masses and large amounts of things

chunk

chunk /tʃʌŋk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: ⇨ ↑chuck²]
1. a large thick piece of something that does not have an even shape:
ice chunks
chunk of
a chunk of bread
2. a large part or amount of something:
The rent takes a large chunk out of my monthly salary.
chunk of
A huge chunk of the audience got up and left before the end of the show.
3. a chunk of change American English informal a large amount of money:
Lurie risked a pretty big chunk of change on the race.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ piece an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the main part: Could I have another piece of cake? | a piece of broken glass | Emma cut the pie into eight pieces.
▪ bit a piece. Bit is more informal than piece and is often used about smaller pieces: The notes were written on bits of paper. | He threw a bit of wood onto the fire.
▪ lump a small piece of something solid or firm that does not have a regular shape: two lumps of sugar | a lump of coal | a lump of clay
▪ scrap a small piece of paper, cloth etc that is no longer needed: I wrote the phone number on a scrap of paper. | The dog was eating scraps of food off the floor.
▪ strip a long narrow piece of cloth, paper etc: a strip of cloth | The leather had been cut into strips.
▪ sheet a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal: a blank sheet of paper | a sheet of aluminium
▪ slice a thin flat piece of bread, cake, meat etc cut from a larger piece: a slice of pizza | Cut the tomatoes into thin slices.
▪ chunk a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape – used especially about food, rock, or metal: The fruit was cut into large chunks. | a chunk of bread
▪ hunk a large piece with rough edges, which has been cut or has broken off a bigger piece of food, rock etc: a big hunk of cheese | hunks of concrete
▪ block a piece of something solid, which has straight sides: concrete blocks | a block of cheese | a block of ice
▪ slab a thick flat piece of stone, or of cake, meat etc: The floor had been made from stone slabs. | a slab of beef
▪ cube a piece that has six square sides – used especially about food: a cube of sugar | ice cubes
▪ wedge a piece that has a thick end and a pointed end, and is shaped like a ↑triangle – used especially about food and metal: a wedge of cheese
▪ bar a block of soap, chocolate, candy, or metal, which has straight sides: a chocolate bar | a bar of soap | gold bars worth more than £26 million
▪ rasher British English a slice of bacon: I usually have two rashers of bacon for breakfast.

deal

I. deal¹ S1 W1 /diːl/ noun
[Word Family: noun: deal, dealer, dealings; verb: deal]
[Language: Old English; Origin: dæl]
1. AGREEMENT [countable] an agreement or arrangement, especially in business or politics, that helps both sides involved:
They made a deal to sell the land to a property developer.
deal with
rumors that the company had done a deal with Microsoft to market its products
deal between
Twelve US soldiers were released after a deal between the army and the guerillas.
2. a great/good deal a large quantity of something SYN a lot
a great/good deal of
It took a great deal of time and effort.
His work has been attracting a great deal of attention.
a great/good deal more/less etc (=a lot more, less etc)
He knew a good deal more than I did.
She’s married to a man a good deal older than herself.
GRAMMAR
Use a great/good deal of only with uncountable nouns:
▪ a great deal of time/money/work
With nouns in the plural, use a lot of:
▪ a lot of people/animals/shops
3. TREATMENT [countable usually singular] treatment of a particular type that is given or received
a better/fairer etc deal
a better deal for nurses
The prime minister promised farmers a new deal (=a new and fairer system).
a rough/raw deal (=unfair treatment)
Women tend to get a raw deal from employers.
4. it’s a deal spoken used to say that you agree to do something:
OK, it’s a deal.
5. what's the deal? American English spoken used when you want to know about a problem or something strange that is happening:
So what's the deal? Why is he so mad?
6. CARDS [singular] when you give out cards to players in a card game ⇒ dealer:
It’s your deal, Alison.
7. WOOD [uncountable] British English fir or pine wood used for making things:
a deal table
8. a deal of something old-fashioned a large amount of something
⇒ big deal
• • •

▪ do a deal The two companies have recently done a major deal.
▪ make a deal informal Why don't we make a deal to stay out of each other's way?
▪ reach/strike a deal (=agree a deal after a lot of discussions) The US and North Korea reached a deal about North Korea's nuclear development program.
▪ sign a deal The singer has signed a $20 million deal with an American TV network.
▪ negotiate a deal (=agree a deal by discussing over a long period) We have negotiated a special deal with one of the world’s leading car hire companies.
▪ close/conclude a deal formal (=agree a deal formally) A deal between the two companies has now been concluded.
▪ clinch a deal (=finally agree on a deal, especially one that is good for you) The salesman was eager to clinch the deal.
▪ cut a deal informal (=agree a deal, especially when it is difficult or you have to accept some things you would rather not accept) In they end, they had to cut a deal with the Communinsts.
▪ have a deal informal (=have made or agreed on a deal) Do we have a deal?
▪ get a good deal (=buy something at a good price) He thought he had got a good deal.
▪ back out of/pull out of a deal (=decide not to make a deal after discussing one) Twenty-five jobs were lost after their partner pulled out of the deal.
▪ a deal goes through/ahead (=it happens as arranged) It’s 99% certain that the deal will go through.
▪ a deal falls through (=does not happen as arranged) The cost was simply too high, so the deal fell through.

