to meet; to encounter; to see; to have an accident; to have a bad experience
to be parted from; to be separated
boisterously; roughly; briskly
joke; playfulness; kidding around
one tuft (of hair, threads, etc.); one bunch (of grapes, bananas, etc.); one cluster (e.g. of flowers); one segment (of a tangerine, etc.); one section
whether one wants to or not; without choice
tearjerker; sob story; maudlin tale
to introduce; to compare; to check; to adjust; to pull into place
to fight to the last (death)
to be disheartened; to lose heart; to be sprained; to be snapped; to be broken
lingering attachment; lingering affection; regret; reluctance; ruefulness
dissipation; prodigality; debauchery
to come down; to go down; to hang; to dangle; to move back; to step back; to deteriorate
bent back; indecisive attitude; timidity; lack of nerve
to be hot on a person's heels
to become old enough to understand what's going on around oneself (of a child, etc.)
to throw out; to drop; to toss; to abandon; to neglect; to dismiss
blackmail; extortion; threat (to extort money)
fraud; swindle; graft; saying you're going to do something but in the end not doing it; making promises without keeping them; flaking out
damage; injury; defamation; harm
juvenile vagrant; street urchin; waif; guttersnipe
to be superfluous; to be in excess; to be more than enough
foster parent; adoptive parent; person who raised one; founding figure; key developer
great benefactor; person to whom one is greatly indebted
age-appropriate (esp. of clothing, hairstyles)
to be in high spirits; to be encouraged; to be lively; to cheer up
rushing around; running wild
persistence; fortitude; indomitability
coward; weakling; scaredy cat; wimp; sissy
considerable; decent; suitably; reasonably; one matter; one field
when; how soon; how long until
to follow; to come along (with); to accompany; to come with (something); to follow as a result (of); to be incidental (to)
to come of age; to become an adult; to become fully qualified; to stand on one's own
-ing and -ing (e.g. "coming and going"); doing such things as ...; expresses a command
front and rear; before and after; order; sequence; consequences; context
pride; dignity; self-respect
independence from parents
leaving the nest; going out into the world; becoming independent