(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) a food mixer
(2) (British English)a mixer tap (= one in which hot and cold water can be mixed together before it comes out of the pipe)
(3) low-calorie mixers

(1) (figurative)Self-doubt began to gnaw away at her confidence.
(2) The problem had been gnawing at him for months.
(3) The dog was gnawing a bone.

(1) to blush with embarrassment/shame
(2) She blushed furiously at the memory of the conversation.
(3) He blushed scarlet at the thought.

(1) an uneasy laugh
(2) He was beginning to feel distinctly uneasy about their visit.
(3) She felt uneasy about leaving the children with them.

(1) We talked quietly so as not to be overheard.
(2) I overheard a conversation between two boys on the bus.
(3) We overheard them arguing.

(1) I got the fright of my life .
(2) The birds took fright and flew off.
(3) You gave me a fright jumping out at me like that.

(1) She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper.
(2) (figurative)scraps of information
(3) (figurative)She was just a scrap of a thing (= small and thin) .

(1) It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of this century.
(2) Their motives remain a mystery.
(3) It's a complete mystery to me why they chose him.

(1) Inflation has reached a plateau.
(2) Unemployment has at last plateaued out.
(3) A broad valley opened up leading to a high, flat plateau of cultivated land.

(1) She was struck by his simple, spellbinding eloquence.
(2) I am afraid my eloquence did not avail against the facts.
(3) He expressed his sentiments about the war with great eloquence.

(1) A trailer was attached to the rear of the truck.
(2) There are toilets at both front and rear of the plane.
(3) A high gate blocks the only entrance to the rear .

(1) A second terminal was opened in 1998.
(2) a railway/bus/ferry terminal
(3) a positive/negative terminal

(1) a valid passport
(2) a South African passport
(3) I was stopped as I went through passport control (= where passports are checked) .

(1) Do you believe in a cosmic plan?
(2) This was disaster on a cosmic scale.
(3) ...cosmic debris.

(1) Normally she wore little make-up...
(2) She checked her makeup one last time, and then walked out with a spring in her step.
(3) There was some fatal flaw in his makeup, and as time went on he lapsed into long silences or became off-hand.

(1) The whole process is wasteful and inefficient.
(2) an engine that is wasteful of fuel
(3) This kind of training is ineffective, and wasteful of scarce resources...

(1) an operation on her lung to remove a tumour
(2) Will I need to have an operation ?
(3) He underwent a three-hour heart operation.

(1) I had another helping of ice cream out of pure greed.
(2) Nothing would satisfy her greed for power.
(3) His actions were motivated by greed.

(1) an eclipse of the sun/moon
(2) a total/partial eclipse
(3) The election result marked the eclipse of the right wing.

(1) The job was beginning to make unreasonable demands on his free time.
(2) The fees they charge are not unreasonable.
(3) It would be unreasonable to expect somebody to come at such short notice.

(1) The company's aims can be grouped under three main headings.
(2) chapter headings
(3) ...helpful chapter headings.

(1) The movie will be released on video in June.
(2) Do we have a blank video ?
(3) a video of ‘ET ’

(1) Our dog has a bald patch on its leg.
(2) a bald tyre (= a tyre whose surface has become smooth)
(3) The bald fact is that we don't need you any longer.

(1) My boss is making life very difficult for me.
(2) 13 is a difficult age.
(3) a difficult child/customer/boss

(1) a central heating system with a radiator in each room
(2) The man sliced one in half and pressed the cut end against the radiator.
(3) The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.

(1) The islands are rightfully proud of their location on the equator.
(2) Amelia and Fred headed south toward the equator.
(3) Singapore is near the equator.

(1) Are the lines perpendicular to each other?
(2) The staircase was almost perpendicular (= very steep) .
(3) The wall is a little out of the perpendicular.

(1) heart bypass surgery
(2) a triple bypass operation
(3) A new road now bypasses the town.

(1) We strode across the snowy fields.
(2) She came striding along to meet me.
(3) He crossed the room in two strides.

(1) to unfold a map
(2) She unfolded her arms.
(3) The audience watched as the story unfolded before their eyes.

(1) government/public/personal finances
(2) It's about time you sorted out your finances.
(3) Moving house put a severe strain on our finances.

(1) a light switch
(2) an on-off switch
(3) That was in the days before electricity was available at the flick of a switch .

(1) Deaf people are sometimes treated as being mentally deficient.
(2) a diet that is deficient in vitamin A
(3) ...deficient landing systems.

(1) Broadway theatres
(2) an open-air theatre
(3) How often do you go to the theatre ?

(1) a milk/water jug
(2) a five-gallon jug of beer
(3) She spilled a jug of water.

(1) the British consul in Miami
(2) consular officials
(3) The British consul in Zurich has confirmed that a British man was among the people killed.

(1) Carlson etc. Analysis of torque Ripple due to Phase Commutation in Brushless dc Machines.
(2) The three major forces involved in valve actuation are thrust, torque and rimpull.
(3) Speed control of direct torque controlled ( DTC ) induction motor drives depends on effectively establishing the stator flux.

(1) She is an object of ridicule in the tabloid newspapers.
(2) to hold sb up to ridicule (= make fun of sb publicly)
(3) I admired her all the more for allowing them to ridicule her and never striking back...

(1) His efforts to improve the situation are to be applauded.
(2) I applaud her for having the courage to refuse.
(3) She was applauded as she came on stage.