I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a flash/trace/touch of humour (= a very small amount of humour )
▪
She replied with a rare flash of humour.
a plane touches down (= lands safely on the ground )
▪
As soon as the plane touched down on the runway, I felt better.
a sense of smell/taste/touch etc
▪
We lose some of the sense of taste as we get older.
a touch of luxury (= something that makes something seem more pleasurable and comfortable )
▪
Leather chairs added a touch of luxury to the room.
a touch of sadness (= he sounded a little sad )
▪
There was a touch of sadness in his voice .
add a touch of glamour/class (to sth)
▪
Champagne always adds a touch of glamour to the occasion.
at the flick/touch of a switch (= very quickly and easily, with a switch )
▪
The advantages of having electricity available at the flick of a switch are obvious.
gentle voice/smile/touch
▪
‘Where does it hurt?’ she asked in a gentle voice.
hint/trace/edge/touch of sarcasm
▪
There was just a touch of sarcasm in her voice.
lose touch with reality (= no longer know about ordinary things or what is possible )
▪
If all you have is the show-business world, you kind of lose touch with reality.
lose your touch (= become less skilled at doing something you used to do well )
▪
This latest movie proves Altman is by no means losing his touch.
Midas touch
▪
a talented young businessman with the Midas touch
sb's hand touches sth
▪
Daniel's hand touched mine.
touch football
touch on a subject (= say or write a little about it )
▪
In his speech, he touched on the subject of death.
touch screen
touch up/fix your make-up (= put a little more make-up on after some has come off )
▪
She went into the bathroom to touch up her makeup.
touched a drop (= drunk any alcohol )
▪
George hasn’t touched a drop for years.
trace/hint/touch of irony
▪
Wagner calls his program ‘the worst talk show in America,’ without a hint of irony.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
deeply
▪
We were deeply touched to receive your love-gift sent with Ann Grant.
▪
But he was also deeply touched that Mel was supplying him with attorneys.
▪
It was the only present any of them was likely to receive and she was deeply touched .
▪
Sethe was deeply touched by her sweet name; the remembrance of glittering headstone made her feel especially kindly toward her.
down
▪
And Gale was involved again as compatriot Ivan Henjak collected his kick ahead to touch down .
▪
Huddersfield wrapped up the scoring when Dale Cardoza touched down .
▪
In Escondido, a pilot reported seeing a funnel cloud, which would have become a tornado had it touched down .
▪
It was forced to touch down at Killyhoy Beach, north west Donegal.
▪
Six weeks ago the Hosic family touched down at Logan Airport, their hearts as heavy as their suitcases.
▪
Fortunately a lone plane touched down , and took him off.
▪
As my plane touches down in Naha, I am missing Charles, missing Ted, but resolved to enjoy myself.
off
▪
This stark view of what really matters has touched off a spirited debate and will occupy us in Chapter 5.
▪
Sultan Abdul-Malik sacked Powlus as time ran out, touching off a wild celebration.
▪
It also enhanced the national rivalries that would eventually touch off the First World War.
▪
Her resolution followed a similar effort in the Oakland Unified School District that touched off a nationwide controversy.
▪
Her allegations have touched off widespread criticism of Albert Hale in the Navajo Nation.
▪
The change in instrumentation thus touched off an explosion of information.
■ NOUN
arm
▪
He pulled back her chair and Evelyn sat down, her shoulder touching his arm for a second.
▪
Leaves brushed my face, a vine touched my arm and made me jump.
▪
She jumped as he touched her arm .
▪
She tended to jump like a nervous thoroughbred if he touched her arm or kissed her cheek.
▪
He touched her arms , her shoulders; their hardness vanished.
▪
Cranston touched him on the arm and pointed to the far corner, just past the huge gateway.
▪
I feel moist breath on the back of my neck, and fingers touch my arm .
ball
▪
If a defending player has a loose lace and this touches the ball , may the attacking side drop for goal?
▪
Napoleon Kaufman, making his third consecutive start, certainly wants to touch the ball more frequently.
▪
Also the incident when he hacked their left winger in the box, he never touched the ball .
▪
This was another night to greet Scottie Pippen with a constant chorus of boos every time he touched the ball .
▪
Tortolano fed Weir and he touched the ball on to McGinlay, who ran through a porous home defence to score easily.
▪
Terrell and I knew we would touch the ball a limited number of times.
▪
O'Connell's header found Graham completely unmarked inside the penalty box but Goram did enough to touch the ball on to the bar.
▪
The first-half, however, may be best remembered for what happened to a player who hardly touched the ball .
cheek
▪
Prominent projections of the bones can become sore to touch , especially the cheek bones.
▪
He liked being next to her; he felt all the possibilities returning when he touched her cheek with his finger.
