faint, ironic or bittersweet smile
hard; solid; stiff; tight; strong; firm (not viscous or easily moved); safe
to behave violently; to commit violence; to use force
background; scenery; background (of an incident, situation, etc.); circumstances; backing; support (from behind the scenes)
to threaten; to menace; to frighten (into doing)
fast (walking); quick; brisk; quick (passing of time); rapid; swift
to go round and cut in; to take a roundabout path
violently; without holding anything back; firmly; resolutely
to strike; to clap; to play drums; to abuse; to bash; to consult; to sound out
pair of lovers; girlfriend and boyfriend
laughing at an inappropriate time; not being able to hold back one's laughter; scornful laughter; snicker; snigger
to be disconnected; to get out of place; to miss the mark; to get it wrong (e.g. guess, expectation); to be removed; to be excluded
wick; marrow; core; heart; pistil (of a flower); stamen
solid; robust; tight; taut; shrewd; calculating
but (still); and yet; nevertheless; even so; notwithstanding
to remonstrate; to admonish (someone) for; to advise (someone) not to; to warn against
crackling; cracking; clapping; incessantly (blinking)
blink (of eyes); wink; twinkling (of stars); flicker (of light); blink (of light)
regular matches in an official tournament
to frolic about; to mess around
among these; between these; of these; in here; in this
scene; spectacle; sight; view
to be effective; to take effect; to work; to function well; to be possible (to do, use, etc.); to be able to
in terms of both ... and ...; from the perspective of ... as well as ...; whether it be ... or ...
to have stiff shoulders; to feel ill at ease; to feel uncomfortable; serious; sober
just right (time, size, length, etc.)
some; few; somewhat; to a certain extent; (arch.) many; (arch.) a lot
(turning) round and round; in circles; wrapping around; winding around
to turn; to rotate; to pass around; to send around; to move (someone or something to where its needed); to send; to turn (to a new use)
handsome man; man's looks; good looks; manliness
dangerous; in danger; facing imminent danger; precarious (situation); perilous (state, balance, etc.); in doubt
to fall in love; to be in love; to be charmed with; to lose one's heart to
amount of force (required to do something); (using the) right amount of force; appropriate use of force
people; race; nation; ethnic group; ethnos
to forge; to temper; to drill; to train; to discipline
as many as one likes; as much as one likes; great many; plenty; almost (none); (not) much
sweet-tasting; sweet; fragrant (smelling); sweet (music); lightly salted; light in salt; naive
air; atmosphere; mood; situation; someone with no presence; someone who doesn't stand out at all
component; factor; item (e.g. in list); element (e.g. in array); member (e.g. data structure)