pretending not to know; feigning ignorance
endless; boundless; innumerable; endless; never-ending; going on forever
shell; husk; hull; pod; chaff
thinking little of one's family
being painfully true (e.g. reprimand); making one's ears burn; striking home (e.g. remark); having an earache; feeling pain in one's ear
undesirable state brought about by (my) lack of virtue; feeling morally responsible; mea culpa
in detail; minutely; closely
to spur (on); to expedite; to encourage
to eat oneself out of house and home; to eat up completely
without any income; incomeless
racking one's brains; worrying oneself; being anxious
offer; tender; providing; sponsoring (a TV program)
(outward) appearance; (proper) format (e.g. of an essay); form; appearances; decency; lip-service
cliff edge; edge of a precipice; perilous position; critical moment; brink
painful; sore; cringy; embarrassing
crying oneself to sleep; giving up in frustration; accepting meekly; being compelled to accept a situation
survival after defeat; decline (of a person, business, etc.); ruin
show; display; pretensions; pose; posture
proposal; proposition; suggestion
trivial; not amounting to much; not enough to cause a problem; not as much as expected
following (in the footsteps of); catching up with; coming level with
bottom; sole; depths (e.g. of despair, the sea); bottom (of one's heart); limit; end
over-fond parent; doting parent
coward; sissy; weakling; loser; milquetoast; good-for-nothing
emphasis; stress; accentuating (a feature or certain part); accenting; strong tone (of the market); firm tone
unnecessary trouble brought upon oneself; stirring up a hornet's nest
to cling to; to hang onto; to rely on; to depend on; to implore; to entreat
prospects of victory; chances of success
what do you want?; can I help you?
to look away; to avert one's eyes; to avoid facing (e.g. reality)
granny; grandma; gran; old lady; old woman
one's relatives by blood and marriage (in blood and law); one's kith and kin
assembling (in full force); muster; lining up; gathering; getting together
perpetrator; wrong-doer; aggressor; assailant; offender; at-fault party (e.g. in an accident)