SOME USEFUL COLLOCATION

- a recipe for a disaster: to be very likely to become a disaster, success, etc.

e.g. All those children unsupervised sounds to me like a recipe for disaster.
- a roaring success: a very great success
e.g. The party was a roaring success.
- a stroke of luck: something that happens or succeeds suddenly because of luck
e.g. By a stroke of luck, I met my favorite celebrity at the airport.
- above the law: not required to obey the law
e.g. No one is above the law.
- alive and kicking: very active, healthy or popular
e.g. My mother is still alive and kicking.
- alleviate suffering: to make a physical or mental pain less severe
e.g. The drugs did nothing to alleviate her suffering.
- at a standstill: in a condition which all movement or activity has stopped
e.g. Traffic in the northbound lane is at a complete standstill.
- all hours: any time, especially a time that is not usual or suitable
e.g. She thinks she can call me at all hours of the day and night.
- at death's door: on the point of dying
e.g. Whenever she had a bad cold she acted as though she were at death's door.
- at odds: to disagree
e.g. They're at odds over the funding of the project.
- at one's disposal: available for someone to use
e.g. We had plenty of money at our disposal.
- back to the drawing board: to start thinking about a new way of doing something after a previous plan
or idea has failed
e.g. The company went back to the drawing board to make a better product.
- bare necessity: just sufficient resources, with nothing to spare
e.g. The room was furnished with just the bare necessities—bed, table, chair.
- be a big fish in a small pond: a person who is very well known or important in a small group of people
but who is not known or important outside that group
e.g. In school he was a big fish in a small pond, but once he moved to the city he was just another
struggling actor.
- be a pack of lies: a story, explanation, claim, etc. that is completely untrue
e.g. The information he gave us was just a pack of lies.
- be awfully tired: extremely tired
e.g. I was awfully tired after the long trip.
- be deep in something: fully involved in an activity or a state
e.g. He is often so deep in his books that he forgets to eat.
- be in sb's good/bad books: in a state in which one is or is not liked or treated nicely by someone
e.g. I cleaned the bathroom yesterday so I'm in Mum's good books.
- be in the public eye: in a position that receives a lot of public notice and attention
e.g. The job requires someone who is comfortable being in the public eye.
- frame of mind: the way you feel or think about something at a particular time
e.g. He was in a relaxed frame of mind.
- be keenly interested in something: showing intensely interest in something and finding it exciting
e.g. Charles had long been keenly interested in architecture.
- be made redundant: to dismiss (a person who is no longer needed) from a job
e.g. More than 200 of the company's employees have already been made redundant.
- be on the level: being honest or speaking truthfully
e.g. We doubted that the offer could be genuine, but it turned out to be on the level.
- be part and parcel: a basic and necessary part of (something)
e.g. Being recognized in the street is part and parcel of being a celebrity.
- be put on probation: being allowed to stay out of prison after committing a crime if one behaves well,
does not commit another crime, etc.
e.g. She was arrested while on probation.
- be terminally ill: an illness or condition which cannot be cured and is likely to lead to someone's death
e.g. Life insurance could pay out a lump sum if you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness.
- be wide awake: fully awake
e.g. He was wide awake and ready to start the day’s work.
- start from scratch: to begin from a point at which nothing has been done yet
e.g. Nothing like this had ever been done before, so we had to start from scratch.
- bite your tongue: refrain from speaking out
e.g. I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of him, but I had to bite my tongue.
- box office: phòng vé
e.g. The box office opens at 10:00 a.m.
- brain drain: the situation in which large numbers of educated and very skilled people leave their own
country to live and work in another one where pay and conditions are better
e.g. There are fears that cuts in science funding could lead to a brain drain to the US.
- breach of contract: failure to do what a contract requires
e.g. They sued him for breach of contract.
- break into the market: to begin to begin working in a new business or a new area
e.g. They’re trying to break into the market, but they’re not having a lot of luck.
- break the ice: to make people who have not met before feel more relaxed with each other
e.g. Someone suggested that we play a party game to break the ice.
- brink of collapse: to be very close to failure
e.g. The rail-freight operators are on the brink of collapse.
- by the same token: in the same way, for the same reason
e.g. He has a good ear for music, and by the same token he finds it easy to pronounce foreign words.
- capacity for something: the ability to understand or to do something
e.g. She has an enormous capacity for hard work.
- catch a glimpse of something: to see someone or something very briefly or suddenly
e.g. I caught sight of the plane just before it flew out of sight.
