shrink back

To draw back instinctively, as in alarm; recoil: The dog shrank back in fear when I raised my hand.

References in periodicals archive ?

The houses also have a high fire safety rating and in intense heat the internal insulation of polystyrene would shrink back and the external finish would survive the flames.

Quick build: Georgian-style flat-pack in polystyrene and steel

But I believe what we have to do to counter some downturn in the economy, or the global economy, is really to try to get back to business as quickly as possible and not shrink back from carrying out businesses which we have been doing in the past,'' he said.

Services industry leaders say WTO talks more crucial now

By 2090, the desert will shrink back to occupy an area about the same size that it covered in 1900, says Meehl.

Sahara to get hotter, drier, smaller

We must allow and encourage our population to shrink back to a sustainable size while we preserve a tolerable standard of living and the freedom of individual choice.

Oil, Profits, and the Question of Alternative Energy

It gets so you shrink back in terror every time she marches into Caan's room.

Kathy's his No1 fan; Misery Cinema, 10.20pm - 12.10am

This is not the time to shrink back because of the crisis we are in.

Thailand tips infusion of foreign cash

There was nothing easy or inevitable about this: Some minorities do well when the establishment tries to crush them and they shrink back into their own ghettoes - witness the Old Believers, but also the overseas Chinese.

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some Are So Poor

They swell up as they absorb the life-sustaining moisture, only to shrink back as reserves are depleted during dry spells.

Cactus condo

Despite their dominance before that point, the visitors struggled to deal with the blow of going behind and seemed to shrink back into themselves.

Boro miss chances to end away-day blues

Organisations can regroup and they shrink back to core and rethink their mission and actually end up coming back," he said.

Arts Council expects a 'hoo ha' as it turns down funding pleas

I'm not going to shrink back, because now is the time for us to continue to push and follow through on those things that we know have to be done but haven't been done for decades.

'Rigorous workouts, high-stress basketball games making Obama skinny'

So, you're not going to immediately shrink back to a size 10.

WHY IT'S A SAD FAD

Gordon brown is today being urged not to shrink back from intervening in foreign troublespots by the problems in Iraq.

Don't learn the wrong lesson from Iraq, Brown warned

Doing this allows the wood to expand a little, then shrink back to pull tight and lay flat,and is an essential part of the project to prevent swelling.

Weekend: Home Style: Don't get caught out by flooring

Doing this allows the wood to expand a little, then shrink back to pull tight and lay flat, and is an essential part of the project to prevent swelling and puckering occurring every time the room gets a little damp.