to compete; to contest; to quarrel; to argue; to deny (e.g. evidence)
quarrel; brawl; fight; squabble; scuffle; argument
to read the situation; to sense the mood; to read the room
to jump on someone's (verbal) mistake; to trip someone up; to find fault with something someone says
to make a fool of (someone)
tenacity; persistence; obsession; implacability
tough; stubborn; determined; severely; heavily; hard
bitter (e.g. criticism); sharp; biting; severe; scathing; harsh
off the mark; off base; misdirected; irrelevant
small; little; slightly less than; just about; somewhat; somehow
(please) try to; (please) look; seeing; looking
holiness; sacredness; sanctity; dignity
manners; courtesy; etiquette
to all appearances; no matter how you look at it
insult; affront; slight; contempt (e.g. of court)
excellent speech; masterly speech
to take a fancy to something; to be moved; to feel inclined to
(not even) an inch; (not even) a little bit; (lit.) one millimeter
contrived; false-sounding
to say enough (as much as required); to say plenty; to say well; to say cleverly; to say often; to say frequently
to become stronger; to grow in intensity; to grow violent; to invite contributions, etc.; to solicit help, participation, etc.; to recruit (e.g. soldiers)
to beat; to attack (an enemy); to do away with; to finish off
shout of abuse; jeers; boos
to talk or say too much; to go too far; to overstate; to exaggerate
kernel; core; nucleus; center; centre
greatness is comparative; there is always someone better than you; there is always a bigger fish
the trouble is that ...; the problem is that ...; unfortunately; annoyingly
villain; baddie; the villain's part
extremely; very; really; super; so
to catch; to capture; to grab; to clutch; to catch hold of (someone); to stop (e.g. a stranger in the street)
king; queen; monarch; the Crown (as a focus of authority in the UK, etc.); the throne
live coals (for firelighting); cause (of disturbance, conflict, etc.); trigger
party (of people); set (of people); clan; family; fellow
to wake up; to awake; to perk up; to awaken (to the truth, etc.); to come to a realization; to come to one's senses
feudal lords; barons; princes
king; ruler; tycoon; magnate; king (of the senior player)
it is assuredly (that) ...; can say with confidence that it is ...
biggest; greatest; largest; maximum
willingly; voluntarily; of one's own accord
blunder; bungle; gaffe; bungling; stupid; tactless
cleaning up someone else's mess; making up for someone else's mistake; ass-wiping; arse-wiping
having said that; on the other hand; (but) then; (but) still