▪
He was sleeping with one arm encircling his head, small podge of fingers just touching his cheek .
▪
I reached out to touch its pale cheek .
▪
Burun knelt behind her and touched her cheek with the back of his hand.
▪
I reached up and touched his cheek .
▪
She felt an icy wind howl over her, a graveyard stench enter her throat, a chill finger touch her cheek .
chord
▪
And, if I prefer House to Garden, it is because it both touches deeper chords and garners even greater laughs.
▪
Clearly, what they do touches a chord in more than a few listeners.
▪
Somewhere, he touched a chord in his son.
▪
The book touches a highly sensitive chord .
face
▪
A breeze darted through the gap and touched his face .
▪
We were to imagine a beautiful, white cloud gently touching our faces .
▪
She rubbed her belly and touched her face tenderly, smearing the blood and pressing the shallow bite wound.
▪
Arthur untied the head wrapping and touched my face , saying the swelling had already gone down a great deal.
▪
He touched her face very tenderly and believed he felt warm flesh.
▪
A makeup artist touched up the faces so photographs could be circulated and televised.
▪
He touched his torn face and his lips drew back in a snarl.
▪
Light moving air touched my face and drew my eyes to the south.
finger
▪
It's like an Electric Ballroom gig: rowdy, bawdy, hands outstretched, fingers touching , bodies crushing.
▪
In another cupboard my fingers touched a bottle of something that smelled like vinegar, or vinegar concentrate.
▪
The fingers touching the back of her neck were stronger now-the strokes bolder as though Baby Suggs were gathering strength.
▪
Her fingers touched his hair, smoothing its fine silkiness, running against his scalp, the back of his neck.
▪
Ask the client to hold the appropriate number of fingers elevated until you touch his or her hand.
▪
He was sleeping with one arm encircling his head, small podge of fingers just touching his cheek.
floor
▪
Ron's little legs did not touch the floor .
▪
She lies back across the bed, her feet touching the floor .
▪
Squat thrusts Start from a crouched position with your hands touching the floor at either side of your feet.
▪
Theresa could touch the floor with her feet.
▪
As soon as your feet touch the floor behind you, spring back to the starting position and repeat.
▪
He never allowed his hands, his striped short pants or anything other than his polished shoes to touch the floor .
▪
His head had slipped out of the supports and his hands almost touched the floor .
▪
They walked softly, hardly letting their feet touch the floor .
foot
▪
His feet seemed hardly to touch the ground as the wind drove him up the slope.
▪
I came home from school as I had arrived: fast, my feet barely touching the pavement.
▪
Rising to his feet , he touched the light switch, dispelling the gathering gloom, before striding through to his office.
▪
She lies back across the bed, her feet touching the floor.
▪
The heel of your leading foot should touch the ground, just before the ball of the foot and toes.
▪
They walked softly, hardly letting their feet touch the floor.
▪
He did it nimbly, his feet scarcely touching the narrow steel treads.
▪
When her feet touch down after the jump, she pushes off again.
ground
▪
His feet seemed hardly to touch the ground as the wind drove him up the slope.
▪
Witnesses swear that as fast as the line drive hit the wall, Rivera was rounding second before it touched the ground .
▪
As soon as any kite touches the ground it is eliminated.
▪
When exposed to direct light the leaves collapse and touch the ground and the plant dies.
▪
He was so low that a wing-tip touched the ground , causing a ground loop.
▪
Sometimes a heel would touch ground first, other times it would be a toe, or an arch.
hair
▪
Her fingers touched his hair , smoothing its fine silkiness, running against his scalp, the back of his neck.
▪
He can not restrain himself from touching my hair , my body, my face, no matter how public the place.
▪
Eochaid's hand, still marked with ink, touched his hair , and he received Eochaid's blessing.
▪
Another student asked if he could touch his hair .
▪
She is swept away, four people touching her hair and costume.
▪
The daughters pressed around her, cooed to her, kissed her hands, hugged her, touched her hair .
▪
He wanted to touch John's hair .
▪
She would touch her hair then fiddle with her hat and pretend to straighten her dress.
hand
▪
As I lifted Becky she raised her hand and touched the statue.
▪
Even her hands were touching something pleasant - silky, soft; she moved her fingers luxuriously, then slowly consciousness returned.
▪
When his hand touched the elevator signal it touched off the tiniest spark of static electricity.
▪
He reached out and his hand touched rough-grained wood.
▪
Electric currents spread from each spot his hands touched .
▪
His beastly gloating hands touching me.
▪
Her hand touched the compress on his head tentatively.
heart
▪
That despairing bleat touched a heart she hadn't been sure still existed.
▪
The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.
▪
Shiona felt a cold hand touch her heart .
