cross-examination; retort; asking in return
silent (as the grave); deadly silent; deathly quiet
retort; back talk; backchat
arbitration; intercession; mediation
feelings; thoughts; meaning
to use as an intermediary; to mediate; to assist; to worry; to mind; to care
to push in; to force into; to break in (e.g. into a house); to intrude
to make a mistake (in); to commit an error; to be wrong; to be incorrect; to mislead; to misguide
mistake; error; fault; slip; blunder; omission
and so on; and so forth; et cetera; comment; criticism
precious; valuable; priceless; noble; exalted; sacred
grave; solemn; serious; harsh (e.g. truth); hard; strict
to grieve over; to mourn; to lament
sudden impulse; passing fancy
prior; beforehand; in advance; before the fact; ex ante
otherwise; or else; if not
in confusion; in a fluster; in bewilderment; sobbing; tearfully; trembling (voice)
guess; speculation; supposition
to enquire; to inquire; to seek information
fossil; petrifaction; petrification; fossilization
to stretch (unbend) oneself
teacher's desk; teacher's lectern
row; line; company (of someone); group; sequence; counter for rows
daytime; noon; broad daylight
to lock up; to shut up; to imprison
houses and inhabitants; population
to gather in large numbers (of people); to hang out (as a large group); to assemble (as a military unit or posse); to be quartered (in a particular location)
silly; foolish; absurd; childish; easy; trifling
rate; ratio; comparatively; contrary to expectations
sex; sexual intercourse; (one's) sex; gender
to end one's life; to end one's days; to die
(not so) much; (not) very
careful; thorough; meticulous; scrupulous