astonished; shocked; amazed; astounded; aghast
subcontract; subcontractor (person or company)
direct; immediate; personal; firsthand
to be better (than); to be superior; to surpass; to excel; to be excellent
supposing; even if; granting that; temporarily; provisionally; for the time being
top; top position; senior management; senior bureaucrat; home page (of a website)
important matter; matter of great importance; serious affair; major incident; emergency
to shout (in anger); to yell
to bear; to stand; to restrain; to control; to forgive; to put up with
conference room; council room
government office; public office
clicking one's tongue; tut-tut; smacking one's lips (with relish)
centre; center; pivot; central nervous system
stronghold; inner citadel; base; headquarters
half-cooked; vague; halfhearted; indecisive
underling; person of low standing; grunt; petty (work, official, etc.); minor; lowly
being painfully true (e.g. reprimand); making one's ears burn; striking home (e.g. remark); having an earache; feeling pain in one's ear
fantasy; illusion; vision; dream
special; particular; peculiar; unique
mainly; primarily; mostly; largely; chiefly
management; managerial position; administrative post; person in a managerial position
to take (seat, position, course, office, etc.); to assume; to ascend (the throne); to accede; to start (on a journey); to commence
perfunctory; apathetic; makeshift; slapdash; routine; usual
trouble; difficulty; failure (of an engine, machine, computer, etc.); breakdown; (medical) condition; disorder
nectar; honey; honeydew; treacle; molasses; sorbitol (when visible as dark patches inside an apple)
to breathe in; to inhale; to suck; to sip; to absorb; to soak up
reception (desk); information desk; receptionist; receipt; acceptance
constitution (physical); physical make-up; predisposition (to disease); character (of a group, organization, etc.); innate characteristics; make-up
grace (of God); benevolence (of Buddha); assistance; help; effects; influence
that kind of; that sort of; that; like that; in that way; so
to glare at; to scowl at; to stare intensely at; to examine carefully; to estimate; to guess
to stare fixedly at; to fix one's gaze on; to make sure of; to set one's eyes on (e.g. the future); to focus on
to rot; to go bad; to corrode; to weather; to become useless; to blunt; to become depraved
to be disordered; to be disarranged; to be discomposed; to be upset; to lapse into chaos (due to war, etc.)
in all ages; over the ages; forever and ever
greed; craving; desire; appetite; hunger; avarice
to twine; to get tangled; to be involved (e.g. of money in a matter); to get involved (in); to pick a quarrel (with); to find fault (with)
funny; amusing; strange; odd; wrong; unsuitable