business world; business circles; (the) industry
confidence; trust; faith; credit (finance)
first; foremost; most important; best; greatest; above all
intimacy; friendship; familiarity
relationship; relation; terms (good, friendly, etc.)
incomplete understanding; doubt; question; distrust; suspicion; strangeness
speech and conduct; words and deeds
severe; strict; hard (to do); difficult; intense (e.g. cold); harsh (weather)
to keep a watchful eye on
as a matter of fact; by the way; to tell you the truth; to be honest; frankly
with a momentary flash of light
no good; not serving its purpose; hopeless; wasted; cannot; must not
previously; before; first; before (something or someone else); beforehand; in advance
to retreat; to back off; to draw back; to step back; to shrink away
to nod; to bow one's head in assent; to agree
perhaps; probably; generous; many; much
until now; so far; up to the present
dangerous; risky; in danger; in jeopardy; uncertain; unreliable
by the way; incidentally; sometimes; occasionally; precisely (at that time); exactly
plausible; believable; solemn; dignified; serious
I see; that's right; indeed
why; oh; no!; quit it!; stop!
thoughtless; reckless; seldom; rare; ordinary; usual
to surpass; to outstrip; to excel
excitement; stimulation; agitation; arousal
handshake; reconciliation; joining hands; cooperation
to want; to wish for; to request; to demand; to seek; to search for
easy; simple; simple (way of thinking, etc.); simple-minded; soft; lax
hard-to-do; difficult; tough; awkward; tricky
diviner; fortune teller; soothsayer
black magic; black art; witchcraft; sorcery
to employ; to hire; to charter
when it comes to ...; where ... is concerned; if it's the case that ...; if it turns out that ...; if it's true that ...
opposition; rivalry; competition; antagonism
surface; face (i.e. the visible side of an object); front (of a building, etc.); obverse side (i.e. "head") of a coin; outside; exterior; appearance
flapping; rattling (sound); noisily; commotion; kerfuffle
ugly; unattractive; unsightly; unseemly
atrocious; fiendish; brutal; villainous
ear; hearing; edge; crust; selvedge (non-fray machined edge of fabrics); selvage
to split; to tear; to burst; to be separated; to be divided
to raise one's voice; to shout; to yell; to speak up (e.g. in protest); to speak one's mind
deep (colour); dark; strong (flavour, smell, etc.); thick (consistency); dense; strong (possibility, etc.)
setting (someone) to work; employment; using; causative (verb, etc.)