food; provisions; nourishment (mental, spiritual, etc.); sustenance (e.g. of one's life); source of encouragement
false news; canard; fabricated news story; misinformation; fake news
to crunch; to masticate; to simplify; to explain plainly
rumor; rumour; gossip; hearsay
false rumor (rumour); false alarm; misinformation
avoiding or dodging responsibility
to lose weight; to become thin; to wither away
to wither completely (of a plant); to dry up completely; to drop all its leaves
(villains) of the same stripe; birds of a feather; (lit.) badgers of the same hole
creation; founding; initiating
taking on a life of its own (of a rumour, etc.); walking by oneself; talking a walk by oneself; walking unaided; being able to walk without help; standing on one's own feet
supporting role (actor); minor role
apprenticeship; probation; learning by observation; apprentice; trainee; probationer
slight; insignificant; small
suddenly; unexpectedly; by chance; accidentally; lightly; nimbly
(one's) life is not in danger; not life-threatening
levying; requisitioning; compulsory enlistment; recruitment; conscription
heartrending; desperate; hopeless; full of grief
reason; cause; history; origin
bad debt; irrecoverable debt
practical; matter-of-fact; realistic; utilitarian; pragmatic
having done ... by mistake; having messed up ...
speaking of ...; as for ...
according to; by (means of); due to; because of
administrator; janitor; manager; custodian; executor
work, items, etc. carried over from earlier; hangover; what you ate the day before (and is still being digested)
ground; crust (earth); foundation (building, etc.); base; constituency; power base
without delay; smoothly; without a hitch
originator; pioneer; inventor; progenitor; primogenitor; founder of a family line
head house (family); birthplace; originator
imposition (i.e. of rules, of a decision); compulsion
risk aversion; risk reduction
bonus; bounty; reward; compensation