contrary to one's expectations
meek; gentle; modest; praiseworthy; admirable
to concede a point; to yield; to give in
everybody; every last one of them; all
sounding each other out; probing each other
to rummage through; to ransack (e.g. a drawer); to throw into confusion; to disrupt; to upset
to sigh; to breathe a sigh
enshrinement (of a deity); residing (in a shrine or sacred place); sitting prominently (in a place); being plunked down; being planted (in a spot)
collection (of art, stamps, etc.); collecting; collection (i.e. a range of new clothes); fashion show
to lay hands on; to touch; to care for; to look after; to make off with; to steal
mechanism; machinery; system; structure; organization
masterpiece; masterwork; crowning work; one's magnum opus; work of the highest quality
of uncertain meaning; ambiguous; cryptic; nonsensical; incomprehensible; perplexing
distinctive of; characteristic of; uniquely applying to; but; except; without
to be cloying; to be sick and tired with; to be disgusted with; to stink
calculating; sly; cunning; flirty; flirtatious
pure; genuine; trueborn; natural-born
boorish; inelegant; unpolished; unromantic; tactless
the height of folly; sheer stupidity
enamel; enamel paint; enameled leather; patent leather
beautiful; pretty; lovely; sweet; pure (heart, friendship, etc.)
work (e.g. book, film, painting, composition); piece; production; opus
one's cherished opinion; pet theory
because of; on account of; about; on; per; for every
boisterous merrymaking; racket; spree
after all is said and done; no matter what people say; in the end; definitely; undeniably
capacity; volume; capacitance
large quantity; massive (quantity); mass (e.g. mass production, mass transit, mass destruction)
sauce; Worcestershire sauce
the public; the street (e.g. "word on the street"); street; district; location (e.g. of a battle); scene (e.g. of carnage)
illegal; illicit; unlawful
perhaps; maybe; perchance; by some chance; by any chance
reserve; spare; treasured; valued; (ace) up one's sleeve; trump
(if) by some chance; by some possibility; in the unlikely event that; (unlikely event of) emergency; the worst(-case scenario)
to take advantage (of someone's weaknesses, carelessness, etc.); to impose on
indication; denotation; designation; instructions; directions
floor; dance floor; sales floor; floor (of a building); storey
corridor; hallway; passageway
to walk; to go on foot; to tread (a figurative path); to follow; to advance towards (e.g. a solution); to set out (e.g. on the path to destruction, ruin, etc.)
to go ahead; to pull ahead