a few years ago; some years back
seriously; in earnest; for real; all out; really; with a will
cavalry; cavalryman; trooper
making practical; making useful; implementing
mystery; mysteriousness; secret
interchange; transposition; compatible (e.g. PC)
science fiction; sci-fi; SF
fiction; fabrication; concoction; fictitious; fictional; imaginary
to cross over (e.g. mountain); to go across; to get over (e.g. hardship); to pass time (e.g. a winter); to surpass; to be better than; to move house
dream within a dream; (beyond) one's wildest dreams; entirely unrealizable dream; pie in the sky
form; shape; state; condition; letter; correspondence
"gentleman" who escorts a woman home, only to make a pass at her
to have legs; to be able to get around; to be a good runner
to become weak; to decline; to wear; to abate; to decay; to wither
monologue; soliloquy; talking to oneself
to be upset; to lose one's composure; to lose self-control; to put in disorder; to mess up; to disturb
enduring something out of pride; putting up with it; grinning and bearing it
knob; handle; snack (to have with a drink); side dish; a pinch (e.g. of salt); (file) handle
salt; common salt; hardship; toil; saltiness; cold
to eat; to live on (e.g. a salary); to live off; to subsist on
salty; calculating; stingy; scowling; grimacing; hoarse
reliable; dependable; trustworthy; sure
to come to like; to become fond of; to fall in love
the ways of the world; human nature
to keep in pace with; to keep up with; to follow (someone's thought); to understand
the more I think about it; the more one thinks about it
to become familiar with; to fit in; to adapt oneself; to get used to; to grow accustomed to
fortuitous; luck; windfall; godsend; good fortune
successively; one after another; sequentially; one by one
overflowing; flood; inundation; oversupply; plethora