawer of the desk.
edge
▪
He tried the hook, got a top edge and it went for two over the keeper's head.
▪
It had a nasty, disfiguring stain running along the whole of the top edge .
▪
Pin top edges of valance and lining together and drawstitch the folded edges together.
▪
Stitch braid to the top edge of the swag between the pleats.
▪
The ends can be shaped and the whole thing cleaned up, but leave the top edge until the jointing is complete.
▪
Cut out long thin strips for trimming around the top edge of the boat and fix on with a dampened paint brush.
▪
Pin the pleats as previously planned and hand stitch securely in position, close to top edge .
▪
Stitch braid to the outline of the pleats, covering stitching along top edge .
end
▪
In Britain, the top end of the fashion market is ridiculously designer-expensive.
▪
Fuelling the top end of the market in this way caused resentment.
▪
Reckitt &038; Colman also revealed annual profits at the top end of market expectations, but the price slipped 3p to 603p.
▪
A nature trail leads through an area of mixed woodland to a bird hide overlooking the top end of Lake Vyrnwy.
▪
Chub around Sutton Beck end and at top end of Steeton.
▪
I wished we'd had time to start from the top end and find how we'd gone wrong.
▪
Unilever helped sentiment by revealing third-quarter profits at the top end of expectations.
▪
Differences at the lower end of the scale are obscured by the massive differences at the top end.
executive
▪
And even as he began, a top executive from Renault-Williams tried to persuade him not to go through with it.
▪
General managers and top executives work to ensure that their organizations meet these objectives.
▪
The uniformity of its top executives is the crucial case in point.
▪
General managers and top executives also must be able to communicate clearly and persuasively with customers, subordinate managers, and others.
▪
Large organisations languish and die because the top executives listen only to echoes.
▪
Some general managers and top executives go on to establish their own firms or become independent consultants.
▪
It has lost two top executives in the past week alone.
▪
Projected employment growth of general managers and top executives varies widely among industries.
flight
▪
The inspiring influence behind an automatic promotion triumph is determined Boro will not just make up the numbers in the top flight .
▪
Coventry are just hoping to play in the top flight next season.
▪
Six months in the top flight and he thinks he's f***ing Brian Sewell to the football world.
▪
Oh, not in the top flight , but he travels around the world - anywhere golf is played.
▪
He established Swindon as one of the most skilful sides outside the top flight before a frustrating switch to Tyneside.
▪
I see no reason why I shouldn't continue to score goals in the top flight .
▪
Inverleith retained their place in the top flight with a dramatic 7-6 victory over Touche Ross in the final game.
▪
That is enough to get us back into the top flight .
floor
▪
The top floor directly overhead had been abandoned for years.
▪
Troops occupy the top floors of several high-rise buildings in both north and west Belfast.
▪
It came from the top floor .
▪
On the top floor of the building, with a fine view of the castle.
▪
If gravity was strong, I could go to the top floor of the building and speed up my time.
▪
She sold her record player to Eric from the top floor .
▪
Ralph Grunte woke late in his room on the top floor of the Grand Hotel, and broke wind.
form
▪
At 7 a. m., the Saratoga racetrack is in top form .
▪
But their recording finds them in less than top form , and Solti sometimes leads them astray.
▪
There are certain things, like, I know when my voice is in top form .
▪
After my tour, I didn't expect to hit top form right away.
▪
Joe was in top form , spinning stories, issuing pronunciamentos, dropping withering quips at every opportunity.
▪
All three are in tip top form .
▪
At the moment Dole is in top form with no outward physical sign of trouble.
gear
▪
Quins had started in top gear with Will Carling ripping through the Rugby midfield for the opening try.
▪
It was ready to move into top gear at very short notice.
▪
It was downhill in top gear now.
▪
He just had to adjust to the wide outside and Bones's new top gear , hitherto unsuspected.
▪
Accelerate smartly so that you can get into top gear as quickly as possible.
▪
With a 34-0 lead, top gear was no longer required.
▪
Meanwhile Pistol Packer was getting into top gear on the stands side, and Caro and Arlequino were not done with.
half
▪
The top half of the sepoy had vanished.
▪
The top half of the stable door was open but Waldegrave had apparently closed the bottom behind him.
