ADJ
- sensitive, trapped
- facial, optic, spinal, etc.
VERB + NERVE
- damage, strain, trap
- I've trapped a nerve in my spine
NERVE + VERB
- go, lead, run
- The nerve runs from the eye to the brain
- transmit sth
- The nerves transmit pain
- throb
- He lay awake, his nerves throbbing
NERVE + NOUN
- cell, end, ending, fibre, tissue
- pathway
- impulse
- damage, injury
- gas
PREP
- along a/the ~
- The message travels along the nerve to the brain
- ~ in
- He's been off work with a trapped nerve in his back
- ~ to
- Cutting the nerves to the stomach does not affect hunger
PHRASES
- every nerve in sb's body
- Intense pain shot through every nerve in his body
- hit a nerve, touch a (sensitive/raw) nerve
- (figurative) My remarks about divorce had unwittingly touched a raw nerve
ADJ
- good, steady
- bad, frayed, ragged, shattered, taut
- At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered
VERB + NERVE
- stretch
- Her nerves were stretched to breaking point
NERVE + VERB
- be on edge
- After the bomb, my nerves were on edge
- jangle
- His nerves jangled every time the phone rang
- stand
- I'm not sure my nerves can stand another night like this
PREP
- ~s for
- Skydiving is all right for people who've got the nerves for it
PHRASES
- a battle/war of nerves
- The union has been fighting a war of nerves with the management over pay
- get on sb's nerves
- His endless whining really gets on my nerves
- nerves of steel
- You need nerves of steel to be a good poker player
- a strain on sb's nerves
- Looking after him while he was so ill has been a great strain on her nerves
ADJ
- exam, first-night
- I've never suffered from first-night nerves
VERB + NERVE
- calm, control, soothe, steady
- She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves
- suffer from
PHRASES
- an attack of nerves
- I had an attack of nerves just before I went on stage
- a bag/bundle/mass of nerves
- By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves
VERB + NERVE
- have
- I didn't have the nerve to ask
- lack
- lose
- At the last minute she almost lost her nerve
- keep
- He kept his nerve to win a thrilling match
- find
- You must find the nerve to ask for more money
- take
- It took a lot of nerve to stand up and speak
NERVE + VERB
- break, crack, fail (sb)
- At the last moment her nerve failed her
PHRASES
- a failure/loss of nerve, a test of nerve
- Singing in front of so many people was a real test of nerve