constraint; reserve; feeling hesitant; being afraid of troubling someone
custom; habit; customary practice
prudish; strait-laced; boring; square
to stand watch; to stand guard; to look out; to open (one's eyes) wide
bitter smile; wry smile; strained laugh; sarcastic laugh
before one's very eyes; under one's nose; imminence; close at hand
taste; elegance; appearance; air; the likes of ...; lowly people such as ...
something small; something petty; trifle
to hold in one's arms (e.g. a baby); to embrace; to have sex with; to make love to; to sit on (eggs); to brood