▪
Spread the bottom half with the cooled apple filling and cover with the top half of the cake.
▪
In fact, the top half of the diagram is not very different.
▪
We want to establish a position in the top half of the table.
▪
There is, however, one further difference affecting the top half of.the diagram.
▪
Some nests are given waterproof roofs by using particularly wide strips of leaves for the top half .
▪
Not since they found the top half of the greengrocer.
hat
▪
I used to wear dinner suits with cufflinks and a top hat .
▪
Janet Flanner, cross-legged on the floor, top hat decorated with one black, one white mask.
▪
He paused inside, adjusted his top hat .
▪
Gentlemen will wear morning dress with top hat , or service dress.
▪
Then the wind rose again and plucked his top hat off his head and sent it bowling among the stones.
▪
At most weddings the bride wears a veil but at this wedding the bride was wearing a beautiful top hat .
▪
A reinforced riding top hat from Christie's costs £120 and the veil an extra £2.95.
▪
They were the people in top hats that the rest of us used to throw snowballs at.
job
▪
But others say a top job here is more likely.
▪
But he has got the top job .
▪
Service delivery is unreliable, and top jobs in key departments have gone unfilled for months.
▪
She is backing a drive to get more women top jobs .
▪
Charles, a relative unknown not long beforehand, became the natural choice for the top job .
▪
Her family had never doubted she was heading for the top job .
layer
▪
During this time, the top layer of your skin is shed to reveal a fresh new one.
▪
Each node's output in the middle layer is connected to just one node in the top layer.
▪
The top layer has six nodes, each with four inputs.
▪
The clay dries and cracks in the sun, and the top layers are blown off as dust.
▪
Then you remove the top layer , which will contain all the worms.
▪
As the top layers become dried out the animals move downward.
▪
If the top layer contains several nodes, then the device computes a more elaborate function of its input.
▪
Every month the top layer of your skin is replaced by a fresh new one.
level
▪
We want to stay at the top level while doing the same things we did 40 years ago.
▪
The top level , the strategical level, is required for tasks like route planning and estimating travel time.
▪
From this base, a set of performance indicators were generated as the top level of the information set.
▪
The effectiveness of training and development should be reviewed at the top level and lead to renewed commitment and target setting.
▪
Fold in the lemon juice and zest. 4 Pour into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top level .
▪
The class now numbers about 5,000 and enjoys top level racing the world over.
▪
Even at the top levels of competition, players use stones belonging to the premises in which they are playing.
lip
▪
The area between his gashed top lip and his nose was heavily bruised.
▪
Her breath came in puffs, ruffling her top lip .
▪
It is as thick as baby food and leaves a soft sediment on his top lip .
▪
She heard teeth shatter under the impact, saw one of them driven through his top lip .
▪
He slammed the straight edge into his opponent's face, taking him between top lip and nostrils.
▪
A sheen of sweat had appeared above Paulie's top lip .
▪
But he rubbed his forefinger guiltily against his top lip while he pondered the implications of a new insight.
man
▪
The top men race over thirty miles ... the women twenty.
▪
He just wants to be top man .
▪
A bitter smile crossed his face as his eyes ranged over the top men in the giant corporation.
▪
But the top men , the team leaders, will be thinking of the coming team time trial at Libourne.
▪
Fergal used to be one of their top men .
▪
The top men had listened courteously to their visitor's observations and requests without reaction.
▪
But he's one of their top men .
▪
Ultimately she thinks the women will be technically as good as the top men and so they should compete together.
management
▪
During this time you will have developed the personal credibility to communicate persuasively at top management level.
▪
In other organizations, the chief human resources official serves as top management for the briefing.
▪
Finally, the toughest problem will probably be to ensure the supply, preparation, and testing of top management people.
▪
I taught them that top management is a function and a responsibility rather than a rank and a privilege.
▪
In most firms, top management incentives are thinly disguised executive perks: not in Hanson.
▪
To replace this expertise, top managements have turned to outside management consultants.
▪
This includes the top management of the organisation as well as departmental staff.
▪
Consequently you can expect many people to question the seriousness of the organization and top management .
manager
▪
The resulting salaries were still rather below market rates for top managers and engineers.
▪
Avoids overburdening top managers . 2.
