hiding at all costs; desperate cover-up; doing one's best to keep (something) secret
insincerity; dishonesty; untruthfulness; bad faith
deadly serious; deadly earnest
companions; friends; comrades; mates; partners
stubbornness; obstinacy; disposition; nature; appetite; desire
I'm off (and will be back later); see you later; to go (and then come back)
sound of thin metal or plastic surface caving in and springing back; action of quickly bowing or lowering one's head; with a bob of the head
difficult to ...; hard to ...
first of all; to begin with; probably; most likely; more or less (satisfactory); on the whole
to push back; to press back; to force back
price; cost; charge; payment; bill; fee
to refuse; to reject; to inform; to give notice; to ask leave; to excuse oneself (from)
another; one more; even more; (not) quite; (not) very
to express in a refined fashion; to weave a web of words
gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
to be visible; to be clear; to be evident; to be certain
seal; to seal (e.g. a letter); to affix a seal; to seal up
crowded; packed; crammed; cramped; filled; overflowing
owner; possessor; holder; carrier
for some (unspecified) reason
one foot; one leg; one of a pair (of shoes or socks)
to build a nest; to nest; to hang out (of a bad group); to be based (in); to lodge (in one's mind; of an evil thought, delusion, etc.); to be planted
in the same way as; just like
to say no more; to sink into silence
to pause; to have a short intermission
shivering; trembling; shuddering; shaking
to come near; to let someone approach; to bring near; to bring together; to deliver (opinion, news, etc.); to send (e.g. a letter); to let someone drop by
to say; to speak; to tell; to be called
large sum (of money); large amount; large denomination (banknote, etc.)
to be; to come; to go; to be (doing)
long time (since the last time); first in a long time
standoffishly; primly; pungently (of a smell); acridly; long and pointed (e.g. of a nose); popping (of ears)
to quieten down; to fall silent; to cease activities; to become inactive; to lie low
main course (of a river); mainstream; main current (e.g. of thought)
as it is; plain (truth); bare; undisguised; unvarnished; unexaggerated
to expose; to disclose; to lay bare; to confess
as if ...; as if to say ...; as though ...
details; particulars; longitude and latitude; warp and weft; warp and woof