▪
George Burns' sense of timing and captivating smile touched the hearts and funny bones of more than three generations.
▪
He touched he heart , awakening the love, stirring the pain.
▪
He wanted her to be permanent, an edifice whose piles touched the heart of the earth.
▪
Peace on Earth as he lets his light shine, he touched my heart and now he's mine.
▪
It was enough to touch my heart .
leg
▪
Ron's little legs did not touch the floor.
▪
Deborah and I washed the dishes, then sat beside each other at the kitchen table, our legs almost touching .
▪
Bend your left knee, extend your right leg and touch your right elbow on to your left knee.
▪
Charles rocked with the motion of the coach, falling gently against Sarah, their shoulders and legs continually touching .
▪
Since those legs happen to be touching the ground, the body moves forward.
▪
They are lying side by side, their legs touching .
lip
▪
And it was no wonder that she hadn't touched his lips with hers.
▪
During these efforts, her fleshy nose could touch her lips .
▪
A bitter smile touched his lips at that, for hadn't Grainne long since been lost?
▪
He tasted warm wetness on his tongue and touched his lip and took away a bloodied finger.
▪
Disappointment! dash not from my trembling hand the bowl which almost touches my lips .
▪
The pink tip of a tongue touched her pale lips .
▪
Boris touched his lips then looked at the smear of blood on his hand.
nerve
▪
Although this memorandum was immediately denounced and repudiated, there is no doubt that it touched some sensitive nerves .
▪
The theatrical farce touches a nerve .
▪
The death of Phyllis Henley touched these nerves into life.
▪
I had finally touched a nerve .
▪
Our article touched a raw nerve .
▪
The subject of hawkers had touched a raw nerve .
▪
It was easy, therefore, to touch the sensitive nerve of nationalism.
▪
The wide current appeal of such music seems to touch a nerve of communal masochism.
plane
▪
Fortunately a lone plane touched down, and took him off.
▪
As my plane touches down in Naha, I am missing Charles, missing Ted, but resolved to enjoy myself.
▪
The plane touches down at John Wayne Airport, named after the Western star.
▪
Always work on a earthed surface and touch the ground plane before touching any components.
▪
At one stage, fourteen planes touched down in the space of a minute.
shoulder
▪
Another step back, and the back of Ace's head touched Daak's shoulder .
▪
Evening came and the man touched her shoulder .
▪
Presently Wexford moved over to her and touched her shoulder .
▪
Ruth touched his shoulder and turned back to the stove.
▪
He went up to her and touched her shoulder awkwardly.
▪
Phagu chuckled at me through the window and touched me on the shoulder .
▪
Rain touched her shoulder , pressed her back into the chair for fear of a repetition of the scenes in the kitchen.
▪
He touched her shoulder , and her upper arm, and the inside of her elbow.
toe
▪
Bend from the waist, with your arms still straight, and touch your toes .
▪
Can you touch your toes while keeping your legs straight?
▪
Slowly lean over with both arms to try to touch the toe of your outstretched foot.
■ VERB
let
▪
He lets waste bits of paper pile up in his room - he won't let me touch them.
▪
Indeed, the old Witch never touched water, nor ever let water touch her in any way.
▪
Have you let him touch your soul?
▪
He was still shy enough not to let anyone touch him, and he scuttled away if you got too close.
▪
The water was fine, as long as you didn't drink it or let it touch your skin.
▪
Boysie never let anybody touch his flute, not even me or Sylvie.
▪
At one point she let her shoulder touch Clare's arm, to be sure that he was really there.
▪
They walked softly, hardly letting their feet touch the floor.
reach
▪
But Neil Fraser couldn't reach out and touch his wife.
▪
I reached up and touched his cheek.
▪
He reached over to touch my wrist, and his look was tender.
▪
She reached over now and touched his cold rigid hand.
▪
When she thought no one was looking, she reached out and touched his hand and her eyes were soft and inviting.
▪
She reached out and touched his arm reassuringly.
▪
If she reached out to touch him, would he vanish like a ghost?
▪
But basically I need to reach down and touch myself.
want
▪
Once again, everyone wanted a glimpse of Diana, everyone wanted to touch her.
▪
She wanted to touch them with her music, words, make them aware of their woman-ness.
▪
Where the Sales Department insists on selling to people we wouldn't want to touch with a barge pole!
▪
No one wanted to touch the little chapel.
▪
I want to touch you the way no man has ever touched you.
▪
Though admonished not to by the funeral director, I want to touch her.
▪
I want you to touch me, trail your mouth from my toes to my eyes.
▪
You never want me to touch you.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a soft touch
▪
Brad knew I was a soft touch.
▪
Negotiators will need a soft touch and strong nerves.
