abandoning (hope, plans); giving up
originator; ringleader; perpetrator; main culprit; person responsible
audience (with a superior, e.g. nobility)
careful selection; careful screening; hand-picking
(cannot) possibly; (not) by any means; (not) at all; utterly; absolutely
violence; oppression; high-handedness; tyranny; despotism
you could say; you might say; verging on the
to be overcome with emotion
farewell party; send-off party; motivational rally
strenuous effort; hard struggle; working hard; hard fighting; fierce fighting
to pile up; to heap up; to stir up; to enliven; to bring to a climax
meeting; assembly; gathering; congregation; convention; rally
showy; loud; flashy; gaudy
party; banquet; reception; feast; dinner
cancellation; liquidation; resolution; reduction (e.g. of stress)
each (person); individually; one by one; one at a time; in turn
terrible; dreadful; amazing (e.g. of strength); great (e.g. of skills); to a great extent; vast (in numbers)
(written) invitation; letter of invitation
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
change; modification; alteration; revision; amendment
date (of a planned event, act, etc.); day; (number of) days
to pluck; to pick; to nip off
to appear; to start to appear; to show signs of appearing
with a start; with a jump
late at night; at a late hour
example; instance; precedent; custom; habit
though one didn't intend (expect) to
guilty (feeling, conscience, look, etc.); (feeling) uneasy
(please) try to; (please) look; seeing; looking
betterment; improvement; kaizen (Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement)
annals; chronicle; chronology
essays; miscellaneous writings; literary jottings
criterion; standard; yardstick; rough estimate; approximation
not to mention ...; needless to say ...; not to speak of ...; (arch.) negligent; (arch.) neglectful; (arch.) careless
to overwhelm (e.g. an opponent); to overpower; to overwhelm (someone with emotion); to move; to intimidate; to frighten
to be astonished; to be amazed; to be astounded; to be deeply impressed
attendance; accompanying; following; adjoint
orderly; officer's servant; batman; soldier assigned to wait on an officer