I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a worrying/disturbing aspect
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The worrying aspect is that it gets worse every year.
an alarming/worrying/disturbing trend
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I have detected a worrying trend of late.
an anxious/troubled/worried expression
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She stood looking at me with an anxious expression.
desperately unhappy/lonely/worried etc
sb’s worries/concerns about the future
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their worries about the future of the English countryside
seriously worried
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Hazel was now seriously worried.
unduly worried/concerned/anxious etc
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She doesn’t seem unduly concerned about her exams.
worried/anxious
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My father watched us go with a worried face.
worried/concerned/anxious etc lest ...
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He paused, afraid lest he say too much.
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She worried lest he should tell someone what had happened.
worry beads
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
about
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I only had the first one to worry about .
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Bland reassurances came from the officials in charge of the spraying, who said there was nothing to worry about .
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But it's going to be all right - there's nothing to worry about .
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She worries about him all the time. 1943 I am fourteen months old when my father goes away to war.
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Not much to worry about there, he thought.
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I had nothing to worry about .
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The one thing I didn't have to worry about was losing control of my bodily functions.
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As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about .
really
▪
To protect Britain's biggest manufacturer by making it less efficient: now that should really worry the public.
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It really worries me what the impact could be in a few years when we hit the bottom of the business cycle.
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That's the one that really worries me.
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It is the criminal activity surrounding the supply of illegal drugs that we should really worry about.
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I was fourteen, and Mom got really worried about me.
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It hasn't really worried me, though.
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I don't really worry about my body.
■ NOUN
need
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But there was really no need to worry .
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A State Department spokeswoman says there is no need to worry .
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Because she never had to be his lover in front of Maggie or Rachel she had no need to worry about that either.
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No need to worry about electrical failure, either, thanks to our backup response unit.
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So I see no need to worry .
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At the initial planning stage there is probably no need to worry too much about the three attainment targets.
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She was at work, he knew; there was no need to worry about her.
thing
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One thing that worries parents about their children becoming vegetarian is that they might lack protein.
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We have better things to worry about.
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There's only one thing worries me.
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I have more important things to worry about.
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Few things were more worrying than the idea of Andrea with magic powers.
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But one thing that worries me is the way information about the sortie has leaked out.
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That sort of thing worries the college authorities no end, as you can imagine.
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The things that worry Sid-Ahmed most are the deep divisions the population crush has helped create.
things
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Do not worry about things like night clothes and toilet things - the hospital will have everything that you could need.
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Machinists worry about getting things level and straight.
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In their present situation there was no time to worry about such things .
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Downtown business types worry about things like access to parking garages.
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But never mind no time to worry about things like that.
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But how can I worry about these things now?
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Basque is so well off that it can worry about esoteric things as far as the language is concerned.
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For there is no point in worrying about things that are outside your control.
■ VERB
begin
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When she got the blade of the shove between her teeth and began to worry it I called a halt.
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And I began to worry about Bill himself.
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Then, when I- heard cries on the moor, I began to worry about him.
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Maggie began to worry that they might actually physically restrain her.
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But after a few days Clare began to worry .
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By now it was getting late and I began to worry .
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Fort Davis residents have begun to worry that McLaren is not a solitary kook.
let
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Hilda would have called it not letting him worry , keeping everything smooth and secure.
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You let me worry about that.
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It was so far outside anything he'd ever seen before that his mind wasn't letting him worry about it.
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Were you, a slave, called? Let it not worry you.
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Don't let it worry you.
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Have fun. Let me do the worrying .
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But I still didn't let my weight worry me.
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For years we voters have demanded high government services and low taxes, letting future generations worry about the fiscal consequences.
start
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I am starting to worry that I might be schizophrenic.
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Though the girls loved the game, after a while he started worrying about what other people might think.
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Half way through, I started to worry that an airplane would crash into the preview theatre.
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Melvin, our metaphor for the government, starts worrying .
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I started to worry about the curfew.
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She had started to worry about Mr Skipton almost as much as she worried about his sick wife.
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And then I started to worry .
stop
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Maera looks at the faces in front of her and she stops worrying .
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Reading aloud to our kids will have educational payoffs only if we stop worrying about those payoffs.
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He stopped worrying about him anyway.
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Before long, we stopped worrying that it would end.
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So should we stop worrying about the abuse excuse?
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He can never stop worrying about where the next meal is coming from.
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I had to stop worrying , I had to forget about everything but Frank.
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But that did not mean that we stopped worrying .
tell
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Lynn told me not to worry , that he would sort it out with Frank.
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Yet gays turning to churches and other institutions for help all too often were told not to worry .
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My position there was simple: I told them not to worry about it.
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He told me not to worry .
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I told her not to worry , it's wind, and not to pick him up every minute, either.
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Quinn stood up, raised his hand in a gesture of peace, and told her not to worry .
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I told them not to worry , that I was sure I'd see them again - on the scene.
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Denoyer tells him not to worry , the painting is just out on loan to a gallery in Cannes.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be out of your mind with worry/grief etc
be worried sick/be sick with worry
bored/scared/worried stiff
▪
And I was scared stiff about having lied to Mel about being single when he hired me.
