preparatory phase; preparatory period
(natural) satellite; moon; (artificial) satellite
artificial satellite; man-made satellite
indispensable; essential; requisite; required; compulsory; necessary
to feel; to sense; to experience
attitude; manner; behaviour; attitude (towards an issue, etc.); position; stance
zero; 0; nought; nothing; zilch
action; conduct; behaviour; behavior; mobilization; mobilisation
advice; counsel; suggestion; tip; hint
arrangements; plan; programme; program; preparations
to be anxious or concerned about; to ponder (anxiously); to fear; to investigate; to consider; to plan
enough; sufficient; plenty; sufficiently; fully; thoroughly
decisive battle; deciding match; play-off
in short; the point is; the important thing is; in a word; basically
to refer to; to use as reference
dated; date; fixed; external
still; even now; to this day
interception (email); wiretap; bug
to be effective; to be fruitful; to be worthwhile; to be worth; to be rewarded; to pay off
least; lowest; worst; awful; horrible; at the very least
scene; sight; scenario; setting
matter (to discuss); item (on the agenda); issue; (court) case
grace; favor; favour; blessing; benefit
so; therefore; accordingly; consequently; on those grounds; that is why
start; commencement; beginning; initiation
drawn-out (protracted) war or contest
to shake one's head (in denial)
to have a talk; to tell a story
private; personal life; (one's) privacy
left and right; right and left; (asserting) control; influence; one's attendants; people accompanying one
part of the eyebrow closest to the nose
to stuff into; to jam; to shorten; to move closer together; to reduce (spending); to conserve; to focus intently on
to follow; to come along with one; to accompany
to drink; to gulp; to smoke (tobacco); to engulf; to overwhelm; to keep down; to suppress
since some time ago; for some time; for quite a while
to break off; to come to an end; to be interrupted; to be cut short; to pause
if anything; if pushed I'd say; if I had to say