▪
But top managers say the advantages more than offset any frustration.
▪
Lawrence, unlike many other top managers , also keeps the fans informed.
▪
There are then just two ways in which top managers can proceed.
▪
As confidently as a man, show psychometric tests conducted among top managers by the Vocational Guidance Association.
▪
Such top managers should be regarded as part of the capitalist class since their position is qualitatively different from other employees.
▪
To do this top managers give workers status, authority and responsibility.
mark
▪
This means that a few get top marks , a big bunch get middling marks, and a few come near the bottom.
▪
But first harness, tack and carriages had to be spruced up to ensure top marks for turnout.
▪
You had to give Anthony top marks for persistence, she thought to herself.
▪
She scored top marks , and received the Lord Wolfenden prize for outstanding academic performance.
▪
I have to give you top marks for determination.
▪
We also gave it top marks for looks.
▪
And as a result has awarded it top marks and a prestigious regional Quality Brickwork Award.
performer
▪
We want you to select your top performers in all the mainstream sports - with the exception of soccer.
▪
But these top performers are aware of the requirements for effective training as well as its limitations.
▪
Alternatively, Money Management lists all the investment and unit trusts and gives details of the top performers in each category.
▪
New York and Texas each had five top performers .
▪
While inner London has the lowest mortality rate of any region in the country, not all its hospitals are top performers .
▪
And what about Rugby League's top performers ?
▪
Starting at the top , the Vision's eye level grill is a top performer .
▪
Rangers have a top performer in Richard Gough, though he isn't the biggest of central defenders.
player
▪
I went to Brighton and saw for myself the absence of most of the top players due to other events taking place.
▪
That year he and Ballesteros were the two top players in the world, and they dominated the last round.
▪
But the dismal performance in Boston will make many fans think our top players are overvalued and overpaid.
▪
But Braun hinted that he may use just three or four this season to get what he considers top players .
▪
Not surprisingly, some of the best matches of the week were those involving the top players .
▪
There were very few rumours about top players moving from province to province.
▪
It is most instructive to see how top players distribute their thinking allowance during the course of a game.
priority
▪
Safety will be a top priority .
▪
If Brazelton were in charge, training child-care providers would be a top priority .
▪
Aid for environmental planning in developing countries has been designated a top priority .
▪
Our top priority is therefore the introduction of fair votes for all elections at all levels of government.
▪
Cuts in personal and business taxation and social insurance levies are a top priority , to revive weak investment.
▪
Getting away from Julius was the top priority .
▪
But Justice Department spokesperson Myron Marlin said the investigation of the church fires has been a top priority for several months.
prize
▪
With this project, he won the top prize in a course competition.
▪
A turnover of £1.5 billion a year would produce a weekly prize payout of £14 million with one top prize.
▪
As if to prove it, our green-fingered experts have again picked up the top prizes in Aberdeen district council's gardening competition.
▪
This was the Mashers Cup, the top prize for the day for the overall winner of the two rounds.
▪
There would be more chance of winning the £200,000 top prize .
▪
And there is always a chance of winning the £250,000 top prize .
quality
▪
Bovis Homes reckons a major plus point are the top quality carpets, which are included in the £139,950 price tag.
▪
Salads with mixed greens and top quality olive oil or walnut oil can also be greatly enhanced by confit.
▪
I think a top quality keeper should be a priority for any side that has ambitions to stay at the top.
▪
A rigorous refereeing procedure means that only top quality papers are published.
▪
I think it is fair to say that the really top quality olives are usually sold in oil rather than in brine.
▪
The Eagles have infuriated their fans by letting top quality players join the free-agency merry-go-round.
▪
They supply the trade with top quality woven and printed furnishing fabrics and proudly display the Royal Warrant.
▪
The price is high but you are buying a top quality tent and one of the North Face's most popular.
rate
▪
The policy review's top rate of income tax-50 percent - was too low, he said.
▪
The top rate will be no more than 2.5 times the bottom rate.
▪
There are occasions when we have grudged paying a top rate , but been too cowardly to refuse.
▪
A complicated points system could stop men in this type of role getting the top rates of pay.
▪
But the top rates do not benefit existing investors.
▪
The Conservative Government has more than halved the top rate of tax.