- clap/lay/set eyes on somebody/something: to see someone or something for the first time
e.g. Everyone keeps talking about Patrick, but I've never clapped eyes on the man.
- come to pass: to happen
e.g. Our only hope now is that these dire predictions will not come to pass.
- con (somebody) out of something: to obtain something from someone through deception
e.g. I can't believe that shady salesman conned you out of hundreds of dollars.
- continuously throughout the night: happens or exists all night without being interrupted
e.g. The heavy rain lashed down continuously throughout the night without letting up.
- corporal punishment: physical punishment
e.g. The school banned corporal punishment many years ago.
- cost the earth: to cost a lot of money
e.g. They charge the earth just for a cup of coffee.
- count something on (the fingers of) one hand: something rarely happens or exists in very small
numbers
e.g. I could count the number of times he's paid for dinner on the fingers of one hand.
- creaking board: a board that makes a long low sound when it moves or is moved
e.g. I heard the boards creak as he entered the room.
- dead-end job: a job in which there is no chance of progressing to a better, more important job
e.g. He's in a dead-end job in the local factory.
- do somebody a good/bad turn: do something that helps or harms someone
e.g. He did me a good turn last year, so I'd like to return the favor somehow.
- do something by the book = to obey the rules while doing something: following the official rules very
strictly
e.g. My boss insists on doing everything by the book.
- drive somebody to something: to make somebody very angry, crazy, etc. or to make them do
something extreme
e.g. Hunger drove her to steal.
- dull ache: a light but continuous pain
e.g. Dull pain is usually used to describe chronic or persistent pain.
- excruciating pain: extremely painful
e.g. He had such excruciating pain that he had to lie quite still in his bed.
- exert oneself: to make a big physical or mental effort
e.g. She will have to exert herself a lot more if she wants to succeed in this business.
- fall prey to somebody/something: to be harmed or affected in a bad way by (someone or something)
e.g. After the accident, she fell prey to all kinds of anxieties.
- fizzy drinks: drinks that contain small bubbles of carbon dioxide
e.g. Many parents use sweets, biscuits and fizzy drinks to buy good behaviour from their children.
- float through space: to move slowly/gently through space
e.g. Space tourism would be really tedious, simply floating through space and looking out of the
window of the spacecraft.
- fly by the seat of one's pants: to do something difficult without the necessary skill or experience
e.g. I had no idea how to do it – I was just flying by the seat of my pants.
- follow/obey something to the letter: to do exactly what you are told to do
e.g. I followed the instructions to the letter and it still went wrong.
- for the sake of somebody/something: for someone's or something's advantage or good
e.g. They were very unhappily married but kept up appearances for the sake of their children.
- force your way through/into something: to move ahead by pushing and making people move out of
one's way
e.g. He forced his way through the crowd.
- frighten/scare somebody out of their wits: terrify, make one panic
e.g. Don't shout like that! You scared me out of my wits.
- gain a competitive edge: the fact that a company has an advantage over its competitors
e.g. The low overheads of the company gave it a competitive edge over other retailers.
- house sparrow: a small, grey and brown bird that is found in most parts of the world
e.g. The house sparrow is monogamous, and typically mates for life.
- get a move on: get a move on
 e.g. We need to get a move on if we're going to catch that train.
- give an account of something: to recount information about someone or something to one
e.g. He gave me an account of the new project manager that was not very encouraging.
- give chapter and verse: to give exact information about something, especially something in a book
e.g. I can't quote you chapter and verse but I think it's a line from "Macbeth".
- go grey: having grey hair
e.g. He started to go grey in his mid-forties.
- go to great lengths: to make a great or extreme effort to do something
e.g. Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.
- grasp an opportunity: to eagerly and quickly use an opportunity to do something
e.g. She is ready to grasp any opportunity to expand the business.
- have a thirst for something: to have a strong desire for something
e.g. Cold days always make me have a thirst for hot chocolate.
- have an aversion to something: have a strong feeling of not liking somebody/something
e.g. He had an aversion to getting up early.
- have an enquiring mind: someone who has an inquiring mind is interested in finding out more about
everything
e.g. As a child, he had a lively inquiring mind.
- have an outstanding command of a language: have the ability to use or control; have mastery of a
language
e.g. She has an outstanding command of Japanese.
- have recollection of: to remember something
e.g. I have no recollection of meeting her before.
- have time on one's hands: have nothing to do
e.g. Gina has some time on her hands, so she is taking a college course.
- heinous crime: a bad and shocking crime
e.g. Keeping guns out of the hands of people who already have committed heinous crimes is probably a
higher priority than a drug abuser.
