branches and leaves; foliage; unimportant details; nonessentials; side issue
oppression; tyranny; despotism
confrontation; opposition; antagonism
one's nature; one's feelings; plain; unadorned; mere; poor
penetration; absolutely clear; not dirty; clearness
(classical) element (e.g. earth, water, air, fire); (arch.) origin; (arch.) source
incomprehensible; nonsensical; puzzling; I don't get it; I'm confused; I'm lost
matter (in Aristotelian philosophy)
negative; passive; half-hearted; unmotivated
to protect; to guard; to defend; to keep (i.e. a promise); to abide (by the rules); to observe
logical; cogent; well-reasoned; logically consistent
to tease; to make fun of; to poke fun at; to make a crack about; to chaff; to kid
remnant; residue; remaining; left-over
distance; journey; itinerary; path (e.g. to one's goal); way; process
ground; crust (earth); foundation (building, etc.); base; constituency; power base
support; mutual aid; cooperation; approval; authorization; authorisation
to draw around (e.g. a curtain); to drag around; to take (someone) around; to parade around; to order about; to lead
comfortable; easy; calm; loose; spacious
specialist; expert; professional; authority; pundit
to enclose; to surround; to shelter (e.g. a criminal); to shield; to keep (e.g. a mistress); to store (vegetables, fruit, etc.)
to turn over; to turn upside down; to knock over; to tip over; to overturn (e.g. a decision); to upset
to do for (someone); to take in; to deceive; to hoodwink
to distinguish between; to tell the difference between
to compare and contrast two alternatives; to weigh the relative merits of A and B; to weigh one's options; to try to have it both ways; to try to sit on two stools
to squash; to crush; to flatten
noninterference; leaving something to take its own course; giving someone a free hand with something
cannibalism; anthropophagism
coldness and hotness; cooling and heating; indifference and enthusiasm; prosperity and decline; cold energy (e.g. in power generation)
to work on (someone); to appeal to; to make approaches to; to begin to work
acknowledgement; acknowledgment
as a test; as an experiment; by way of experiment; by way of trial; tentatively
to swallow (e.g. a story); to accept without questioning; to swallow (food) whole; to gobble up; to gulp down