▪
Yet top rate taxpayers today provide a bigger share of our tax revenues than they did before.
▪
We have cut the basic rate of Income Tax from 33p to 25p, and the top rate from 83p to 40p.
scorer
▪
But top scorer Craig Maskell saw his weak spot-kick easily saved by Gerry Peyton.
▪
Roy has been top scorer in most of the Ducks' games.
▪
Town should be unchanged, but top scorer , Craig Maskell might get a look in.
▪
Most influential absentee has been top scorer Brett Angell.
▪
The Spurs ace was the First Division's top scorer .
▪
The 16-year-old, top scorer with Middlesbrough Ladies, will join the party at Lilleshall on Friday.
▪
One of the top scorers , the Maharaja of Sarguja claimed 1,150 tigers.
▪
He is joint fifth top scorer in the First Division with 16 tries.
secret
▪
An almost finished game of snakes and ladders was laid out amongst top secret briefing papers.
▪
The Bawdsey experiments were top secret .
▪
His cheesemaker is situated on the outskirts of the village, but he keeps names top secret from the culinary competition.
▪
The developments remain top secret and no-one from the factory or the team would confirm or deny the existence of the kit.
▪
The plans incorporate several revolutionary new concepts which, for obvious reasons, must be kept top secret .
shelf
▪
The top shelf is where Gay Times is traditionally to be found, nestling coyly next to Penthouse.
▪
The food and wine choices are top shelf and usually laid out on the linen-covered hood of a car.
▪
Teacher: Will it fit on the top shelf ?
▪
I, who can not reach anything on the top shelf at the supermarket?
▪
At home a few days later, she was pointing excitedly to a top shelf .
▪
All the garages on the bottom shelf are full, but one of the garages on the top shelf is empty.
▪
Although she could just about reach the top shelf with her fingertips, she was very unsteady.
speed
▪
The cutters were then ordered by a signal flashed from the clifftops to close in at top speed .
▪
At top speed , Pixar could produce only about 3 1 / 2 minutes of completed animation each week.
▪
The tank twisted violently about at its top speed .
▪
Voice over Sarajevo Airport; and the Hercules is unloaded at top speed .
▪
Its top speed was lower, and at anything near that speed, its range was laughable.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
top quality beef
▪
a top fashion designer
▪
Carlson is our top salesman.
▪
He is definitely one of the world's top golfers.
▪
It's Hyundai's fastest car yet, with a top speed of 121 mph.
▪
My keys are in the top drawer.
▪
Put the papers in the top drawer of the filing cabinet.
▪
Sue is in the top 10% of her class.
▪
the top left-hand corner of the page
▪
The top price paid was $1,200,000 for a print by Degas.
▪
The books are on the top shelf.
▪
The President met with top Korean businessmen.
▪
The prize is to have your hair done at a top New York salon.
▪
We moved into an apartment on the top floor of the building.
▪
You have some peanut butter on your top lip.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
But others say a top job here is more likely.
▪
In addition, a listing is given of the companies in the top 50 of the Index which have offended in each category.
▪
It narrowly beat much bigger rival and fellow supermarkets group J Sainsbury to the top slot, and outshone Tesco.
▪
Miss Vesta Tilley is the top act.
▪
On leaving office he argued that the top level of the civil service needed an injection of fresh blood.
▪
She doubted she would be quick enough to retreat to the top floor if that happened.
▪
Spare house and garage keys in the top right hand drawer of Charles's desk.
III. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
off
▪
Her hair, snow white and abundant, had been topped off in a ragged uneven way by the home's hairdresser.
▪
All this was topped off by a tricorne hat decorated by a plume.
▪
They had detonated sticks of dynamite, and topped off the attack with a flurry of grenades.
▪
Wrap-around sunglasses, black turtlenecks and vintage Rickenbacker guitars top off this respectful and complimentary packaging of six-oh injected swagger.
▪
Anatoliy, a carpenter, had four layers of clothing topped off with a quilted cotton work-jacket and trousers.
▪
A visit to Castle Drachenfels could be the ideal way to top off the adventurers' experiences in Hanike's house!
out
▪
The Bay Area median price topped out at $ 249, 000 during the second quarter of 1990.
▪
In 1995, the dollar topped out at about 105 yen.
