Collocations

• haunted by guilt
• relieve the tedium
• exploded with rage
• vent your frustration
• allaying your fears
• conceal my disgust
• to bite something repeatedly with your teeth

  chew on something
• blurt out a problem / secret
• bottle up a problem / emotions
• choke back tears / emotions
• fend off criticism / blows / accusations
• keep up appearances
• shoot down arguments
• sweep aside arguments / accusations / criticism
• tease out problems / secrets
• tone down rage / emotions
• whip up rage / emotion
• customer focus
• brief sleep, usually during daytime

  quick catnap
• the quickest but most competitive route to success

  fast lane
• the quickest line

  fast track
• a quick move of the head in acknowledgment

  brisk nod
• a payment made to an employee when they leave their job as a reward for very long or good service


  a golden handshake
• subir de rangos

  progress up the rungs
• describe a situation in which people will do anything to be successful, even if what they do harms other people

  dog-eat-dog
• a slight sign of something

  the slightest whiff of
• on a subject, people do not yet know the answer or have not yet decided if it is good or bad

  the jury’s still out
• a great improvement or important development in something

  a quantum leap
• a situation in which a company is losing a lot of money

  red ink
• company or investment that can be trusted and is not likely to fail

  blue-chip
• an extra payment that is given to someone for accepting a new job

  golden hello
• the first signs of an improvement in an economy that is performing badly

  green shoots
• large electrical goods for the house, such as cookers and washing machines

  white goods
• a person or thing that helps someone who is in a difficult situation

  white knight
• almost that amount

  with nigh on double something
• spending/shopping spree
• bad news and unhappiness

  doom and gloom
• the right or authority to do anything you consider necessary

  free hand
• to not be charged with a crime

  walk free
• without receiving the deserved or expected punishment or without being harmed

  scot-free