▪ a good deal (=a good price, offer, or arrangement) You can buy two for £10, which sounds like a good deal.
▪ a business deal He lost a fortune in an unwise business deal.
▪ a pay deal (=one that involves an agreement about how much people will be paid) They are currently negotiating a new pay deal.
▪ a peace deal (=an agreement to end fighting between countries) Hopes of a peace deal are fading.
▪ a financial/political etc deal After weeks of negotiation the prospect of a political deal seemed increasingly unlikely.
▪ an arms/weapons deal (=one which involves selling weapons) A number of recent arms deals have embarrassed the government.
▪ a record deal (=one between a singer or band and a recording company) It’s hard for a band to get a record deal.
▪ a one-year/two-year etc deal (=one that will be fixed for one year, two years etc) The five-year deal is estimated to be worth $17.2 million.
▪ a shady deal (=dishonest or illegal) Some senior members of the party were involved in shady deals and bribery.

▪ part of the deal I got free accommodation as part of the deal.
▪ the terms of a deal (=the details or conditions in it) The hotel group refused to release the financial terms of the deal.
▪ a done deal informal (=something that has been completely agreed) The takeover has been described as a done deal.
II. deal² S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle dealt /delt/)
[Word Family: noun: deal, dealer, dealings; verb: deal]
1. [intransitive and transitive] (also deal something ↔ out) to give playing cards to each of the players in a game:
Whose turn is it to deal?
2. [intransitive] informal to buy and sell illegal drugs:
Many users end up dealing to support their habit.
3. deal a blow (to somebody/something) to cause harm to someone or something – used in news reports
deal a heavy/severe/serious etc blow
The sanctions have dealt a severe blow to the local tourism industry.
This will deal a blow to consumer confidence.
deal in phrasal verb
1. deal in something to buy and sell a particular type of product ⇒ dealer
deal in shares/securities etc
investors dealing in stocks and shares
deal in drugs/stolen goods etc
He then began dealing in heroin.
deal in antiques/second-hand books etc
2. deal in something to be interested or involved in something:
As a scientist, I do not deal in speculation.
3. deal somebody in to include someone in a game of cards
deal something ↔ out phrasal verb
1. to give playing cards to each of the players in a game:
I began dealing out the cards.
2. to decide what kind of punishment someone will get
deal with somebody/something phrasal verb
1. to take the necessary action, especially in order to solve a problem SYN handle:
a strategy for dealing with disruptive pupils
Don’t worry, I’ll deal with this.
deal with a problem/issue/matter etc
The council has failed to deal with the problem of homelessness in the city.
deal effectively/adequately etc with something
They should deal properly and fairly with any complaint.
2. if a book, speech etc deals with a particular subject, it is about that subject:
These ideas are dealt with more fully in Chapter Four.
3. to do business with someone or have a business connection with someone:
Most travel agents do not deal directly with these companies.
4. to succeed in controlling your feelings about an emotional problem so that it does not affect your life SYN cope with:
How’s he dealing with the whole thing?
• • •

▪ deal with a problem Both countries are having to deal with the problem of violence in urban areas.
▪ deal with an issue/matter/question New laws were introduced to deal with the issue.
▪ deal with a situation For a while I had no idea how to deal with the situation.
▪ deal with a crisis The President has flown home to deal with the crisis.
▪ deal with a complaint Working in the Customer Service Department, you become an expert in dealing with complaints.
▪ deal with an enquiry Our staff will be able to deal with any enquiries.
▪ deal with an emergency All our ambulance drivers are trained to deal with emergencies.
▪ deal with a challenge I chose this job because I like having to deal with new challenges every day.

▪ deal with something effectively Most schools don't deal with the problem of bullying very effectively.
▪ deal with something successfully Most of these issues have now been successfully dealt with.
▪ deal with something adequately Our National Health Service does not deal adequately with the question of old age.
• • •

▪ deal with something to take the necessary action, especially in order to solve a problem: We need to deal with problems like pollution and climate change. | I spend most of my day dealing with customer enquiries.
▪ handle to deal with a problem or difficult situation by making particular decisions. Used especially when talking about how well or badly someone does this: He handled the situation very well. | Most customers were happy with the way their complaints had been handled.
▪ tackle to start to deal with a problem, especially one that is complicated: We need to tackle the issue of drugs in schools. | The government is introducing new measures to tackle online crime.
▪ see to/attend to somebody/something to deal with all the practical details of something that needs to be done or organized. Attend to is more formal than see to: My son saw to all the funeral arrangements. | I have some business to attend to.
▪ take care of something to do the work or make the arrangements that are necessary for something to happen. Used especially when you do this for someone else so that they do not have to worry about it: My secretary takes care of all the paperwork.
▪ process if a company or organization processes a letter, form etc, they do the things that are usually done as part of their official system, in order to deal with it: It will take a minimum of 14 days to process your passport application. | I called their office, and they said that my request was still being processed.