verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
improve/tighten security (= make it better )
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Mexico has tightened security along its southern border.
sb's hand tightens
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Her hand tightened on the knife handle.
sb's stomach lurches/tightens (= it suddenly feels tight because they are frightened )
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Her stomach lurched at the thought of leaving Millfield.
sb’s mouth tightens written (= their lips are pressed tightly together, usually in anger )
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‘You mean you knew about this?’ His mouth tightened.
tense/tighten your muscles (= make them more tight )
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He tensed his stomach muscles, ready for the blow.
tighten an embargo (= make an embargo stricter and more difficult to break )
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We are taking further action to tighten the embargo.
tighten regulations (= make them stricter )
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The President is expected to announce new efforts to tighten gun-control regulations.
tighten restrictions (= make them stricter )
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The government recently tightened restrictions on police use of firearms.
tighten (up) the rules (= make them stricter )
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The EU has tightened the rules on the quality of drinking water.
tighten your grip/your grip tightens (= hold something more tightly )
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She tightened her grip on her son’s hand.
tighten your grip/your grip tightens (= hold something more tightly )
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She tightened her grip on her son’s hand.
tighten your hold
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Maria winced as Luke tightened his hold on her fingers.
tighten...screws
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Fix the frame in position and tighten the screws .
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
around
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Hand coils create unwanted slack and immediately tighten around the hand under load, trapping the fingers and preventing an effective arrest.
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His arm tightened around her, but he didn't stir.
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The noose is tightening around young Ma.
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A moth flew past her face, making her jump, and his grasp tightened around her waist.
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That ribbon of distress had knotted itself about her, tightening around her stomach which suddenly felt overfull of coffee and food.
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Then the rope tightened around his body, and he felt something pulling him beneath the surface.
up
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If they can not be protected by the law from this kind of material then the law should be tightened up .
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He also tightened up the championship points battle with just one race remaining.
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Richards will have to rest the shoulder for at least four months following the operation to tighten up ligaments.
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But Hill hurt a hamstring on the return, and had to leave the game after his leg tightened up .
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Thus, in times of slack demand it is not uncommon to find managements tightening up on industrial discipline.
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Sit tight, and hope that when they dry out the vinyl skin will tighten up again.
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It is easy to be successful when the world is booming, but not so easy when things tighten up .
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Then for a hundred years or so they had tightened up , and Sam had to squint and blink to count them.
■ NOUN
arm
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His arm tightened around her, but he didn't stir.
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His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.
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Her arm tightened around him, her other hand resting loosely on the shoulders of another singer.
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My arms tightened; my jaw tightened; my hands tightened.
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Her body relaxed against him in sleep and his arms tightened , supporting her instinctively.
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So why were his arms tightening about her? she wondered as the kiss deepened.
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Instead, his arm tightened round her as he drew her towards him.
belt
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At the same time many working people have had their belts tightened for them as factories closed and unions accepted cutbacks.
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More belt tightening and job cuts are needed to keep spending in line, officials said.
control
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Moreover, management did not take the opportunities presented by the new machinery to tighten control over production.
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She could feel, too, the Communists tightening their control .
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We will tighten controls against exploitation, we will create more National Parks and we will improve access to the countryside.
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After nearly losing the 1971 election to opposition leader Dae-Jung Kim, Park tightened his control even more, smothering all dissent.
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While tightening control of film content, the government has opened the film industry to market forces in two ways.
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The chair stopped, and the hands directing it tightened on the controls until the knuckles turned white.
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Other reasons given were the sale of subsidiaries, tightening controls on costs and improving the structures and systems of group companies.
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The consensus is that the Kiev government has tightened controls over the small arms trade in recent months.
effort
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If that bargain now falters, so may efforts to tighten up the inspection regime that backs up the treaty.
face
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Simon does not elaborate, but his face begins to tighten as he recalls some disagreeable incident.
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Looking again at the words he had written he realized that his face was once more tightening , his lips once again curling.
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Felipe was there alone and his face tightened as Mitch and Ana came in together.
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A neck-firming cream, £85, and face-tightening mask, £50, have also just been launched.
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Immediately his face tightened up and he strode away.
finger
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His finger tightened on the trigger.
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Ashley's fingers tightened involuntarily around the glass.
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As the fingers tightened he resigned himself to the worst.
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The gaping round mouth of the gun, centred squarely on his left eye. Finger tightening on trigger.
