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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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