The trade union delegates managed to ______ a breakthrough compromise after fourteen hours of continuous talks.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. hammer out
- Step 1: To 'hammer out' an agreement means to reach a resolution or compromise through intense, laborious negotiation. The labor delegates engaged in prolonged, demanding discussions to finalize the difficult labor pact. Answer: hammer out. Why not the others: "iron down quickly" confuses the idioms 'iron out' (resolve problems) with non-existent 'iron down'; "carve down smoothly" is an unidiomatic distortion of 'carve out' (establish a niche or position); "knock off casually" means to finish work for the day, copy something cheaply, or stop doing something.
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