- hold opinion: to believe something
e.g. They held the view that it was wrong to smack children.
- in close proximity: to be near somebody/something in distance or time
e.g. The area has a number of schools in close proximity to each other.
- in deadly earnest: very serious and sincere about what you are saying and about your intentions
e.g. You may laugh but I'm in deadly earnest.
- in deep (trouble): in a very difficult situation
e.g. She’s in deep trouble with her school for cheating on her final exam.
- in earnest: more seriously and with more force or effort than before
e.g. The work on the house will begin in earnest on Monday.
- in mint condition: in excellent condition, as if new
e.g. He kept the car in mint condition.
- in no mood for something/to do something: to not want to do something
e.g. I was in no mood for chatting.
- in the balance: a situation has reached a stage where it will soon be decided one way or another
e.g. The game hung in the balance until the last minute.
- (in) the middle of nowhere: far away from any towns and cities and where few people live
e.g. He lives in a tiny house in the middle of nowhere.
- at the peak of physical condition: the point when somebody/something is strongest
e.g. Even centuries after his prime he still is at the peak of physical condition.
- in the realm of: an area of activity, interest or knowledge
e.g. In the realm of politics different rules sometimes apply.
- in vain: without success
e.g. They tried in vain to persuade her to go.
- in/during/over the course of something: while something is happening or continuing
e.g. She repeatedly raised the issue during the course of the campaign.
- innocuous remark: unintentional, harmless remark
e.g. It seemed a perfectly innocuous remark.
- invariably rain: always raining
e.g. Whenever we plan to go on a picnic, it invariably rains.
- it goes without saying: used to mean that something is obvious
e.g. It goes without saying that you'll be paid for the extra hours you work.
- it never crossed one’s mind: to think about something for a short time
e.g. What was the first thing that crossed your mind when you won the prize?
- jump the queue: to move to the front of a line of people who are waiting for something, so that you are
served or dealt with before them
e.g. He jumped the queue at the ticket counter.
- keep somebody company: to stay with someone so the person is not alone
e.g. I kept him company while he was waiting for the bus.
- keep track (of someone/something): to be aware of how something is changing, what someone is
doing, etc.
e.g. I watch the news to keep track of current events.
- kill time: to spend time doing something while one is waiting
e.g. We killed time watching the sailboats on the river.
- lay trust in: to trust someone or something
e.g. He laid his trust in his closest friends and few others.
- lend itself to something: to be good or suitable for (a purpose)
e.g. Her voice lends itself well to opera.
- let alone something: not to mention
e.g. I don't have enough money for a new car, let alone a luxury sedan.
- let it announce: to introduce, or to give information about
e.g. Let it announce its presence.
- lethal weapon: weapon that can cause a lot of harm or damage or death
e.g. Any sharp pointed instrument is potentially a lethal weapon.
- make cutbacks: to make a reduction in something
e.g. Many schools are having to make major cutbacks.
- (not) make head or tail of: to not be able to understand something at all
e.g. We couldn’t make heads or tails of your directions.
- move up the ladder: to get a better job or a promotion
e.g. How quickly you move up the career ladder depends largely on your level of commitment.
- narrow something down: to make a number or list of things smaller, by removing the things that are
least important, necessary, or suitable
e.g. We narrowed the list of candidates down from ten to three.
- nowhere near: not in any way
 e.g. The operation had already been going on for eight hours, and it was nowhere near finished.
- odd cough and cold
e.g. He's never had a chest infection or ear infection, he just gets the odd cough and cold.
- of one's own accord: of one’s own free will
e.g. He did it of his own accord, without being forced to.
- off the record: given or made in confidence and not for publication
e.g. She made it clear that her comments were strictly off the record.
- on a par with somebody/something: equal or similar to someone or something
e.g. His new book is on par with his best sellers.
- on location: of a film, television show, or other video-based media, filmed in a real-world setting not
located within a studio
e.g. This movie was shot on location in Ontario
- on principle: because of one's beliefs
e.g. She refused on principle to give toy guns to the children.
- on the pretext: an excuse
e.g. People were being arrested on the flimsiest of pretexts.
- one way or another: in any way that is possible
e.g. These bills have to be paid one way or another.
- open prison: a prison in which prisoners are allowed more freedom than in other prisons
e.g. He has been transferred from an open prison to a higher security jail.
- out of condition: not healthy or fit
e.g. He was overweight and out of condition.
