(1) (especially British English)‘You should really have asked me first. ’ ‘Right, okay, fair comment . ’
(2) To be fair , she behaved better than we expected.
(3) It seems only fair that they should give us something in return.

(1) Her disappearance has baffled police...
(2) They say the government is not doing enough to investigate tens of thousands of killings and disappearances over the past few years.
(3) Police are investigating the disappearance from council offices of confidential files.

(1) Injury problems could shorten his career.
(2) a shortened version of the game
(3) Her name's Katherine, generally shortened to Kay.

(1) an instantaneous response
(2) Death was almost instantaneous.
(3) Death was instantaneous because both bullets hit the heart.

(1) a bamboo grove
(2) a bamboo chair
(3) bamboo shoots (= young bamboo plants that can be eaten)

(1) a burial place/mound/site
(2) Her body was sent home for burial.
(3) His family insisted he should be given a proper burial.

(1) a slide projector
(2) ...a 35-millimetre slide projector.
(3) How long will it take to set up the projector?

(1) Her early work is exemplified in her book, ‘A Study of Children's Minds ’.
(2) His food exemplifies Italian cooking at its best.
(3) She exemplified each of the points she was making with an amusing anecdote.

(1) Once the skyscraper were in sight, I knew I was near the city.
(2) The skyscraper dwarfed all of the surrounding buildings.
(3) The skyscraper stands 500 feet.

(1) A comparable house in the south of the city would cost twice as much.
(2) The situation in the US is not directly comparable to that in the UK.
(3) Inflation is now at a rate comparable with that in other European countries.

(1) antarctic air brought biting cold to southern Chile on Thursday.
(2) Because of the extreme cold, the antarctic is a uniquely fragile environment.
(3) Scott of the antarctic was a national hero of mythic proportions.

(1) She was nicknamed ‘The Ice Queen ’.
(2) Red got his nickname for his red hair.
(3) When he got older I nicknamed him Little Alf...

(1) grimly determined
(2) ‘It won't be easy, ’ he said grimly.
(3) Their performance was fairly grim, I'm afraid!

(1) Solid massage for the abdomen, spinal chord and thigh muscle.
(2) The New York giant star shot himself in the thigh at Mahatten night club last winter.
(3) He leaned over and reached into the glove compartment, his forearm accidentally brushing across her thigh.

(1) ...a coke-burning stove.
(2) Township Enterprises coke products, mainly of iron castings.
(3) In a consumer taste test, coke went up against Pepsi.

(1) You take care of your end, kid, I'll take care of mine...
(2) Let's go up to the office and settle the business end of things.
(3) The police force is being manipulated for political ends...

(1) to pick up/lift/put down/replace the receiver
(2) a satellite receiver
(3) to call in the receivers

(1) beef stew and dumplings
(2) I'm making a stew for lunch.
(3) stewed apples

(1) a sturdy pair of boots
(2) a sturdy table
(3) a man of sturdy build

(1) to attend/hold a rally
(2) a peace/protest, etc. rally
(3) a mass rally in support of the strike

(1) to set/define the parameters
(2) We had to work within the parameters that had already been established.
(3) That would be enough to make sure we fell within the parameters of our loan agreement.

(1) his history tutor
(2) He was my personal tutor at university.
(3) She's in my tutor group at school.

(1) He worked with renewed vigour and determination.
(2) His body lacks the bounce and vigour of a normal two-year-old...
(3) He blew his nose with great vigour.

(1) a kit for a model plane
(2) a first-aid kit
(3) a drum kit

(1) One prison guard was killed when a riot broke out in the jail.
(2) food/race riots
(3) The garden was a riot of colour .

(1) The government's plans run counter to agreed European policy on this issue.
(2) Such arguments are not easily countered.
(3) I tried to argue but he countered that the plans were not yet finished.

(1) cubic centimetres/inches/metres
(2) the cubic capacity of a car's engine
(3) a cubic figure

(1) A family of four perished in the fire.
(2) Early buildings were made of wood and have perished.
(3) Me get married? perish the thought!

(1) common spices such as ginger and cinnamon
(2) a spice jar
(3) We need an exciting trip to add some spice to our lives.

(1) He never even opened the letter (= so he certainly didn't read it) .
(2) It was cold there even in summer (= so it must have been very cold in winter) .
(3) even a child can understand it (= so adults certainly can) .

(1) He hopes one day to surpass the world record.
(2) Its success has surpassed all expectations .
(3) Her cooking was always good, but this time she had surpassed herself (= done better than her own high standards) .

(1) He pulled as hard as he could on the oars.
(2) I do not appreciate her putting her oar in every decision we make.
(3) An oar often acts as rudder.

(1) the departure lounge
(2) the television lounge
(3) Several students were lounging around, reading newspapers.

(1) rival factions within the administration
(2) a party divided by faction and intrigue
(3) faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.

(1) a succession of visitors
(2) He's been hit by a succession of injuries since he joined the team.
(3) She has won the award for the third year in succession .

(1) a recipe for chicken soup
(2) vegetarian recipes
(3) a recipe book

(1) a telephone/trade directory
(2) a directory of European Trade Associations
(3) ...a telephone directory.

(1) Pull the lever towards you to adjust the speed.
(2) The threat of sanctions is our most powerful lever for peace.
(3) I levered the lid off the pot with a knife.

(1) the abdominal cavity
(2) The coelomic cavity is also copiously with warm sterile saline, then the fluid is suctioned out.
(3) They can also help surgeons to protect the organs in the pelvic cavity and neurological function.

(1) the polar regions
(2) polar explorers
(3) polar attraction