to tighten; to stiffen; to brace; to strain
to crush (with one's hands); to kill a proposal; to shelve; to table (remove from consideration)
lacking skill; uninspiring; unexciting; dull; unrefined; boring (from being too plain)
main constituent; core; nucleus; subject
defect; demerit; weak point; disadvantage
to get in someone's pocket; to help oneself to someone's wallet; to curry favour (favor); to butter up; to get in close to one's opponent
to mix; to stir; to blend
to use as an intermediary; to worry; to mind; to care
to bury (e.g. in the ground); to fill up (e.g. audience fills a hall); to cause to be packed; to plug (a gap); to stop (a gap); to make up for (a loss, shortage, etc.); to make amends
to study; to complete (a course); to order (one's life); to repair (a fault one has committed)
putting that aside; that said; apart from that; anyway; be that as it may
creation; generation; formation; derivation
until something reaches the very limit; until the very last minute; up to the breaking point
coping method; approach; how to deal with (problem, etc.)
to be forced to do or experience something (against one's will); to be forced to do something because one has no other choice
treacherous; dangerous; untrustworthy; sneaky; cunning
to sew; to stitch; to weave one's way (e.g. through a crowd)
top-heavy; big-headed; overly-theoretical
hopeless; futile; no use; beyond help; cannot be done
unconventional; eccentric; offbeat; aberrant; outlandish; crazy
racing (of an engine); idling; spinning (without grabbing; of wheels); going round in circles (of an argument, discussion, etc.); going nowhere; being fruitless
to act as an intermediary; to step in; to come between; to intervene; to interject
positioning; getting a position; taking a position
nonexistent; nil; none; nothing (at all); bugger-all
field of vision; view; one's outlook (e.g. on life); one's horizons
to exploit a gap (in attention, security, etc.); to catch off guard
brilliance; luster; lustre; vividness; life
to chip; to be chipped; to be missing (from a set, team, etc.); to be absent; to be lacking (in); to be short (of)
to have come; to be here; to be popular; to be fashionable; to be angry; to have blown one's lid
backhand blow; backhand chop; backfist (karate)
to stick; to paste; to stretch; to spread; to form (e.g. ice on a pond); to fill; to swell
to branch; to fork; to separate; to split; to disperse; to scatter
to nail (to something); to nail down; to bang (e.g. one's head); to knock; to throw (at a wall, on the floor, etc.); to fling (at)
to take candy from a baby; to accomplish something with ease; (lit.) to twist a baby's arm
to draw a conclusion; to conclude; to settle on
knot; tying; bundle; lumping; conclusion; ending
wholly; solely; entirely; principally; mostly; chiefly
to meddle (in someone's affairs); to poke one's nose into; to interfere; to make a pass (at someone); to hit on
first of all; in the first place
according to (depending on) the mood of the moment; as one's fancy dictates
subsidence; sinking; fall (of a city, fortress, etc.); surrender; fall (in position, rank, etc.); demotion