faint hopes; dim prospects; little hope; unlikely (to be successful)
special order (goods); custom (made); bespoke
period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years); apprenticeship; indentureship; indenture
to be dampened (of the mood, interest, etc.); to be spoiled (e.g. of the atmosphere); to become subdued; to turn white; to fade (to white); to grow light (at dawn)
to go mad; to lose one's mind; to get out of order; to go amiss; to go wrong (of a plan or expectation, etc.); to fall through
to pierce; to penetrate; to sting (wound or sensitive area, etc.); to smart; to be infected (with vice); to be steeped (with prejudice)
great hurry; great haste; rush
(are you) alright?; (are you) OK?
to prepare oneself for the worst; to strengthen one's resolve; to accept one's fate; to prepare oneself
secrecy; confidentiality; one's circumstances (esp. fiscal); kitchen
actual state (of things); real state; live; on-the-scene; reporting live; live coverage
to demarcate; to delimit; to divide (an area); to punctuate; to put an end to (e.g. a sentence); to insert pauses or breaks (e.g. when reading aloud)
watching a (sports) game; spectating; observing (military operations)
ornamental ridge-end tile
arrangement; good offices; discretion; judgment; disposition
isolation; cut off; blockade; quarantine; interception; deprivation
wide difference; a world of difference
lesson; precept; teachings; moral
to return to normal; to revert to the starting point; to go back to how it was
corner; bend; segment (within a radio or TV program); session; area; department
upstart; nouveau riche; new money; piece promoted to gold general
high-handed; domineering; on one's high horse
great white shark; white pointer (Carcharodon carcharias)
blue tarpaulin; blue plastic waterproof sheeting
Alice in Wonderland (novel by Lewis Carroll); Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
to see; to look; to watch; to try to
the lower classes; the common people
high-handed person; domineering person
if times were better; if one had been born at an earlier, more opportune time; if times had not changed; if I had my due
samurai on horseback; (medieval) knight
to make it a principle to ...; to aim at doing
opponent; adversary; the competition; the other side; one's enemy
face with no make-up; unpainted face; true face (of a country, celebrity, etc.); real face; sober face; sobriety
getting carried away; going too far; overdoing
to throw; to fling; to heave; to toss