▪
Boojums frequently reach a height of 60 feet, and I know of one topping out over 86-feet high.
up
▪
That amount is topped up by a substantial contribution from the private sector in the form of loans.
▪
Diana had produced a bottle of Riesling, and I topped up our glasses.
▪
The parent will choose, topping up the value if they wish.
▪
Experts say the recession is to blame for the rise in office crime as workers try to top up their income.
▪
Only 18 to 25 percent of the survey sample relied on or had their income topped up by the then supplementary benefit.
▪
So when he came into a windfall he knew that he wanted to use some of it to top up his pension.
▪
Around one third of pensioners are so poor that their basic state pension is topped up with other state benefits.
▪
Etiquette requires more or less continuous competition among diners to keep one another's tea-cups topped up .
■ NOUN
bid
▪
Other bidders found out that I could top their bids , and no-one came to the party.
bill
▪
Tom Jones is topping the bill and among others, Joe Longthorne is guesting.
▪
Liberal chums tell me that old, white, military men top the bill .
▪
They're topping the bill in the Central Match Live which kicks off at ten to three.
▪
Pickled cucumbers and beetroot and horseradish sauce topped the bill .
billion
▪
It is estimated that world cereal production, which totalled billion tonnes in 1990, will top 3.25 billion tonnes by 2060.
▪
Advertising revenue on the Internet is expected to top $ 2 billion by 2000, up from $ 74 million in 1996&038;.
▪
The first half of the 1990s was especially lucrative; sales last year topped $ 150 billion .
▪
Dataquest analysts predict worldwide semiconductor sales will top $ 300 billion by the year 2000.
▪
Sales last year topped $ 1.2 billion .
glass
▪
It has a large pool to lounge around, and attentive barman Tassos is on hand to top up your glass .
▪
I go and top my glass up.
▪
Diana had produced a bottle of Riesling, and I topped up our glasses .
league
▪
Repeating this exercise for inflation forecasts, Morgan Stanley again tops the league .
▪
Until recently, 1p coins topped the league when it came to money lost in or near telephone boxes.
▪
Liverpool topped the arrests league with 258 offenders followed by Preston's 223.
list
▪
But when a pharmaceuticals firm wants to launch a drug, James Dettore often tops the list of people to contact.
▪
For all the worries a family singled out by polio might have, financial concerns seldom topped the list .
▪
Second-hand cars continue to top the list of consumer complaints followed by clothing and fabrics, then home maintenance and repairs.
▪
College and travel topped the list .
▪
Sandra was at her side, looking smug; her name topped several of the lists .
▪
The novel, published by Simon and Schuster, tops the best-seller list for paperbacks.
million
▪
Legal expenses topped $ 1 million a year as Isaacs and Meyrowitz lobbied in Albany.
▪
Annual worldwide hemp sales are topping $ 75 million .
▪
This fall, education officials say, enrollment will break that record when it tops 51. 7 million .
▪
The Yoido Full Gospel Church is still growing and its enthusiastic members insist they will top a million by the year 2000.
▪
Analystsexpect the loss to top $ 200 million , dwarfing the $ 69 million the company lost in the previous quarter.
▪
Griffin estimated the toll exceeds $ 10 million and could top $ 100 million.
pension
▪
So when he came into a windfall he knew that he wanted to use some of it to top up his pension .
▪
About eight in ten pensioners have some sort of second income to top up their state pension .
▪
Older policyholders can top up their pension by opening another plan.
percent
▪
The unemployment rate in the region tops 60 percent .
▪
Richard Lugar of Indiana and talk show host Alan Keyes have rarely topped 3 percent in any survey.
▪
He said that 1994 started with an 11 percent unemployment rate and there were three months where the rate topped 10 percent.
poll
▪
Crime recently topped the Field Poll among major concerns of California voters.
▪
He topped the poll for the shadow cabinet elections and played a leading role in the policy review process.
rate
▪
The real unemployment rate has topped 17 %.
▪
He said that 1994 started with an 11 percent unemployment rate and there were three months where the rate topped 10 percent.
▪
The unemployment rate in the region tops 60 percent.
record
▪
The total value of all drugs seizures topped a record figure of £116,000,000.