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Cis, who knew about it, was scared stiff .
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He was scared stiff , thought a ghastly mistake had been made.
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He was very naturally scared stiff of using up all his remaining petrol and making a bad landing.
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Mabel was by now scared stiff and frozen cold.
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Poor kid, thought Alice, he's scared stiff .
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We looked at each other, scared stiff , but we followed Mrs Bullivant upstairs.
niggling doubt/worry/suspicion etc
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Almost immediately, the fretting, niggling worries and the sense of fearful anticipation began to return.
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Always, in the background, in the dim recesses of her mind, there had been that niggling doubt.
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And here a niggling doubt enters the mind.
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Nor did it remove the niggling suspicion that Isabel was hiding something.
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Of course, this is usually so, but I am having little niggling doubts about such a sweeping statement.
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There remains the niggling doubt that this delay has something to do with our muddled sentimentality towards animals.
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There was, however, a niggling doubt in the minds of some of the jurors.
the least of sb's worries/problems/troubles/concerns
▪
For not the least of Henry's problems was how to raise the money required for the accomplishment of such an undertaking.
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Greatly increased taxes and a major shift back to defence expenditure could be the least of our worries.
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Not the least of its problems was extreme alienation between labor and management.
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That was the least of her troubles.
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The death under somewhat dubious circumstances of a racehorse belonging to his son was frankly the least of his problems.
you had me worried
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You really had me worried - I thought you didn't like the present.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Why didn't you tell me?" "I didn't want to worry you."
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Doesn't it worry you that Stephen spends so much time away from home?
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Don't worry , there's plenty of time.
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He began to worry he might lose his job.
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I don't know what you're worrying about.
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I was worried that Shannon was too small, but the doctor says she's fine.
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I was really worried about it at the time.
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Mom, stop worrying. I'll be fine.
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My husband worries when I'm late home from work.
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One thing that worried me was that information had been leaked to the press.
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The changes in the Earth's climate began to worry some scientists.
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The rise in housing costs worries most young families.
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What worries me is the difference in age between Rosie and her boyfriend.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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In reality, Arum has little to worry about.
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Legislative opponents worried about the possibility of more initiative campaigns, however, and the September plan was dropped.
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Mr Davenport now worries that re-engineering is passing from a fad to a cliché.
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No, the Polk County chairman for Forbes is worried about something entirely nonpolitical: the weather.
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On the contrary it would merely increase their anxiety level, even if there was nothing to worry about.
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Theo was asked not to worry , and not to tell anyone unless forced.
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There was nothing to worry about: if there had been, the fuzz would have come in with a warrant.
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Use this to your advantage by scanning the papers for any major police search, then target the worried relatives.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
big
▪
But the biggest worry for Taylor must be Platt.
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Among the biggest worries of fathers today is how their children are faring in child care while they are at work.
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For the government, pensions are the biggest worry .
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My big worry is that the Monster will come wide awake and ruin things with its gross demands.
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That's my biggest worry , keeping warm.
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The big worry now is: how many other societies might follow suit.
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The second big worry is that health reform will confirm Mr Clinton's reputation as a tax-and-spend liberal.
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The biggest worry is still public finance.
constant
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We were trying to find out where his particular niches lay and the constant worry at that time was lack of money.
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I would have preferred suffering financially over living with the constant worry about them operating the market.
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Infection in surgery, whether from within or outside the patient, is a constant worry .
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Obviously you can get no joy out of motherhood if it is simply a constant worry .
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We do have an ever constant worry about finance and on the back page you will find our latest Fund Raising Appeal.
economic
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And he says our own economic worries aren't a good enough excuse.
financial
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These are difficult days for students ... financial worries and job uncertainty, as well as coping with life alone.
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Students today can not so easily neglect financial worries as their predecessors twenty years before.
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Speculation about his death centred most persistently on financial worries .
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In one bound he would be free of all financial worries .
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The jury heard Warwick had financial worries which caused marital pressures.
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Bach's last years were clouded by financial worries caused by declining receipts and heavy expenditure on the Hanover Square concerts.
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Only after Coleridge returned from Shrewsbury, freed at last from immediate financial worry , could vague hopes be transformed into clearer intentions.
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It ends months of financial worry for Alan Govier, who worked for a printing firm for forty-nine years.
frantic
▪
I don't mind telling you, I've been almost frantic with worry this last half-hour.
great
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But David Beaton's greatest worry was for Hector.
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The idea is to secure peace of mind for the elderly whose greatest worry is fear of attack.
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Remember only recently when the great worry was that gays were going to wreck the military?
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As insurance the selectors have picked seven loose forwards and this may emphasise one of the great worries about the touring side.
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She had enough to worry about and the greatest worry was how to make herself step inside this house.
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He found the bank's routine congenial, keeping greater worries at bay.
main
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My main worry is that he hasn't brought interest rates down far enough.
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As far as children with special educational needs are concerned, there are for me two main worries .
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But it has given rise to two main worries among western diplomats in Bonn.
