target; object (of worship, study, etc.); subject (of taxation, etc.)
top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
closely-guarded secret; top secret
master; teacher; stable master
to apply (a rule); to be applicable; to come under (a category); to fulfill; to hold true
difficult to ...; hard to ...
wild; uninhibited; extravagant; rampant
personage; person (deserving of respect)
right (to do something); authority; power
slow; time-consuming; late (in the day); towards the end (of the day or night); later (than expected or usual); late
to examine; to look up; to investigate; to check up; to sense; to study
any; anything; whatever; I am told; I hear; I understand
to operate (e.g. a machine); to handle; to have a good command of (a language); to play proficiently (of a musical instrument); to work (a puppet); to pull the strings of a puppet
commitment; pledge; promise
circuitous; roundabout; indirect
implicitly; indirectly; tacitly; by implication; obscurely
to surpass; to outstrip; to excel
statesman; administrator; politician; policymaker
it does not mean that ...; I don't mean that ...; it is not the case that...
final; eventual; ultimate
to run along; to run beside; to follow (a policy, plan, etc.); to act in accordance with; to meet (wishes, expectations, etc.); to satisfy
to bend; to crook; to lean; to tilt; to bend (the truth); to distort
a matter of course; what is to be expected; par for the course
to obey (an order, law, etc.); to abide by (a rule, custom, etc.); to follow (a person); to accompany; to go alongside (e.g. a river); to follow (e.g. a sign)
in succession; one by one
unofficial offer (esp. job offer); tentative decision
permission; allowance; acceptance; tolerance; pardon
to place (in position); to fix; to install; to seat (someone); to settle (upon something); to fix (e.g. one's gaze)
injustice; impropriety; unreasonableness; undeserved; unfair; invalid
forcefulness of speech; influential voice
fall; decline; lowering; deterioration; degradation
to spread rumors; to spread rumours
in; at; on; as for; regarding; with regards to
hands and feet; limbs; person at one's beck and call; person at hand; reliable worker
just like; (virtually) no different from; (almost) the same as; as good as (e.g. dead, settled)
fault; error; going poorly; being disadvantageous; un-; non-
to become public; to become known; to come out in the open; to be formal; to be official
to smash; to crush; to shut down; to put out of business; to wreck; to break; to butcher
to work on (someone); to appeal to; to make approaches to; to begin to work
authenticity; credibility
just this side of; one step short of; on the brink