incomprehensible; mysterious; inexplicable; inscrutable; enigmatic; baffling
to change (into); to turn (into); to transform (into); to influence
drifting; drift; being adrift
coincidence; chance; by chance; unexpectedly; contingency
gear; speed (e.g. 4-speed transmission)
detour; circumvention; turning movement
to shake off; to shake free from; to swing completely (bat, club, etc.); to take a full swing; to break off from (pursuer); to pull away
intolerable; unbearable; tremendous; out of this world; cannot help (doing); cannot but do
clue; lead; key; handhold; hold
rule; regulation; settlement; conclusion; habit; custom
coming alongside (a boat, pier, etc.)
to discuss; to talk together
fast; quick; easy; simple; as soon as ...; the moment ...
isolated; standing alone; falling in drops (e.g. rain); saying a single word; muttering just a few words
distance; range; difference (e.g. in opinion); gap; metric
to shorten; to reduce; to crumple (fabric); to wrinkle; to make (one's body) smaller; to draw in (one's legs)
composition; formation; organization; organisation; compilation
at the critical moment; when the time comes; when it's most important; when necessary; in an emergency; when push comes to shove
in preparation (for); in case (of); in the lead-up (to)
scaffold; scaffolding; foothold; footing; foothold (e.g. in business); foundation
attack; assault; criticism; censure; cyber attack (e.g. DDoS)
defense; defence; safeguard; protection
strength; power; proficiency; ability
zero; 0; nought; nothing; zilch
endless; boundless; everlasting
comparatively; relatively; fairly; rather; pretty; unexpectedly
chill; the shivers; shivering fit
to the extent possible; as much as possible; as far as possible; whenever possible; wherever possible; if (at all) possible
hand-to-hand combat; fighting at close quarters; close combat
to scribble (down); to write quickly; to dash off
signalling with the eyes; exchanging looks; winking
thoroughly; completely; severely; harshly; (arch.) scattered; (arch.) disconnected
to reveal one's true intentions; to show one's cards
fair; fair ball; fair (event)
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
crisis; critical situation; emergency; pinch
to be on the verge of; to be about to; to be on the point of
objection; dissent; protest
to recite; to chant; to cry; to yell; to advocate; to advance
constant attendance; uninterrupted supervision; staying with someone all the time
sharp-eyed; keen-eyed; easily awakened
to be quick-witted; to be quick-thinking