1) He allowed the engine to tick over for 5 minutes to make it warm up gradually.

2) The church should resist the temptation to merely tick over.

3) The Republicans and Democrats tick over with a skeleton staff and then hire specialist consultants for each campaign.

4) Buses and taxis tick over rather noisily.

5) "Businesses were able to tick over last year but funding is still an issue, " Ronan O'Regan , director of energy and utilities at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in London.

6) When the council's officers work as a team the whole work of the staff will tick over smoothly.

7) But there was nothing laconic about his mind, which was known to tick over like a well-oiled clock.

8) This cash grant money, both for housing and livelihoods, should begin helping small local communities tick over in time and rebuild, bake and fish.

9) My eyes slid back to the clock and watched it tick over the final seconds.

1) He allowed the engine to tick over for 5 minutes to make it warm up gradually.