honest; frank; candid; honestly; frankly
after an interval of ... years; for the first time in ... years
to prepare oneself (for the worst); to resolve oneself
readiness; (mental) preparedness; resolution; determination; resignation (to one's fate)
with these words; while saying
to run up to; to rush over
to flip; to snap; to repel; to use (an abacus); to calculate; to strum
in an instant; in a flash; in the blink of an eye; in no time at all; just like that
to shorten; to narrow; to close; to shrink
left; left-hand side; left hand; the left (wing); leftist; fondness for alcohol
to dodge; to evade; to avoid; to sidestep
cloud of dust (sand, etc.); dust storm
ruins; wreckage; wreck; broken remains; debris
to be reduced to (e.g. poverty); to end up as
dust; mine dust; mineral dust; airborne particles; fine powder; particulate matter
to tear; to rip; to break through (cordon, opponent's defense, etc.); to breach; to defeat; to beat; to break (e.g. silence)
one swing; one shake (e.g. of pepper); one sword
to cut; to cut through; to sever (connections, ties); to turn off (e.g. the light); to terminate (e.g. a conversation); to hang up (the phone); to punch (a ticket)
literally; to the letter; literal
there; the spot; the place; then and there; on the spot; immediately
disappearance; vanishing; loss; dying away; wearing off
to become coarse (e.g. of a texture); to turn rough; to turn gritty; to become sandy
to catch (someone's words); to make out; to follow; to ask about (a situation, circumstances, etc.); to inquire
to gouge; to hollow out; to greatly perturb; to cause emotional pain; to get to the bottom of things; to relentlessly bring the truth to light
trap (for catching animals); snare; trap; trick; ruse
to approach; to draw near
good at fighting; usually wins a fight
to have one's breath taken away; to gasp (in surprise, wonder, etc.); to have one's breath catch in one's throat; to gulp
contour; outline; summary; outline; looks; features
refusal; rejection; denial; veto
distance; difference; gap; disparity; gulf; chasm
to make war (on); to wage war (against); to compete (against); to struggle (against adversities, etc.); to fight
to wear (a sword, decoration, etc.); to carry; to be entrusted with (a mission); to be charged with; to have (a quality, property, etc.); to have a trace of
to push back; to press back; to force back; to (refuse and) return (something); to give back
to say no more; to sink into silence
calmness; composure; coolness; serenity; presence of mind
to take back; to get back; to regain; to recover; to restore; to recoup
to fail; to blunder; to mess up; to be dismissed; to be fired
anyone; anybody; everyone; everybody; whoever