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Far from relenting, his fingers tightened even more, nearly lifting Isabel from the ground.
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Hepzibah's fingers tightened on hers.
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This time his fingers seemed to tighten in her hair, drawing her mouth like a prisoner against his.
government
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The government wants to tighten immigration controls, but it does not want to be seen as anti-Semitic.
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But the government was forced to tighten monetary policy in 1995 and last year; the boom slowed.
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They have urged the Government to tighten up the apparent loophole which allows motorists to speed.
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The consensus is that the Kiev government has tightened controls over the small arms trade in recent months.
grip
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Whitlock tried to explain but the policeman's grip tightened on the revolver and he repeated the order.
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Their captor had instantly pulled them to a stop, his grip tightening painfully on their necks.
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Instantly her hands tightened their grip .
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D'Arcy's grip tightened round her shoulders as he felt her hot tears against his skin.
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Rain felt her protective grip on Barbara Coleman tighten , but the woman was relieved to see him.
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As soon as we heard the engine his grip tightened .
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The grip tightened slightly, then relaxed again.
hand
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Her hand tightened convulsively on the receiver, the earpiece jerked against her face.
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My arms tightened; my jaw tightened; my hands tightened.
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Sarella felt his hand tighten on hers and she leaned against him to reassure him.
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Nick's hand tightened in hers.
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Instantly her hands tightened their grip.
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The chair stopped, and the hands directing it tightened on the controls until the knuckles turned white.
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Other hands tightened my blindfold until it hurt and started fitting a cloth over my mouth.
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Only when he told her that he intended leaving that evening did he feel her hand tighten in his.
hold
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The hold tightened as Saxon thegns and clergy gave way to Normans.
jaw
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And, as Silas stood listening to her, Lucy noticed his jaw tighten in anger.
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My arms tightened; my jaw tightened; my hands tightened.
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Jehan stroked his moustache again, and he saw his father's jaw tighten in irritation.
law
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They believe moves to tighten the gun laws even further could result in even more firearms flooding the black market.
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Let's keep our roads safe and tighten motoring law to rid our roads of these death traps once and for all.
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A recent decision tightening up the laws relating to overseas players will greatly restrict the flow of foreigners to Ireland.
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The Government's approach has been to tackle the misuse of knives by tightening the law on possession of knives in public.
lip
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Theda's lips had tightened , but she had made no complaint.
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Frank said, his lips tightening .
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Her lips tightened , but she said nothing.
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She looked up from her Tarot cards as Topaz approached, her thin lips tightening .
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Marguerite's tight shoulders told her that and Alain's lips tightened too as the tension in the car reached him.
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Whereas she - Maria's lips tightened , confining a moan of self-disgust.
mouth
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Maria's tenderly passionate mouth tightened .
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I saw the way his mouth tightened as he tried to hide his delight in giving it to me.
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I felt my lip curl, and the inside of my mouth dry out and tighten as if I had been sucking lemons.
muscle
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Lisa was instantly aware of her muscles tightening .
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He went up on his toes, the muscles in his calves tightening .
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It made the muscles in your backside tighten up.
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Jane felt her muscles begin to tighten again.
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Lissa felt her stomach muscles tighten , and turned away.
neck
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Their captor had instantly pulled them to a stop, his grip tightening painfully on their necks .
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Franco's noose began to tighten round Catalonia's neck .
nut
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In taps, replacing the tap washer and tightening the gland nut will both contribute to stopping water hammer occurring.
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All it took was tightening a nut .
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Turn the water on slowly and tighten the nuts if there are any leaks. 6.
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He conceded, however, that the company tightened a nut in the fuse box on Saab models after 1992.
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He changed the spanner for one clearly the wrong size and tried vainly to tighten the nut again.
policy
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Normally a Federal Reserve faced with such a situation would tighten monetary policy .
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But the government was forced to tighten monetary policy in 1995 and last year; the boom slowed.
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This has often led him to tighten monetary policy while everybody around was urging him to ease.
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The only way out would be to tighten fiscal policy .
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The Bundesbank tightened monetary policy sharply in 1965.
procedure
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In reality, Wilson had tightened up reporting procedures so that fewer thefts escaped the record due to carelessness, corruption, etc.
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It has now tightened up its financial procedures .
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On the plus side, the appeals system has undoubtedly caused many LEAs to tighten up their procedures .
