(1) drain off the excess fat from the meat.
(2) We had to drain the oil out of the engine.
(3) Leave the dishes to drain.

(1) the British ambassador to Italy/in Rome
(2) a former ambassador to the UN
(3) (figurative)The best ambassadors for the sport are the players.

(1) Andrew traversed the prairie on horseback.
(2) He farmed 2500 acres of Nebraska prairie.
(3) A single spark can start a prairie fire.

(1) to repel an attack/invasion/invader
(2) Troops repelled an attempt to infiltrate the south of the island.
(3) (figurative)The reptile's prickly skin repels nearly all of its predators.

(1) exercises to develop the flexibility of dancers' bodies
(2) [不可数名词]Computers offer a much greater degree of flexibility in the way work is organized.
(3) flexible plastic tubing

(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) He looked at them over the rim of his glass.
(2) The rims of her eyes were red with crying.
(3) spectacles with gold rims

(1) What dreadful weather!
(2) What a dreadful thing to say!
(3) It's dreadful the way they treat their staff.

(1) She can count up to 10 in Italian.
(2) to count from 1 to 10
(3) The diet is based on counting calories.

(1) the local family planning clinic
(2) The antenatal clinic is on Wednesdays.
(3) He is being treated at the London clinic.

(1) a tranquil scene
(2) the tranquil waters of the lake
(3) She led a tranquil life in the country.

(1) It would be foolish to generalize from a single example.
(2) It is dangerous to generalize about the poor.
(3) These conclusions cannot be generalized to the whole country.

(1) a rail/road/canal network
(2) a network of veins
(3) a communications/distribution network

(1) crank up the volume!
(2) (figurative)He has a limited time to crank the reforms into action.
(3) Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks.

(1) You may want to boil out some of the stiffness.
(2) stiffness and discomfort can usually be eased with heat or a warm bath.
(3) She complained of stiffness in her joints. Accordingly she was admitted to hospital for further tests.

(1) How can I explain if you keep butting in?
(2) ‘Is that normal? ’ Josie butted in.
(3) I didn't ask you to butt in on my private business.

(1) an outbreak of plague
(2) the plague of AIDS
(3) a plague of locusts/rats, etc.

(1) She floated down the steps to greet us.
(2) They floated the idea of increased taxes on alcohol.
(3) The company was floated on the stock market in 2001.

(1) The room was in a mess .
(2) The kids made a mess in the bathroom.
(3) ‘ What a mess ! ’ she said, surveying the scene after the party.

(1) life in the trenches
(2) trench warfare
(3) We fought with them in the trenches.

(1) a distortion of the facts
(2) a fairground mirror that distorts your shape
(3) The loudspeaker seemed to distort his voice.

(1) The water rushed through the holes with great rapidity.
(2) The styles change with bewildering rapidity.
(3) Animal and vegetable pests spread with extreme rapidity.

(1) a homogeneous group/mixture/population
(2) Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous.
(3) The unemployed are not a homogeneous group...

(1) an energetic supporter
(2) The heart responds well to energetic exercise.
(3) For the more energetic (= people who prefer physical activities) , we offer windsurfing and diving.

(1) It's obvious that she adores him.
(2) I simply adore his music!
(3) She adores working with children.

(1) a victim of racial prejudice
(2) Their decision was based on ignorance and prejudice.
(3) There is little prejudice against workers from other EU states.

(1) ‘Am ’, ‘is ’, ‘are ’, ‘was ’ and ‘were ’ are the finite forms of ‘be ’; ‘being ’ and ‘been ’ are the non-finite forms.
(2) a finite number of possibilities
(3) The world's resources are finite.

(1) This acute infection of the brain is almost invariably fatal.
(2) This is not invariably the case.
(3) invariably the reply came back, ‘Not now! ’

(1) Do you think they will be agreeable to our proposal?
(2) The deal must be agreeable to both sides.
(3) He seemed extremely agreeable.

(1) During incomplete combustion some of the hydrocarbon fuel is cracked.
(2) A hydrocarbon was known to be either an alkene or alkane.
(3) The benzenoid hydrocarbon are all nonclassical and, thus potentially aromatic.

(1) resolute leadership
(2) He became even more resolute in his opposition to the plan.
(3) They remain resolutely opposed to the idea.

(1) a lump of coal/cheese/wood
(2) This sauce has lumps in it.
(3) One lump or two?

(1) Britain's nuclear/military capability
(2) Age affects the range of a person's capabilities.
(3) beyond/within the capabilities of current technology

(1) a merciful God
(2) They asked her to be merciful to the prisoners.
(3) Death came as a merciful release.

(1) Computers are now commonplace in primary classrooms.
(2) Foreign vacations have become commonplace...
(3) It is commonplace for snipers to open fire on aid convoys.

(1) a man of considerable intellect
(2) She was one of the most formidable intellects of her time.
(3) Do the emotions develop in parallel with the intellect?...

(1) profound changes in the earth's climate
(2) My father's death had a profound effect on us all.
(3) profound insights

(1) A million is written with six noughts.
(2) nought point one (= written 0.1)
(3) I give the programme nought out of ten for humour.

(1) A robin was perching on the fence.
(2) We perched on a couple of high stools at the bar.
(3) She perched herself on the edge of the bed.

(1) (British English)to let off a few fireworks
(2) (North Amercian English)to set off a few fireworks
(3) a firework(s) display