▪
And he knew I was a soft touch, that I did most of the housework so he could be free.
▪
Artisans needed more than just fertile imaginations and a soft touch with a trowel to bring their work to life.
▪
Cool for Cats at Stennis Head - a soft touch E15b.
▪
Leeds are a soft touch when it comes to transfers.
▪
Middlesbrough showed a resilience that emphasised they are no longer a soft touch on their travels.
▪
My client was a soft touch.
▪
Next to it goes a soft touch 6a, Cocoluche, which has an easily avoidable 6b section.
▪
Terry was such a soft touch.
a/the human touch
▪
Remember, people are interested in people not politics and the best campaign moments are those with a human touch.
▪
Science can have a human touch.
▪
Sir Peter Parker who he replaced will always be remembered as an enthusiastic chairman with a human touch.
at/with the push/touch of a button
catch/touch sb on the raw
▪
She had the fleeting impression that she'd caught him on the raw .
common touch
▪
Wilson's critics say his handling of the deal shows he has lost his common touch.
keep in close contact/touch
▪
Even after Charles married Princess Diana he kept in close contact with Camilla.
▪
He had not kept in close touch with the performers who had danced in his first little group.
▪
I am keen to keep in close touch with you on this subject.
▪
I take that point and we are keeping in close contact with local authorities.
▪
I urge my hon. Friend to keep in close touch to make sure that response times are up to the charter.
▪
In practice, I keep in close touch with the work of the foundation.
▪
The Society is keeping in close touch with the appropriate authority and full information will be published as soon as possible.
▪
To monitor their responses we have kept in close touch with each family's health visitor.
magic touch
▪
And not even Glen Hoddle's magic touch could save the day.
▪
But his magic touch is not easily duplicated, nor, for that matter, often approached.
▪
Carlo said I had a magic touch, I can make anything grow.
▪
He had a magic touch on the string that jerked its engine into rather terrifying life.
▪
Owen Pickard was the man with the magic touch.
▪
They feel that the new aid has failed, or that they have failed to find the magic touch in using it.
not harm/touch a hair of/on sb's head
personal touch
▪
At this stage we are concerned with the personal touch; self-completed questionnaires will be dealt with later.
▪
But other customers prefer to write the messages themselves, for more of a personal touch.
▪
Despite the tight squeeze, the office has graced Borrego Springs with a personal touch over the decades.
▪
Family photos and a clock that tells time backward add a personal touch to the sterile academic atmosphere.
▪
I think people appreciate that personal touch.
▪
Reagan resorted to the personal touch as a matter of instinct and long practice.
▪
Steve, a believer in the personal touch, made their day by laying on their favourite drink, chilled Guinness.
▪
To be successful the hotel will provide a friendly atmosphere, good service and the personal touch.
strike/touch a chord (with sb)
▪
Clearly, what they do touches a chord in more than a few listeners.
▪
Her language may be a bit highbrow, but it strikes a chord with many of Britain's state school heads.
▪
His declarations have struck a chord on both sides of the House.
▪
Obviously, their messages have struck a chord among voters in Arizona and New Hampshire.
▪
One young man of John's age wrote to say that the pointlessness of his captivity had struck a chord with him.
▪
Somewhere, he touched a chord in his son.
▪
The film was immensely popular and had so clearly struck a chord that Hammer carried out a rethink of its production policy.
▪
The plight of Gerald McClellan struck a chord in Jones.
the Midas touch
▪
Pavarotti is a unique performer with the Midas touch.
touch base (with sb)
▪
It's important to touch base with our allies in this issue.
▪
I just wanted to touch base with you.
touch wood
▪
I've never been in trouble with the police, touch wood .
▪
We haven't missed a deadline yet, knock on wood .
▪
And I hope I don't - touch wood !
▪
I've just been lucky so far, touch wood .
▪
Male speaker Well we are a bit of a lively bunch but I haven't been banned yet ... touch wood !
▪
What is more, it might, touch wood , even be in a position to implement some of them.
touch your toes
▪
Bend from the waist, with your arms still straight, and touch your toes .
▪
Can you touch your toes while keeping your legs straight?
▪
Then he would touch his toes twenty times.
touch/hit a (raw) nerve
▪
I had finally touched a nerve .
▪
Our article touched a raw nerve .
▪
Q: Why has that era hit a nerve with people now?
▪
The charge has hit a nerve , persuading the company to earmark 265 Levantine buildings for special restoration.
▪
The subject of hawkers had touched a raw nerve .
▪
The theatrical farce touches a nerve .
▪
The wide current appeal of such music seems to touch a nerve of communal masochism.
▪
They also touched a nerve of public anxiety.
touch/hit a raw nerve
▪
Our article touched a raw nerve.
