leveled, saddle sb with sth, fend sth off, level off

Cisco CEO Chambers said sales have stabilized and the prolonged slump in tech spending may have leveled off. The networking giant posted a 24% profit decline. Nintendo Expects Sales to Weaken

Nintendo expects sales and profit to level off this fiscal year as consumer demand for its Wii game machine and DS handheld starts to plateau.

German FM criticises Britain's economic policies The German finance minister has leveled harsh criticism at Britain's economic stimulus package, saying it will not fend off recession but will leave the next generation saddled with debt. In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Peer Steinbrück said the British government's switch from financial prudence to heavy borrowing was "breathtaking." He accused Prime Minister Gordon Brown's administration of tossing money around with its 20-billion-pound stimulus plan to cut taxes on goods and services. It is highly unusual for a minister to publicly criticize an ally's policies and could fuel already simmering tensions between Britain and Germany on the eve of a European Union economic summit. level v.tr.

1. To make horizontal, flat, or even: leveled the driveway with a roller; leveled off the hedges with the clippers.
2. To tear down; raze.
3. To knock down with or as if with a blow: The challenger leveled the champion with a mighty uppercut.
4. To place on the same level; equalize.
5. To aim along a horizontal plane: leveled the gun at the target.
6. To direct emphatically or forcefully toward someone: leveled charges of dishonesty.
7. To measure the different elevations of (a tract of land) with a level.

level off Move toward stability or consistency, as in Prices have leveled off. This idiom transfers a physical flattening to a figurative one. [Mid-1900s]

fend sth off phrasal verb [M] to avoid dealing with something that is unpleasant or difficult to deal with: Somehow she managed to fend off the awkward questions.

saddle sb with sth phrasal verb INFORMAL to give someone a responsibility or problem which they do not want and which will cause them a lot of work or difficulty: The company is saddled with debt.