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the pardon was a quid pro quo for their help in releasing hostages

some enterprising teachers have started their own recycling programmes

she accepted the invitation with alacrity

he is endeavouring to help the third world

He had a visceral dislike for Europe

the girl was fortified by her peers support; fortified by a hearty meal; fortified milk

self deprecating jokes

the second son has now assumed his father’s mantle; the houses were covered with a thick mantle of snow, she was wrapped tightly in her mantle

she now seems to be trying to disavow her earlier statements

they were served by obsequious waiters

prosaic language cannot convey the experience

the company has a proprietary right to the property; he looked about him with a proprietary air

the pusillanimity and vindictiveness knows no limits

talk of unity was nothing more than a charade

he had no time for the cant of the priests about sin

a perfidious lover

and what a sad, desiccated bunch of hyenas most of them have become; a charming little romance, not desiccated and compressed within the pages of a book; lake valencia has been steadily desiccating for more than 200 years

the book seems betwixt and between- neither tall tale nor American history

she dressed with fastidious care;

people were always deferential to the Queen

Might I suggest some gung-ho platitude about Christmas and the commonwealth?

a harrowing film about racism and violence; Todd could take it, whereas I’m harrowed by it

you know I hate confrontation, or mess, or dereliction of duty; a 15th-century farmhouse has been saved from dereliction

gnarled and twisted wood

But in the search for your metier, you’ve tried a bit of everything; television is rather more my metier; subtlety is not his metier

and Margaret could deputize for me

if the titles are preposterous enough; a preposterous suggestion

he deferred the final decision till a later meeting; he deferred to Tim's superior knowledge

Then a more disconcerting discovery began to dawn on him;

Agnes ensconced herself in their bedroom; had a shed where his friend Bill Hewlett was soon ensconced

the peripatetic nature of military life; embarked on a dreamy and peripatetic life

Tupper took advantage of his friend's largesse

she had been so enthralled by the adventure that she had hardly noticed the cold

his works are invariably imbued with a sense of calm and serenity; his father imbued the quality of honesty in him

a fervent supporter of the revolution; although they were not fervent about religion they wanted Jobs to have...

he felt that his work was an admixture of aggression and creativity

credulous, trusting fools

mahogany was once prolific in the tropical forests

the sex was so ambiguous and romantic that none but a prude could find it objectionable

a confederacy of elected quitters

convalescence is generally slow, and recovery may be imperfect; I intend to stay with my friend during her convalescence

Zara’s brick and mortar network

DAN: capacious, sounds like spacious, roomy; I had to rummage in my capacious pink tote

I’ll take your incredulity as a compliment

being a liar and a truant is not what I would call fine

Rufus: I hope you’re as good at grovelling...

Despite whatever vestigial attraction my body may feel for you

Guy looked blankly inscrutable

the critical opprobrium generated by Mahesh Bhatt’s films; the opprobrium of being closely associated with gangsters