▪
The subject of hawkers had touched a raw nerve.
tug/touch your forelock
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"What are you thinking?" she asked, touching his arm.
▪
A slight grin touched his face when he was told the news.
▪
Barry never lets anyone touch the piano.
▪
Don't touch that - the paint is still wet.
▪
Don't touch the plates - they're hot!
▪
Don't let the wires touch or you'll get a very bad shock.
▪
Every business Gibbons touches becomes successful.
▪
For room service, touch button 9.
▪
He drew me closer until our bodies were touching.
▪
He gently touched her hand and smiled.
▪
I'm sorry - I didn't mean to touch your sore arm.
▪
I cut my knee last week, and it still hurts if I touch it.
▪
Make sure the wires do not touch .
▪
Put the cards face down on the table so that the edges are touching.
▪
The pictures touched everyone present.
▪
The plane touched the speed of sound in a power dive.
▪
The plane came down so low that it's wings touched the trees.
▪
Their insults and criticism never seemed to touch him.
▪
Wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat.
▪
Yesterday, the dollar touched a seventeen-week high of 1.4748 marks.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
He touched his bandaged wound where the shaved hair had started to grow back.
▪
It had lasted longer, but then she had still been touching him.
▪
Quickly he went to the wall safe at the far end of the room and touched the combination.
▪
Something outside her, mysterious and huge, put out a kindly exploring hand and touched her.
▪
The soft touching and smooching stirred him back to life.
▪
Theresa could touch the floor with her feet.
▪
They rolled up when I touched them, and tickled my fingers with their tiny legs.
▪
This is because the contacts bounce as they touch .
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
close
▪
Sherfey thinks women need to be in closer touch with their life purpose of caring for the species.
▪
He had not kept in close touch with the performers who had danced in his first little group.
▪
He told Parmenter he would stay in close touch with Guy Banister.
▪
To monitor their responses we have kept in close touch with each family's health visitor.
▪
He's in close touch with his employees, knowing many of them by their first names.
▪
Fifty years ago they were in closer touch .
▪
McGuinness is more hard-line than Adams and reckoned to be in closer touch with the mood of die-hard republicans.
feminine
▪
The gentlemen appreciated all her feminine touches .
▪
She was known for taking care of business with a feminine touch in the town too tough to die.
▪
Today there is little sign of the feminine touch in the Cabinet at Westminster.
final
▪
Braintree started to control the midfield in the second half and only the final touch in the circle let them down.
▪
Fresh berries for dessert add the final fresh touch .
▪
Meanwhile, Hilary Murphy, who sets the questions, puts the final touches to Bob's board.
▪
Domain loudspeakers leave the final touch of interior decorating to the buyer.
▪
Fried onions make the final delectable touch .
▪
A creamy green sauce, redolent of sweet pea and butter, provides the final touch .
▪
Traditionally this was the time for artists to add the final touches .
▪
The extreme naturalism with which his characters' thoughts and emotions were portrayed was the final inartistic touch .
finishing
▪
The floral display at Newcastle provided a delightful finishing touch .
▪
A notice apologising for keeping visitors waiting and inviting them to look at the booklets adds the finishing touch .
▪
The property has been recently constructed and is in the final stages of finishing touches .
▪
The finishing touches are being put on a £800,000 new image for the once-neglected thoroughfare.
▪
By the beginning of December, the finishing touches had been put to the apartment.
▪
An individual finishing touch can come from your choice of shaped hemline, which could be angular, castellated or scalloped.
▪
Boro threatened to run riot but could not provide the finishing touch .
▪
Miele make kitchens Miele quality appliances have been putting the finishing touch to kitchens for years.
gentle
▪
A gentle touch on her cheek, then her arm.
▪
Presently it felt the gentle touch of radiations, trying to probe its secrets.
▪
And a gentle touch for the gentle dead.
▪
He had a gentle touch , a musician's touch.
▪
Sensitive skins need the gentle touch - Moistura fragrance Free products from Cyclax provide the perfect solution.
▪
He might be all the rotters of the universe, but he had a gentle , magical touch with the child.
▪
Pray that they would know the gentle touch of our Lord in their lives in the coming days.
▪
They used the gentle touch to minimise the pressure on the 25-year-old woman following her horrific experience.
human
▪
The gap in the paper where it has been torn away from the seal is a desirable human touch rather than a blemish.
▪
The human touch , the intuition and a more abstract conception of reality were now considered fundamental to art.
▪
Science can have a human touch .
▪
Sculpture adds that human touch to the garden.
▪
Sir Peter Parker who he replaced will always be remembered as an enthusiastic chairman with a human touch .
▪
Remember, people are interested in people not politics and the best campaign moments are those with a human touch .
light
▪
A novel about novel-writing, which handles its tricky subject with a light comic touch .
