to determine (esp. a culprit or underlying cause); to pin down; to ascertain; (arch.) to stab to death
attachment; adhesion; tenacity; fixation; obsession
sticking to (an opinion, theory, belief, etc.); clinging to; adherence; persistence; insistence
(real) ability; true strength; merit; arms; force
to become known; to come to light; to be known; to be understood; to clearly not amount to much; to be insignificant
opponent; rival; adversary; menace; danger; threat
to smash; to crush; to shut down; to put out of business; to wreck; to break; to butcher
to be packed (with); to be full (space, schedule, etc.); to be blocked (road, pipe, nose, etc.); to be clogged; to shorten (width, interval, etc.); to shrink (shirt, word form, etc.); to be at a loss
feast; treating (someone); to treat (someone, e.g. to a meal)
to eat; to live; to make a living; to bite; to sting (as insects do); to tease; to torment
to take someone along; to be accompanied (by)
suddenly (rising to fame, etc.); instantly; immediately; one bound; one leap
man of the hour; woman of the hour
way of saying (something); way of putting it; wording; phrasing; language; expression
to attract attention; to come into the limelight
putting that aside; that said; apart from that; anyway; be that as it may
(can you) spare a little time (to speak)?; (do you) have a moment (to speak)?
not straightforward; not dealt with by ordinary means
to trick someone (into confirming or revealing the truth); to ask a leading question
doubt; question; uncertainty; skepticism; scepticism; suspicion
candidate; contender; prospect; candidacy; candidature; nomination
to wring (towel, rag); to squeeze; to squeeze (fruit to extract juice); to press; to rack (one's brains); to strain (one's voice); to extort
to stand watch; to stand guard; to look out; to open (one's eyes) wide
far; distant; distant (past); remote (in time); distant (relationship or kinship); having little to do (with someone); far (from something else in quality, degree, etc.)
to be saved; to be rescued; to escape harm; to be spared damage; to be helped; to be saved trouble
to get tired; to tire; to become worn out (of a well-used object); (arch.) to starve
to walk with; to make someone tag along; to carry around (esp. a child); to carry about
to speculate; to make an educated guess; to gamble (e.g. on getting the right questions)
to draw (conclusion); to deduce; to derive
to begin (emphatically); to launch; to embark on
at the very beginning; first of all; first and foremost; before anything else
considerably; not a little; in no small numbers
just a minute; small quantity
sweet-tasting; sweet; fragrant (smelling); sweet (music); lightly salted; light in salt; naive
if only (you) have; as long as (you) have; whenever (you) have
ordinary person; average person; mediocre person
achievement; meritorious deed; distinguished service; contribution
(not) merely; (not) simply
to swing; to sway; to shake; to waver; to feel shaken; to become unstable
to speak ill of; to disparage
nonsense; no meaning; meaningless
to hang; to suspend; to lower; to reduce; to demote; to move back