- out of harm's way: in a position that is safe from harm or from which harm cannot be done
e.g. The children will be here soon - you'd better put that plate out of harm's way.
- overhead costs: the regular and necessary costs, such as rent and heating, that are involved in
operating a business
e.g. The company aims to reduce annual overhead cost by as much as £2 billion.
- in arrears: he practice of compensating a service provider after the terms of the agreement has been
met
e.g. You will be paid monthly in arrears.
- peer pressure: a feeling that one must do the same things as other people of one's age and social group
in order to be liked or respected by them
e.g. She started drinking in high school because of peer pressure.
- pet project/theory/subject: a plan, idea, or subject that you particularly like or are interested in
e.g. Different chemists prefer different pet theories, and there is no shortage of theories.
- pinpoint the problem: discover or explain exactly what have caused the problem
e.g. If she can pinpoint the problem, she can fix it.
- pit one’s wits against somebody/something: to see if you can be cleverer than someone or something
e.g. Would you like to pit your wits against our quiz champion?
- poor/slim chance: little or no chance of success
e.g. There's still a slim chance that we can win.
- pour something into something: to give a lot of money or effort to something with the idea of making
it successful
e.g. Most of the money raised by the new taxes will be poured into the arena project.
- press conference: a meeting at which a person or organization makes a public statement and reporters
can ask questions
 e.g. Congressmen and senators held a press conference yesterday on the subject of immigration.
- provoke somebody into (doing) something: to say or do something that you know will annoy
somebody so that they react in an angry way
e.g. The lawyer claimed his client was provoked into acts of violence by the defendant.
- pull yourself together: to become calm and behave normally again after being angry or upset
e.g. Just pull yourself together. There's no point crying about it.
- put yourself in somebody's position: to imagine oneself in the situation or circumstances of another
person so as to understand or empathize with their perspective, opinion, or point of view
e.g. Before being quick to judge someone for their actions, you should always try to put yourself in their
place.
- qualified success: something that is only partly successful
e.g. The mission has been only a qualified success.
- quench one's thirst: to cause oneself/someone to stop feeling thirsty
e.g. He quenched his thirst by drinking a bottle of water.
- raise (someone's) hopes/expectations: to cause one to become excited at the prospect of something
happening
e.g. If you raise Sadie's hopes about going to the carnival tonight, she'll be disappointed if we don't go.
- reach a consensus: to come to an agreement
e.g. Scientists have not reached a consensus on the cause of the disease.
- read between the lines: to try to understand someone's real feelings or intentions from what they say
or write
e.g. Reading between the lines, I'd say he isn't happy with the situation.
- redeeming feature: a good quality or aspect that makes up for other drawbacks
e.g. The house isn't very attractive, but the garden is the redeeming feature.
- run a business: to operate, to direct, to oversee, to manage (a business, a company)
e.g. My cousin runs a small business in Santa Cruz.
- sales manager: a person in charge of a company's sales activities and its sales force
e.g. The sales manager decided to keep the incentive program running for one more year.
- secure in the knowledge that: feeling safe or secure because one knows something specified
e.g. They went on vacation, secure in the knowledge that the farm would be well cared for while they
were away.
- see red: to become very angry
e.g. People who don't finish a job really make me see red.
- set a pattern (for something): to be a good example that people will copy in the future
e.g. We’re building a transport system that sets a pattern for the future.
- set one’s heart on doing something: to want to get or achieve something very much
e.g. She's set her heart on having a pony.
- shed tears: to cry or weep
e.g. They shed tears of joy when they heard the news.
- sheer cost: emphasize the cost of something
e.g. The sheer cost of the idea put me off.
- sheer pleasure: emphasize the pressure of something
e.g. I can remember the sheer pleasure of leaving school and doing my first day's work.
- shrink from something: to be unwilling to do something that is difficult or unpleasant
e.g. We must not shrink from our responsibilities.
- slap in the face: a surprising act that offends or insults someone
 e.g. Her decision to leave the company to work for our competitors was a slap in the face.
- slash prices: to reduce the prices by a large amount
e.g. A slump in the retail trade has forced the company to slash prices.
- mild cold: a slight illness
e.g. Our bodies and genes are programmed to adapt to mild cold stress.
- snatch of something: a very small part of a conversation or some music that you hear
e.g. I only caught snatches of the conversation.
- sole topic: the only topic
e.g. His sole topic of conversation was the weather.
- splitting headache: a very bad headache
e.g. I've got a splitting headache.
- squander savings: to waste your savings
e.g. He squandered all his savings on gambling.
