to spoil; to ruin; to destroy; to make a mess of
quite capable of ...; not unlikely to ...; may well ...; might ...; could ...; would not hesitate to ...
by chance; by accident; accidentally; occasionally; once in a while; now and then
what; what sort of thing; everything; anything; what (on earth)?; what's the meaning of this ...?
everything; anything; nothing
to cause someone to worry
to be complete; to be all present; to be equal; to be uniform; to gather; to assemble
serious reflection; soul-searching; penitence
good; OK; all right; fine; very well; will do
please excuse the intrusion; I'm coming in
to change (lower-body clothing: shoes, pants, skirt, etc.); to put on (the wrong shoes)
multicolored; multicoloured; of various colors; diverse; of all kinds; all manners of
to face each other; to be opposite (to)
elder brother; big brother; one's senior; one's elder; old ingredients; stale ingredients
late at night; at a late hour
father; dad; husband; you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); he
close call; narrow escape; hair's breadth; narrowly; just in time; by a hair's breadth
unnecessary; not needed; not necessary
start of a romance; beginning of love
very interesting; of absorbing interest; having a keen interest (in); being immensely curious (about)
the opposite sex; isomerism
chattering; talk; idle talk; chatty; talkative; chatterbox
clumsy; awkward; unskillful; incompetent; inept; bungling
to peel; to skin; to pare; to bare (teeth, fangs); to open wide (eyes)
witty and knowing; not to be underestimated; smooth operator
root (of a plant); root (of a tooth, hair, etc.); center (of a pimple, etc.); root (of all evil, etc.); source; one's true nature
being stuck between a rock and a hard place; being in a dilemma; being torn between conflicting demands
atmosphere (esp. of a place or person); mood; vibe; ambience
gentle; peaceable; amicable; without fuss; simply
to invite; to ask; to beckon; to wave someone in; to call in; to send for
to speak one's mind; to be frank; to tell the truth