platform; home; home base; home plate
to decorate; to ornament; to display; to exhibit; to mark (e.g. the day with a victory); to adorn (e.g. the front page)
forbidding to speak; muzzling (a person); bribing into secrecy; hush money
political maneuvering; politicking; political machinations
infiltration; sneaking in; going undercover
one's speciality; one's forte; one's strong point
absence; disregard; indifference
firm; strong; solid; stable
culmination; acme; height; peak; ultimate; perfection
pupil; student; schoolchild
raising one's hand; show of hands (e.g. for a vote); salute
to perceive; to sense; to take in; to grasp; to feel
to talk or say too much; to go too far; to overstate; to exaggerate
the real criminal; true culprit
zero; 0; nought; nothing; zilch
to bluff; to act brave; to put on a bold front
operation (of a machine, etc.); operating; driving; working (capital, etc.)
flustered; flurried; stuttering (e.g. an apology)
looking someone in the eyes; taking a straight look at something
having a loose tongue; being talkative; speaking without thinking; being unable to keep a secret
inquiry; enquiry; investigation; (police) interview; questioning (e.g. witness, suspect); hearing
to put to use; to make good use of; to exploit
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
hm; um; huh?; what?; nuh-uh; no
to anticipate; to expect; to place confidence in; to put trust in; to find promising; to see good prospects (in)
lie; falsehood; fiction; fabrication
fashion; way; school (of thought); class; rank; current (electrical, water, etc.)
to draw (water); to ladle; to pour (into a cup); to drink (together); to consider (feelings, the situation, etc.); to sympathize with
anyway; anyhow; at any rate; in any case
to fold up; to fold into layers
polite; courteous; careful; close; overly courteous; overly careful
noisily (running around); with heavy feet; in a fluster; in a flurry; slapstick
to spill over and fall; to scatter (petals, leaves, etc.)
oversight; omission; something overlooked; thing left unnoticed
taking back what one just said; eating one's words; negating one's previous comment, opinion, etc.
to feel ashamed; to be abashed
to be embarrassed; to lose face