the nature of middle earth

In the Bible it says that Adam begat Cain and Abel. Poverty begets hunger, and hunger begets crime.

I shall be back ere nightfall.

My sojourn in the youth hostel was thankfully short. After a brief sojourn in Holland to study Sanskrit, he moved to India. Winston Churchill and Francois Mitterrand have sojourned at this glorious former monastery.

A strain of puritanism runs through all her work. Scientists have discovered a new strain of the virus which is much more dangerous. one of two strains of the elves

He's renowned as the fount of all knowledge on the disease.

a pointed, conical crown

His battered shoes have holes in them. This battered woman is a victim of domestic violence

A fawn is nuzzling the upturned hand of Gandalf

Christmas stocking She wore black stockings.

stream, dribble, trickle. Rivulets of sweat/rain/blood ran down his face.

Relapse into the state of submissive serv. She managed to stop using drugs for a month, but then relapsed. He looked happy for a brief while, before relapsing into silent misery.

a pygmy hippopotamus a pygmy owl

Drought has stunted (the growth of) this year's cereal crop. A few stunted trees were the only vegetation visible. children with stunted growth

a prehensile tail

He looked emaciated, as if he had lost at least fifty pounds. There were pictures of emaciated children on the cover of the magazine.

Her plump face flushed with anxiety. Her mother was short and plump, but bubbly. plump tomato

He stared at me with blue, slightly protuberant eyes.

I'm famished, how long are we gonna have to wait?

run the gauntlet of criticism

shelob's thorax

Most people agree that her acting career achieved its apotheosis in this movie. Bad taste in clothes reached its apotheosis in the 1970s. the apotheosis of the Emperor Trajan

a bicycle shed. a tool/storage shed

After three hours cycling we decided to turn homeward. We were so happy to be homeward bound at last.

Some vets spend their time roving around in a truck tending to horses and cattle. And now a live report from our roving reporter, Martin Jackson.

This was once a Roman road in days of yore.

The tug of emotions didn't allow me to speak. He felt a tug of jealousy.

an errant husband errant children

wan smile

The boy tarried awhile.

a peevish, bad-tempered person

There's a whole host of reasons why he didn't get the job to

He was convicted of homicide. The number of homicides in the city has risen sharply.

inflation besets the economy. the explorers were beset by wolves. a town beset with high mountains

Vampires are very popular in Slavic folk lore.

She was loath to admit her mistakes.

He felt a great relectance and a loathing of its touch.

She has been a stalwart supporter of the party for many years.

The enemy were taken unawares.

All save Mr Biggs were present.

The company executives forestalled criticism by inviting union leaders to meet.

By the age of 32 she had reached the pinnacle of her career. apex, peak, the summit. Pinnacle is one of several words that aspire to both literal and figurative heights. Others include summit, peak, climax, apex, acme, and culmination

A smith works in a forge. The forge is big and hot, be careful.

She smiled at him despite herself.

People who live past 100 are genetic outliers, whose longevity is unreachable for most of us.

elizabeth gaskell's novel "ruth" will hereafter be cited within the text as eg. She had a firm conviction that they would meet again in the hereafter.

These steel posts form the sinews of the building.

Her trysts with men had been a cold sort of thing.

Move your car, you are stemming the traffic! We have to stem him, he can't do this!

The prisoners' attempt to escape was foiled at the last minute when police received a tip-off. Our holiday plans were thwarted by the airline pilots' strike

a face of surpassing beauty. a woman of surpassing grace and beauty

A new tax was levied on consumers of luxury goods. The City Council can levy a fine of $250 for a first offence.

We’re going to discuss a little bit more about the particulars of the case.

That look of grief would be imprinted on her mind forever. The button had left an imprint on my arm. War has left its imprint on the strained faces of these people... imprints of their feet in the wet sand.

Everyone who has been bereaved has to find his or her own way of coping. Quite apart from the distress caused to bereaved family and friends, it offends social norms and expectations.

Stop brooding on your divorce and find someone else.

Should any harm befall me on my journey, you may open this letter.

The company executives forestalled criticism by inviting union leaders to meet. you can often forestall skidding on the ice simply by driving more slowly

I admit that my adumbration of yesterday's meeting was scant. The "people's budget" of 1909 was an early adumbration of the British welfare state. The project's objectives were adumbrated in the report. the social unrest that adumbrated the Revolution

Are you eligible for early retirement/maternity leave? You might be eligible for a grant. Only people over 18 are eligible to vote.

The Eastern Province is the country's bread basket.

She's been likened to a young Elizabeth Taylor.

counterfeit jewellery/passports/coins. Inspect the tickets carefully for possible counterfeits. We have made it significantly more difficult for them to counterfeit this document.

The president remains obdurate on immigration.

She charged that junk food is being foisted on children by TV commercials. inferior caviar has been foisted on an unknowing public...

He had a premonition that his plane would crash, so he took the train. She had a sudden premonition of what the future might bring.

exteriorly. a large car with lots of interior room

The provision gets here every Monday. He couldn't do that under the provisions of the agreement. Don't forget to bring provision. Do you agree with all of these provisions? Then sign here, please.

The creature's ample sleeve, falling back to show another sleeve beneath, suggests judicial raiment.

ill at ease with one's environment.

The study found no evidence of any maladjustment in only children. Certain maladjustments made them- selves known, and were taken note of.