▪
Some one had given his arm a light touch out of fear and respect.
▪
Some instruments receive far more prominence than they do in more everyday tunes, others get merely the lightest , occasional touch .
▪
There may be subjective numbness and slightly impaired pain and light touch sensation over the outer aspect of the foot. 3.
▪
Does she love light touch or avoid it?
▪
The clouds, sea and sky were permanent blue and light red with touches of Winsor blue.
▪
She had made her point with as light a touch as she could manage.
lost
▪
Her husband watched her reading and finally lost touch with her.
▪
They may have lost touch with their friends and have to start again to build up a new social circle.
▪
The team lost touch with one another; the turning of a corner or moving through a door was enough.
▪
Mrs McCourt was subsequently fostered and lost touch with her sisters.
magic
▪
Owen Pickard was the man with the magic touch .
▪
But his magic touch is not easily duplicated, nor, for that matter, often approached.
▪
He had a magic touch on the string that jerked its engine into rather terrifying life.
▪
Carlo said I had a magic touch , I can make anything grow.
▪
And not even Glen Hoddle's magic touch could save the day.
▪
They feel that the new aid has failed, or that they have failed to find the magic touch in using it.
nice
▪
One nice touch lets you italicize and embolden text simply by highlighting it and clicking on one of the toolbox icons.
▪
A little maple syrup, however, adds a nice touch .
▪
I always think it was a nice touch .
▪
This aesthetic presentation is a very nice touch in a meal already replete with interesting tastes dancing merrily across your palate.
▪
A nice touch is that when you make a new entry in the database, it's saved automatically.
▪
Pros: Ducking in and out of ice caves adds a nice touch to what could have been a typical roller coaster.
▪
Leeds began brightly and there were some nice touches .
▪
He had a nice touch , a good sense of how to execute his shots.
personal
▪
But other customers prefer to write the messages themselves, for more of a personal touch .
▪
Despite the tight squeeze, the office has graced Borrego Springs with a personal touch over the decades.
▪
To be successful the hotel will provide a friendly atmosphere, good service and the personal touch .
▪
Reagan resorted to the personal touch as a matter of instinct and long practice.
▪
Steve, a believer in the personal touch , made their day by laying on their favourite drink, chilled Guinness.
▪
I think people appreciate that personal touch .
▪
Family photos and a clock that tells time backward add a personal touch to the sterile academic atmosphere.
soft
▪
This makes the wings very soft to the touch and probably cuts down noise from feathers moving against one another during flight.
▪
They were soft to the touch and easy to bend.
▪
She trembled, wanting the soft touch of his mouth and his adoration.
▪
And he knew I was a soft touch , that I did most of the housework so he could be free.
▪
The material felt soft to her touch .
▪
He was the softest touch in the world.
▪
The only soft , welcoming touch is a black leather sofa.
sure
▪
Magona has a surer touch when narrating the sweep of history that builds up to create inevitable results.
▪
Sometimes a leader with a seemingly sure touch for foreign policy turns ham-handed.
▪
Vanessa had the surest touch decoratively and domestically.
▪
And that, too, was Luke, she thought - the sure touch , the instinctive flair and selection.
■ VERB
add
▪
A notice apologising for keeping visitors waiting and inviting them to look at the booklets adds the finishing touch .
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Fresh berries for dessert add the final fresh touch .
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Decorative rope-top edgings in terracotta contain the borders and ball-topped corner posts add an extra finishing touch .
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For that added romantic touch , the subway lights had been dimmed on the first two cars.
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Leather and brass fittings add a touch of luxury.
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It added a special touch to our telethon.
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Barry returned the next day to add the finishing touches .
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Pros: Ducking in and out of ice caves adds a nice touch to what could have been a typical roller coaster.
bring
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It brings us into touch with levels of ourself untouched hitherto, and so it has a profound esoteric significance.
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And who knows, it may even bring a touch of glamour to the streets of Harlesden.
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It can enhance creativity, as it brings us into touch with elemental emotions.
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The late afternoon slid into night, bringing a touch of frost and sapping the last of warmth and cheerfulness.
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And streets ahead ... Bonnie brings a touch of magic to a Broadway favourite.
feel
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He felt a touch on his shoulder.
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People feel out of touch with one another and with the organization.
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She was unaware that anyone had approached until she felt a touch on one of the vertebra of her spine.
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At last he was naked and she felt the rough touch of his skin slide over her, bearing her down.
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Standing at the bar, Langford felt a touch on his elbow.
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They felt warm to the touch , slightly damp from Azmaveth's palms.
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Was it self-deception or did she really feel warm to his touch ?
finish
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He then supplied the finishing touch to a 32-pass move to seal victory.
