preferential treatment; special treatment; discrimination; express delivery; special delivery
to look daggers at someone; to be angry
application; entry; request; subscription; offer; proposal
to assume an air of importance; to be self-important; to put on airs
going out; one's best clothes; formal (e.g. language); best (behaviour, manners, etc.)
personal grudge; personal enmity
to outwit; to get the better of; to overcome a superior opponent and leave him speechless
to fasten one's eye on (a person); to stare at
to say too much; to go too far
to set (sun); to become dark
to come and go; to go back and forth
to be wildly different; to be on a completely different scale; to be in a different league; to be poles apart; to stand no comparison; (lit.) to be on a different order of magnitude
with all due respect ...; I venture to say ...; Excuse me, but ...
achievements; actual results; accomplishments; past results; track record
to diminish (dampen) the spirit
order; turn; sorting; obedient; docile; submissive
second; number two; runner-up
fierce fight; close contest
draw (in competition); tie game
suspension; stoppage; discontinuance; interruption
not just once; more than once; many times; again and again
unable to compete with; not able to make a dent in (e.g. a problem); not able to get a solid hit in (e.g. in a fight); hard to chew
the crucial moment; the moment of truth; do-or-die situation; crucial juncture; crucial stage
alternation; change; relief; relay; shift; substitution (sports, etc.)
to gain a victory; to win
important point; point to make note of
senior; elder; person older than oneself
to show respect for; to revere; to honour; to honor; to worship; to hold in esteem
bitter (e.g. criticism); sharp; biting; severe; scathing; harsh
hard to say; inexpressible; hesitant to say; embarrassing; delicate
perhaps; possibly; by some chance; by some possibility
coming and going; traffic; road; street; association; socializing
offering a full report to a superior
coming to a head; coming to the surface; becoming an issue; breaking
secret (recipe, medicine, etc.); mysteries (e.g. of an art)