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Their main worry is their children.
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Hand movements are one of their main worries .
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Concussion is the main worry concerning feet and joints.
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Their main worries seemed to be not the paper, but bad publicity and the left being seen fighting amongst itself.
major
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A major worry for patients in psychiatric hospitals has always been money and access to it.
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Nor was food going to be a major worry .
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Another major worry for women is being left on their own.
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It was a worry that became our major worry.
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The major worry concerns skipper and key defender Brian Gayle.
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The prospect of sailing into the late autumn was itself the major worry .
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The other major worry was that the Russells Hall pupils would be much better at the work.
real
▪
At first Keoni had seemed very remote, too distant to be a real worry .
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But even playing it is a real worry .
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I've had some real worries lately-including love problems.
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It is a real worry that evictions might take place.
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It's a real worry with him being so far away.
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The quality of those troops was at the heart of the Duke's real worries .
sick
▪
She was sick with worry about everything.
■ VERB
cause
▪
The experiment, which had caused some worry , particularly on the Labour benches, was entirely successful.
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Holidays Holidays cause a lot of worry for novice fishkeepers.
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Stability Basements constructed from new should not cause any worries .
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Sien was causing him a great deal of worry as the year wore on.
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The people concerned should make sure of the facts before causing unnecessary worry .
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This makes it difficult to reach a decision, and causes a nagging worry as to whether the right system has been selected.
▪
It isn't nuclear radiation but electro magnetic and magnetic fields that are causing the worry .
ease
▪
Shrewsbury eased their worries with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Halifax at Gay Meadow.
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This would ease worries in the West about supply shortages.
express
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Armstrong also expressed his worry over the inconsistency between benzene-diazo-chloride and benzene-azo-benzene, both with two nitrogen atoms.
▪
They may become more able to express their worries and anger in posItive, rather than maladaptive, ways.
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In order for parents to express these worries , however, the child must at some time have produced actual behaviour.
▪
Nevertheless, headteachers did express worries about condoned absence.
▪
While some expressed worry and fear, many appeared indifferent and even optimistic about the chaos in the building.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be out of your mind with worry/grief etc
be worried sick/be sick with worry
bored/scared/worried stiff
▪
And I was scared stiff about having lied to Mel about being single when he hired me.
▪
Cis, who knew about it, was scared stiff .
▪
He was scared stiff , thought a ghastly mistake had been made.
▪
He was very naturally scared stiff of using up all his remaining petrol and making a bad landing.
▪
Mabel was by now scared stiff and frozen cold.
▪
Poor kid, thought Alice, he's scared stiff .
▪
We looked at each other, scared stiff , but we followed Mrs Bullivant upstairs.
niggling doubt/worry/suspicion etc
▪
Almost immediately, the fretting, niggling worries and the sense of fearful anticipation began to return.
▪
Always, in the background, in the dim recesses of her mind, there had been that niggling doubt.
▪
And here a niggling doubt enters the mind.
▪
Nor did it remove the niggling suspicion that Isabel was hiding something.
▪
Of course, this is usually so, but I am having little niggling doubts about such a sweeping statement.
▪
There remains the niggling doubt that this delay has something to do with our muddled sentimentality towards animals.
▪
There was, however, a niggling doubt in the minds of some of the jurors.
offload your worries/emotions/problems etc
▪
It would be nice to have been able to offload your worries on to some one or something like that.
the least of sb's worries/problems/troubles/concerns
▪
For not the least of Henry's problems was how to raise the money required for the accomplishment of such an undertaking.
▪
Greatly increased taxes and a major shift back to defence expenditure could be the least of our worries.
▪
Not the least of its problems was extreme alienation between labor and management.
▪
That was the least of her troubles.
▪
The death under somewhat dubious circumstances of a racehorse belonging to his son was frankly the least of his problems.
you had me worried
▪
You really had me worried - I thought you didn't like the present.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
Worries about the tire company's performance sent its shares tumbling.
▪
financial worries
▪
His remarks reflect a widespread worry that Canada may be going the same way as the US.
▪
It's important that children can discuss their worries with their parents.
▪
Roosevelt's chief worry at the time was that an attack on Britain would put the US at a strategic disadvantage.
▪
The launch was delayed because of worries over protestors.
▪
The meningitis outbreak is a major cause of worry at the moment.
▪
The poor mother was sick with worry over her missing daughter.
▪
The rage and disappointment had disappeared, but the worry in Jim's face was starting to show.
▪
This constant worry about your debts isn't doing you any good at all.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
A modest economic upswing may relieve the worries of the corporations.
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As he dried his hands carefully, finger by finger, the old familiar worry returned, heavy as a morbid growth.
▪
At the back of her mind was a nagging worry about the Tarlands' relationship with Marco.
▪
For she followed through with an act which suggests that she may have had some later worries.
▪
His worry is how to handle success.
▪
The experiment, which had caused some worry , particularly on the Labour benches, was entirely successful.
▪
The great worry of most Hormel backers this time around is that Helms will block hearings on his nomination.
▪
You may recall that earlier in the year I burdened you with my worries.