(1) Disinfectant kills germs.
(2) Dirty hands can be a breeding ground for germs.
(3) Here was the germ of a brilliant idea.

(1) a dive to a depth of 18 metres
(2) The goalkeeper made a dive for the ball.
(3) Profits really took a dive last year.

(1) She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres.
(2) He was surprised at her breadth of reading.
(3) The curriculum needs breadth and balance.

(1) This skirt needs some new elastic in the waist.
(2) an elastic headband
(3) elastic materials

(1) The museum is closed while essential repairs are being carried out.
(2) It is essential to keep the two groups separate.
(3) It is essential that you have some experience.

(1) a remarkable achievement/career/talent
(2) She was a truly remarkable woman.
(3) The area is remarkable for its scenery.

(1) He has been Milan's most consistent player this season.
(2) We must be consistent in applying the rules.
(3) a consistent approach to the problem

(1) He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob.
(2) She was afraid lest she had revealed too much.
(3) I was afraid to open the door lest he should follow me...

(1) He expressed his sorrow at the news of her death.
(2) They said that the decision was made more in sorrow than in anger .
(3) the joys and sorrows of childhood

(1) a highly profitable business
(2) It is usually more profitable to sell direct to the public.
(3) She spent a profitable afternoon in the library.

(1) the need for radical changes in education
(2) demands for radical reform of the law
(3) radical differences between the sexes

(1) Education is vitally important for the country's future.
(2) The port is vital to supply relief to millions of drought victims...
(3) Nick Wileman is a school caretaker so it is vital that he gets on well with young people...

(1) tender words
(2) What he needs now is a lot of tender loving care (= sympathetic treatment) .
(3) This meat is extremely tender.

(1) solar radiation
(2) the solar cycle
(3) solar power/heating

(1) The company is a leading professionalized power semiconductor parts enterprise.
(2) This paper discussed the emendation of the luminescent spectra of semiconductor films.
(3) DIT basically is at the sale by semiconductor supplier fiducial reach program of national natural resources.

(1) What's all that sticky stuff on the carpet?
(2) The chairs were covered in some sort of plastic stuff.
(3) This wine is good stuff.

(1) ...the last decade of the nineteenth century.
(2) The historical article sketched the major events of the decade.
(3) Gone are the support suspenders and gaudy steel rings that strangled the tower for much of the last decade.

(1) a portable TV
(2) (figurative)a portable loan/pension (= that can be moved if you change banks, jobs, etc.)
(3) portable software

(1) The materials used have to be able to withstand high temperatures.
(2) They had withstood siege, hunger and deprivation.
(3) ...armoured vehicles designed to withstand chemical attack...

(1) economic/moral/urban decay
(2) the decay of the old industries
(3) decaying leaves/teeth/food

(1) When the doors opened, there was a mad dash for seats.
(2) a 60-mile dash to safety
(3) He jumped off the bus and made a dash for the nearest bar.

(1) to undertake a task/project
(2) University professors both teach and undertake research .
(3) The company has announced that it will undertake a full investigation into the accident.

(1) an infinite variety of plants
(2) a teacher with infinite patience
(3) (ironic)The company in its infinite wisdom decided to close the staff restaurant (= they thought it was a good thing to do, but nobody else agreed) .

(1) French air traffic controllers have begun a three-day strike in a dispute over pay...
(2) Staff at the hospital went on strike in protest at the incidents.
(3) ...their recognition of the workers' right to strike...

(1) to launch an appeal/an inquiry/an investigation/a campaign
(2) to launch an attack/invasion
(3) a party to launch his latest novel

(1) a hostile takeover bid
(2) hostile territory
(3) hostile conditions for plants to grow in

(1) a minimum charge/price
(2) the minimum age for retirement
(3) The work was done with the minimum amount of effort.

(1) a period of rapid economic expansion
(2) Despite the recession the company is confident of further expansion.
(3) The book is an expansion of a series of lectures given last year.

(1) theories of how the universe began
(2) The idea of a parallel universe is hard to grasp.
(3) He lives in a little universe of his own.

(1) a rise/an increase/a drop/a fall in profits
(2) The company made a healthy profit on the deal.
(3) profit from exports rose 7.3%.

(1) The police are trying to recruit more officers from ethnic minorities.
(2) They recruited several new members to the club.
(3) He's responsible for recruiting at all levels.

(1) Everyone's fingerprints are unique.
(2) a unique talent
(3) The preview offers a unique opportunity to see the show without the crowds.

(1) holy cow! What was that?
(2) Islam's holiest shrine
(3) a holy life/man

(1) The equation of wealth with happiness can be dangerous.
(2) When children enter the equation , further tensions may arise within a marriage.
(3) The equation is simple: research breeds new products...

(1) personal effects/belongings/possessions
(2) personal details (= your name, age, etc.)
(3) Of course, this is just a personal opinion.

(1) He's a man of violent passions.
(2) a crime of passion
(3) She argued her case with considerable passion.

(1) a shuttle service between London and Edinburgh
(2) Her childhood was spent shuttling between her mother and father.
(3) A bus shuttles passengers back and forth from the station to the terminal.

(1) an insignificant difference
(2) The levels of chemicals in the river are not insignificant.
(3) He made her feel insignificant and stupid.

(1) I stood up to speak and─horror of horrors─realized I had left my notes behind.
(2) Her son is a little horror.
(3) a horror film/movie

(1) a long column of troops and tanks
(2) to add up a column of figures
(3) a column of text