custom; convention; tradition; mores; conventional practice
middle-age; middle age; midlife; one's middle years
buying; shopping; buyer; purchase
to misperceive visually; to misread; to mistake for something or someone else
sham battle; mock battle; dry run; military exercise; war game
to take (be in) charge of
play; sport; fun; caprice; joke; jest
absurd; nonsensical; preposterous
tight-lipped; able to keep a secret
to welter in blood; to be covered in blood; to turn red
to take one's place; to take one's position; to go into position; to line up
to divide; to separate; to partition; to punctuate; to mark off (with a comma); to insert pauses (between words or phrases when reading aloud)
hooray; yay; whee; yowzer; whoopee; yes
depending on the answer; hinging on the reply
stimulation (e.g. of an economy); revitalization (e.g. of a town); rejuvenation; activation
error; mistake; slip; bug
hole; opening; pit; hollow; burrow; den; deficit
summoning; calling; riding; (high-quality) silk crepe (fabric)
to assume the posture of praying; to press the palms and fingers of both hands together; to beg; to make a supplication; to see (something or someone of high status)
like; similar to; something like ...; someone like ...
luxurious and gorgeous; magnificent
staringly; scrutinizing; scrutinising
hundredfold; hundred times as much; much more (than previously)
to knock down; to shoot down; to lop off
following; pursuing; tracking; shadowing; tailing; chasing
to graze (e.g. bullet); to scratch; to touch lightly; to take a percentage; to exploit; to squeeze
slimy; slippery; (moving) slowly
skin; outer skin; integument; husk; hull; shell
breakthrough (research, etc.); breach; opening
calculated; premeditated; considered
unreasonable request; asking for something unreasonable
ironclad rule; inviolable rule; invariable principle; iron law
(taking an) objective point of view; viewing objectively
with a bang; with a bam; with a wham
weird; strange; mysterious
rapid increase; sharp rise; proliferation; surge; explosion