black-market lending; illegal loan
to take by deception; to defraud someone of; to swindle someone out of; to cheat someone out of
victim; injured party; sufferer
to take back; to recapture
present age; present day; today; modern era; modern times
mouse; rat; dark gray; dark grey; slate (color, colour)
youngster; boy; young Buddhist monk; young bonze; young shop-boy; errand boy
such ... as; or some such
even if; even though; even; too; whether ... or ...; no matter (what, where, who, etc.)
way (of doing); manner; method; means
stealthily; secretly; in secret
safe; strongbox; cashbox; depository; cash office; treasury
dial (e.g. telephone, radio, clock, gauge)
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)
contents; interior; substance; content; (sword) blade
collection; recovery; withdrawal; retrieval
in fact; as a matter of fact; actually; in reality; to tell the truth
to lie; to cheat; to pretend; to trick; to deceive
guest; visitor; customer; client; counter for containers used to entertain guests
black-market lending; illegal loan
to throw up a smoke screen; to put up a false front; to purposely mislead
invasion; incursion; raid; aggression; intrusion; trespass
to take away; to carry off
details; particulars; longitude and latitude; warp and weft; warp and woof
no matter for; without regard to; whatever the ...
to open; to undo; to bloom; to unfold; to open (for business, e.g. in the morning); to be wide (gap, etc.); to widen
mostly; ordinarily; probably; most; almost all; ordinary
essential; important; crucial; vital; main
to believe; to believe in; to place trust in; to confide in; to have faith in
slip; omission; upshot; denouement; punch line (of a joke)
to reach; to amount to; to be up to the task; to come up to; to compare with; to be a match (for)
to incur someone's enmity
often; again and again; over and over again; repeatedly; frequently
to stroke; to caress; to brush gently; to comb (hair); to smooth down
shallow; superficial; slight (wound); light (sleep); short (time); early
wise saying; famous saying
bottomless; endlessly deep; infinite
marsh; swamp; wetland; being hooked (on a video game, TV show, etc.)
bound hand and foot; hedged in (e.g. by restrictions); immobile
to move; to stir; to operate; to run; to make a move; to take action; to be touched
blunt; to the point; direct; outspoken; frank
fluently (speaking a foreign language); incessantly (speaking); glibly; one after the other (flipping through pages); thin (paper, cloth, etc.); flimsy