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At the inquest, the coroner recorded an open verdict, but urged staff to tighten up procedures .
race
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Or it may be that the race is in fact tightening up as the Nov. 5 Election Day nears.
rule
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He would end a corporate capital tax, privatize some government-owned corporations, tighten welfare rules and reduce trade-union powers.
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Last year, Congress also tightened habeas rules , making it harder for a state prisoner to win a federal hearing.
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Then, after five years, the Treasury tightened the rules again.
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But ministers want to tighten the rules to ensure only people unable to perform any sort of work would qualify for payment.
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Mr Brown could have tightened the rules further.
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The army also said it had tightened the rules governing when its soldiers are allowed to shoot.
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Nevertheless Mr Brown could have introduced a further tightening of the rules inhis Budget.
security
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Wardair yesterday accepted responsibilty and disclosed plans to tighten security .
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This move to tighten security is good news for card users.
standard
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In recent years, most countries have tightened their standards of waste disposal.
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Difficulties sometimes arise when the agency redefines pollution control policy for a stretch of water and, wishes to tighten existing standards .
stomach
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She shuddered, and the knot in her stomach tightened .
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I felt my stomach tighten , unreason bubbling, rising.
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But when he had smiled at her she had felt her stomach tighten in desire.
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My stomach tightened to stop them.
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His stomach tightened , his throat writhed.
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His stomach tightened as he entered the place.
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She then stood next to the telephone box, her stomach beginning to tighten in a way which was becoming sickeningly familiar.
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Something prickly crawled up my spine to the back of my neck, and my stomach tightened .
throat
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I would have yelled it if my throat hadn't tightened up.
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When third down arrives now, the Raiders' throats tighten and their predictability increases.
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Jean's throat tightened , and she grasped Francesca's hand hard.
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The instant she saw him, leaning with careless masculine grace against the wall, Isabel's throat tightened .
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My throat began to tighten until it hurt.
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His hands lingered for a moment, his fingers hinting at a strength that made her throat tighten .
■ VERB
feel
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Sarella felt his hand tighten on hers and she leaned against him to reassure him.
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As the investigation continued into June, Dunlap could feel the vise tighten , squeezing out any possibility of hope.
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Despite the transparent nonsense of it all, Finlayson felt his guts tighten at the word cowardice.
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I felt my stomach tighten , unreason bubbling, rising.
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But when he had smiled at her she had felt her stomach tighten in desire.
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I felt a tightening in my chest.
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She watched Mr Evans turn in his chair and look up at his sister and felt her chest tighten .
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He looked down at the woman kneeling by his side and felt his chest tighten with his love for her.
seem
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Nevertheless, tension seemed to tighten the air between them.
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Something seemed to tighten and die inside her.
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This time his fingers seemed to tighten in her hair, drawing her mouth like a prisoner against his.
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In fact, his features seemed to tighten into even harsher lines.
want
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But ministers want to tighten the rules to ensure only people unable to perform any sort of work would qualify for payment.
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Chris's six-point plan is for those who want to tighten tummy muscles and lose a bit of flab.
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And if we want to tighten and tone our bodies, we need to do toning exercises that work specific muscle groups.
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The government wants to tighten immigration controls, but it does not want to be seen as anti-Semitic.
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Buckingham Palace said Di wanted to tighten her belt along with everyone else.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
put/tighten the screws on sb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Tighten the screws gradually until the wheel is firmly in place.
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Tighten up the lid on that juice before you put it away.
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Tighten your stomach muscles and hold for three seconds.
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He changed the spanner for one the correct size and tightened the nut.
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I need to tighten the screw on my glasses.
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I think the fan belt needs to be tightened.
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Judy's lips tightened in a thin smile.
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She bent down and tightened the muzzle on the dog.
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The bill would tighten existing gun-control regulations.
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The rope tightened and Steve was pulled off balance.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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As the investigation continued into June, Dunlap could feel the vise tighten , squeezing out any possibility of hope.
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As though to tighten it a hand came to rest on hers.
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But Hill hurt a hamstring on the return, and had to leave the game after his leg tightened up.
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I felt my stomach tighten , unreason bubbling, rising.
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The cross-fence would be finished sometime today, once we got all the wires pulled out and tightened up.
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The estate owners tightened their systems, with a view to greater productivity - new breeds, crops, implements and methods.
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They believe moves to tighten the gun laws even further could result in even more firearms flooding the black market.