Chavez begins to pressure foreign oil giants

grant (GIVE) Hide phoneticsverb [T] to give or allow someone something, usually in an official way:[+ two objects]
They granted her an entry visa.
tro cap

astride Hide phoneticsprepositionwith a leg on each side of something:
She sat proudly astride her new motorbike.FIGURATIVE The town lies astride (= on either side of) the River Havel
cuoi

venture (RISK) Hide phoneticsverb [I usually + adverb or preposition; T] FORMAL to risk going somewhere or doing something that might be dangerous or unpleasant, or to risk saying something that might be criticized:
She rarely ventured outside, except when she went to stock up on groceries at the corner shop.
As we set off into the forest, we felt as though we were venturing (forth) into the unknown.
She tentatively ventured the opinion that the project would be too expensive to complete, but the boss ignored her.