stepwise; one step at a time
advance; moving forward; progress
mumbling; chewing one's words; chewing (food); squirming; wriggling
praise; admiration; commendation; approbation
change of heart; change of mind; change in love interest
the big two...; two major...; two main...
leadership conference; summit meeting; top-level conference
to push someone (towards); to encourage someone
(your) daughter; young woman
photograph of two people, usu. male and female; man and woman being alone together; phone dating service where a couple are randomly connected for a conversation
record; minutes; record (e.g. in sports); results; to record; to document
clique; group; (political) faction; wing; school; sect
counter for books; volume
underwater; behind closed doors; behind the scenes; below the surface
to read and understand; to subject to close analysis; to read deeply; to decipher; to decode
layer; stratum; class; stratum; sheaf; counter for stories (of a building)
coupling; shipping; pairing of characters in a romantic relationship (in fan fiction, manga, etc.)
after a long time; for the first time in a while
another meeting; meeting again; reunion
God; god; ace; king; superior person
to make; to produce; to prepare (food); to brew (alcohol); to raise; to grow; to till
well-matched (esp. of a couple); becoming; suitable
unexpectedly; surprisingly; unexpected; unanticipated; unforeseen
to have a lot on one's shoulders; to bear a lot of responsibility
audience; spectator; spectators
to raise one's hand; to surrender; to raise one's hand to someone (as a threat to strike); to become better (at something); to improve; to throw one's hat in the ring
breaking through; breakthrough; surmounting; overcoming; exceeding; passing
to cut into (a line, conversation, etc.); to force oneself into (e.g. a crowd); to wedge oneself into; to fall below (of stock prices, sales, etc.); to drop below
to succeed (in doing); to pull something off; to manage (to do a job)
so far; up to now; hitherto; that's enough (for today); it ends here
this (very thing); this precisely
to sympathize with; to sympathise with; to think of (a far-off person, place, etc.); to cast one's mind to; to worry about; to feel anxious about
uncontainable; irrepressible; uncontrollable
to use (a thing, method, etc.); to make use of; to use (a person, animal, puppet, etc.); to employ; to use (time, money, etc.); to spend
to pray; to say a prayer; to offer up a prayer