to grudge; to begrudge; to be stingy; to be unwilling to pay
frightening; scary; (arch.) extreme; (arch.) exaggerated; (arch.) huge
to make a mistake (in); to commit an error; to mislead; to misguide; to do accidentally; to do by mistake
to build up; to complete; to construct; to make up; to fabricate; to invent
rank; ranking order; hierarchy
preface; introduction; preamble
human relations; personal relationships
to outwit; to outsmart; to counterplot; to pierce something all the way through
light meal; snack; refreshments
stocking up (on); hoarding
Italian food; Italian cooking; Italian cuisine
speciality; specialty; special subject of study; sole interest; single focus; concentrating exclusively on
real experience; actual observations
root (of a plant); stump (of a tree); root (of a problem, etc.); base
to keep (a pet or other animal); to have; to own; to raise; to rear; to feed
setting; installing; setting up (meeting, conference, etc.); stage setting; setting (of a novel, movie, play, etc.)
implication; nuance; shade of meaning; connotation
future; possible; potential; prospective
pilaf topped with bechamel or other cheese-based sauce, then oven baked
topic of discussion; agenda
with a bang; with a bam; with a wham
when it comes to ...; as for ...
to open up a path; to clear a path; to open up doors; to pave the way
pudding (esp. custard); black hair dyed blond but where the roots have again turned black
to put into the mouth; to eat
food culture; dietary culture; cuisine
background knowledge; prerequisite knowledge
spirit of self-reliance; feeling of independence
individual item (i.e. not part of a set); single article; single item out of a set; one item from a set
two at a time; two by two; in twos
gelato; Italian-style ice cream
public opinion; popular voice; public sentiment; consensus
general public; the masses
state of mind; mentality; psychology
flaw; defect; problem; inconvenient
to become serious; to take something seriously (e.g. a joke, teasing); to become irritated or angry (esp. at something trivial); to get worked up
to banter; to make fun of; to cool; to refrigerate; to window-shop; to look at without buying
seducer; smooth talker; picking up women; hitting on women; moderate party; moderate