eagerly (waiting); (waiting) impatiently
to have sparkling eyes; to have shining eyes; to have a gleam in one's eyes
bursting; rupture; explosion; breakdown (of talks, negotiations, etc.); breaking off
cold (to the touch); chilly; icy; (emotionally) cold; coldhearted; unfeeling
to put on (one's head); to wear; to be covered with (dust, snow, etc.); to pour (water, etc.) on oneself; to bear (e.g. someone's debts, faults, etc.); to take (blame); to overlap (e.g. sound or color)
soaked; drenched; sopping; incessantly (raining); drizzling
underwear; undergarment; underclothes; lingerie
to be transparent; to show through
shirt (undergarment); undershirt; singlet; shirt (outerwear; usu. with collar and buttons)
sensational; inflammatory; incendiary; (sexually) suggestive; lascivious
whether one likes it or not; whether willing or not; willy-nilly
far away; distant place; long ago; far back; by far
(direct) hit; hitting the mark
to change (one's clothes)
locker room; changing room; dressing room
to come near (to); to approach; to be on the verge of; to be about to reach (a stage, period, etc.); to overhang; to hang over
dangerous; critical; grave; uncertain; unreliable; dodgy
the best one can do; one's best effort; with all one's might; to the best of one's ability; as hard as possible
honestly speaking; in truth; in all honesty; to be frank
unreliable; undependable; helpless; forlorn; worried; uneasy
any more; anymore; any further; any better; any longer
tactics; strategy; military operation; naval operation
to knead; to thicken into a paste (stirring over a flame); to polish (a plan, etc.); to refine; to train; to drill; to gloss (silk)
to whinge; to kvetch; to gripe; to complain; to whine
person of high rank or position
comparatively; relatively; fairly; rather; pretty; unexpectedly
tendency; trend; inclination
pure; true; genuine; unmixed
to polish; to shine; to burnish; to refine (a skill, etc.); to improve; to hone
level; standard; level (amount or quantity); level (plane); level (instrument); spirit level
merit system (as opposed to seniority); meritocracy; ability-ism
person; -er; (arch.) expert; (arch.) geisha; (arch.) prostitute
to the utmost; to the best of one's ability
examination; exam; test; trial; experiment; test
the latter; the second; successor; descendant
tightly; closely; exactly; precisely; suddenly (stopping); perfectly (suited)
to stop (moving); to come to a stop; to stop (doing, working, being supplied); to come to a halt; to alight; to perch on
intelligence network; information network
using freely; making full use of; having a good command of; working (someone) hard; driving (someone) on
to be able to manage somehow or other
grateful; thankful; welcome; appreciated; evoking gratitude
to have an ulterior motive; to have an axe to grind