- stand someone in good stead: to be useful or helpful to someone or something
e.g. His language skills will stand him in good stead when he is traveling.
- state of affairs: the general situation and circumstances connected with someone or something
e.g. The nation had a chance to move towards a more democratic, and modern, state of affairs.
- strongly ask: to a great degree or extent
e.g. She strongly asked me to set eyes on her children when she was away.
- substitute something for something: to use somebody/something instead of somebody/something
else
e.g. Margarine can be substituted for butter in this recipe.
- suit somebody down to the ground: to suit someone perfectly
e.g. This kind of work suits me down to the ground.
- take a (heavy, terrible...) toll of something: to have a bad effect on someone or something, especially
over a long period of time
e.g. The stress was starting to take its toll on him.
- take a course: to enroll in, attend, and work toward the completion of an academic course (in some
topic)
e.g. I took a course in the evenings to learn how to speak Japanese.
- take effect: to begin to work or become effective
e.g. How long until these pills take effect? My back is killing me!
- take its course: to allow someone or something to live or die naturally
e.g. The Park Service lets nature take its course and does not replace dead trees.
- take something as read: to accept or assume that something is true and does not need to be proved
e.g. You can take it as read that there's nothing really new in their proposal.
- take the initiative: to be the first one to do something, esp. to solve a problem
e.g. Don't be afraid to take the initiative and say what you think.
- teach (your) grandmother to suck eggs: to give advice to someone about a subject that they already
know more about than you
e.g. This may seem like teaching grandma to suck eggs, but you would be amazed how many firms miss
the mark with this simple trick.
- the apple doesn't fall far from the tree: a child usually has a similar character or similar qualities to his
or her parents
e.g. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for Catherine Zeta-Jones who shared a super-sweet photo
of her parents’ wedding and she looks just like her mum.
- the big day: the day that something important happens
e.g. Do you think the team’s ready for the big day?
- the death penalty: the legal punishment of death for a crime
e.g. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
- the length and breadth of somewhere: if you travel the length and breadth of a place, you go to every
part of it
e.g. She travelled the length and breadth of Ireland looking for her missing brother.
- the letter of the law: exactly what the law says
e.g. They seem to be more concerned with obeying the letter of the law than with understanding the
spirit of the law.
- the quest for a new homeland: a long serch for a new homeland
e.g. As humans are destroying their own planet, the quest for a new homeland in the universe is
essential.
- the scene of the crime: where a crime took place
e.g. Sarah was found at the scene of the crime as a five-year-old lacking any memory of the events of
that day.
- thorough examination: an examination which is done very carefully and with great attention to detail
e.g. He needs a thorough examination to see if movement makes the pain worse.
- thoroughly enjoy yourself: fully take pleasure in or appreciate
e.g. I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed myself so much for a long time.
- throbbing headache: a throbbing headache feels like a pulsating sensation within your brain
e.g. Certain conditions like migraines or caffeine withdrawal can trigger a throbbing headache.
- through no fault of one's own: not owing to or resulting from any decision one made or action one
took
e.g. He lost his job through no fault of his own.
- throw caution to the winds: to stop being careful and do something that is dangerous or that might
result in failure
e.g. After thinking about it for years, he finally threw caution to the wind, quit his job, and started his
own company.
- to do market research: the collection and examination of information about things that people buy or
might buy and their feelings about things that they have bought
e.g. We did market research on the buying habits of single mothers.
- tragedy strike: if something such as an illness or disaster strikes, it suddenly happens
e.g. Tragedy stroke her family when she was only five years old.
- under lock and key: locked away safely
e.g. Her jewellery is securely under lock and key at the bank.
- under the counter: things bought under the counter are bought secretly and illegally
e.g. The kids managed to get cigarettes under the counter.
- utmost squalor: extremely dirty
e.g. The drunken couple did nothing to keep the flat clean and tidy and lived in the utmost squalor.
- vocation for something: a belief that a particular type of work or way of life is especially suitable for
you
e.g. He has a vocation for teaching.
- warts and all: describing or including all the bad qualities in a person's character, with no attempt to
hide them
e.g. He tried to paint the president as he really was, warts and all.
- win-at-all-costs attitude: to win however difficult it is or however much damage it causes
e.g. She was determined to win at any cost.
- within reach of: close enough to be touched or picked up
e.g. He kept a dictionary within reach while he was reading books.
- within/in walking distance: close enough to reach by walking, not very far
e.g. Her house is within walking distance.
- written all over somebody's face: showing or evident by a person's expression
e.g. Her guilt was written all over her face.