▪
In Brussels, the market set an all-time high, topping the record set last Wednesday, following encouraging corporate sales reports.
rise
▪
As dawn began to lighten the sky they topped the rise of another mist-shrouded valley and began to descend the other side.
▪
As he topped the rise he let out the throttle.
sale
▪
In the first five months, Sony sold as many as they could manufacture with unit sales topping 70,000.
▪
Annual worldwide hemp sales are topping $ 75 million.
▪
It has since sold over 100,000 copies in hardback, with paperback sales topping 250,000.
▪
Dataquest analysts predict worldwide semiconductor sales will top $ 300 billion by the year 2000.
▪
Unit sales should top 175,000 units this year, up from 58,500 last year.
table
▪
In group B Medical Misfits continue to play extremely well, topping the table .
▪
It is remarkable to recall that they topped the table at the start of November.
▪
They keep being written off but they keep bouncing back with this the eighth time they have topped the table this season.
water
▪
As evaporation is rapid, the chamber beneath will require regularly topping up with fresh water .
▪
Occasionally, you may need to top up the water and to water the compost to keep it just damp.
▪
Philip Holmes is keeping it topped up with water during the drought conditions.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
at the top/bottom of the heap
be/feel on top of the world
▪
In the spring of 1995, Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world .
big/top gun
▪
All the big guns are through to the semi-finals as expected.
▪
He won't be the last big gun brought out in the battle for Stockton South.
▪
In Houston, many of the big gun shops have opted to police themselves.
▪
In part two: Showdown: Soccer's big guns prepare for a shootout.
▪
Lincoln brought in the big guns of William Temple to get bishop and rector to release the curate before the time.
▪
There was a tank with a big gun on it.
▪
They leaned into their big guns , shoulders twitching.
from the chairman/president/top etc downwards
▪
As the system empties, open all the radiator air vents, working from the top downwards until the system is empty.
full/top marks for effort/trying/persistence etc
▪
You had to give Anthony top marks for persistence, she thought to herself.
▪
You had to give the woman full marks for persistence.
give sb top/star billing
good/top/poor etc performer
▪
Almost all the poor performers were to be found in the economically-disadvantaged regions.
▪
Both Cisco and Stratacom are among the top performers on Wall Street.
▪
But these top performers are aware of the requirements for effective training as well as its limitations.
▪
Deals are also being offered to companies as alternative incentive perks to top performers .
▪
He chose an all-or-nothing strategy to put himself in the top performers in the Great Grain Challenge.
▪
It took me seven months to really understand that I have an individual who is a good performer .
▪
Strasser pointed to the construction, cable, chemical, tire and engineering industries as the likely best performers this year.
▪
The poorer performers tend to die; the better ones, to reproduce.
move/get into top gear
▪
Accelerate smartly so that you can get into top gear as quickly as possible.
▪
It was ready to move into top gear at very short notice.
▪
Meanwhile Pistol Packer was getting into top gear on the stands side, and Caro and Arlequino were not done with.
the top of the pile
▪
A new professionalism has gripped Maranello and falling from the top of the pile is not an option.
▪
He turned the paper over and put it back on the top of the pile .
▪
I shall begin this evening at the top of the pile and plunge straight through to the bottom.
▪
Koontz continues to challenge Stephen King at the top of the pile .
▪
Returning to the top of the pile , she began to read the Sunday Times story.
▪
She drew it out and placed it on the top of the pile .
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
After two days of climbing, we finally topped the peak.
▪
The appearance of Comet Hale-Bopp topped that of Comet Hyakutake.
▪
U.S. wine exports have already topped $51 million this year.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
All Saints topped the chart with Pure Shores, closely followed by two artists who played live in Ireland last year.
▪
An evening meal began promisingly with a bruschetta topped with chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and feta cheese.
▪
As dawn began to lighten the sky they topped the rise of another mist-shrouded valley and began to descend the other side.
▪
Experts say the recession is to blame for the rise in office crime as workers try to top up their income.
▪
Fiercely tart, this dessert is a massive wedge of creamy pie topped with a puff of lighter-than-air meringue.
▪
Griffin estimated the toll exceeds $ 10 million and could top $ 100 million.
▪
Jez should top her with a chopper.
▪
To top it off, no effort was made to go after these guys.