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Brown hopes to have the finishing touches done within 10 days.
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Give your gifts a special finishing touch by making this sparkly gift wrap.
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You may spot workers putting the finishing touches on the dome.
get
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Make sure they didn't get in touch .
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He thought that we get in touch with the world and others through meaningful work.
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If you are out there, get in touch !
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Then get in touch with me.
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Marcus Hannaford got the final touch down.
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Be still for a moment to get in touch with your own breathing.
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HomePro.com HomePro aims to make it easier for homeowners to get in touch with true trade professionals.
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The majority tell visitors how to get in touch with their elected representatives.
keep
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It keeps me in touch and helps the section.
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The idea was to hang together, keep in touch with the audience and maybe make a few bucks.
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Over the years, she said, they kept in touch by telephone and brief, occasional backstage visits at concerts.
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We've been flying here since September, but our wives have regularly sent out Country Living to keep us in touch .
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Yeah, I love you too. Keep in fucken touch .
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The way to keep in touch !
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The Glicksteins visit every place they mention and keep in touch in person and via feedback from other guests.
kick
▪
He would always kick it back into play whereas Lukic, more often than not, would kick it into touch .
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Of course, the argument was kicked into touch by the Church.
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When a penalty is kicked directly into touch the same team will have the throw-in.
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Some are easy rambles but others should kick into touch the idea that valleys are easy options.
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But Souness has firmly kicked into touch suggestions that Wright will be sacrificed to make way for any newcomer.
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I gather that that issue has now been kicked into touch .
lose
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It is also very easy to lose touch .
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I was begin-ning to lose touch with my body, floating away to distant places.
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Alfred Anderson lost touch with the two men when he left the island in 1959.
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De Lavallade drifted away from Alvin, although they never completely lost touch .
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Yet, for the moment anyway, the bankers have lost their Midas touch .
▪
Talk about guys who have lost touch with the game.
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As if we are losing our touch .
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He also agreed to start contacting some of his old friends whom he had lost touch with when he became unemployed.
put
▪
Meanwhile, Hilary Murphy, who sets the questions, puts the final touches to Bob's board.
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Reach out and put the touch on some one.
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Dyer was almost over for a try but put a foot in touch at the corner flag spoiled the effort.
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You know, put in the Williams touch .
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Perhaps one of Alfa Romeo's race engineers put him in touch with Enzo Ferrari?
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And they put young people in touch with adult role models who can help ease the shift into adulthood.
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They can put students in touch with teachers, regardless of the geographic location of either.
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Another collector got in touch , who put him in touch with another, and so on.
stay
▪
As the rugby people say, don't hang about on the side-lines, stay in touch .
▪
We promise to stay in touch .
▪
People still want to have the social contact that work offers, and want to stay in regular touch with their co-workers.
▪
We go skiing, stay in touch .
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I have since then stayed in as close touch as seems safe.
▪
Underneath it all was the desire to stay in touch with Sophie.
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He saw Luke now and then: just to stay in touch .
▪
I want you to stay in touch .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a soft touch
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Brad knew I was a soft touch.
▪
Negotiators will need a soft touch and strong nerves.
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And he knew I was a soft touch, that I did most of the housework so he could be free.
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Artisans needed more than just fertile imaginations and a soft touch with a trowel to bring their work to life.
▪
Cool for Cats at Stennis Head - a soft touch E15b.
▪
Leeds are a soft touch when it comes to transfers.
▪
Middlesbrough showed a resilience that emphasised they are no longer a soft touch on their travels.
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My client was a soft touch.
▪
Next to it goes a soft touch 6a, Cocoluche, which has an easily avoidable 6b section.
▪
Terry was such a soft touch.
a/the human touch
▪
Remember, people are interested in people not politics and the best campaign moments are those with a human touch.
▪
Science can have a human touch.
▪
Sir Peter Parker who he replaced will always be remembered as an enthusiastic chairman with a human touch.
at/with the push/touch of a button
common touch
▪
Wilson's critics say his handling of the deal shows he has lost his common touch.
keep in close contact/touch
▪
Even after Charles married Princess Diana he kept in close contact with Camilla.
▪
He had not kept in close touch with the performers who had danced in his first little group.
▪
I am keen to keep in close touch with you on this subject.
▪
I take that point and we are keeping in close contact with local authorities.
▪
I urge my hon. Friend to keep in close touch to make sure that response times are up to the charter.
▪
In practice, I keep in close touch with the work of the foundation.
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The Society is keeping in close touch with the appropriate authority and full information will be published as soon as possible.
▪
To monitor their responses we have kept in close touch with each family's health visitor.
kick sth into touch
▪
He would always kick it back into play whereas Lukic, more often than not, would kick it into touch.
