match; game; bout; contest
land mine; topic that sets someone off; sensitive topic; something that seems fine at first but turns out to be very bad (e.g. product, business); booby trap
smirkingly; broadly (grinning)
(really) terrible; awful; (very) nasty; (extremely) harsh; severe
to lift up; to hold up; to give; to present; to do (for someone)
measuring by feel; adjusting by feel; doing by feel; adapting to the situation (one's strength, strictness, etc.); making allowances; using discretion
completely beating someone up; being completely knocked down; thoroughly bashing someone
by all means; at all costs
one's true feelings and one's official stance (which may be at odds); one's real motive and one's stated reason
rear gate (esp. of castle); back entrance; (opponent's) weak point; (arch.) force attacking the rear of a castle; (arch.) official in charge of imprisoning offenders
to attack; to assault; to challenge; to take on; to be bold; to be audacious
(confronting a problem, etc.) head-on; directly; outright; (lit.) from the front
fair and square; open and aboveboard; bold and forthright
to accept someone's challenge; to take up the gauntlet
king; monarch; ruler; champion
personality; style; appearance
impressive; striking; memorable; impactful
use; adoption; acceptance; appointment; employment; engagement
lack of policy; having no measures; lacking means
commencing with; including
disorder; chaos; confusion; mayhem
some; any; in any way; of some kind; of some sort
to offer (a suggestion, etc.); to propose (an idea, etc.); to approach with (a proposal, etc.)
to swear; to vow; to take an oath; to pledge
total; complete; all-out; general; extensive; full-scale
commander; commanding officer; CO
whole; entirety; to begin with; in the first place; ... the heck (e.g. "what the heck?"); ... in the world (e.g. "why in the world?")
to play with; to joke; to use (esp. trick, sophistry, etc.); to deride; to scoff at; to make fun of
sudden; lightning; immediate; shocking
earth science; geoscience
yesterday and today; only recently; just recently; only yesterday
to compete; to contest; to quarrel; to argue; to deny (e.g. evidence)
to go (to); to make one's way (to); to visit