blue tarpaulin; blue plastic waterproof sheeting
groan; moan; roar; howl; hum (e.g. motor); buzz (e.g. bee, wire in wind)
back (esp. of a building, etc.); rear; behind
suddenly; all of a sudden
riddle; puzzle; enigma; enigmatic; mysterious
destruction; collapse; crumbling
casualties; the killed and wounded
great disaster; horrible tragedy; catastrophe; catastrophic event; catastrophic incident; dire calamity
still; even now; to this day
establishing; proving; ascertaining; identifying; confirming
flowers budding; blooming; flowering; showing results; becoming popular; blooming
henchman; follower; (arch.) adopted child
willpower; guts; determination; character; nature; disposition
joint; seam; joining point
indifferent; half-hearted; dispirited; listless
generally; mainly; nearly all; almost all; gist; summary; staying within bounds
eccentric; oddball; character; weirdo
person in the same line of business; people in the same trade; the trade; the profession
so-so; passable; now, now; my, my
to destroy; to crush; to break by striking; to spoil; to ruin
to be frugal; to be sparing; to value; to hold dear; to regret (e.g. a loss); to feel sorry (for)
to get along (with someone); to be like-minded; to be congenial
to unfold; to unroll; to open
one end; an end; part; fragment
to take a peep at; to catch a glimpse of
or something; for instance ... (though there are other suitable options); ... or ...; as soon as; right after; while still
to the limit; to the full; as much as possible; with all one's might
shot; charge; blow; punch; home run; try
boisterously; roughly; briskly
that's true; of course; obviously
fellow; mutual; companion; comrade
memory; sense; experience
making a fuss; Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare)
to bring up a subject; to touch on a matter