destruction; annihilation; devastation; catastrophe
during imprisonment; while in jail
deliberately; carefully; thoroughly; without rushing
thin veneer; hasty preparation; knowledge or skill learned as a stopgap; re-tempering a dull sword (so that it looks as if it's sharp, but is actually unusable)
rag; scrap; fault (esp. in a pretense, pretence); defect; run-down; shabby
at the most; at best; to the utmost; as much as possible; as much as one can
to aim at (for, to do, to become); to try for; to have an eye on; to go toward; to head for
self-destruction; ruining oneself; natural decay; perishing naturally
to suck up; to pump up; to siphon off (profits, etc.); to exploit; to take up others' opinions, hopes, etc.
(game pieces, soldiers, etc.) under one's control
in order to do; for the purpose of doing
precipitous; rugged; inaccessible; grim; severe; stern
walking; pace; step; course (of history, one's life, etc.); history; pitch (of a screw, etc.)
corner; edge; (street) corner; turning; rough edges (of one's character, words, etc.); abrasiveness
easy; simple; easygoing; lighthearted; simplistic
station; office; guardroom
several minutes; a few minutes
to look around; to survey
course; route; path; process; means
exit; gateway; way out; outlet; vent; leak
door (Western-style, car, etc.)
useless; futile; unnecessary; needless; not on business; unrelated
container (e.g. shipping); skip
naked; bare; uncovered; frank; open; blunt
close to the wall; alongside the wall
giving; provision; furnishing
laboratory; seminar room; professor's office
it cannot be that...; it is highly unlikely that...; it is impossible that...
strange; odd; peculiar; queer; curious
somehow (or other); for some reason; without knowing why; something (or other); some ... or other
largest class; top category
up through; up until; down to; from ... to ... (e.g. from head to toe); everything from ... to ...
to see; to witness; to observe; to catch sight of; to get a glimpse of; to encounter
training; drill; practice; discipline
fully loaded; full load; loaded condition
coincidence; chance; by chance; unexpectedly; contingency
place; spot; field; discipline; occasion; situation; scene (of a play, movie, etc.)
as ... as one can; as ... as possible; as much as possible
right arm; right-hand man; right hand; right-handed pitcher
forward; frontward; ahead; rectangular front
to grow long (e.g. hair, nails); to lengthen; to extend; to reach out; to hold out; to straighten; to smooth out
to open; to undo; to bloom; to unfold; to open (for business, e.g. in the morning); to be wide (gap, etc.); to widen