to outwit; to outmanoeuvre; to steal a march on; to get the jump on; to anticipate; to forestall
none of your business; not your concern
carriage; poise; bearing; demeanor; movement (of the body)
incomplete combustion; imperfect combustion; being off one's game; not doing one's best; being unable to use all of one's strength
hating to lose; unyielding; unbending; competitive; sore loser; determined
to sew; to stitch; to weave one's way (e.g. through a crowd)
sarcastic; having a sharp tongue; having a sharp nasty tongue
inside out; upside down; flip side; opposite; contrary
denouement; ending; conclusion; (grand) finale
to take off; to jump; to take the plunge; to decide; to step out of the ring
taking great pains (to do); making every effort; having a lot of trouble (doing); racking one's brains
percussion; tapping; examining by percussion; sounding out (someone's intentions); making an approach (about)
shout (of encouragement, etc.); yell (used to time or encourage activity, e.g. "Heave ho!")
high (spirits); euphoric; intoxicated; high
don't worry about it; there is nothing to fear; there is no need for anxiety; everything is under control
to have troubles; to have concerns
rise of the curtain; opening of a play; beginning (e.g. of an era); start; opening (of a tournament, festival, etc.)
social gathering; get-together; (friendly) meeting
fluently; without hesitation; without faltering
peafowl (incl. the male peacock, female peahen, and young peachick)
Chinese firebird; Chinese phoenix
then; well; so; bye then; bye bye
second; number two; runner-up
the whole sky; the firmament; the heavens; the empyrean
to make a mistake; to mess up; to screw up; to fail
staunch; hardcore; dyed-in-the-wool; metal reinforcement
living room (Western style); sitting room
exactly right!; indeed; damn straight
swigging; gulping down; guzzling; quaffing
seeker after truth; one who seeks the way
pupil; disciple; adherent; follower; apprentice; young person
number (of long, cylindrical things, movies, trains, home runs, etc.)
necessity is the mother of invention
dependability; credibility; coefficient of confidence
price; cost; charge; price (of achieving something); cost; sacrifice
half and half; fifty-fifty
export; exportation; efferent
lesson; precept; teachings; moral
(undesirable but) inseparable relationship
inarticulate; clumsy with words; poor at speaking
pushing through; bulldozing; doing something by force; arm twisting
family a woman has married into