previous engagement; prior contract
great wealth; enormous fortune
true; real; genuine; proper; utter
at the most; at best; to the utmost; as much as possible; as much as one can
to tighten; to stiffen; to brace; to strain
index finger; forefinger; second toe
to paint; to plaster; to lacquer; to varnish; to spread; to smear
(relating to) gender; sex; sexual
zip fastener; zipper; zip; chuck (device for holding a workpiece in a lathe or a tool in a drill)
Magic Tape (brand of hook-and-loop fastener, equiv. to Velcro)
right on the heels of yesterday, then today ...; soon after something, and yet now ...
capture (of enemy territory); taking (by storm); defeating (an opponent); attacking (a problem) strategically
steady progress; rapid advance
speech; expression; wording; language
to go uninvited; to call on without an invitation; to barge in on; to throng to; to crowd into; to converge upon
to tear; to rip; to break through (cordon, opponent's defense, etc.); to breach; to defeat; to beat; to break (e.g. silence)
be inextricably involved; be in a sticky situation
whether one likes it or not; willy-nilly
pensive (or worried) look on one's face
apprehensions; misgivings; uneasiness; anxiety; fear
resemblance; similarity; likeness; analogy
modus operandi; criminal technique; trick
rush job; slipshod job; quick-and-dirty work
to board; to embark on; to get into (a car); to march into; to enter
recommendation; advice; suggestion; encouragement
to leave home; to leave one's parental roof; to leave the nest; to go out on one's own
living by oneself; living alone
about; roughly; generally; on the whole; completely; quite
to jump up; to spring up; to move around; to bounce up and down; to pound (of one's heart, e.g. with excitement); to throb
guardian; protector; patron; parent
unworthy; unbecoming; improper
society; public; community; social studies