▪
When a penalty is kicked directly into touch the same team will have the throw-in.
lose touch (with sb/sth)
▪
A lot of producers have lost touch with what makes good music.
▪
Over the years we just lost touch with each other.
▪
Command economies are usually so centralized that they lose touch with the differences and complexities of individual firms and consumers.
▪
De Lavallade drifted away from Alvin, although they never completely lost touch.
▪
Employees and their managers lost touch with their customers and fiefdoms arose.
▪
I was begin-ning to lose touch with my body, floating away to distant places.
▪
It is also very easy to lose touch.
▪
Salibi says that the Massoretes had lost touch with the language of the Bible and made many distortions.
▪
She said she had lost touch with him.
▪
Those who pay for education, for example, may lose touch with what is taught and with the methods used.
magic touch
▪
And not even Glen Hoddle's magic touch could save the day.
▪
But his magic touch is not easily duplicated, nor, for that matter, often approached.
▪
Carlo said I had a magic touch, I can make anything grow.
▪
He had a magic touch on the string that jerked its engine into rather terrifying life.
▪
Owen Pickard was the man with the magic touch.
▪
They feel that the new aid has failed, or that they have failed to find the magic touch in using it.
personal touch
▪
At this stage we are concerned with the personal touch; self-completed questionnaires will be dealt with later.
▪
But other customers prefer to write the messages themselves, for more of a personal touch.
▪
Despite the tight squeeze, the office has graced Borrego Springs with a personal touch over the decades.
▪
Family photos and a clock that tells time backward add a personal touch to the sterile academic atmosphere.
▪
I think people appreciate that personal touch.
▪
Reagan resorted to the personal touch as a matter of instinct and long practice.
▪
Steve, a believer in the personal touch, made their day by laying on their favourite drink, chilled Guinness.
▪
To be successful the hotel will provide a friendly atmosphere, good service and the personal touch.
put/add the finishing touches (to sth)
▪
Barry returned the next day to add the finishing touches.
▪
Its warmth and richness will add the finishing touches that are all important to the dress of your dreams.
▪
The band are currently putting the finishing touches to their third album, which should be out early in the summer.
▪
The birds whose selective predation put the finishing touches to their evolution must, at least collectively, have had excellently good vision.
▪
The more exacting you are in putting the finishing touches to the picture, the better the result will be.
▪
We can put the finishing touches to your programme.
▪
With most members of the task force now dismissed, Mr Magaziner is putting the finishing touches to his report.
the Midas touch
▪
Pavarotti is a unique performer with the Midas touch.
touch base (with sb)
▪
It's important to touch base with our allies in this issue.
▪
I just wanted to touch base with you.
touch wood
▪
I've never been in trouble with the police, touch wood .
▪
We haven't missed a deadline yet, knock on wood .
▪
And I hope I don't - touch wood !
▪
I've just been lucky so far, touch wood .
▪
Male speaker Well we are a bit of a lively bunch but I haven't been banned yet ... touch wood !
▪
What is more, it might, touch wood , even be in a position to implement some of them.
touch your toes
▪
Bend from the waist, with your arms still straight, and touch your toes .
▪
Can you touch your toes while keeping your legs straight?
▪
Then he would touch his toes twenty times.
touch/hit a (raw) nerve
▪
I had finally touched a nerve .
▪
Our article touched a raw nerve .
▪
Q: Why has that era hit a nerve with people now?
▪
The charge has hit a nerve , persuading the company to earmark 265 Levantine buildings for special restoration.
▪
The subject of hawkers had touched a raw nerve .
▪
The theatrical farce touches a nerve .
▪
The wide current appeal of such music seems to touch a nerve of communal masochism.
▪
They also touched a nerve of public anxiety.
touch/hit a raw nerve
▪
Our article touched a raw nerve.
▪
The subject of hawkers had touched a raw nerve.
tug/touch your forelock
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Great service and a friendly staff give the hotel a personal touch .
▪
He felt a touch on his shoulder and saw it was Mrs. Lyden.
▪
Reid has a good touch for shooting the ball.
▪
The ice caves add a nice touch to what could have been a typical roller coaster.
▪
The soft touch of a clean cotton shirt was comforting.
▪
With the touch of a wrong button, she could ruin the whole program.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A small neat iron bed with a shabby well-washed coverlet had one lumpy pillow and sheets which were hard to the touch .
▪
Chance, coupled with rebellion and a touch of laziness.
▪
Despite the tight squeeze, the office has graced Borrego Springs with a personal touch over the decades.
▪
If the average middle class white schoolchild is out of touch with the literary standard, the minority child is doubly so.
▪
The affected areas look like orange-peel and are cold to the touch .
▪
Well, that couldn't last, because I'd found my touch , right?