1. George is now 70 and he reckons that working conditions for the average office clerk today are a ________ cry from when he first started work.

2. To be honest I was feeling a bit ________ down.

3. The trouble is that he's cried ________ so often that now he's in real trouble, nobody believes him.

4. In view of the embarrassment that might be caused if the story came out, she promised not to ________ a word about it.

5. It really was a large and spacious garden but it cried out ________ something colourful to be planted.

6. There were lots of rumours about what the son had done but as it was a very wealthy family the father tried very hard to ________ everything up.

7. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for your ________ of our performance.

8. It really is a crying ________ that after all that money has been spent, the project is now being abandoned.

9. If you want me to say nothing about it, I promise that if anybody asks then my lips are ________ .

10. Well, I don't think that's a very good reason and you must ________ up with a better explanation.