behind closed doors; behind-the-scenes; (under the veil of) secrecy
where ... is concerned; when it becomes; if it becomes
imagination; supposition; guess
concrete; definite; specific; material; substantial
what; how; what (a) ...!; how ...!; surprisingly; to my amazement
meagre; meager; scarce; limited; destitute; hard up
to tell (somebody) to (do something)
calmness; composure; presence of mind; stability; steadiness
to urge; to encourage; to press; to stimulate (e.g. growth); to hasten (e.g. development); to quicken
unthinkable; unexpected; absolutely not!; far from it!; (it was) no bother at all; not at all
to begin to say; to start talking; to broach (a matter); to be the first to say; to suggest (doing); to propose
straight (ahead); direct; upright; straightforward; honest; frank
to cause trouble; to cause a disturbance
signboard; sign; draw; attraction; reputation (of a shop); name
to want something desperately; to want something (so badly one can taste it)
(out of) desperation; (as a) last resort; (driven by) pain
to gulp down; to swallow deeply; to understand; to take in; to engulf; to swallow up
accession to the throne; enthronement
to lessen; to decrease; to diminish
justice; right; righteousness; correct meaning; correct explanation
imperial government; imperialism; monarchical rule
to make the most of the present; to live for the moment; to seize the day
to pile up; to accumulate
belief; faith; conviction
essence; true nature; substance; reality
to put one's life on the line; to risk one's life; to put everything one has into it
to render futile; to bring to naught; to waste; to not make good use of
to make a mistake; to be incorrect; to be mistaken
blind spot (on the retina); blind spot; weak point; loophole
even at the best of times; already; (even) under normal circumstances; in addition to; as it is
crowd of people; great number of people; in great numbers
it's different when ... but; it's not so bad when ... but
on the way; en route; in the process of (development, construction, etc.); in the middle of
unfathomable; inestimable; immeasurable
leaving out; omitting; skipping; (beating) in succession; in a row
to break off; to come to an end; to be interrupted; to be cut short; to pause
to succeed; to relieve; to take the place of; to substitute for; to be exchanged; to change (places with)
because; for; the reason why is ...
to wave; to shake; to sprinkle; to throw (dice); to cast (actor); to allocate (work); to turn down (somebody)