Phrases & Expressions

To make a long, determined effort to stop or get rid of something harmful.

• After years of waging war on weeds with chemicals, many farmers are now turning to natural methods.
• Our school has waged war on plastic waste, banning bottled drinks and installing free water refill stations in every corridor.

The loud, howling warning sounds of emergency vehicles on their way to an incident.

• Drivers should pull over as soon as they hear wailing sirens coming up behind them.
• Within minutes, the street was filled with wailing sirens as fire engines rushed to the scene.

A nation whose land, buildings and daily life have been ruined by years of armed conflict.

• Rebuilding schools and hospitals in a war-torn country can take decades and requires huge international support.
• Thousands of families have fled their war-torn country in search of safety and work abroad.

A serious and important matter that needs careful thought.

• The conference will address weighty issues such as climate change and global inequality.
• Members of the debating club enjoy discussing weighty issues such as the ethics of genetic engineering.

Without showing any sign of fear, pain or hesitation.

• The nurse gave the little boy an injection, and he took it without flinching.
• She listened to the harsh criticism of her project without flinching and then calmly answered every point.

To be employed in a factory with very low pay, long hours and bad conditions.

• An investigation revealed that the brand's trainers were made by teenagers working in sweatshops for twelve hours a day.
• Before the new labour laws were passed, thousands of teenagers worked in sweatshops in the city's industrial zone.

To have very little time in which to complete a series of tasks.

• The builders are working to a tight schedule because the school must reopen in September.
• Film crews usually work to a tight schedule, because hiring locations, equipment and actors is so expensive.

One of the central principles or ideas that a belief system or theory depends on.

• Freedom of speech is a key tenet of any truly democratic society.
• The idea that students learn best by doing is a key tenet of many modern teaching methods.

To agree to what people are asking for, especially after refusing at first.

• After weeks of protests, the university acceded to students' demands for cheaper accommodation.
• The government refused to accede to demands for a public inquiry into the accident.

A strong and often openly shown dislike of a person, group, institution or idea.

• The film explores one village's antipathy towards outsiders who buy up local houses as holiday homes.
• His deep antipathy towards modern architecture was obvious from the way he described the new library.