delicate operation

collocation in English

meaningsofdelicateandoperation

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withoperation.
delicate
adjective
uk
/ˈdel.ɪ.kət/
us
/ˈdel.ə.kət/
needing careful treatment, especially because ...
See more atdelicate
operation
noun
uk
/ˌɒp.ərˈeɪ.ʃən/
us
/ˌɑː.pəˈreɪ.ʃən/
the fact of operating or ...
See more atoperation

(Definition ofdelicateandoperationfrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofdelicate operation

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Of course this is a verydelicateoperation.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Is not the hoeing of beet a mostdelicateoperation?
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
He had an extraordinary feel for thisdelicateoperation.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
However, the introduction of any tax is adelicateoperation.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
The admitting of paternity is always a slightlydelicateoperation; perhaps it is a particularlydelicateoperationin a maiden speech.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It was an extraordinary appointment, in what was a mostdelicateoperation.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is obviously adelicateoperationto appoint a chairman for a body of this kind.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is adelicateoperationof co-operation between interventionist government and business.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Getting through to parents is adelicateoperation—a balance has to be struck.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
The course will be a source of continued improvement in techniques for thisdelicateoperation.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
To touch on controversial matters, without taking a part, is adelicateoperation.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
To conduct a revolution by consent is a verydelicateoperation.
From the
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Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
To reshuffle the steel industry whatever its ownership may be is a verydelicateoperation.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
First, the maintenance of morale in an industry declining in market and size is a verydelicateoperationindeed.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
We are being offered a concept of a very skilled anddelicateoperationbeing performed without additional resources.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
There are many questions that it is not appropriate to put in adelicateoperationof this kind at present.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
The actual graft, a highly skilled anddelicateoperation, would still be performed only by an ophthalmic surgeon.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
I suggest that introducing it into the port, where there is a new concept, is adelicateoperation.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
It is a verydelicateoperationto do anything that even clips it in any sort of way.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
In order to engage in thisdelicateoperationon his behalf, we need accurate information about the man, his life and his milieu, and we need more of it.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It is bound to be an extremelydelicateoperationto combine police forces which have to deal with a great variety of matters.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Changing law is an expensive, protracted anddelicateoperation—and here we have three whole clauses devoted simply to changing the names of three orders.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Persuading people to accept capitalist investment has become adelicateoperationin modern society, and it can be done only under certain conditions.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Speaking from my own personal experience, it is a mostdelicateoperationto pay out in the coins of some countries.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
The immense varieties there are in these lands compared with the varieties in town lands will make it a very difficult anddelicateoperation.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Want to learn more?
Go to the definition ofdelicate
Go to the definition ofoperation
See other collocations withoperation