mainstay

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main|stay /m'eɪnsteɪ/ (mainstays)
[N-COUNT] usu the N of n
If you describe something as the mainstay of a particular thing, you mean that it is the most basic part of it.
Fish and rice were the mainstays of the country's diet...
This principle of collective bargaining has been a mainstay in labor relations in this country.

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abreast

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abreast / əbr'est / 1 [ADV] ADV after v, num ADV If people or things walk or move abreast , they are next to each other, side by side, and facing in the same direction. The steep pavement was too narrow for them to walk abreast. 2 [PREP-PHRASE] If you are abreast of someone or something, you are level with them or in line with them. As he drew abreast of the man he pretended to stumble. 3 [PREP-PHRASE] If you keep abreast of a subject, you know all the most recent facts about it. He will be keeping abreast of the news...
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ablaze

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allowance

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